Born in 1957
Turns 69 in 2026
Gifts for someone born in 1957
1957 Front PageTheir name. The news from their year.Unframed from $51.50Add their name
Their birth chartThe sky as astrology reads it, cast for one birth.Unframed from $51.50
The Years We Were BornThe whole family, together in years.Unframed from $51.50
Our Story timelineTheir life, told in your words.Unframed from $51.50
Front Page: New Zealand edition. The year is filled in; add their name in the editor. “Your name” is a placeholder. Light news is selected. A new keepsake, not an original newspaper.
BACK TO 1957 · New Zealand
A little history to go with their gift.
Sputnik 1 became the first artificial satellite, carrying radio transmitters into orbit and sharpening the space race. In Arkansas, federal troops escorted the Little Rock Nine into Central High. Elvis Presley’s Jailhouse Rock brought his songs and stage persona to the screen.
What happened in 1957?
Scott Base opens on Ross Island
New Zealand opened Scott Base on Ross Island on January 20, 1957, to support polar exploration and research.
Manatu Taonga New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage · Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Althea Gibson wins Wimbledon singles
Althea Gibson won the Wimbledon women’s singles title in 1957, while Lew Hoad took the men’s championship.
Alexander Todd explains nucleotide chemistry
In 1957, Alexander Todd received the Chemistry Nobel for his work on nucleotides and nucleotide coenzymes.
Nobel Prize Outreach · Chemical & Engineering News, American Chemical Society
Eisenhower signs a new civil rights law
The law created a federal Civil Rights Commission and a Civil Rights Division at the Justice Department.
U.S. House of Representatives, History, Art & Archives · Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum & Boyhood Home
Firsts and new ideas
Sputnik 1 circles the Earth
Sputnik 1 became the first artificial satellite on 4 October 1957, sending a beeping signal across the world and changing the space race.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration · Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
Laika becomes the first animal in orbit
The Soviet Union launched Sputnik 2 with Laika aboard, making her the first animal to orbit Earth.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration · Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
Number ones and music in 1957
Chart positions belong to the country and chart named in each record.
Bye Bye Love tops the NZ Lever Hit Parade
The Everly Brothers' Bye Bye Love is listed at No. 1 on the New Zealand Lever Hit Parade in 1957.
All Shook Up: Billboard’s 1957 retail No. 1
Billboard’s 1957 Best Sellers in Stores recap placed Elvis Presley’s “All Shook Up” first.
Prices and everyday money in 1957
New Zealand figures in the money of the time. Units and sources matter: these are not today's prices.
| Item or measure | Then | Unit and source |
|---|---|---|
| Average weekly wage payout per worker (all surveyed workers) | £14 3s 0d | per week New Zealand Government Printer, Wellington; official report hosted by the Governor-General of New Zealand |
| Basic inland letter postage (ordinary surface letter; first weight step) | 2d | one inland surface letter, first ounce or fraction thereof |
Planning the birthday
Someone born in 1957 turns 69 in 2026. Before their birthday they are one year younger. Choose the birth year for the print; add the full date in the editor if you know it.
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