On This Day In 1957 – BBC Fools The Nation

The BBC has received a mixed reaction to a spoof documentary broadcast this evening about spaghetti crops in Switzerland.  The hoax Panorama programme, narrated by distinguished broadcaster Richard Dimbleby, featured a family from Ticino in Switzerland carrying out their annual spaghetti harvest. It showed women carefully plucking strands of spaghetti from a tree and laying them in the sun to dry.

But some viewers failed to see the funny side of the broadcast and criticised the BBC for airing the item on what is supposed to be a serious factual programme. Others, however, were so intrigued they wanted to find out where they could purchase their very own spaghetti bush.

Exotic delicacy

Spaghetti was not a widely-eaten food in the UK and was considered by many as an exotic delicacy. Mr Dimbleby explained how each year the end of March is a very anxious time for Spaghetti harvesters all over Europe as severe frost can impair the flavour of the spaghetti. He also explained how each strand of spaghetti always grows to the same length thanks to years of hard work by generations of growers.

This is believed to be one of the first times the medium of television has been used to stage an April Fools Day hoax.

In Context

The origins of April Fools Day are not clear but it is known that the tradition of practical joking and mischief-making dates back to Ancient Roman times.  It would appear that the festival is closely related to the coming of Spring.

Ancient Romans and Celts celebrated a festival of practical joking at about the time of the Vernal Equinox, as do millions of India’s Hindus. The French also mark 1 April but instead of April Fools they call it Poisson d’Avril (April Fish).

April Fool or “Aprilspøk” as we call it in Norway has a long tradition both in national radio and television. And they have pulled a few very good ones over the years – Ted

Tekst from BBC’s OnThisDay

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Ford Edsel 1957 Car Models

Image found on NEAT STUFF BLOG

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Fishing Saucer

Evinrude Fishing Saucer concept boat. 1957

Image found at LivingInARetroWorld

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1957 – Clúa 500cc

The Clúa is a roadster that was introduced in 1957 by Mechanical Clúa Construcciones S. L, Spain. Its consumption was approximately 5l/100 km, and its maximum speed 75 km / h. Customers were promised that in case of defects, the money would be returned. A mismatch in the contracts caused so many returns, that in 1962 the company went bankrupt. There were three versions of 350, 400 and 500 cc, for an average price of 64,000 pesetas (about US$ 3,500 then). In total approximately one hundred cars were manufactured.

Text an image found at mrscharroo photostream on Flickr

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Miss Atomic Bomb 1957

“Copa Room showgirl Lee Merlin poses in a cotton mushroom cloud swimsuit as she is crowned Miss Atomic Bomb 1957 photograph. Above-ground nuclear testing was a major public attraction during the late 1950s, and hotels capitalized on the craze by hosting nuclear bomb watch parties, which usually included the dubbing of a chorus girl as Miss Atomic Bomb. Merlin was the last and most famous of the Miss Atomic Bomb girls” – Las Vegas Sun

As wonderfully tasteless as only the fifties could make it – Ted

Image and text found at Retronaut

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On this day in 1957: Russians Launch Dog Into Space

The Soviet Union has launched the first ever living creature into the cosmos. The dog, described as a female Russian breed, was projected into space this morning from Baikonur Cosmodrome aboard the artificial space satellite Sputnik II. Sputnik I, launched on 4 October, is still circling the globe.

The dog has been fitted with monitors to check its heartbeat and other vital signs and was reported to be calm during the first hours of the flight. Russian scientists are particularly interested in the effects of solar radiation and weightlessness on living organisms.

Fury of animal lovers
Moscow Radio reported the second satellite was launched to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the October Revolution and gave details about the spacecraft’s contents and orbit.

Sputnik II weighs half a ton (508kg) and carries instruments for studying solar and cosmic rays, temperature and pressure, two radio transmitters and a hermetically-sealed container with "an experimental animal" inside, as well as oxygen and food supplies. It is travelling more than 900 miles, (nearly 1,500 km) above the Earth – higher than Sputnik I – and is orbiting at about five miles (8km) a second.

It will take one hour and 42 minutes to circle the Earth. The satellite is transmitting telegraphic signals that are being picked up from receiving stations around the globe.

Animal welfare organisations expressed outrage at news that the Russians have sent a dog into outer space. The National Canine Defence League is calling on all dog lovers to observe a minute’s silence every day the dog is in space. The RSPCA said it received calls of protest even before the Moscow Radio announcement of the launch had ended. It has advised those who wish to protest to do so at the Russian Embassy in London.

