AUGUST 18, 1953

TUESDAY
1953 Coca-Cola advertising artwork
$1,000 INVESTED IN COKE STOCK (KO) IN 1953
WOULD HAVE MADE YOU $4,536,935 IN THE 2025 DATASET
Min Wage Hourly$0.83
Median Home Price$8,750.00
Gas Price Avg$0.28
Bread Price Avg$0.16
Movie Ticket Avg$0.53
First Class Stamp$0.03
Milk Price Avg$0.88
Top Movies From 1953
Show screen release and event cards
1 The Robe
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The Robe
2 From Here to Eternity
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From Here to Eternity
3 Shane
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Shane
4 How to Marry a Millionaire
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How to Marry a Millionaire
5 Peter Pan
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Peter Pan
6 House of Wax
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House of Wax
7 Mogambo
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Mogambo
8 Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
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Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
9 Salome
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Salome
10 The Moon Is Blue
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The Moon Is Blue
The Hitch-Hiker
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The Hitch-Hiker
The Naked Spur
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The Naked Spur
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
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The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
The Clown
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The Clown
Niagara
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Niagara
The Band Wagon
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The Band Wagon
Lili
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Lili
Stalag 17
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Stalag 17
The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T
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The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T
Glen or Glenda
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Glen or Glenda
The War of the Worlds
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The War of the Worlds
Titanic
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Titanic
Pickup on South Street
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Pickup on South Street
The Desert Rats
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The Desert Rats
Julius Caesar
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Julius Caesar
The Blue Gardenia
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The Blue Gardenia
Fear and Desire
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Fear and Desire
Old Overland Trail
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Old Overland Trail
The Sun Shines Bright
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The Sun Shines Bright
White Witch Doctor
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White Witch Doctor
The Charge at Feather River
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The Charge at Feather River
The Bad and the Beautiful
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The Bad and the Beautiful
Come Back, Little Sheba
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Come Back, Little Sheba
Moulin Rouge
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Moulin Rouge
Limelight
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Limelight
Plymouth Adventure
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Plymouth Adventure
Above and Beyond
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Above and Beyond
Hans Christian Andersen
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Hans Christian Andersen
The Holly and the Ivy
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The Holly and the Ivy

August 18, 1953 Trivia

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Television On August 18, 1953
Private Secretary poster
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Private Secretary
The Life of Riley poster
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The Life of Riley
The Oscars poster
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The Oscars
Topper poster
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Topper
You Are There poster
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You Are There
Your Favorite Story poster
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Your Favorite Story

Exact-date daily brief

August 18, 1953

On August 18, 1953, the United States celebrated the recruitment of the 300th Marine for its Special Company, a unit formed to participate in the city's tercentenary festivities. This event marked a significant milestone, reflecti...

Inventions & Breakthroughs of August 1953

Gadgets, lab surprises, odd bets, and future-shocks from this slice of the calendar.

1 Artificial DNA Model
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Artificial DNA Model
2 Color Television Set
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Color Television Set
3 Transistorized Computer
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Transistorized Computer
4 Automatic Defibrillator
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Automatic Defibrillator
5 High-Density Magnetic Tape
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High-Density Magnetic Tape
6 Jet Engine Noise Reduction
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Jet Engine Noise Reduction
7 Disposable Syringe
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Disposable Syringe
8 Early AI Learning Program
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Early AI Learning Program
9 Compact Cassette Concept
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Compact Cassette Concept
10 Commercial Nuclear Reactor
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Commercial Nuclear Reactor

