May 17, 1954

May 17, 1954, was a Monday. It was 70 years, 5 months, and 19 days ago. The zodiac star sign for this date is Taurus.

Top song: May 17, 1954

The best-selling single on May 17, 1954 was "Wanted" by Perry Como.

Play the top singles from 1954
A Spotify playlist of songs from the year 1954. Take a trip back to the days of Eddie Fisher, Doris Day, Rosemary Clooney and The Chordettes.

Facts

This date occurred 25,740 days ago. Approximately 858 months have passed. It was the 137th day of 1954, in week 20. The decade was the fifties. People who were born on May 17, 1954, are now 70 years old and belong to the Baby Boomer generation. We have gone through approximately 286 seasons of weather since this date.

Take me back to May 17, 1954

Let's take a walk down memory lane.

The date is May 17, 1954, and it's a Monday. Babies who are born today will have the star sign Taurus. The weekend has just passed, so some people are feeling a bit down. Others are tired after partying too much.

The summer of 1954 has finally arrived. The weather has warmed up, and the evenings are brighter than usual. The school year is nearly finished. In music, the song "Wanted" by Perry Como is the best-selling record at the moment. Dwight David Eisenhower is the President of the United States, and Winston Churchill is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

On television, people are watching popular shows such as "Sky King", "The Roy Rogers Show", "I Married Joan", and "Annie Oakley". In fashion, women are sporting the popular "The New Look" by Christian Dior. This formal style includes rounded shoulders, a full-skirted silhouette and a tight waist. Meanwhile, men are beginning to follow a new "Teddy Boy" trend that involves greased-back hair, extremely narrow trousers and velvet-collared jackets. Because it's 1954, anyone listening to a jukebox or radio station is likely to hear songs from artists such as Kitty Kallen, Perry Como, Rosemary Clooney, The Crew-Cuts, Jo Stafford, Eddie Fisher, The Four Knights, The Four Aces and Doris Day.

If you were to travel back to this day, notable figures such as Albert Einstein and James Dean would be still alive. Kids and teenagers are watching TV shows such as "Tom and Jerry", "Crusader Rabbit", "Adventures of Superman", and "Winky Dink and You". Children are playing with toys such as Dimestore soldiers, Spinning Tops, Roy Rogers Plastic Figures, and Matchbox toy cars.

Zodiac

Zodiac, birthstone, and birth flower information.

Personality summary image

Zodiac Sign (Astrology): Anyone born on May 17, 1954, will have the star sign Taurus.
Zodiac Element: Earth.
Chinese Zodiac Animal: In the Chinese Zodiac, 1954 was the year of the Horse (Yang Metal).
The Life Path Number for this date is 5.
Native American Zodiac: May 17, 1954 falls under the Beaver.
Birthstone: A person during the month of May will have the birthstone Emerald.
Birth flower (May): The Lily of the Valley and the Hawthorn.

News, nostalgia, and fads

These are news stories, trending topics, and fads that were popular on May 17, 1954.

Rock and roll
In the mid-1950s, a new music genre called "Rock and Roll" began to take off.
Movies from 1954
The most popular movies of 1954 included the likes of White Christmas, The Caine Mutiny, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Glenn Miller Story, The Country Girl, The High and the Mighty and A Star is Born.
1954 in music
The radio stations in 1954 were dominated by artists such as Kitty Kallen, Perry Como, Rosemary Clooney, The Crew-Cuts, Jo Stafford, Eddie Fisher, The Four Knights, The Four Aces and Doris Day.
John Foster Dulles
US Secretary of State John Foster Dulles was named Time Person of the Year in 1954 due to his involvement in creating the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization.
Panty raids are all the rage on college campuses
Panty raids were a popular college prank at the time. Large groups of male students would "raid" the living quarters of their female counterparts and then steal their underwear as proof that the raid had been successful. These raids took place during a time when colleges had curfews and men were forbidden from entering female dormitories.
Poodle skirts are a thing
Women and young girls were wearing wide, unrestricted felt skirts called "poodle skirts." These were solid-colored skirts that had a design or a logo. In many cases, the design was an image of a poodle or a cat.
Greasers
A youth subculture called "greasers" emerged during the 1950s and early 1960s. The style included greased-back hairstyles, work pants, and denim or leather jackets.
The Jukebox
The jukebox was at the height of its popularity. Teenagers and young adults would often hang out at local restaurants and diners and listen to the latest songs.
Men are getting "DA haircuts"
The "DA haircut" was extremely popular among men. The cut consisted of a combed-back hairstyle that was parted down the middle at the back. "DA" stood for "Duck's Ass," which is what many people liked to call the style.
Sock hops
Sock hops were informal dance events for teenagers. The name originated from the fact that many of these dances required participants to remove their shoes. This is because sock hops were often held in high school gymnasiums, and the organizers didn't want scuff marks on the floors.
Capitalism vs Communism
The ideological clash between capitalism and communism heated up during the 1950s. It was during this period that a "Cold War" started between the United States and the Soviet Union. In the US, there were fears that Soviet spies had infiltrated all parts of society, including Hollywood.
The economy is booming
The world was recovering from World War II. Many countries witnessed an economic boom during this decade. Unemployment was low, consumerism increased, mortgages were cheap, and governments started to invest in infrastructure such as highways. For many, this was the "golden age" of the economy.
Rotary phones
Almost everyone had rotary phones in the 1950s. However, the heavier metal dial components were being phased out and replaced with plastic.
More and more people are buying television sets
More and more households were buying TV sets. In 1950, 20% of homes had a television. By the end of the decade, that figure had risen to 90%.
Polio cases are high
Cases of Polio were particularly high, and outbreaks were common. In the United States, the disease peaked in 1952, with nearly 60,000 cases and 3,145 deaths. It wasn't until 1955 that a national immunization program started and cases began to drop.

