What America was like in 1959
You were born in…
1959
This is where your story begins.
You’ve been here for
67
years
That’s about 24,500 days of history.
A first-class stamp in 1959 cost
4¢
Today the same stamp costs 82¢.
A dollar from 1959 would be worth
$11.56
today
Measured by the government’s Consumer Price Index.
The federal minimum wage in 1959 was
$1.00
an hour
Today it’s $7.25.
The president in 1959
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Since then you’ve lived under 13 presidents.
The 1960 census counted
179 million
Americans
By 2020 there were 331 million of us.
You’ve been around for
60
Super Bowls
Every single one of them. From Super Bowl I in 1967 to Super Bowl LX in 2026.
You’re older than…
- The first Walmart opened in Rogers, Arkansas1962. You were 3.
- ZIP codes arrived1963. You were 4.
- The Ford Mustang went on sale1964. You were 5.
- Medicare became law1965. You were 6.
- The first Super Bowl was played1967. You were 8.
- The first 911 call was made1968. You were 9.
…and 15 more on our list.
So yes,
you’ve seen the worldchange a lot.
And you remember it.
Your 1959 story
That was 1959.
Share it with someone who remembers it too.
A little 1959 in your inbox
Our free daily email: one story, one quiz and something you'll remember. Unsubscribe anytime.
Make one for someone you love
Where these numbers come from
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), U.S. city average, all items, 1982-84=100
- U.S. Postal Service, Rates for Domestic Letters Since 1863
- U.S. Department of Labor, history of federal minimum wage rates
- U.S. Census Bureau, decennial census resident population
- Presidents and milestones: widely documented public records.