Born in 1957
Turns 69 in 2026
Gifts for someone born in 1957
1957 Front PageTheir name. The news from their year.Unframed from $30.00Add their name
Their birth chartThe sky as astrology reads it, cast for one birth.Unframed from $30.00
The Years We Were BornThe whole family, together in years.Unframed from $30.00
Our Story timelineTheir life, told in your words.Unframed from $30.00
Front Page: United States 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 · United States
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?
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
A satellite launch attempt ends in flames
On December 6, 1957, Vanguard’s first satellite launch attempt rose briefly at Cape Canaveral before falling back and exploding.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration · Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
Burdette blanks the Yankees in Milwaukee
Lew Burdette's seven-hit shutout gave Milwaukee a tense one-run win over New York in the World Series.
Major League Baseball · Society for American Baseball Research
Around the World in 80 Days wins Best Picture
The Academy honored films released in 1956 at its 1957 ceremony, where Around the World in 80 Days took Best Picture.
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences · American Film Institute Catalog of Feature Films
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
FORTRAN makes programming more accessible
IBM announced FORTRAN in 1957, offering scientists and engineers a simpler way to express computing problems.
IBM · BCS Fortran Specialist Group / British Computer Society
Number ones and music in 1957
Chart positions belong to the country and chart named in each record.
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.
Jailhouse Rock brings Elvis’s moves to film
Elvis Presley’s film Jailhouse Rock opened in the United States in November 1957, pairing a dramatic role with a dance sequence that became one of his best-known screen moments.
Graceland · American Film Institute Catalog of Feature Films
Prices and everyday money in 1957
United States figures in the money of the time. Units and sources matter: these are not today's prices.
| Item or measure | Then | Unit and source |
|---|---|---|
| White bread | 18.8¢ | pound U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics |
| Fresh milk, grocery store | 23.1¢ | US quart U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics |
| Grade A large eggs | 57.3¢ | dozen U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics |
| Sugar | 53.6¢ | 5 pounds U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics |
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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