‘Dog was trained for mission’
It is believed the Russians are planning to catapult the dog back to Earth although there has been no official announcement confirming this. One British scientist told newspaper reporters the dog had probably been trained for the journey but was unlikely to survive.

"A terrified dog would be useless scientifically," said Dr William Lane-Petter, Director of the Laboratory Animals Bureau of the Medical Research Council. "It would not give them the information they want. This dog will have been trained long for the task and subjected to similar simulated conditions, and this flight is just another experience of the same sort."

In Context
 The following day, after several inquiries from Western journalists, Russian officials confirmed the dog’s name as Laika. The Soviet authorities said Laika died painlessly after a week in orbit but in 2002 new evidence revealed the dog died from over-heating and panic just a few hours after take-off.

 Laika’s "coffin" burned up in the Earth’s atmosphere over Barbados on 14 April 1958, five months after launch.Three years later, the Russians achieved another space first by sending Yuri Gagarin into orbit on 12 April 1961.

The Sputnik II flight made Laika one of the world’s most famous animals and allowed Russian scientists to learn much about the prospects for human space travel.

Text from BBCs On This Day

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Officially, The World’s Ugliest Car

The Aurora monster was built in 1957 by an eccentric New York priest trying to make the ultimate safety vehicle. Clearly, this design was not graced by the hand of God: only one prototype was produced, and it broke down 15 times on the way to the press conference, requiring towing to 7 different garages.

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1957 Jurisch Motoplan

This strange, but attractive machine was the dream of the young German engineer, motorcycle racer and visionary Carl Jurisch. Jurisch had made a name for himself by designing a fine telescopic rear-suspension system for motor cycles, a design which was used by a plethora of European manufacturers in the early 1950´s; it was also stolen by Yamaha and used in their first 125-cc bike, the stolen DKW RT-125.  This system was so effective, it compared favorably with the up and coming rear-swing arm suspensions; in fact many manufacturers stuck with it in favor of the new swing-arm system. (Hecker, Anker, Bastert etc). Similar systems were used by technologically avant-garde companies such as Hoffmann despite swing-arm systems being all the rage; furthermore, neither its effectiveness nor its reliability was ever matched by the swing-arm set-ups used by Harley Davidson or Indian of the USA; in fact the less said about these American mechanical abortions, no more than throw-backs to the WW-1 era, the better.

Herr Jurisch thought a single-seat car would sell in the USA and he set about to design one; whatever – his dream was wild and wooly!

It does appear he was very much inspired by the iconoclastic Neumann-Neander `Fahrmachine´ of the 1930´s; see the essay on Neumann-Neander, even though his real inspiration clearly came from the Fend-designed Messerschmitt Kabinenroller, the Karo 201. It did not stop with the inspiration, but continued on to the front suspension which was wholly Messerschmitt. The rear-set up with engine, transmission and rear-drive came from the Heinkel Kabine and sported its 175-cc 4-stroke engine, slightly modified with a different carburetor. Since the machine was however smaller than any of its rivals, he designed an ingenious steering system, reminiscent of an airplane and a folding gas tank over the rear mounted engine, eliminating the need for a fuel pump. The body of the machine was derived from the excellent Steib 250-S side car, which he split down the middle and widened it thusly.

The resultant machine was astounding in its originality, performance (it attained an easy 55 mph) and its aesthetics. When he approached the German motorcycle magazine `Das Motorrad´ to test his creation, he was abruptly dismissed as a dreamer. In this (dreamer) they were correct, but weren´t all designers of unusual things dreamers? Had I been one of the guys at the magazine, I would have taken him aside, congratulated him on a great looking effort and told him to lengthen the machine, add a second seat, use the Ilo 250-cc Twin 2-stroke and have a go at it in that way; in the latter form it would have been formidable competition in the bubble-car industry, seating two in comfort and hitting an easy 70-80 mph.

Those who actually drove the machine report that it handled like a dream and that the steering, weird as it was, was easy to master.

Only one example is known to exist and this one was lovingly restored in Canada by someone who really ought to get a medal! It can be viewed at the extraordinary Bruce Weiner Micro-Car Museum, those great guys who lavish such un-abiding love on the Micro-Car.

