January 1958

Jackson successfully petitioned to attend advanced engineering classes at a segregated Virginia school, completing the requirements to become NASA Langley's first Black female aeronautical engineer in 1958. Throughout the 1960s she worked on wind tunnel data that contributed to the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs.

Jackson successfully petitioned to attend advanced engineering classes at a segregated Virginia school and throughout the 1960s worked on wind tunnel data contributing to the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs.

Chuck Berry recorded Johnny B. Goode, an autobiographical story of a guitar-playing country boy dreaming of stardom. The guitar intro became one of the most recognizable in rock history and the song was selected by NASA to represent Earth's music on the Voyager Golden Record.

Ernie Banks of the Chicago Cubs won the first of his back-to-back NL MVP Awards, becoming the first player from a last-place team to win the award. Known as 'Mr. Cub' and for his sunny disposition, Banks broke the color barrier at Wrigley Field and became one of the most beloved figures in Chicago sports history.

Ella Fitzgerald released the Irving Berlin Songbook, continuing her landmark series of interpretations of the Great American Songbook. Critics praised her interpretations as definitive, and Berlin himself said she had performed his songs better than he had imagined them.

Archie Moore continued his record-setting reign as light heavyweight champion, extending the longest championship reign in boxing history. Moore held the title from 1952 to 1960 and set the all-time record for knockouts with 131, while remaining a brilliant technical boxer known for his cross-arm defense.

Sarah Vaughan recorded No Count Blues with the Count Basie Orchestra, one of the landmark vocal-orchestra jazz collaborations of the era. Vaughan's extraordinary range, precise pitch, and improvisational sense made her one of the three supreme jazz vocalists alongside Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday.

Little Richard's Good Golly Miss Molly was a frantic rocker that became one of his signature songs. Released shortly before he abruptly quit rock and roll for the ministry, it represented the pinnacle of his early period and demonstrated how his screaming style defined rock and roll energy.

The Coasters' Yakety Yak, written by Leiber and Stoller, reached number one on the pop charts — an unusual achievement for a Black group in 1958. The satirical record demonstrated how Black artists and Jewish songwriters collaborated to create novelty rock and roll that crossed racial boundaries.

Jacob Lawrence's visual series on Toussaint L'Ouverture, the liberator of Haiti, was exhibited in the 1950s as part of his ongoing project of depicting Black historical heroes. Lawrence's bold, flat color style and commitment to Black historical narrative made him the most recognized Black visual artist in America.