What Happened in 1958

Major Events

  • Jan 1 European Economic Community, better known as the European Common Market starts operation
  • Mar 27 Nikita Khrushchev becomes Soviet Premier as well as First Secretary of the Communist Party
  • May 23 Mao Zedong starts the "Great Leap Forward" movement in China
  • Aug 1 US atomic submarine USS Nautilus begins 1st transit of North Pole "Operation Sunshine"
  • Sep 5 1st color video recording on magnetic tape presented, Charlotte, North Carolina
  • Sep 12 US Supreme Court orders the all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas to integrate
  • Dec 19 First radio broadcast from space, US President Dwight D. Eisenhower sends a Christmas message "to all mankind, America's wish for peace on Earth and goodwill to men everywhere" [1]
  • Dec 31 Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista tells his Cabinet he is fleeing the country
  • More 1958 Events

1958 in Film & TV

1958 in Music

  • Jan 10 Jerry Lee Lewis' "Great Balls of Fire" reaches #1 on the UK pop charts
  • May 19 "South Pacific" soundtrack album goes #1 & stays #1 for 31 weeks
  • Jun 24 Nina Simone releases her debut jazz album "Little Girl Blue"
  • Aug 29 Cliff Richard and the Drifters release single "Move It", Richards debut single. Credited as 1st British Rock n Roll song.

1958 in Sport

  • Jun 28 US Open Women's Golf, Forest Lake CC: Mickey Wright wins 1st of 4 Open titles by 5 from Louise Suggs; 1st player to win Open & LPGA in same year
  • Jun 29 FIFA World Cup Final, Råsunda Stadium, Stockholm, Sweden: Vavá & Pelé each score 2 goals as Brazil beats Sweden, 5-2
  • Dec 28 "The Greatest Game Ever Played": Baltimore Colts win the 26th NFL championship against the New York Giants 23-17 at Yankee Stadium, in the first ever sudden-death overtime game in NFL history. 17 future members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame were involved in the game.

Did You Know?

"Things Fall Apart" by Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe published by Heinemann - considered most widely read book in African literature

June 17, 1958


More People Born in 1958

Fun Fact About 1958

Project SCORE, world’s 1st communications satellite launched from Cape Canaveral

December 18, 1958


More 1958 Deaths

Famous Weddings in 1958

  • Jan 1 American entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. marries Loray White; divorce in 1959
  • Jan 13 American actress Jayne Mansfield (24) weds Hungarian-American bodybuilder Mickey Hargitay (32) at the Wayfarers Chapel in Rancho Palos Verdes, California; divorce in 1964
  • Jan 14 Human rights activist Malcolm X marries fellow activist Betty Shabazz in Lansing, Michigan

Famous Divorces in 1958

  • Jan 8 Actress Jayne Mansfield and public relations manager Paul Mansfield's divorce is finalized, after 7-1/2 years of marriage
  • Mar 11 Actress Agnes Moorehead (57) divorces actor and film director Robert Gist (40) after 5 years of marriage

More 1958 Weddings