When This Dropped

July 25, 1966

President
Johnson
Dow (EOY)
786
Gas/gal
$0.32
Min Wage
$1.25

The federal minimum wage stood at $1.25/hr that summer of 1966, and the Dow Jones sat at 786 — even as the U.S. military announced plans to expand forces in Vietnam to 375,000 troops by year's end. On American screens and turntables, "Bonanza" remained the top-rated show on television while The Beatles held the number one spot on the charts with "Paperback Writer." That August, NASA launched Lunar Orbiter 1, sending the first U.S. spacecraft into orbit around the Moon, where it would photograph potential landing sites for the Apollo program.

On the cover

Magazine Covers — July 25, 1966

New York Times
Time
TV Guide
Nat. Geographic

World Events — July 1966

Time Person of the Year — 1966

William Westmoreland
Person of the Year
William Westmoreland

On the radio

Billboard Charts — July 25, 1966

Hanky Panky
Tommy James And The Shondells
Hot 100 #1
"Hanky Panky"
Tommy James And The Shondells
Strangers In Night
Frank Sinatra
Billboard 200 #1
"Strangers In Night"
Frank Sinatra

Grammy Awards

A Man and His Music
Frank Sinatra
Grammy Album of the Year
"A Man and His Music"
Frank Sinatra
Michelle
The Beatles
Grammy Song of the Year
"Michelle"
The Beatles
Strangers in the Night
Frank Sinatra
Grammy Record of the Year
"Strangers in the Night"
Frank Sinatra

On the bookshelf

Valley of the Dolls
Jacqueline Susann
NYT Fiction #1
"Valley of the Dolls"
Jacqueline Susann
How to Avoid Probate
Norman F. Dacey
NYT Non-Fiction #1
"How to Avoid Probate"
Norman F. Dacey
Collected Stories
Katherine Anne Porter
Pulitzer Prize Fiction
"Collected Stories"
Katherine Anne Porter
The Collected Stories
Katherine Anne Porter
National Book Award Fiction
"The Collected Stories"
Katherine Anne Porter
A Thousand Days
Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.
National Book Award Nonfiction
"A Thousand Days"
Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.

On the television

Nielsen Top 10 — 1965–66 Season

Bonanza
Nielsen #1 TV Show
Bonanza
Nielsen
Top 10
TV Shows
Nielsen Ratings
Top 10 TV Shows
1965–66 Season

Emmy Winners — 1966

Mission: Impossible
Emmy Drama Series
Mission: Impossible
The Monkees
Emmy Comedy Series
The Monkees
Bill Cosby
I Spy
Emmy Lead Actor
Bill Cosby
I Spy
Lucille Ball
The Lucy Show
Emmy Lead Actress
Lucille Ball
The Lucy Show

At the movies

Box Office & Oscar Winners — July 25, 1966

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Box Office #1
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
The Sound of Music
Oscar Best Picture
The Sound of Music
Fred Zinnemann
A Man for All Seasons
Oscar Best Director
Fred Zinnemann
A Man for All Seasons
Paul Scofield
A Man for All Seasons
Oscar Best Actor
Paul Scofield
A Man for All Seasons
Elizabeth Taylor
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Oscar Best Actress
Elizabeth Taylor
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Ebert 4-Star Films — July 25, 1966

Au Hasard Balthazar
4-Star Review
Au Hasard Balthazar
Blow-Up
4-Star Review
Blow-Up

On the field

Sports Champions — July 25, 1966

NFL Champion
Green Bay Packers
AFL Champion
Kansas City Chiefs
World Series
Baltimore Orioles
def. Los Angeles Dodgers
NBA Champion
Boston Celtics
def. Los Angeles Lakers
Stanley Cup
Montreal Canadiens
def. Detroit Red Wings

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