MARY BRASWELL: Looking Back a half-century to 1965

Each week Albany Herald researcher Mary Braswell looks for interesting events, places and people from the past. You can contact her at (229) 888-9371 or [email protected].

In the year 1965, much was changing in the world. There would be no more Baby Boomers, Gemini III carried men to space and the war in Vietnam escalated. What else happened?

— The 1965 Voting Rights Act was signed into law which prohibited the unfair practices used to prevent blacks from registering to vote, and provided for federal registrars to go to states with a history of voting-related discrimination to ensure that the law was implemented.

— Pope Paul VI became the first Pope to visit the United States. He held mass at Yankee Stadium.

— The Higher Education Act was signed into law providing low-interest loans for students.

— At age 26, Peter Jennings became the anchor for ABC’s Nightly News.

— The Pillsbury Doughboy, “Poppin’ Fresh,” was born. He made his debut in a TV commercial for crescent rolls.

— While it may seem trivial now, Beatles fans across the world expressed great concern as George Harrison had his tonsils removed. Just a few days later, John Lennon passed his test and got a driver’s license.

— Col. Harland Sanders sold his Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant chain, but remained as spokesman for the company.

— Activist Malcolm X was fatally shot by what was believed to be Nation of Islam followers at Audubon Ballroom in New York City.

— The first U.S. combat forces, 3,500 Marines, arrived in Vietnam.

— The first Subway sandwich shop opened in Bridgeport, Conn.

— The wreck of the SS Georgiana, valued at more than $50 million and said to have been the most powerful Confederate cruiser,was discovered exactly 102 years after its destruction. The steamer was destroyed in the Charleston Harbor by Union fire as it was being delivered from Scotland, where it was built. The vessel never saw battle.

—The Campbell Soup Co. introduced SpaghettiOs under its Franco-American brand.

— Television debuts included: “Hogans Heroes,” “Green Acres,” “I Dream of Jeannie,” “My Mother the Car” and “Get Smart.”

— President Lyndon Johnson signed the Medicare bill, which went into effect the following year.

— Kellogg’s Pop Tarts were added to the breakfast menu.

— The latest craze in kid’s toys was the Super Ball and the skate board.

— A major breakthrough in vision correction came with the invention of soft contact lenses.

— Judge Roy Hofheinz built the AstroDome in Houston, Texas. Hofheinz consulted with Monsanto about replacing the natural grass with a new synthetic playing surface. A patent was filed late in the year for what would become known as Astroturf.

— Cool Whip, a whipped cream substitute, was introduced by General Foods. Within three months, it was the top selling whipped topping product.

— R.C. Duncan was granted a patent for Pampers disposable diapers.

— The Iron Lung, the salvation of many polio patients, was replaced with the respirator.

— A new country music TV show titled “Grand Ole Opry” was videotaped live at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Other syndicated TV shows taped by WSM-TV in Nashville included “The Flatt and Scruggs Show,” “The Porter Wagoner Show” and “The Wilburn Brothers Show.”

— Producer Sheldon Leonard cast the first African-American prime time TV star with Bill Cosby joining Robert Clup in “I Spy.”

— The first bill was passed requiring cigarette makers to print health warnings on all cigarette packages about the possible hazards of smoking. “May” was not replaced with “is” until 1969.

— The U.S. Supreme Court threw out the 1879 Connecticut law that prohibited the use of contraceptives by a vote of 7-2 on the grounds that it violated the “right to marital privacy.”

— With the help of his childhood friend, Harper Lee, Truman Capote when to Kansas in 1964 and did a series of interviews that chronicled the 1959 “Clutter Murders.” He released the book after the murderers, Richard “Dick” Hickock and Perry Edward Smith, were executed in April 1965. For his work, Capote won the Pulitzer Prize for Non-Fiction.

— Coke began its largest radio campaign in the company’s history with a focus on teenagers. Popular musical groups performed their versions of “Things go better with Coke.” Included in the campaign: The Four Seasons, Petula Clark, Jan and Dean, Roy Orbison, Freddie and the Dreamers and others.

— CBS reporter Morley Safer, age 34, and two CBS cameramen were shot down in their helicopter by ground fire about 280 miles north of Saigon. All escaped without injury.

— Ford introduced what it described as a “little brother” to its popular Mustang, the 4-Wheel Drive Jeep-type Bronco.

— Home delivery of milk accounted for 25 percent of all milk purchases.

— Joe Namath signed a record-setting contract with the New York Jets of the American Football League for $400,000 for three years.

— The anti-war movement gained strength and on Nov. 13, protesters numbering 35,000 marched on Washington, D.C.

— Cassius Clay became a Muslim and took the name Muhammad Ali.

— The Rolling Stones had their first No. 1 hit with “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction.”

The price was …(rounded up)

— Gasoline … 31 cents per gallon

— Average rent … $118 per month

— First-class postage stamp … 5 cents

— Transistor pocket radio … $15

— Impala station wagon … about $3,000

— Hershey bar … 5 cents

— Calfskin, patent, kid suede, or alligator-print pumps for women … $10-$14

— Mattel talking-hand puppets — choice of Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Woody Woodpecker or Mr. Ed … $4 each

—Honda pedal-bike … $20

— Beatles board game … $2.50

—Pack of cigarettes … 35 cents