World Almanac Surveys Space Age
The big events of 1959 were so extraordinary and so unexpected that they affected the political and economic welfare of the United States and the peace of the whole world. Just what occurred and what it means is found in the 1960 edition of the ORIGINAL World Almanac and Book of Facts, now in its 75th year. This reliable and time-tested reference work surveys the astounding scientific feats of 1959, including the rocket that hit the moon and the one that sailed around it, Khrushchev's tour of the United States, the ruthless tactics of Communist China against India, ferment in Cuba, Algeria, Central Africa, the re-election of the Conservatives in Britain, the steel strike and the epochal World Series battle between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago White Sox.
THE CHANGING UNITED STATES. The World Almanac and Book of Facts offers a vast amount of current information about U. S. population, cities, employment, strikes and industries at a significant point in history. President Eisenhower unfurls the new flag with Alaska's star and Congress votes Hawaii in as the 50th state. Steel and labor clash in a tense battle for higher wages. Congress votes a tough law to curb racketeers who prey on union labor. Secretary of State Dulles dies and diplomacy moves toward a summit meeting with the Soviet Union.
ROCKETS AND NUCLEAR POWER. Here is a succinct account of the year at Cape Canaveral, the successes and failures of American rocketry, new nuclear submarines, monkeys that sped into space, the training of men for trips beyond the atmosphere. Here are accounts of the peaceful applications of nuclear power, as well as a chronicle of other scientific accomplishments here and abroad.
SPORTS. The World Almanac makes a full and comprehensive summing up of all major sports, with emphasis on the 1959 World Series and League games; pro and college football; boxing, basketball, track and field events; swimming, horse racing, golf, with past records of teams and champions.
EDUCATION. Roster of colleges and universities, with administrators, figures for students, faculty, degrees. Scholarships and special grants. Expenditures for education. Fraternities, sororities, teachers' associations.
TRIP AROUND THE GLOBE. The World Almanac takes you to all lands, including the new French Community of republics, describing their geography, rulers and capitals, government, resources and industry—wheat, rubber, coffee, oil, iron and steel. It reports events behind the Iron Curtain, including American visits to the USSR and politics in Poland, Yugoslavia, Red China and the Far East.
ASTRONOMY. Information about the earth, sun, moon and planets, with special time table for eclipses of 1960. Visible planets of the solar system. Stars, tides and planetary configuration. Standard, daylight saving, military and solar time, with tables of the rising and setting of both sun and moon by U. S. time zones.
RELIGIOUS INFORMATION. Latest figures on church membership, including Sunday school attendance. Lists of denominational headquarters, numbers of congregations. U. S. Roman Catholic, hierarchy, Protestant bodies, Jewish activities. Opportunities in youth organizations. Calendar of holidays, festivals, feasts and fasts for 1960.
WORLD FACTS. Polar explorations, geologic eras, research of ocean depths, volcanoes, mountain peaks, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, islands, bridges, Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. National parks and memorials. Major disasters, including floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes. Great inventions and scientific discoveries. U. S. standard and metric weights and measures, mathematical tables.
SPECIAL DEPARTMENTS. Social Security, how and when to obtain payments. The United Nations, activities, charter, membership, committees. Population statistics. Politics and Government. Labor, Science and Medicine, Finance. Memorable Dates from 3000 B. C. Hawaii. 86th Congress, First Session. Facts for Tourists. TV and Theater, Personalities. Well-indexed facts about the world we live in.