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Doris Day
Doris day popular singer and actress -
Red china
Red china communist china -
Walter Winchell
Walter Winchell was a top gossip reporter, whose newspaper column and radio show could make or break a celebrity. -
Joe DiMaggio
Joe DiMaggio was a popular baseball player for the New York Yankees. -
Harry Truman
Harry Truman started 2nd term -
South pacific
South Pacific was a highly popular Broadway musical and hit movie. -
Joe McCarthy
Joe McCarthy was a Senator from Wisconsin. He was best known for his work chairing the Senate Committee on Government Operations, which focused on suspected communists in the government. -
Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon was a member of the House of Representatives from California when he became involved in the trial of Alger Hiss, who was accused of being a Communist and a spy. Nixon presented evidence that help prove Hiss guilty in 1950. -
Television
Television became popular in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Most large cities had only one station. Sets in those days had 10 inch screens and were in black and white. -
North Korea/ south Korea
Korea was split into north and south after World War II. North Korea became established as a Communist dictatorship by Soviet Union and Red China, after Japan was defeated. -
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was a popular "sex symbol" movie star. -
Studebaker
Studebaker was a popular car in 1950. The styling consisted of a torpedo front end and read window. People joked that the car looked like it was going backwards. The company went out of business in 1966. -
Rosenbergs
The Rosenbergs were a husband and wife who were arrested and executed for selling secrets of the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union. -
Sugar Ray
Sugar Ray Robinson was the middle-weight boxing champion of the world. -
Panmunjom
Panmunjom, Korea is where negotiations between the United Nations—led by the United States—and the Communist North Koreans to end the Korean War took place. -
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando became a top movie actor. He was famous for his brooding and mumbling acting style. He received an Academy Award for his role in "On the Waterfront" that brought him to be a top box-office draw. Many years later, he starred in the "Godfather" movie. -
the King and I
The King and I was a popular Broadway play and later turned into a movie starring Yul Brunner and Deborah Kerr. -
The Catcher in the Rye
The Catcher in the Rye was an extreme popular book among teens, as it epitomized their attitudes and feelings. -
H-bomb
The hydrogen bomb was developed under the guidance of Dr. Edward Teller. It was many times more powerful than an atomic bomb and in fact required an atomic bomb to detonate. The United States exploded the first H-bomb and a few years later the Soviet Union then exploded their version of the bomb. -
Eisenhower
Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower ("Ike") had been Supreme Commander in the World War II fight against the Nazis. He later became a popular president of the United States. "I like Ike" was the motto of his followers. -
Rocky
Rocky Marciano was the heavyweight boxing champion of the world. He retired undefeated. -
liberace
Liberace was a popular pianist and entertainer, who had his own TV show in the 1950s. He was known for wearing sequined tuxedos and having a candelabrum on his piano. He is credited with advising singer Elvis Presley to also wear "fancy clothes" during his performances. Women adored Liberace, because of his sweet smile and wavy hair. -
Santayana
Famed philosopher George Santayana died in 1952 -
England's got a new queen
On February 6, 1952, Queen Elizabeth 2 ascended to the throne upon the death of her father, King George 6. Her coronation didn't take place until June 2, 1953. This was a great event, not only in Britain but in all the countries of the British Commonwealth. It was also big news in the United States and many other countries as well. -
Vaccine
The vaccine to the dreaded disease polio was discovered by Jonas Salk and distributed to the world. -
Campanella
Roy Campanella was the all-star catcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team. His career was cut short by a paralyzing car accident. -
Communist bloc
USSR and their satellite countries formed what was called the Communist bloc -
Joseph stalin
.Joseph Stalin was the dictator of the Soviet Union. He was a harsh leader who had millions of his people executed or sent to labor camps in Siberia. On his way to political power, he changed his name to Stalin, which means "steel" in Russian. -
Malenkov
Georgy Malenkov was a Soviet politician and Communist Party leader, and a close collaborator of Joseph Stalin. He briefly became leader of the USSR (March 1953-February 1955) after Stalin's death. -
Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser was the second President of Egypt after Muhammad Naguib. He was considered one of the more influential Arab leaders in history. -
Prokofiev
