May 17, 1955

May 17, 1955, was a Tuesday. It was 69 years, 6 months, and 4 days ago. The zodiac star sign for this date is Taurus.

Born on May 17, 1955

People who were born on this exact date:

Bill Paxton: Actor

Top song: May 17, 1955

The best-selling single on May 17, 1955 was "Cherry Pink (and Apple Blossom White)" by Pérez Prado and His Orchestra.

Play the top singles from 1955
A Spotify playlist of songs from the year 1955. Take a trip back to the days of Bill Hayes, Mitch Miller, The Four Aces and The Fontane Sisters.

Facts

This date occurred 25,391 days ago. Approximately 846 months have passed. It was the 137th day of 1955, in week 20. The decade was the fifties. People who were born on May 17, 1955, are now 69 years old and belong to the Baby Boomer generation. We have gone through approximately 282 seasons of weather since this date.

Take me back to May 17, 1955

Let's take a walk down memory lane.

The date is May 17, 1955, and it's a Tuesday. Babies who are born today will have the star sign Taurus. The summer of 1955 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 "Cherry Pink (and Apple Blossom White)" by Pérez Prado and His Orchestra is the best-selling record at the moment. Dwight David Eisenhower is the President of the United States, and Sir Anthony Eden is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. On television, people are watching popular shows such as "The Lone Ranger", "The Jack Benny Program", "Sky King", and "I Love Lucy".

It's 1955, so radio stations and jukeboxes are playing songs from artists such as Perez Prado, Bill Haley & His Comets, Mitch Miller, Roger Williams, Les Baxter, Bill Hayes, The Four Aces, The McGuire Sisters and Pat Boone. In fashion, women are sporting chemise dresses, sheaths, sack dresses and straight-cut suits. Short boxy jackets and shift dresses are also beginning to become popular. Meanwhile, a lot of men are sporting a "Teddy Boy" style that involves leather jackets, greased-back hair, extremely narrow trousers and velvet-collared jackets. Men are also wearing formal suits as daywear. Tailfins on cars are extremely popular at the moment. The design looks futuristic, almost like a rocket or the twin rudders on the back of an airplane.

If you were to travel back to this day, notable figures such as James Dean would be still alive. Children and teenagers are watching television shows such as "Tom and Jerry", "Crusader Rabbit", "Adventures of Superman", and "Father Knows Best". Children are playing with toys such as Dimestore soldiers, Foto-Electric Baseball, Pitchin' Pal, and Mr. Potato Head.

Zodiac

Zodiac, birthstone, and birth flower information.

Personality summary image

Zodiac Sign (Astrology): Anyone born on May 17, 1955, will have the star sign Taurus.
Zodiac Element: Earth.
Chinese Zodiac Animal: In the Chinese Zodiac, 1955 was the year of the Goat (Yin Metal).
The Life Path Number for this date is 6.
Native American Zodiac: May 17, 1955 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, 1955.

Tailfins on cars
Tailfins on cars were a popular style around this time. The design looked futuristic, almost like the twin rudders on the back of an airplane.
Movies from 1955
The most popular movies of 1955 included Cinerama Holiday, Mister Roberts, Battle Cry, "Oklahoma!", Guys and Dolls, Lady and the Tramp, and Picnic.
1955 in music
The radio stations in 1955 were dominated by artists such as Perez Prado, Bill Haley & His Comets, Mitch Miller, Roger Williams, Les Baxter, Bill Hayes, The Four Aces, The McGuire Sisters and Pat Boone.
Harlow Curtice
General Motors President Harlow Curtice was named the Time Person of the Year in 1955 after his company became the first US company to earn US$1 billion in a single year.
Rock and roll
In the mid-1950s, a new music genre called "Rock and Roll" began to take off.
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, 1955.

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, 1955.

April 18, 1955: Albert Einstein passes away.
April 23, 1955: Soccer: Chelsea win the First Division title after defeating Sheffield Wednesday 3-0 in the second last game of the season.
May 7, 1955: Soccer: Newcastle United win the 1955 FA Cup Final with a 3-1 victory over Manchester City.
This date: May 17, 1955
June 11, 1955: 83 spectators are killed in Le Mans, France, after a crash at a motor race causes debris to fly into the crowd.

1950s fashion

Photographs of 1950s fashion and hairstyles.

TV series on May 17, 1955

People in May 1955 were watching the following TV series:

Annie Oakley

Life with Elizabeth

The Danny Thomas Show

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

The Colgate Comedy Hour

Cars in 1955

1955 saw the introduction of cars such as the Ford Thunderbird, the Chevrolet Task Force, the Ford Fairlane, the Pontiac Safari, the Ford Squire, and the Peugeot 403.

Cartoons and children's TV shows in May 1955

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

Father Knows Best

Lassie

Winky Dink and You

Adventures of Superman

Crusader Rabbit

Tom and Jerry

Looney Tunes

Toys in 1955

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

BAS-KET Miniature Basketball

Tiny Tears (doll)

Spinning Tops

Toy Guns

Foto-Electric Baseball

Tonka trucks

Were you born on May 17, 1955?

If you were born on this date, then it is unlikely that you will remember anything from the year 1955.

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, 1961, 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 19 on this day in 1955.

Bob Saget

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

Sugar Ray Leonard

Boxer
Born on May 17, 1956
He was born exactly one year after this date.

Enya

Irish singer
Born on May 17, 1961
She was born exactly 6 years after this date.

Tahj Mowry

Actor
Born on May 17, 1986
He was born exactly 31 years after this date.

Charlotte Crosby

English TV personality
Born on May 17, 1990
She was born exactly 35 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, 1955.

UK Prime Minister

Sir Anthony Eden was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Irish Taoiseach

John A. Costello 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, 1955 was most likely conceived around August 24, 1954.
The due date for a baby that was conceived on May 17, 1955 is close to February 7, 1956.

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Statistics

Here are some interesting statistics about May 17, 1955:

25,391 days have passed since this date.
3,627 weeks have passed.
2,193,786,000 seconds have passed since May 17, 1955.
If you were born on this day, your heart has beat approximately 2,559,417,000 times.
Since then, the Earth has traveled approximately 1,131,993,576,000 miles through space.
If you were born on this day, your eyes have blinked approximately 365,631,000 times.
You have taken approximately 188,665,596 steps. That's roughly 83,851 miles.
26,325,432 meteors have entered the Earth's atmosphere.
How many years ago was 1955?

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May 17, 1955

Born on May 17, 1955

Top song: May 17, 1955

Facts

Take me back to May 17, 1955

Zodiac

News, nostalgia, and fads

Tailfins on cars

Movies from 1955

1955 in music

Harlow Curtice

Rock and roll

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