…is just one of the songs from 1955 what would now be out of copyright in the US, if it weren’t for the retroactive changes to copyright law that have taken place since then.

The list of other works that, under the terms that applied when they were created, should now be in the public domain includes numerous classic films, books, paintings and songs. This article lists some of the most notable.

On the plus side, at least James Joyce’s works are now out of copyright in the EU.