- In 1958: Elvis Presely became a private in the U.S. Army, and Domenico Modugno`s Volare ( Nel blu dipinto di blu ) was the years`s biggest hit.
- In 1958: Mary Chapin Carpenter, Andy Gibb, and Michael Jackson were born. W.C. Handy, Claire Chennault, and Tyrone Power died.
- Invented by Arthur K. "Spud" Melin and Richard Knerr, the Hula Hoop fad started in July 1958. Twenty-five million plastic hoops were sold in less than four months, and in two years, sales reached more than 100 million units.
- In 1958: The Iranian government banned rock & roll, claiming it was against the concepts of Islam and a health hazard....
- ... Iranian doctors warned of the risk of injuries to the hips from the "extreme gyrations" of rock & roll dances.
- In 1958: The U.S. folllowed the Soviets into the space race with the launching of its first successful satellite, Explorer 1.
- In 1958: 7.0% of American workers were unemployed, inflation dipped below 2%, and the average yearly wage was $3,851 ($32,543.70 in 2016 money).
- In 1958: Otis Williams & the Distants began their musical career. They would later join with The Primes and become The Temptations.
- In 1958: 14 year old Bobby Fischer won the United States Chess Championship.
- In 1958: The Munich Air Disaster occured on February 6th when a plane crashed carrying the Manchester United team.
- In 1958: The first Toyota and Datsun automobiles went on sale in the United States.
- In 1958: The first US passenger jet flights started with a National Airlines Boeing 707.
- In 1958: Sir Edmund Hillary, along with Derek Wright and Murray Ellis, arrived at the South Pole.
- In 1958: The most popular Christmas gifts were LEGOs, Skateboards, Beat the Clock Game , Crayola Crayons '64' with built-in sharpener,...
- ...Concentration TV Game (home version), and the Hula Hoop in the United States.
- In 1958: Because of poor planning on the part of the Communist government, China...
- ... experienced the Great Chinese Famine, causing the deaths of nearly 30 million people.
- In 1958: Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments invented the integrated circuit (microchip),...
- ... thus laying the foundation for modern electronics and the computer revolution.
- In 1958: London`s Gatwick Airport opened on June 9th after two years of extensive reconstruction.
- In 1958: RCA introduced its first stereo LPs. The major record labels begin to cease production of 78 rpm records.
- In 1958: The US Air Force lost a 7,600-pound nuclear bomb in the waters off Tybee Island near Savannah, Georgia, United States. Some sources describe the bomb as a functional nuclear weapon,...
- ... but others describe it as disabled??! It has never been recovered.
- In 1958: The internationally recognized peace symbol was designed by Gerald Holtom as the logo for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.
- In 1958: The US Nuclear Submarine Nautilus passed under the North Polar ice cap.
- In 1958: The Wham-O company introduced the Hula Hoop; over 100 million were sold.
- In 1958: Time Magazine's Man of the Year was Charles de Gaulle.
- In 1958: Two hit films of the year were South Pacific, and Elvis` King Creole.
- In 1958: On January 28 Hall of Fame baseball player Roy Campanella was involved in an automobile accident, ending his career and leaving him paralyzed.
