1954 following more wives moving back into the workforce the economy continued to grow and consumer goods and television programmes included the popular “Father Knows Best” Marlin Brando starred in two of the most popular movies ” On The Waterfront” and “The Wild One” The Movie ” Blackboard Jungle” also featured the song ” Rock Around The Clock” from Bill Haley and the Comets, and Elvis Presley cut his first commercial record. A new trend also started called DIY Do It Yourself projects as families wanted to improve their homes and do their own maintenance . car engines continued to get bigger and more powerful and gas cost 29 cents. Following the discovery of a vaccine against Polio, the first mass vaccination of children against begins.

Cost of Living 1954

How Much things cost in 1954
Yearly Inflation Rate USA 0.32%
Yearly Inflation Rate UK 1.9%
Average Cost of new house $10.250.00 Cost of a gallon of Gas 22 cents Average Cost of a new car $1,700.00 Average Monthly Rent $85.00 Movie Ticket 70 cents Life Magazine 20 cents The Dow Jones recovers back to pre Wall Street Crash highs of 381.17
Below are some Prices for UK guides in Pounds Sterling
Average House Price 1,970

Major World Political Leaders

Australia Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies Brazil President Getúlio Vargas Till 24 August
Brazil President Café Filho From 24 August
Canada Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent

China Chairman of the People’s Republic of China Mao Zedong

France President Vincent Auriol Till 16 January
France President René Coty From 16 January
Germany Chancellor Konrad Adenauer
India Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru

Italy Prime Minister Giuseppe Pella Till 12 January
Italy Prime Minister Amintore Fanfani From 18 January
Italy Prime Minister Amintore Fanfani Till 8 February
Italy Prime Minister Mario Scelba From 10 February
Japan Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida Till 10 December
Japan Prime Minister Ichiro Hatoyama From 10 December
Mexico President Adolfo Ruiz Cortines Russia / Soviet Union
First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Nikita Khrushchev South Africa Prime Minister Daniel François Malan Till 30 November
South Africa Prime Minister Johannes Gerhardus Strijdom From 30 November

United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower United Kingdom Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill