The "A Half Century of Anniversaries" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Saw somewhere that not only is this the 50th anniversary year of the arrival of the Beatles in the United States, it is also the 50th anniversary of G.I. Joe.  It was at the New York Toy Fair in March of 1964 that G.I. Joe was introduced to the public by Hasbro.  The 11 1/2 inch toy was decked out in uniforms of the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force with guns, helmets and vehicles as accessories for the movable-part toy.  Ever wonder what G.I. stood for?  Had to Google it myself to find out it was Government Issue.  Duh, should have figured that out myself.  Joe stood for everything that was meant to be good such as fighting evil and doing what's right.  Happened to come out shortly before the United States plunged into the Vietnam War.  The toy came about as a tribute to honor veterans, but with the start of the war, parents started to shy away from military-related toys.  The toy weathered the war storm and became one of the most popular toys in history.  In the 1980s Hasbro reduced the size of the toy to 3 1/2 inches to match the size of the popular Star Wars figures.  Eventually comic books, cartoons and two movies followed.  In 2004 G.I. Joe was elected into the Toy Hall of Fame.  Funny thing about all this is that I never owned one and I don't remember every buying one for any of my children.  Star Wars was all the rage in our household.  After reading about this toy celebrating it's 50th year, I decided to check on other things that will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2014.  The results are as follows: 

It was 50 years ago that the Ford Mustang was introduced.  The car was introduced at the 1964 World's Fair in New York and has sold more than 9 million of the cars since then.  Since the introduction the Mustang, it has had more than 3,000 appearances in film and television plus hundreds of musical references.

Mopar is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the iconic 426 HEMI engine which was such a vital part of the heritage that made Mopar what it is today.  Chrysler and Mopar are synonymous and led the way 50 years ago in the muscle car market.

The classic 110 Folding Hunter Knife is also celebrating it's 50th anniversiary in 2014.  It was first introduced by Al Buck and revolutionized the industry with it's locking system.  I had one years ago, but somehow misplaced it.

It was 50 years ago that the dashing Scottish actor Sean Connery declared that he was "Bond, James Bond."   There have been 23 Bond movies and 6 actors who have played the fictional character during the last 50 years.

Mary Poppins also gained fame 50 years ago.  Dick Van Dyke as Bert, Julie Andrews as  Mary, Karen Dotrice was Jane Banks and Matthew Garber was Michael Banks in Walt Disney's musical Mary Poppins was directed by Robert Stevenson.

Actor Sidney Poitier won an Academy Award for "Lilies Of The Field" at the 36th Academy Awards ceremony making him the first black person to win the Oscar for Best Actor.  

Remember these two?  It was 50 years ago that actors Robert Vaughn stared as Napoleon Solo and David McCallum stared as Illya Kuryakin in "The Man From U.N.C.L.E."  Don't I see Robert doing commercials on TV?

You certainly can't forget Ann-Margaret and Elvis in the movie "Viva Las Vegas" that came out in 1964.

I can remember watching Art Fleming host the new TV quiz show called "Jeopardy" back in 1964.   The only other host the show ever had is current host Alex Trebek.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the Rankin-Bass classic began it's run during the Christmas season in 1964.  Originally was a black and white production, but was later colorized.  My kids watched this every year and now watch it with their kids.

It was also in 1964 that Sean Connery smelled liquor in a carafe while sitting at a dining room table in "Goldfinger."  You have to remember that golden lady laying across the bed.  

In sports Joe Frazier won an Olympic Gold Medal in the Super Heavyweight Boxing Final at the Korakuen Ice Palace during the 1964 Tokyo Olympics on October 21, 1964.

Another boxer by the name of Cassius Clay won the Professional World Heavyweight Title on February 25, 1964 in the 6th round when he knocked out Sonny Liston at Convention Hall in Miami Beach, Florida.  He later changed his name to Muhammad Ali and became famous for his "Fly like a Butterfly, Sting like a Bee." 

In politics President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act on July 2, 1964 in Washington, DC.  This photo shows him shaking the hand of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. after the signing.

The Food Stamp Act of 1964 was the country's first permanent food stamp program.  The photo shows food stamps in 1976.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. won the Nobel Peace Prize during a ceremony in Oslo on December 10, 1964.

Fifty years ago the 24th Amendment abolished poll taxes. Tough to imagine having to pay a tax to vote.  This poll tax is very similar to the new laws that many states are attempting to enact that makes you have a specific ID to be able to vote.  My home state of Pennsylvania tried to enact such a law, but it was ruled unconstitutional.  This photo shows people paying poll taxes.

And, finally!  The 50th anniversary of Sports Illustrated features three models in swimsuits for their swimsuit issue.  That is, half of a bathing suit.  Forbes says that the swimsuit issue has made more than $1 billion for Time Inc. since it became a stand alone issue in 1997.  The company relies on the income from the swimsuit issue, since it generates 7% of SI's annual revenue.  I haven't been one of those buyers, since I'm not allowed to view this stuff, at least in print.