At A Glance

17 May 1958 at a glance

Day of the week
17 May 1958 was a Saturday.
Top Film of 1958
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1958 was South Pacific.
Bestselling Novel of 1958
“Doctor Zhivago” by Boris Pasternak was No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's US fiction list for 1958.
Top-Rated TV Show
“Gunsmoke” (CBS) was No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1958–59 season.
Star sign
The star sign for 17 May is Taurus.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 17 May 1958 fell in the Year of the Dog.
Birthstone
The birthstone for May is Emerald.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 17 May 1958 was Waning Crescent.

On this day: 17 May

  • 1954 The United States Supreme Court hands down a unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, outlawing racial segregation in public schools.
  • 1959 In Cuba, the First Agrarian Reform Law – a cornerstone of the Cuban Revolution – is signed by Fidel Castro, aiming to eliminate large foreign-owned estates and redistribute land to over 100,000 peasants.
  • 1967 Six-Day War: President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt demands dismantling of the peace-keeping UN Emergency Force in Egypt.
  • 1969 Venera program: Soviet Venera 6 begins its descent into the atmosphere of Venus, sending back atmospheric data before being crushed by pressure.
  • 1973 Watergate scandal: Televised hearings begin in the United States Senate.

Famous people born on May 17

  • Josh Homme, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (born 1973)
  • Bill Paxton, American actor and director (1955–2017)
  • Dennis Hopper, American actor and director (1936–2010)
  • Bob Saget, American comedian, actor, and television host (1956–2022)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.

Events of 1958 in the United States

A selection from Wikipedia's '1958 in the United States'. Not a complete list.

  • June 8 – The SS Edmund Fitzgerald is launched; it will be the largest freighter on the Great Lakes for more than a dozen years.
  • June 15 – The first Pizza Hut restaurant opens in Wichita, Kansas.
  • July 9 – 1958 Lituya Bay megatsunami: A 7.8 Mw strike-slip earthquake in Southeast Alaska causes a landslide that produces a megatsunami. The runup from the waves reached 525 m (1,722 ft) on the rim of Lituya Bay.

Life in the US in 1958

President

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Gas (per gallon)

$0.30

Loaf of Bread

$0.19

Average House

$10,900

Weekly Wage

$79

Or

Browse by Year

Famous Faces Born in the 1950s

Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.

Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

About The Day You Were Born

Ever wondered what was happening in the world when you took your first breath? Our birthday lookup tool reveals the fascinating history of your special day.

About The Birthday Chronicle and where our data comes from →