Each week on Randy Seaver’s Genea-musings blog he has a post for Saturday night Genealogy fun. Because of the time difference, I have called my series Sunday Afternoon Genealogy Fun. This week’s mission was:
1) Go to the dMarie Time Capsule Website – http://dmarie.com/timecap/
2) Select a date in your family history that you want to know about. You might pick a birth date or wedding date of your parents or grandparents.
3) Enter the date into the search form, and select the news, songs, toys, books and other things that you want to feature.
4) Share the date, why you picked it, and the results of your Time Capsule study on your own blog, in a comment to this post, or in a comment or post on Facebook.
Here’s mine:
I chose my parents’ wedding date, 20 December 1952.
Top News Headlines This Week:
Dec 20 – KHQ TV channel 6 in Spokane WA (NBC) begins broadcasting
Dec 21 – Broadway Tunnel opens in San Francisco
Dec 21 – WSBT TV channel 22 in South Bend IN (CBS) begins broadcasting
Dec 22 – French government of Pinay, resigns
Dec 22 – WSBA (now WPMT) TV channel 43 in York PA (IND) begins broadcasting
Dec 28 – Detroit Lions beat Cleveland Browns 17-7 in NFL championship game
Top Songs for 1952
Why Don’t You Believe Me by Joni James
Wheel of Fortune by Kay Starr
Kiss of Fire by Georgia Gibbs
Half As Much by Rosemary Clooney
You Belong to Me by Jo Stafford
Glow-Worm by Mills Brothers
I Went to Your Wedding by Patti Page
Auf Wiederseh’n Sweetheart by Vera Lynn
Blue Tango by Leroy Anderson
Slow Poke by Pee Wee King
US President
Harry S. Truman
US Vice President
Alben W. Barkley
Since I’m Australian, I decided to check Google for the Australian Prime Minister in 1952. It was Robert Menzies.
1952 Prices
Bread:
$0.16/loaf
Milk:
$0.96/gal
Eggs:
$0.73/doz
Car:
$1,850
Gas:
$0.27/gal
House:
$16,800
Stamp:
$0.03/ea
Avg Income:
$4,457/yr
Min Wage:
$0.75/hr
DOW Avg:
292
Here in Australia, we were still using Pounds, shillings, and pence.
I decided to check the prices here in Australia in 1952, and came across the following on the State Library of Victoria website https://guides.slv.vic.gov.au/whatitcost/groceries
| YEAR | Bread (4lb loaf) | Milk (quart) | Sugar | Butter (lb) | Potatoes (lb) | Tea (lb) |
| 1950 | 8d | 11d | 5d | 26d | 24d | 36d (9lb) |
I’ve also included their handy conversions.
12 pence(d) = 1 shilling (s)
20 shillings = 1 pound (£)
1 pound (£) = $A2.00
Conversion of £ s.d. to dollars and cents (fromDecimal currency, 1965, ABS)
Pence Whole cents
1 1
2 2
3 2
4 3
5 4
6 5
7 6
8 7
9 8
10 8
11 9
Academy Award Winners
Best Picture: The Greatest Show On Earth Produced By Cecil B. Demille
Best Actor: Gary Cooper in High Noon
Best Actress: Shirley Booth in Come Back, Little Sheba
On TV in 1952
The Ed Sullivan Show
Time for Beany
I Love Lucy
What’s My Line?
Your Show of Shows
The Burns and Allen Show
Dragnet
We didn’t get TV in Australia until 1956, so my parents wouldn’t have seen any of these shows in 1952, but I remember seeing I Love Lucy when I was growing up.
Hot New Toys in 1952
Pez
Matchbox Cars
Mr. Potato Head
Top Books in 1952
Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes
Vermeer by Lawrence Gowing
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
1952 was a great year – I was born then! I had no idea Mr. Potato Head came out that year, not that The Invisible Man was published.I guess Time for Beany didn’t last long and I’ve heard of Your Show of Shows, but never saw it. All the others were childhood staples.
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