1949-1989

  • Johnnie Ray

    Johnnie Ray
    Click here for more informationsigns his first recording contract with Okeh Records, although he would not become popular for another two years.
  • Marilyn Monroe

    Marilyn Monroe
    more information C: soars in popularity with five new movies, including The Asphalt Jungle and All About Eve, and attempts suicide after the death of friend Johnny Hyde who asked to marry her several times, but she refused respectfully. Monroe would later (1954) be married for a brief time to Joe DiMaggio (mentioned in the previous verse).
  • King and I musical

    King and I musical
    More info.The King and I, musical, opens on Broadway on March 29.
  • Rocky Marciano

    Rocky Marciano
    Rocky Marciano defeats Jersey Joe Walcott, becoming the world Heavyweight champion.
  • Joseph Stalin

    Joseph Stalin
    more informationdies on March 5, yielding his position as leader of the Soviet Union.
  • Dacron

    Dacron
    Dacron is an early artificial fiber made from the same plastic as polyester.
  • disneyland

    disneyland
    disneylandDisneyland opens on July 17 as Walt Disney's first theme park.
  • Sputnik

    Sputnik
    Sputnik becomes the first artificial satellite, launched by the Soviet Union on October 4, marking the start of the space race.
  • Charles Starkweather

    Charles Starkweather
    Charles Starkweather homicides capture the attention of Americans, killing eleven people before he is caught in a massive manhunt in Douglas, Wyoming.
  • Birth control

    Birth control
    Birth control: In the early 1960s, oral contraceptives, popularly known as "the pill", first go on the market and are extremely popular.