March 1955

Bo Diddley's self-titled debut single, released on Chess Records in March 1955, introduced the 'Bo Diddley beat' — a syncopated shave-and-a-haircut rhythm drawn from African and Afro-Cuban musical traditions — to mainstream American audiences. The rhythm became one of the most widely used in rock music history, influencing artists from Buddy Holly to the Rolling Stones and the Clash. Bo Diddley's innovations in guitar style and showmanship were foundational to rock and roll.

Fifteen-year-old Claudette Colvin was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama city bus nine months before Rosa Parks. Colvin cited the Constitution and her rights as an American. Her case helped lay the legal groundwork for the eventual bus boycott.

Sidney Poitier played a defiant student in Blackboard Jungle, one of the first major Hollywood films to deal with urban juvenile delinquency. The film also featured Rock Around the Clock on its soundtrack, helping launch rock and roll into mainstream white America.