-
The Korean War Begins
On June 25th, 1950, North Korean troops crossed the 38th parallel for a surprise attack on the Republic of Korea(S. Korea). -
The hit TV sitcom I Love Lucy debuts.
The hit situational comedy I Love Lucy debuts, starring actual married couple Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball. Portraying a married couple by the names of Ricky and Lucy Ricardo, they created a comedy that became a massive hit, as it still is in present day, -
Checkers Speech
Vice-presidential candidate Richard Nixon clears up rumors of bribery in order to save the election. He also states that he was given one gift, a cocker spaniel by the name of Checkers, which he stated he would not give up because it was his children's dog , they love the dog, and they were going to keep it. -
American Bandstand premieres.
At it's start, American Bandstand was hosted by Bob Horn. Filming from "Studio B" a dance program launched like none other before and aired all the way through into the mid-1980's. -
US sets off their first Hydrogen bomb.
The United States sets off their first Hydrogen bomb in response to the Soviet Union's nuclear feats on Eniwetok Atoll. -
Eisenhower wins the election.
Eisenhower won with 55 percent of the vote and most of the electoral colleges' votes. -
Jonas Salk announces polio vaccine.
Dr. Jonas Salk, head of a research laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh, announces a breakthrough polio vaccine the year after a polio epidemic. -
Julius and Ethel Rosenburg executed as spies.
They were the only civilians in history to be executed. They were accused of giving atomic bomb secrets to the Soviets. The Rosenburgs were convicted of espionage and sentenced to death. -
Elvis' First Song Recorded.
Elvis, "The King of Rock", recorded his first ever song in the Sun Records recording room. He did not belong to the label; however, he recorded a song for his mother for her birthday. Some speculate that Elvis did this only to be noticed by Sun Records. It was his first time in a recording studio regardless of it not gaining public attention. -
The Supreme Court rules segregated schooling unconstitutional.
The Brown vs. The Board of Education case arrives at the Supreme Court. The Court rules that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal" with a unaminous verdict. -
Ray Kroc's McDonald's franchise opens.
Ray Kroc opened his McDonald's franchise. This was the first step in him leading McDonald's into the nationwide and later worldwide restaurant chain. -
Eisenhower is re-elected.
Eisenhower once again wins the presidency against Democratic candidate Adlai Stevenson for the second time. -
Soviets launch Sputnik I.
Sputnik was the first man-made object launched into space. The Soviets were the first to conduct such a test and succeed. This began the Space Race between the Soviet Union and the United States. -
VanguardTV3 Fails
The US attempted to launch a satellite however, it was not successful and it crumpled to the launch pad. It was said that the incident was the moment in which US pride had been that low since Pearl Harbor. -
NASA is founded.
The US space program, NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration, was founded in order to combat the Soviet Union's scientific advances.