Article by Gerry Frederics  from “German Motorcycles” – Images from “microcarmuseum.com”

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Zündapp Janus

Zündapp Janus was the name of a microcar model made by Zündapp, as well as the as the only car ever made by Zundapp. in Germany between 1957 and 1958. Originally Zündapp made motorcycles, but in 1954 decided to make a more weatherproof vehicle. They looked at designs from Kroboth, Brütsch, and Fuldamobil before settling for a design by Dornier Flugzeugwerke. The novel design featured a front-opening door for access to the front seat, as well as a rear-opening door for access to the rear-facing rear seat; this "coming or going" design was given the name of the Roman god, Janus, usually pictured having two faces: one looks forward while the other one looks back. The car was powered by a mid-mounted 2-stroke single cylinder 245 cc (15 cubic inch displacement) engine unique to the Janus developing 14 hp (10 kW), enabling a top speed of 80 km/h (50 mph). The suspension was of the MacPherson strut type that proved to be very comfortable. Production started in June 1957, but only 1731 cars were made in the first six months. By mid-1958, Zündapp abandoned the project and sold the factory to Bosch. A total of 6902 Zündapp Janus cars were made.

While in racing and sports cars the mid-engine configuration leads to optimal car handling, acceleration and braking, the engine was much lighter than the rear passengers, leading to a variable center of gravity.

Text from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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1957 Jawa MZ

The first motorcycle I ever rode was a Jawa like the one on the this picture, I was 13 and the bike belonged to one of my sister’s boyfriends. With this was born a love for motorcycles that ran me through about ten bikes ranging from a 125 cc Honda Bentley to a 900 cc Harley Davidson Sportster (The last one came close to killing me and left me with enough metal in my right leg to make any metal detector on any airport go bananas). I even lost a girlfriend because I insisted on having a 1966 Triumph Bonneville standing in our living room (it is after all one of the most beautiful bikes ever made) – Ted

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Billboard’s Rock’n’Roll Top 10 lists 1955 – 1959

-:: 1955 ::- No Song Artist/Group 1 Rock Around The Clock – Bill Haley & His Comets 2 Maybelline – Chuck Berry 3 Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine) The Penguins 4 Ain’t That A Shame – Fats Domino 5 Hearts Of Stone – The Fontane Sisters 6 Black Denim Trousers – The Cheers 7 Only You (And You Alone) – The Platters 8 Tweedlee Dee – LaVern Baker 9 At My Front Door – The El Dorados 10 Sincerely – The Moonglows -:: 1956 ::- No Song Artist/Group 1 Don’t Be Cruel – Elvis Presley 2 Be-Bop-A-Lula – Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps 3 Blue Suede Shoes – Carl Perkins 4 I’m In Love Again – Fats Domino 5 See You Later Alligator – Bill Haley & His Comets 6 Hound Dog – Elvis Presley 7 Fool, The – Sanford Clark 8 Green Door, The – Jim Lowe 9 Why Do Fools Fall In Love – Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers 10 Flying Saucer, The – Buchanan & Goodman

-:: 1957 ::-

No	Song	Artist/Group
1	.All Shook Up –	Elvis Presley
2	Wake Up Little Susie –	The Everly Brothers
3	Diana –	Paul Anka
4	Party Doll –	Buddy Knox
5	That’ll Be The Day –	Buddy Holly
6	Jailhouse Rock –	Elvis Presley
7	Little Darlin’ –	The Diamonds
8	Peggy Sue –	Buddy Holly
9	.School Days –	Chuck Berry
10	Whole Lot Of Shakin’ Going On-	Jerry Lee Lewis

-:: 1958 ::-

No	Song	Artist/Group
1	At The Hop –	Danny & The Juniors
2	Tequila –	The Champs
3	To Know Him Is To Love Him –	The Teddy Bears
4	It’s Only Make Believe –	Conway Twitty
5	Get A Job –	Silhuettes
6	Hard Headed Woman –	Elvis Presley
7	Little Star –	The Elegants
8	Bird Dog –	The Everly Brothers
9	Yakety Yak –	The Coasters
10	Great Balls Of Fire –	Jerry Lee Lewis

-:: 1959 ::-

No	Song	Artist/Group
1	Mack The Knife –	Bobby Darin
2	Venus –	Frankie Avalon
3	Lonely Boy –	Paul Anka
4	Stagger Lee –	Lloyd Price
5	Kansas City –	Wilbert Harrison
6	Big Hunk O’ Love, A –	Elvis Presley
7	Happy Organ, The –	Dave "Baby" Cortez
8	Charlie Brown –	The Coasters
9	16 Candles –	The Crests
10	Sleep Walk –	Santo & Johnny

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