Look Back To 1957: What Happened That Year

You've never had it so good, the Munich disaster still to come and skiffle everywhere.

Here's 1957 in full - the music, the news, the screen, the sport and the ordinary details. Good for a birthday card, a party quiz round or a reminiscence session.

In the charts in 1957

• Elvis Presley's 'All Shook Up' and Paul Anka's 'Diana' were among the biggest sellers.
• Harry Belafonte's 'Mary's Boy Child' was the Christmas number one and sold over a million copies.
• The Six-Five Special began on BBC television in February and put pop music on screen.

In the news in 1957

• Harold Macmillan became Prime Minister in January and told the country most people 'have never had it so good' in July.
• The Wolfenden report recommended decriminalising homosexual acts between consenting adults.
• Sputnik was launched in October and the space age began.
• The Lewisham rail crash in December killed 90 people.

On screen in 1957

• The Bridge on the River Kwai was the film of the year.
• Panorama broadcast the spaghetti harvest hoax on 1 April.
• Television licences continued rising sharply.

In sport in 1957

• Manchester United retained the league title.
• Aston Villa won the FA Cup.
• Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks shared a win at the British Grand Prix.

Everyday life in 1957

• Petrol rationing ended in May.
• Coffee bars, jukeboxes and skiffle were the teenage scene.
• Rent controls were relaxed and the housing market began to change.

If you were born in 1957

• Anyone born in 1957 was born the year Sputnik went up.
• They arrived the Christmas 'Mary's Boy Child' sold a million.
• Anyone born in 1957 turns 30 in 1987, 40 in 1997, 50 in 2007, 60 in 2017 and 70 in 2027.
• For a milestone card, the strongest line is usually the number one from the week they were born rather than the year's biggest events - it's personal, and it takes two minutes to find.
• For a reminiscence session, read one section at a time and stop on whatever gets a reaction. The point is the conversation, not the facts.

Shop birthday cards

How to write it so it lands

• The number one from the week they were born beats the year's headlines on a card.
• Read one section at a time in a reminiscence session and stop where the conversation starts.
• Use it as a guess-the-year round by reading three facts and hiding the date.

Where to shop next

• Look back to 1959
• Look back to 1958
• Look back to 1956
• Look back to 1955
• Look back to 1954
• The 1950s: the whole decade
• 1950s party playlist
• Wartime and 1950s party games
• Playground games by region
• Clapping games and skipping rhymes
• Seaside and beach games
• Sweets that disappeared
• The 2020s so far
• The 2010s: the whole decade
• The 2000s: the whole decade
• The 1990s: the whole decade
• The 1980s: the whole decade
• The 1970s: the whole decade
• The 1960s: the whole decade
• The 1940s: the whole decade
• The 1930s: the whole decade
• The 1920s: the whole decade
• Decade calendar: every year from 1920
• Decade trivia: fun facts by era
• Decade trivia game: play for points
• Decade guides: books, films and TV by era
• Decade recipes: dishes and food trends by era
• Decade travel: destinations and holidays by era
• Decade tech: gadgets and computers by era
• Decade films: best movies and directors by era
• Decade art: artists, styles and trends by era
• Decade books: best novels, authors and reading trends
• Music by decade: albums, artists and songs
• Decade fashion: clothes, hair and accessories by era
• Nostalgia gift shop
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• Nostalgia birthday party by decade
• Nostalgia hamper and gift ideas
• Guess the year quiz
• Care home reminiscence quiz
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• Milestone birthday cards
• Shop birthday cards
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Birthday cards for kids
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What was the spaghetti harvest hoax?

A Panorama item broadcast on 1 April 1957 showing a Swiss family harvesting spaghetti from trees. Many viewers rang in to ask how to grow it.

What was the Christmas number one in 1957?

'Mary's Boy Child' by Harry Belafonte.

How old is someone born in 1957?

Subtract 1957 from the current year. They turn 40 in 1997, 50 in 2007, 60 in 2017 and 70 in 2027.

Do you sell anything to do with this year?

We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK, including milestone birthday cards. This page itself is free to read and free to copy.