The Sounds of

Popular recordings and roots/country selections associated with the year

Headlines From August 18, 1953

Full News Archive

  • Headline: 300th Marine Joins Anniversary Unit. Impact: The recruitment of the 300th Marine sparked a chain reaction leading to the eventual creation of a Marine Corps fitness program that has, ironically, yet to produce a single Marine who enjoys running. Fact: Fun fact: 300 Marines is just enough to make a decent marching band, but not enough for a football team. Priorities, am I right?.
  • Headline: 9 REDS ACCUSED AGAIN; Indictment Links Boston Figure to 8 in Philadelphia Area. Impact: The indictment linking Boston figures to Philadelphia's underworld initiated a long-standing tradition of mobsters trying to outrun their past, only to trip over their own shoelaces. Fact: Did you know that the only thing more complicated than mobster dealings is trying to explain them to your grandparents? Spoiler alert: they won't get it.
  • Headline: RAIL MAILMEN SEEK RISE; $1,000 Yearly Increase Asked in Petition to Congress. Impact: The postal mailmen's petition for a raise inadvertently led to the rise of email, which has now made the postal service's existence a daily existential crisis for its employees. Fact: Did you know that before email, people had to wait days for a letter? And they thought waiting for the next season of their favorite show was torture!.
  • Headline: French Say Moroccan Nationalists Incited Rioting, Now Under Control; NATIONALISTS CITED IN MOROCCO RIOTING. Impact: The French accusations against Moroccan nationalists sent shockwaves through colonial governance, ultimately leading to the realization that sometimes, rioting is just a roundabout way of asking for better living conditions. Fact: Did you know that the French have a special term for when they make a mess of things? It's called 'le catastrophe.' Just kidding, it's just called history.
  • Headline: Radio-TV Notes. Impact: The WEVD strike became an iconic moment in labor history, inspiring future generations to question whether a paycheck or dignity is more important—spoiler alert: it’s still up for debate. Fact: Did you know that the technicians on strike probably had more influence on radio programming than the actual DJs? Talk about a plot twist!.
  • Headline: MRS. BELFRAGE ARRESTED; Deportation Warrant Charges Communist Activity. Impact: Mrs. Belfrage's arrest for communist activity highlights the paranoia of the era, leading to a long-standing tradition of overreactions that continues to plague politics today. Fact: Did you know that being labeled a communist in the '50s was like getting a bad Yelp review? It could ruin your reputation faster than you could say 'McCarthyism.'.

Wall Street Time Machine

The Right Call: A historical $1,000 investment comparison using the stored long-range dataset.
Rank #1
CVX
Chevron
Price in 1953
$0.31
Stored value
$474,914

Chevron - If you invested $1,000 in 1953, it would be worth $474,914 today (474.9x return)

Rank #2
GE
General Electric
Price in 1953
$0.62
Stored value
$487,501

General Electric - If you invested $1,000 in 1953, it would be worth $487,501 today (487.5x return)

Rank #3
IBM
IBM
Price in 1953
$1.46
Stored value
$205,272

IBM - If you invested $1,000 in 1953, it would be worth $205,272 today (205.3x return)

🦸 Top 5 Comics
Strange Tales #1
Strange Tales #1
$10,000
Journey into Unknown Worlds #1
Journey into Unknown Worlds #1
$500
3-D Comics #1
3-D Comics #1
$200
Space Adventures #1
Space Adventures #1
$300
Plop! Comics #1
Plop! Comics #1
$104
🧸 Top 5 Toys
Matchbox Cars
Matchbox Cars
$100.00
Plastic Army Men
Plastic Army Men
$25.00
Mr. Potato Head
Mr. Potato Head
$150.00
Roy Rogers Cap Gun
Roy Rogers Cap Gun
$300.00
Colorforms
Colorforms
$150.00
⚾ Top 5 Trading Cards
1953 Topps Mickey Mantle #82
1953 Topps Mickey Mantle #82
$1,350,000
1953 Bowman Color Pee Wee Reese #33
1953 Bowman Color Pee Wee Reese #33
$20,000
1953 Bowman Color Mickey Mantle #59
1953 Bowman Color Mickey Mantle #59
$6,120
1953 Parkhurst Maurice Richard #27
1953 Parkhurst Maurice Richard #27
$20,000
1953 Stahl-Meyer Franks Mickey Mantle
1953 Stahl-Meyer Franks Mickey Mantle
$2,273