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Period: to
The 1950's
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U.S. Enters Korean War
On June 27, 1950, U.S. President Harry Truman announced support for South Korea in repelling an invasion by North Korea, entering the U.S. in the Korean War -
Univac - First Business Computer
On June 14, 1951, the U.S. Census Bureau dedicates UNIVAC, the first commercially produced electronic digital computer in the United States. -
I Love Lucy (1951)
The 1951 series followed the life of Lucy Ricardo, a young, middle-class housewife living in New York City, who often concocted plans with her best friends, Ethel and Fred Mertz, to appear alongside her bandleader husband, Ricky Ricardo, in his nightclub. -
Uranium Stock Boom
The 1950s saw a boom in uranium mining in the western U.S., spurred by the fortunes made by prospectors such as Charlie Steen. The United States was the world's leading producer of uranium from 1953 until 1980. -
Eisenhower Wins Election
On Tuesday, November 4, 1952, Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower won a landslide victory over Democrat Adlai Stevenson II. -
Joseph Stalin Dies
Joseph Stalin, the second leader of the Soviet Union, died on March 5, 1953, at his Kuntsevo Dacha at the age of 74, after suffering a stroke. His death led to a temporary thaw in Cold War tensions between the US and the USSR. -
Polio Vaccine Introduced
On March 26, 1953, American medical researcher Dr. Jonas Salk announces on a national radio show that he has successfully tested a vaccine against polio. -
Invaders from Mars (1953)
Invaders from Mars is a 1953 independently made American SuperCinecolor science fiction film distributed by Twentieth Century Fox. Invaders from Mars recounts its story from the point of view of an older child in an adult world heading into crisis -
Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)
Earth Angel is a song by an American doo-wop group the Penguins. Produced by Dootsie Williams, it was released as their debut single in October 1954 on Dootone Records. -
CT-100 TV Invented
Introduced in April 1954, The CT-100 wasn't the world's first color TV, but it was the first to be mass-produced, with 4400 having been made. It offered low quality at a high price. It was Invented on March 25, 1954 -
Brown v. Board of Education Ruling
On May 17, 1954, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren delivered the unanimous ruling in the landmark civil rights case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. State-sanctioned segregation of public schools was a violation of the 14th amendment and was therefore unconstitutional. -
Animal Farm (1954)
Animal Farm is a 1954 adult animated film and propaganda movie based on the 1945 novel by George Orwell that was funded in part by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). It tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to create a society where the animals can be equal, free, and happy. Ultimately, the rebellion is betrayed, and the farm ends up in a state as bad as it was before, under the dictatorship of a pig named Napoleon. -
Rock N' Roll Born
With Chuck Berry's big hit song Maybellene came the birth and popularity of rock n' roll bringing new artists like Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, Buddy Holly, and Bill Haley and the Comets. (Date May Be Off) -
Tennessee Ernie Ford - 16 Tons
Though not the first to write or sing 16 Tons, the best-known version was recorded in 1955 by American singer Tennessee Ernie Ford and reached number one on the Billboard charts. -
Uranium Fever
Song written by Penny Britt and sung by Elton Britt, Uranium Fever is a song joking about the Uranium Fever going on in the U.S. and the prospectors trying to make an easy buck searching for this "new gold". -
Rosa Parks Arrested
On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, because she refused to give up her bus seat to another passenger. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
After Rosa Parks was arrested after rejecting a bus driver's order to go to the back of the bus, it sparked a 381-day boycott of the Montgomery bus system. It also led to a 1956 Supreme Court decision banning segregation on public transportation -
The searchers (1956)
The Searchers, an American western film released in 1956, is a film about an American Civil War veteran embarking on a years-long journey to rescue his niece from the Comanches after the rest of his brother's family is massacred in a raid on their Texas farm. -
Interstate Highway Act
Popularly known as the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act of 1956, the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 established an interstate highway system in the United States -
Civil Rights Act of 1957
On September 9, 1957, President Eisenhower proposed a civil rights bill that would increase the protection of African American voting rights -
Sputnik Launced
The USSR rocketed to the lead in the Cold War's "Space Race" with the launch of Sputnik which became the first manmade object to orbit the Earth. (Space Race Begins) -
Jailhouse Rock
The film's iconic soundtrack was written by songwriters Mike Stoller and Jerry Leiber. The dance sequence to the film's title song is often cited as "Presley's greatest moment on screen." Jailhouse Rock premiered in Memphis, Tennessee on October 17, 1957, and was released nationwide on November 8, 1957. -
Tequila (1958)
"Tequila" is a 1958 Latin-flavored surf instrumental written by Chuck Rio and recorded by the Champs. "Tequila" became a No. 1 hit on both the pop and R&B charts at the time of its release and continues to be strongly referenced in pop culture to this day. -
NASA Founded
On July 29, 1958, President Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 establishing NASA -
Alaska Becomes State
Alaska becomes 49th state of the United States. -
Hawaii Becomes State
Hawaii becomes 50th state of the United States.
