December 15, 2004
- 1955
Hello, and
welcome to the third weekly installment of "In Mike's Life". This program is a
autobiographical retrospective of the past 52 years beginning with the year I
was born and ending with my 52nd birthday.
On this podcast
I talk about not only the events that happened during each year of my life but
also my own personal recollections of, during the last 35 years, my experiences
in the computer industry.
In 1955 My
personal life, thank goodness, was relatively quiet - after all I was one, going
on two, but it is one of the few quiet years so stay tuned. . .
Once again (and
for the next 6 years) Eisenhower is still President
The first Micky
D's opens in Southern California
In case you were
wondering, I include the movies and music of the year as way to provide context
to the events of that year. Many things that I remember I recall by association
to movies and music. As I mentioned in earlier programs, some of them I thought
were much farther in the past that they've turned out to be (like
Old Man and The Sea for example).
So, In 1955 the
top movies were:
1. Cinerama
Holiday
2. Mister Roberts
3. Battle Cry
4. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
5. Not a Stranger
6. The Country Girl
7. The Lady and the Tramp
8. Strategic Air Command
9. To Hell and Back
10. Sea Chase
But, as if often
the cast, "Marty", with Ernest Borgnine, which is absent from that list, walked
away with most of the Academy awards
Herman Wouk's "
Marjorie Morningstar" was the most popular Fiction book.
In the
non-fiction category, the Christian Bible was no longer the most popular book,
in fact it wasn't even on the top 10 list. What was on the list was telling
however: "The Power of Positive Thinking"... Norman Vincent Peale, "How to Live
365 Days a Year"... John A. Schindler, "The Secret of Happiness"... Billy
Graham. Doubleday, "Why Johnny Can't Read"... Rudolf Flesch
On the music
scene, one of my favorite songs of all time, and I'm sure this was partially
because it was my first favorite song, was "The Yellow Rose of Texas", here is a
clip from the Mitch Miller version.
The reason that
this song is also significant is that, in 1956 (next year) I wore out about 6
copies. The reason I bring it up here is that I heard the song and desperately
wanted my own record player but my mother thought I was too young.
On our
television, which finally made it into my home for the first time in the form of
a 15-inch static-y black-and-white screen, we saw:
1. The $64,000
Question (CBS)
2. I Love Lucy (CBS)
3. The Ed Sullivan Show (CBS)
4. Disneyland (ABC)
5. The Jack Benny Show (CBS)
6. December Bride (CBS)
7. You Bet Your Life (NBC)
8. Dragnet (NBC)
9. The Millionaire (CBS)
10. I've Got a Secret (CBS)
Now, a regular
feature of In Mike's Life. . . What was happening in the world of computers in
1955:
Dartmouth
Colleges John McCarthy coins the term "artificial intelligence."
Bell Labs
introduces its first transistor computer. Transistors are faster, smaller and
create less heat than traditional vacuum tubs, making these computers more
reliable and efficient.
The first
commercial machine completely constructed from transistors is put on the market
by IBM: series 702
During the
development of the programming language FORTRAN, Harlan Herrick introduces the
"GO TO" statement.
In March the
Computer Usage Company is the first software company to open for business. CUC
is founded by Elmer C Kubie and John W. Sheldon(7)
William
Shockley's Semiconductor Laboratory is the first company established in Silicon
Valley, San Francisco Bay(2)
And so, we come
to the end of the third program in this series.
If you like it,
hate it, want to make a comment you can contact me by email at
mike-at-inmikeslife-dot-org.
You can leave a
voice mail if you'd like to make an audio comment by calling my evoice number at
1-832-218-3161.
And that's how I
remember 1955 …In Mike's Life
7:44:14 AM 
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