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December 18, 1958

Revisit the news, notable people, and historical moments connected to this date.

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Headlines from December 18, 1958

Merger of Guaranty Trust And J. P. Morgan Planned

By Albert L. Kraus

Formation planned through merger of J P Morgan & Co and Guaranty Trust Co of NY; bank would rank as 3d largest in NYC, 4th largest in US; H C Alexander on reasons for merger; Wall St reaction; proposed top personnel; Alexander chmn and chief exec officer; J L Cleveland exec com chmn; H P Davison and T S Lamont vice chairmen; D E Sharp pres

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Notable Births

Geordie Walker

1958Geordie Walker, English guitarist (died 2023)[†]

Kevin Walker, known professionally as Geordie Walker, was an English rock musician, songwriter and producer. He was best known as the guitarist of post-punk group Killing Joke. He joined the band in March 1979; his first recording was released in December of that year. Their debut self-titled album came out in October 1980. Walker recorded 15 studio albums with Killing Joke and also took part in various side-projects. His unorthodox style of electric guitar playing was widely acclaimed.

Julia Wolfe

1958Julia Wolfe, American composer and educator[†]

Julia Wolfe is an American composer and professor of music at New York University. According to The Wall Street Journal, Wolfe's music has "long inhabited a terrain of its own, a place where classical forms are recharged by the repetitive patterns of minimalism and the driving energy of rock". Her work Anthracite Fields, an oratorio for chorus and instruments, was awarded the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Music. She has also received the Herb Alpert Award (2015) and was named a MacArthur Fellow (2016).

Historical Events

SCORE (satellite)

1958Project SCORE, the world's first communications satellite, is launched.[†]

SCORE was the world's first purpose-built communications satellite. Launched aboard an American Atlas rocket on December 18, 1958, SCORE provided the first broadcast of a human voice from space, the first successful use of the Atlas as a launch vehicle, and the second test of a communications relay system in space ,. It captured world attention by broadcasting a Christmas message via shortwave radio from U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower through an on-board tape recorder. The satellite was popularly dubbed "The Talking Atlas" as well as "Chatterbox". SCORE, as a geopolitical strategy, aimed to place the United States at an even technological par with the Soviet Union as a response to the Sputnik 1 and Sputnik 2 satellites.

Historical Context for December 18, 1958

In 1958, the world population was approximately 2,911,249,671 people[†]