Can You Guess This Year?

This year the first open-heart surgery, using a heart lung machine, was performed.

The coronation of Britain's Queen Elizabeth was shown on television. Channel 2, Denver's first TV station celebrated their first birthday with an hour-long review of world and local events for the past year. Popular TV shows this year were "I Led Three Lives," "Topper," "I Love Lucy" and "Dragnet."

This year the television show "Amos 'n' Andy" ended. The "Amos 'n' Andy" show, first aired on radio in 1928, was a comedy of a couple of black men in business as the "Fresh-Air Taxicab Company of America." Until 1943 two men wrote most of the scripts and played all 550 male parts. For a time portions were run as a newspaper comic strip. In the 1930s the show had an estimated 40 million listeners among whites and blacks but over the years it drew strong criticism from civil-rights organizations. The show became a television series that lasted only three years.

KLZ radio aired Gene Autry and Gun Smoke. KOA radio had Grand Ole Opry and Eddy Arnold.

A large crowd gathered to watch the filming at Colorado University's Memorial Center of "The Glenn Miller Story," featuring Jimmy Stewart and June Allyson. Four hundred and fifty airmen from Lowry Air Force Base "hit the dirt" when an air raid siren went off. The men were extras for a scene taking place in a bomb shelter in England. James Stewart played Glenn Miller, who was killed in an air force flight in World War II.

Elitch Theater was starring Dick Jurgens in "Night Must Fall."

Best movie this year was "From Here to Eternity." The best actor was William Holden in "Stalag 17" and best actress was Audrey Hepburn in "Roman Holiday." Three Dimension came to Denver in "The Maze" with Richard Carlson and Arena. The RKO Orpheum theater offered "Second Chance" starring Robert Mitchum, Linda Darnell and Jack Palance.

Charlie Chaplin, accused of Communist sympathies, was denied reentry into the United States. Chaplin, the most celebrated comedian-director of movies, achieved fame as the Little Tramp. After his rejection from the United States Chaplin settled in Switzerland with his wife and nine children. Nineteen years later he returned in triumph to receive a special achievement award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts.

New red and white Burma Shave signs this year were "Around/ the curve/ lickety split/ it's a beautiful car/ wasn't it?/ Burma Shave" and "The safest rule/ no ifs or buts/ just drive/ like everyone else/ is nuts/ Burma Shave."

After collecting reports for 21 years the U.S. Air Force announced it could find no evidence that UFOs were extraterrestrial and concluded that UFOs did not represent a threat to the national security. The Central Intelligence Agency suggested that the USSR might be able to use "flying-saucer hysteria" as a psychological warfare weapon against the United States.

United Air Lines opened their new operating base building at Stapleton Airfield with an open house for the public.

The newspapers showed the comics "Twin Earths," "Kerry Drake" and "Wash Tubbs." C. S. Lewis wrote "The Silver Chair," one of the books in his series "The Chronicles of Narnia."

The Daniels and Fisher Tower This year William Zeckendorf bought a big block of Daniels and Fisher Store stock and announced that he would recommend moving the store to Courthouse Square. Founded by W. B. Daniels in 1864 the small dry goods store on Larimer Street became the Daniels and Fisher store. The famous Daniels and Fisher Tower, on 16th and Arapahoe Streets, was built in 1910. Modeled after the Campanile in Venice it is 330 feet tall. For many years it stood high above other buildings and was a favorite scenic spot for visitors to the City. Denver citizens started a campaign to save the old tower, now dwarfed by more modern skyscrapers.

Bill Haley and the Comets, first star of rock 'n' roll made the national charts with his own song, "Crazy Man Crazy."

Popular songs this yesteryear were "Ebb Tide" by Vic Damon, "Crying in the Chapel" by June Vali, Rex Allen and the Orioles, "O Mein Papa" by Eddie Fisher, "That's the Price for Loving You" by Ray Price, and "The Last Waltz" by Webb Pierce. This year brought the songs "Doggie in the Window;" "You, You, You;" "Till I Waltz Again with You;" "I'm Walking Behind You," "If I Give my Heart to You," "He," and "Let Me Go Love."

Fashions featured flared skirts with mid-calf hems.

Mickey Mantle hit his fourth grand slam homer in the World Series. The New York Yankees beat the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Eggs cost 29 cents a dozen and milk 92 cents a half gallon. A new Ford cost $1995 at Chapman Auto Sales on West Colfax. Stamps were 3 cents. Price of a three bedroom home was $9,525 and the average yearly income was $4,233.