Personality traits

Check out our personality summary for people who were born on May 17, 1954.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

View Personality Summary

What happened around this time?

News stories, pop culture trends, and other events that happened around May 17, 1954.

April 18, 1954: Colonel Gamal Abdal Nasser seizes power in Egypt.
April 22, 1954: Live television coverage of the Army-McCarthy hearings begins.
April 24, 1954: Soccer: Wolverhampton Wanderers win the First Division title after beating Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the final game of the season.
April 26, 1954: Clinical trials for the first successful polio vaccine begin in Fairfax County, Virginia.
May 1, 1954: Soccer: A late goal from Frank Griffin helps West Brom to secure a 3-2 victory over Preston North End in the 1954 FA Cup Final.
May 7, 1954: French rule in Vietnam comes to an end after Viet Minh troops capture Dien Bien Phu.
This date: May 17, 1954
May 20, 1954: The song "Rock Around the Clock" is released by Bill Haley & His Comets.
June 7, 1954: English mathematician Alan Turing commits suicide at the age of 41.
June 16, 1954: The 1954 FIFA World Cup kicks off in Switzerland.

1950s fashion

Photographs of 1950s fashion and hairstyles.

TV series on May 17, 1954

People in May 1954 were watching the following TV series:

Annie Oakley

Life with Elizabeth

The Danny Thomas Show

I Married Joan

Our Miss Brooks

My Little Margie

The Roy Rogers Show

I Love Lucy

Sky King

The Jack Benny Program

The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show

You Bet Your Life

Cars in 1954

1954 saw the introduction of cars such as the Vauxhall Cresta, the Pontiac Pathfinder, the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class, the AC Aceca, the Dodge C series, and the Packard Pacific.

Cartoons and children's TV shows in May 1954

Children and teenagers were watching the following cartoons and TV series:

Winky Dink and You

Adventures of Superman

Crusader Rabbit

Tom and Jerry

Looney Tunes

Toys in 1954

Children were playing with the following toys and games:

Matchbox toy cars

Roy Rogers Plastic Figures

Mr. Potato Head

Feed the Elephant

Pitchin' Pal

Colorforms

Butch the Pup Toy

BAS-KET Miniature Basketball

Tiny Tears (doll)

Spinning Tops

Toy Guns

Foto-Electric Baseball

Were you born on May 17, 1954?

If you were born on this date, then it is unlikely that you will remember anything from the year 1954.

This is because humans find it difficult to retrieve memories of their early childhood.

If you are looking for some childhood nostalgia, then you should check out May 17, 1960, instead.

Celebrity birthdays

Celebrities, historical figures, and other notable people who were born on May 17.

Dennis Hopper

Actor Deceased
Born on May 17, 1936
He turned 18 on this day in 1954.

Bill Paxton

Actor Deceased
Born on May 17, 1955
He was born exactly one year after this date.

Bob Saget

Comedian / Actor Deceased
Born on May 17, 1956
He was born exactly 2 years after this date.

Sugar Ray Leonard

Boxer
Born on May 17, 1956
He was born exactly 2 years after this date.

Enya

Irish singer
Born on May 17, 1961
She was born exactly 7 years after this date.

Tahj Mowry

Actor
Born on May 17, 1986
He was born exactly 32 years after this date.

Charlotte Crosby

English TV personality
Born on May 17, 1990
She was born exactly 36 years after this date.

Holidays

National holidays and famous events that fall on May 17:

Constitution Day (Norway)

US President

Dwight David Eisenhower was the President of the United States on May 17, 1954.

UK Prime Minister

Winston Churchill was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Irish Taoiseach

Éamon de Valera was the Taoiseach of Ireland.

Conception dates

Conception estimates for this date.

Note: These conception dates are based on broad estimates.

A baby that was born on May 17, 1954 was most likely conceived around August 24, 1953.
The due date for a baby that was conceived on May 17, 1954 is close to February 7, 1955.

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Statistics

Here are some interesting statistics about May 17, 1954:

25,740 days have passed since this date.
3,677 weeks have passed.
2,223,939,600 seconds have passed since May 17, 1954.
If you were born on this day, your heart has beat approximately 2,594,596,200 times.
Since then, the Earth has traveled approximately 1,147,552,833,600 miles through space.
If you were born on this day, your eyes have blinked approximately 370,656,600 times.
You have taken approximately 191,258,806 steps. That's roughly 85,004 miles.
26,687,275 meteors have entered the Earth's atmosphere.
How many years ago was 1954?

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May 17, 1954

Top song: May 17, 1954

Facts

Take me back to May 17, 1954

Zodiac

News, nostalgia, and fads

Rock and roll

Movies from 1954

1954 in music

John Foster Dulles

Panty raids are all the rage on college campuses

Poodle skirts are a thing

Greasers

The Jukebox

Men are getting "DA haircuts"

Sock hops

Capitalism vs Communism

The economy is booming

Rotary phones

More and more people are buying television sets

Polio cases are high