May 8, 1960
Gas cost $0.31 a gallon in the spring of 1960, and the Dow Jones stood at 615 — a U.S. U-2 spy plane was shot down over Soviet territory, sharply raising Cold War tensions just weeks before a planned summit between Eisenhower and Khrushchev. On screens and turntables, "Ben-Hur" was still dominating theaters after sweeping a record 11 Academy Awards in April, while Percy Faith and His Orchestra held the top spot on the charts with "The Theme From A Summer Place." The Boston Celtics claimed the NBA championship over the St. Louis Hawks, and on May 10, the USS Triton completed the first underwater circumnavigation of the Earth, having traveled roughly 36,000 miles submerged during a journey that lasted more than 60 days.
On the cover
Magazine Covers — May 8, 1960
World Events — May 1960
Time Person of the Year — 1960
On the radio
Billboard Charts — May 8, 1960
Grammy Awards
On the bookshelf
On the television
Nielsen Top 10 — 1959–60 Season
Emmy Winners — 1960
At the movies
Box Office & Oscar Winners — May 8, 1960
On the field
Sports Champions — May 8, 1960
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