1961: the currency of Australia was the pound, Robert Menzies was the Prime Minister.
John F Kennedy was US president and even the inception of SBS was more than a decade away.
That's the last time the Western Bulldogs made a Grand Final.
55 years later, and after nearly ceasing to exist as we know them in the interim, they're back.
And ironically, they've qualified for the AFL's big day at the expense of the competition's newest team.
A six-point victory in Sydney against Greater Western Sydney made the Bulldogs - hit hard by injuries this season - the first side to make a Grand Final after finishing the home-and-away rounds in seventh place.
After defying the odds again, Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge says his side is aware of history but they're seeking to create some of their own.
"It's a new breed of Bulldogs players, who are searching for success. And we feel like... well, we're definintely on the right track, aren't we? In the Grand Final! It's just an extraordinary effort."
And to win only their second premiership - their first was even further back, in 1954 - they're going to need another extraordinary effort.
They'll face the Sydney Swans in the Grand Final, who've qualified for the big game on the basis of a 37-point win over Geelong, keyed by a seven goals to zero first quarter.
The Swans are in their fifth Grand Final this century and are looking for their third premiership.
They'll start favourites against the Bulldogs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
But if you think it's been rough being a Bulldoigs supporter over the years, what about the Cronulla Sharks?
They came into rugby league's top competiton in 1967 and have never won it.
But now, their latest chance happens this coming Sunday.
They defeated last year's champions North Queensland 32 points to 20 to qualify for the NRL Grand Final.
And it's an opportunity their captain, Paul Gallen, is urging his younger team mates not to waste.
"When you're 19 and 20 years old and you get that, you think it's going to happen every year. We all know the history of the club, and what's happened to us the past 10 or 15 years. And, you know, you don't get too many chances at it (winning a Grand Final). So, this is our chance now."
Their opponents next Sunday night at Sydney's Olympic Stadium will be the Melbourne Storm, perennial contenders looking for their third NRL title and they came into the competition three decades after the Sharks.
They defeated the Canberra Raiders by just two points to make the season's ultimate game and will start slight favourites against the men from Sydney's south looking to break their hoodoo.
Another Australia sporting hex is the one the Wallabies suffer at altitude in South Africa.
Australia's national rugby union team is zero wins from six matches all-time when playing in Pretoria.
That's where they'll take on the Springboks next weekend in The Rugby Championbship.
On his way out of the country this weekend, Australian coach Michael Cheika says he expects to face a more adventurous South African lineup than the one the Wallabies defeated in Brisbane earlier this month.
"Just the mere fact that you see a selection like Willie Le Roux, a guy they've left out previously, that'll tell you they're probably going to try and attack a bit more. At the end of the day, it's how hard we want to tackle, how hard we want to carry. All those things will count to us repelling any of the threats that we have."
And in football it was a good weekend for Jose Mourinho.
The Manchester United manager had come under criticism after recent defeats, which followed three straight wins to start their English Premier League campaign.
That led him to sarcastically call some of his media critics "Einsteins" in the lead-up to the match against defending champion Leicester.
But, after dropping captain Wayne Rooney for the game, Mourinho's team steamrolled to a 4-1 victory.
However, when questioned as to whether dropping the out-of-form Rooney was the reason his side got back on track, Mourinho couldn't help but have another go at the press.
"You prefer always to ask why somebody is not playing. Sometimes when I read you I feel like I know nothing about football, but there is one thing I know, the rules of the game. I can only start with 11."
Manchester City are four points clear atop the table after beating Swansea 3-1, while in the weekend's other big match, Arsenal beat Mourinho's former side Chelsea, 3-0.
