Arthur Miller called this play "the tragedy of a man who gave his life, or sold it" in pursuit of the American Dream. The story of Willy Loman, all-American salesman, dreamer, and loser, won Miller a Pulitzer Prize and still stirs audiences today.

Miles Davis organized the first of his "Birth of the Cool" sessions with such important collaborators as Gerry Mulligan and Lee Konitz. The lighter textures and intricate arrangements of the music pointed toward innovations in jazz that were widely put into practice throughout the next decade.