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Babe Didrikson Zaharias
Zaharias had many athletic achiments, she was an All-American Basketball player, Olympic Gold metalist for the 80- meter hurdle; she had 2 Gold metals and 1 Silver metal in the Los Angeles Olympics, Alos she was a Professional Golfer and had 10 major championship wins. Zaharias was named the 10th Greatest North American Athlete of the 20th Century by ESPN and the 9th Greatest Athlete of the 20th Century by the Associated Press. -
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Cold War
Tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union. The US feared the spread of communism. This anti-communist movment in the US was known as the "Red Scare." -
"Baby-Boom"
After the war, an unusual amount of babies were born. This was caused from soldiers coming home to their wives, or girlfriend, during this time. This time was considered ideal for having a family. Babies born during this time (began in 1946-1964) were considered "baby-boomers". -
Donna Lopiano
Donna Lopiano was a 9 time All-American in softball and she participate in 26 championships in four different sports, she was a memeber of the National Sports Hall of Fame, National Softball Hall of Fame and the Texas Women's Hall of Fame. Donna is the President and founder of Sports Management Resources, she also was named one of "The 10 Most Powerful Women in Sports by Fox Sports. Lopiano was also President of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women. -
Clothing Restrictions
The stereotypes for women were still heavily prominent during this time. Athletic clothing for women still conisted of lots of layering, skirts, and button up shirts. -
Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra recorded the first of an incredibly impacting 71 songs. -
Barbara Washburn
Barbara Washburn was an American Mountaineer, who was the first woman in history to climb Mount McKinley -
Alice Coachman
Alice Coachman was a professonal High jumper and was the first ever black woman to win a Olypmic Gold Metal. In 1975 would was introduced into the track and field Hall of Fame, then in 1996 she was named one of the top 100 greatest olypmic athletes. -
NATO established
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Climate Change in the 1950s
Climate changes in the 1950s were ignored to an extent. The erratic temperature changes and droughts were underlooked concerns. Severe weather was just addressed as "bad weather", and the nation was warming. -
Roller Derby's
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Kathryn Johnston
12 year-old Kathryn Johnson became the first girl ever to play little league baseball in Corning, NY. -
Patty Berg
Patty Berg a professional golfer founded the Ladies' Professional Golf Association (LPGA) and is one of the longest running professional sports assoicated in the world. -
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Korean War
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First NBA All-Star Game
NBA (National Basketball Association) holds the first All-Star basketball game, which is held at Boston Gardens. East won the game 111-94. -
Moondog Coronation Ball
In Clevend, Ohio, at the Moondog Coronation Ball, the first rock concert was held. This influenced the beginning of the "rock-n-roll" era, which helped influence the rebel like behavior during post war. -
Womens addition to the Olympics
The year that the Olympics were held in Helsink, the sport of Equestrian for women was added. -
Olympics Rule Change
In 1952, Men and Women were finally allowed to compete in the Olympics together. -
Maureen Connolly
Maureen Connolly became the first woman to win 9 Grand Slam singles titles, and was later introduced into the Tennis Hall of Fame. -
Brown v. Board of Education
The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that "separate but equal" public schools for blacks and whites were unconstitutional. -
Lord of The Rings
The first book from the novel Lord of The Rings was published. -
Canadian Marilyn Bell
Canadian Marilyn Bell at 16 years old was the first person and the first woman to swim across Lake Ontario. -
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks was arrested in Montgomery because she refused to give up her seat to a on the bus to a white person. This led to a 13 month boycott by the black citizens. -
Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW)
The AIAW was administered by women for women athlets and from the beginning it pleged to avoid the evils of men's athletics. It was opposed to awarding athletic scholarships, recruiting gifted athletes, and a win-at-all-cost philopsophy that seemed to reflect the philosophy of men's intercollegite athletics. -
The Cat In The Hat
Dr. Suess published the childrens book The Cat In The Hat. -
Fitness Trend: Hula Hooping
In the 1950s, Hula Hooping was a popular fitness trend and it was known as "your way to get a better body." -
Althea Gibson
Althea Gibson was a tennis player and was the first black person to win a Grand Slam title and Wimbledon. -
Little Rock Crisis
A key event of the American Civil Rights Movement, nine black students enrolled at formerly all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas because the Supreme Court ruling declared that segregation in public schools unconstitutional. -
Beginning of the Space Race
The USSR launched Sputnik starting the Space Race between the US and the USSR. -
Invention of Spandex
In 1959, Joseph Shivers invented spandex. Originally, they were called "Lycra." His incentive for creating these were to create comfortable undergarment, and were later taken over to be used for sport related activity. These were not produced for sale until 1962. -
Royal Canadian Air Force Calisthenics Program
A doctor from the Royal Canadian Air Force Program designed a excersise plan that consisted of 5 exersises for men and 10 exersises for women. This plan didnt require any equipment. Also, this helped launch the modern fitness movement of Calisthenics.
