June 26, 1965

The federal minimum wage stood at $1.25/hr that summer of 1965, and the Dow Jones sat at 969 — U.S. ground troop deployments in Vietnam were expanding, with American forces taking on a more direct combat role as the Johnson administration navigated growing pressure both overseas and at home. On the radio, The Rolling Stones held the number one spot with "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," while on television, "Bonanza" remained the top-rated show in the country, drawing millions of viewers each week to their sets. That same summer, on June 3, astronaut Ed White became the first American to walk in space during the Gemini 4 mission, spending about 23 minutes outside the spacecraft while orbiting Earth at roughly 17,500 miles per hour.