Portrait of Peter Revson

Birthday profile

Peter Revson

Peter Revson, American race car driver (died 1974)

Born
February 27, 1939
Died
March 22, 1974
Zodiac sign
Pisces
Birth year
1939

About Peter Revson

Peter Jeffrey Revlon Revson (February 27, 1939 – March 22, 1974) was an American racing driver, who competed in Formula One between 1964 and 1974. Revson won two Formula One Grands Prix across five seasons. Born and raised in New York, Revson was the nephew of Charles Revson and heir to cosmetics company Revlon. Revson won the Canadian-American Challenge Cup in 1971, and finished fifth overall in the World Drivers' Championship in 1972 and 1973 with McLaren. He was also runner-up to Al Unser in the 1971 Indianapolis 500. Revson, along with Dan Gurney, was one of two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, Can-Am, and Trans-Am. His champagne-spraying celebrations in victory lane earned him the nickname "Champagne Peter". Revson was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1996. Revson was killed on March 22, 1974, in a crash during a training session ahead of the 1974 South African Grand Prix at Kyalami. In his first race, Revson placed second, then won his next race. During the 1973 F1 season, Revson won two races in his McLaren M23, the 1973 British Grand Prix and the 1973 Canadian Grand Prix.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Peter Revson timeline

  1. Revson won the Canadian-American Challenge Cup in 1971, and finished fifth overall in the World Drivers' Championship in 1972 and 1973 with McLaren.
  2. During the 1973 F1 season, Revson won two races in his McLaren M23, the 1973 British Grand Prix and the 1973 Canadian Grand Prix.

The world when Peter Revson was born

Peter Revson was born in 1939. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1939

  • #1 song"Over the Rainbow" – Judy Garland
  • Top movieGone with the Wind
  • Best-selling bookThe Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentLou Gehrig delivers his "Luckiest Man" farewell speech
  • Top headlineGermany invades Poland — World War II begins
  • Technology milestoneFirst regular television broadcasts in the US (NBC)
  • Defining fadThe Wizard of Oz mania
  • Notable inventionNylon stockings
  • World population2.30 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderFranklin D. Roosevelt
  • Sports championNew York Yankees (World Series)
  • U.S. population130.9M

1939 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Peter Revson's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19392026
Gas$0.19$3.45/gal
Average home$5,200$435,000
Average income$2,900$67,500
Minimum wage$0.30$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$0.25$11.95
Postage stamp$0.03$0.73
Population130.9M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, Driver Database, Wikidata. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.