February 1958: Cool Stuff that happened...

February 1:1st U.S. satellite, Explorer I, launched
Egypt and Syria announce plans to merge into United Arab Republic
WFTV TV channel 9 in Orlando, Florida (ABC) begins broadcasting

February 2 Fay Crocker wins LPGA Havana Biltmore Golf Open
Syria joins Egypt in United Arab Republic
WRIK (now WLUZ) TV channel 7 in Ponce, PR (PTC) begins broadcasting

February 3 Royal Teens' "Short Shorts" enters Top 40 chart and peaks at #3

February 4 Hall of Fame fails to elect anyone for 1st time since 1950
"Oh, Captain!" opens at Alvin Theater New York City for 192 performances

February 5 Clifton R. Wharton confirmed as 1st U.S. black foreign minister (Romania)
Gamel Abdel Nasser nominated 1st president of United Arab Republic
Test Cricket debut of Lance Gibbs, WI vs. Pakistan, Port-of-Spain
Vanguard TV-3 back-up launches into Earth orbit; reaches 6 km

February 6 7 members on Manchester United football team die in an air crash Ted Williams signs with Red Sox for $135,000, making him highest paid

February 7 1st showing of DAF 600 auto
Dodgers officially become the Los Angeles Dodgers, Inc
Dutch auto-transmission car DAF 600 introduced

February 8 Edgar Whitehead succeeds Garfield Todd as premier of South Rhodesia
French planes bomb Sakiet Tunisia, 75 die
KIRO TV channel 7 in Seattle, WA (CBS) begins broadcasting

February 11 1st flight with black stewardess, Ruth Carol Taylor, Ithaca New York Marshal Chen Yi succeeds Chu En-lai as Min of Foreign affairs
WTVC TV channel 9 in Chattanooga, Tennessee (ABC) begins broadcasting

February 12 Celtic Bill Russell grabs 41 rebounds to beat Syracuse 119-101
General Miguel Ydegoras Fuentes elected president of Guatemala

February 14 Arab Federation of Iraq and Jordan forms

February 15 Ice Dance Championship at Paris won by June Markham/Courtney Jones GRB
Ice Pairs Championship at Paris won by Barbara Wagner/Rob Paul of CAN
Ladies Figure Skating Championship in Paris won by Carol Heiss of USA
Men's Figure Skating Championship in Paris won by David Jenkins USA
Sjafroeddin Prawiranegara forms anti-government of Middle Sumatra

February 16 Betsy Rawls wins LPGA St. Petersburg Golf Open

February 17 Comic strip "BC" 1st appears
WETV (now WPBA) TV channel 30 in Atlanta, Georgia (PBS) begins broadcasting

February 19 Carl Perkins leaves Sun Records for Columbia Records

February 20 Jockey Eddie Arcaro rides his 4,000th winner February 20 Los Angeles Coliseu
m Commission approves 2-yr pact allows Dodgers to use facility

February 21 Egypt-Syria as UAR elect Nasser president with 99.9 percent of the vote
"Portotino" opens at Adelphi Theater New York City for 3 performances

February 22 Australian swimmer Jon Konrads sets 6 world records in 2 days
Egypt and Syria form United Arab Republic (UAR)
Indonesian air force bombs Padang, Sumatra/Menado, Celebes
"Portotino" closes at Adelphi Theater New York City after 3 performances

February 23 5-time world driving champion Juan Fangio kidnapped by Cuban rebels
Arturo Frondizi elected president of Argentina
Last Municipal arc light, Mission and 25th removed (installed in 1913)
U.S.S.R. performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya U.S.S.R.

February 27 U.S.S.R. performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya U.S.S.R.

February 28 West Indies 1-504 in reply to Pakistan 328, day 3 of 3rd Test Cricket

1958:First Female Stock Exchange Director

Mary Gindhart Roebling of the Trenton Trust Company in Trenton, New Jersey, became the first stock exchange director who was a woman. On October 28, 1958, she became one of the 32 governors of the American Stock Exchange, New York City, which entitled her to go on the floor of the exchange. She was one of the three public members not connected to the Wall Street community.

1958:Two-Way Moving Sidewalks

The two-way moving sidewalk was placed in sevice on January 30, 1958, at Love Field Terminal in Dallas, Texas. It consisted of 3 loops totaling 1,435 feet of moving walkway. In each loop a continuous rubber carpet was attached to an endless train of wheeled pallets, flexibly interconnected so that they could follow vertical or horizontal curves as required. The walk was also known as a passenger conveyor.

1958:First Grammy Awards for Musical recordings

The first Grammy Awards for musical recordings were awarded in 1958 by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences in Burbank, California. The winning single recording was Nel Blu DiPinto Di Blu (Volare) by Domenico Modugno. The winning album was The Music from Peter Gunn by Henry Mancini.

1958: Fist African American Professional Hockey player

Willie O'Ree of the National Hockey League's Boston Bruins was the first African American professional hockey player, He played his first game on January 18, 1958 against the Montreal Canadiens at the Forum in Montreal, Canada. Boston won 3--0.

1958: Pension for Presidents & Widows

On August 25, 1958, the Pension for presidents and their widows was enacted by Congress. The act provided a pension of $25,000 for former presidents and $10,000 to their widows.

1958: Bi-focal contact lenses Developed

Bifocal contact lenses were developed by Newton K. Wesley, OD of the Eye Research Foundation and the Plastic Contact Lens Company in Chicago, Illinois. They were officially introduced in May 1958. The cost of one pair ranged from $200 to $400.

Info courtesy Famous First Facts

1958:First African-American Airline Flight Attendant

The first African American woman hired as a flight attendant was Ruth Carol Taylor, a graduate from Ithaca, NY, who made her first flight on February 11, 1958, from Ithaca to New York City on Mohawk Airlines.
Info courtesy Famous First Facts

1958: United States Air Force Academy formed

The U.S. Air Force Academy was authorized on April 1, 1954. A $135 million academy was built at Colorado Springs, CO, and received it's first cadets on August 29,1958 (the same day Michael Jackson was born). The first graduating class of 207 cadets was commissioned on June 3, 1959.