Modern history
Another teaser from Gerry Perkins
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Guess the year
WORLD news: the European Economic Community (EEC) – the forerunner to today’s EU – came into being. Various Caribbean island nations form the West Indies Federation, which ends up lasting just four years. The US launches its first space satellite – Explorer 1 – following the USSR’s lead with Sputnik 1. The United Arab Republic is established by Egypt and Syria. The Munich air disaster happens, with 21 people killed – including seven Manchester United footballers returning from a European Cup match. The word Aerospace is coined. Saint Clare is named the patron saint of television by Pope Pius XII. Ruth Carol Taylor becomes the first black woman to be hired as a flight attendant. She is hired by US airline Mohawk Airlines, but lasts in the job only six months because of the airline’s ban on married flight attendants. Bertrand Russell launches CND – the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. Cuban rebels kidnap motor racing legend Juan Manuel Fangio and release him after 28 hours. A US bomber accidentally drops an atom bomb on South Carolina. A British expedition completes the first overland crossing of the Antarctic. Nikita Khrushchev is appointed premier of the Soviet Union. Belgium unveils the famous Atomium structure in Brussels for the world’s fair. Restaurant chain Pizza Hut is founded. The hula-hoop is marketed for the first time in the US. Parking meters are introduced in the UK. Prince Charles is given the title the Prince of Wales. The CIA lends support to Tibet in its struggle against Chinese rule. Vladimir Nabokov’s controversial novel Lolita is published in the US. Instant noodles are introduced in Japan. The University of New Orleans becomes the first racially integrated university in the southern states of the US. Hendrik Verwoerd – seen as being the architect of Apartheid - is appointed prime minister of South Africa. China launches its state television channel. South Korean tech giant LG Electronics is formed as GoldStar. The computer chip is invented in the US. NASA is founded as the US space agency, replacing the old NACA. The world’s first video game – Tennis for Two – is invented. Blue Peter begins airing on BBC television. 28 Senior Times l May-June 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie
Pope Pius XII dies and is succeeded by Pope John XXIII. Russina novelist Boris Pasternak wins the Nobel prize for literature. The Hope Diamond is donated to the Smithsonian in the US. The Bossa Nova is born in Rio de Janeiro. The Jim Henson Company is founded as Muppets Inc. The UK opens its first motorway. The US launches SCORE, the world’s first communications satellite. Passenger numbers for air travel exceed those for sea travel for the first time. FILM news: sweeps the Oscars with seven gongs. Other films of the year include Gigi, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and South Pacific. MUSIC news: Elvis Presley joins the US army. Warner Brothers Records is launched. The Beatles hold their first recording session, as The Quarrymen. Marvin Gaye, Phil Spector and Kenny Rogers all formally begin their recording careers. SPORT news: Brazil beats Sweden in the World Cup final, introducing a young Pele to the football world. Real Madrid beat AC Milan to lift the European Cup for the third consecutive year. Wolves win in the English league division one, while Bolton Wanderers beat Manchester Utd in the FA Cup final. In golf, Arnold Palmer wins the Masters. IRELAND news: Santry Stadium in Dublin witnesses history as Australian athlete Herb Elliott breaks the mile run record, shaving 3 seconds off the record. Ardmore Studios in Bray is opened. The rule requiring women teachers to retire upon marrying is abolished. The US Embassy in Dublin displays plans to move from Merrion Square to a new modern structure in Ballsbridge. The Carlisle Monument in the Phoenix Park is blown up. A Pan-Am Boeing 707 is the first transatlantic plane to land in Europe, at Shannon Airport. The Great Northern Railway is split and divided between CIE and the Ulster Transport Authority. The Harcourt Street railway line – now part of the Luas green line – closes. Answer on page 80
