1958 – The Baby Boomer Journey
Babies born in 1958 will be 68 years old at some point in 2026. I became 12 years old in January and I was in the seventh grade.
Top world news: On January 1, 1958, the European Economic Community, commonly known as the Common Market, officially came into existence, bringing six Western European nations into a closer economic partnership and helping lay the foundation for today’s European Union. On March 27, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev became Premier of the Soviet Union, further consolidating his power as the country’s dominant leader. On June 1, Charles de Gaulle returned to power in France during a political crisis over Algeria. Later that year, France adopted a new constitution establishing the Fifth Republic, with a stronger presidency. On June 16, former Hungarian Prime Minister Imre Nagy was executed by the Soviet-backed government for his role in the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, becoming a symbol of resistance to Soviet domination. On July 15, President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent U.S. Marines into Lebanon during a political crisis that threatened the stability of the country and raised Cold War tensions in the Middle East.
Top news in America: The Space Race accelerated rapidly in 1958. On January 31, the United States successfully launched Explorer 1, America’s first satellite. Its scientific instruments helped discover the bands of radiation surrounding Earth that became known as the Van Allen radiation belts. On March 17, Vanguard 1 became the second successful U.S. satellite and remains the oldest artificial object still orbiting Earth. On July 29, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation creating the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the new civilian space agency officially began operations on October 1. By the end of the year, the United States had firmly entered the Space Age and was rapidly expanding its efforts to compete with the Soviet Union.
Other important events: On June 29, 1958, Brazil defeated Sweden 5–2 to win its first FIFA World Cup. Seventeen-year-old Pelé scored twice in the final and emerged as an international sensation, beginning a career that would make him one of the most celebrated athletes in the world. On September 12, engineer Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments demonstrated the first working integrated circuit, an invention that became the foundation of the modern microchip. The breakthrough helped make increasingly smaller and more powerful electronics possible and eventually paved the way for computers, digital communications and many of the electronic devices we use today.
Entertainment news: Broadway audiences continued to enjoy popular productions such as The Music Man, West Side Story and My Fair Lady, while Two for the Seesaw became a successful new play in 1958. Westerns dominated American television, with Gunsmoke, Wagon Train and Have Gun – Will Travel among the most popular programs of the year. Popular movies of 1958 included South Pacific, Auntie Mame, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Gigi and Vertigo.
Popular music in 1958 reflected a changing America as rock and roll, rhythm and blues and traditional pop all competed for listeners. Popular songs included Volare by Domenico Modugno, All I Have to Do Is Dream by The Everly Brothers, Don’t by Elvis Presley, It’s All in the Game by Tommy Edwards and Catch a Falling Star by Perry Como. Younger listeners also embraced songs such as Johnny B. Goode by Chuck Berry, Yakety Yak by The Coasters and Poor Little Fool by Ricky Nelson. Seventeen-year-old Ritchie Valens emerged as an exciting new rock-and-roll star, bringing his Mexican-American heritage into the music with his rock-and-roll version of the traditional song La Bamba.
Do you remember? Sock hops and school dances filled with doo-wop, rhythm and blues and rock and roll, while teenagers danced The Stroll or slow-danced to their favorite songs. Jukeboxes played in diners and soda fountains, and roller rinks and roller-skating parties remained popular gathering places. For kids, 1958 brought one of the biggest toy crazes of the decade—the Hula Hoop—along with Frisbees, yo-yos, Slinkys, model airplanes and trains, baseball cards and backyard swing sets. Summer meant backyard barbecues, hopscotch and hours spent playing outside. And perhaps you remember lying in bed after bedtime, quietly listening to the radio under the covers.
Do you have a memory you would like to share? Join the conversation at Share Your Baby Boomer Memories and tell us what you remember.