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was the most prolific Russian composer, pianist and conductor of the twentieth century. His works include such widely heard works ballets from Romeo and Juliet and Peter and the Wolf. He died in 1953. -
Rockefeller
30.Nelson and Winthrop Rockefeller were grandsons of oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller.In 1953, Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed Nelson as chair of the President's Advisory Committee on Government Organization. -
Roy Cohn
Roy Cohn was the adviser to Senator Joseph McCarthy during the McCarthy Hearings on Communists in the movie industry and government. -
Juan Perón
Juan Perón was a popular leader in Argentina, elected first in 1946 and then again in 1952. Perón pursued social policies aimed at empowering the working class. His wife Evita was known for helping the poor. He was strongly anti-American and anti-British, confiscating much of the British and American-owned assets in Argentina. In 1955, he was overthrown by a military coup. It wasn't until 1973 that he returned to power. He died shortly afterward in 1974. -
Toscanini
Toscanini Arturo Toscanini was a world-famous conductor, considered to have been one of the greatest classical conductors of all time. -
Dacron
A new wonder-material Dacron hit the market. -
Dien Bien Phu falls
Dien Bien Phu falls The French lose control over Indo-China—now known as Vietnam—with the fall of the city Dien Bien Phu -
Rock Around the Clock
Bill Haley and the Comets came out with what was considered the first rock-and-roll hit song, Rock Around the Clock. It was the theme music for the popular movie Blackboard Jungle. -
Einstein
Albert Einstein developed the Theory of Relativity in 1903 and was considered one the world's smartest scientists. He became a popular figure in the later years of his life. He died in 1955. -
James dean
James Dean was a movie star who became a symbol of young people for his role in the movie Rebel Without a Cause. -
Brooklyn's got a winning team
The Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team finally won the World Series over the New York Yankees. They later moved to Los Angeles. -
Davy Crockett
the highly popular TV series Davy Crockett. The novelty song The Ballad of Davy Crockett became the number-one song in 1955. -
Peter Pan
Peter Pan was a top Broadway play starring Mary Martin, who flew through the air as Peter Pan. -
Elvis Presley
Singer Elvis Presley became a national phenomenon with such number-one hit songs as Heartbreak Hotel, Don't Be Cruel and Hound Dog. -
Disney land
Disneyland opened in 1955 in Anaheim, California. It was a theme park, developed by Walt Disney and based around his cartoon characters. -
Bardot
Brigitte Bardot was a popular French "sex-kitten" movie star. -
Budapest
Anti-communist riots took part in Budapest, Hungary. Soviet troops put down the revolt and arrested many Hungarians, especially students. -
Khrushchev
Nikita Khrushchev emerged as a leader in the Soviet Union after the death of dictator Josef Stalin. In 1956, he advocated reform and indirectly criticized Stalin and his methods. -
peyton place
The book Peyton Place became the number-1 best-seller in 1956 -
Trouble in the Suez
After Britain and the USA withdrew their financial support for the Egyptian Aswan dam project, General Nasser nationalized the important Suez Canal. -
trouble in the suez
After Britain and the USA withdrew their financial support for the Egyptian Aswan dam project, General Nasser nationalized the important Suez Canal. -
Princess Grace
Actress Grace Kelly left Hollywood to marry Prince Ranier of Monaco. She then attained the title of Princess Grace. -
Alabama
In 1955, African-American Rosa Parks sat in a Montgomery, Alabama bus seat designated "for whites only". she was arrested.But it took a Supreme Court ruling in November 1956 that segregation on transportation is unconstitutional to finally integrate the buses. -
Mickey Mantle
Mickey Mantle was a great baseball player for the New York Yankee team. He batted both left- and right-handed, hit at a leading batting average, as well as led the league in home runs. -
Kerouac
Jack Kerouac was the author of the best-selling book On the Road, which epitomized the Beat Generation of the late 1940s and early 1950s. Upon achieving fame, Kerouac became a serious alcoholic and died at an early age. -
Chou En-Lai
was the Premier and Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China (also called Red China by Western journalists). -
Pasternak
Boris Pasternak was a Russian poet and writer. He is best known in the West for his monumental novel on Soviet Russia, Doctor Zhivago. The book was also made into an award-winning movie. -
Little rock
Nine African-American students enrolled at Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. -
Sputnik
Sputnik was the name of the first orbiting satellite sent into space by the USSR. Turmoil over its launch in the United States initiated the race for supremacy in space. -
Bridge on the River Kwai
The Bridge on the River Kwai was a 1957 Academy Award winning movie about a World War II Japanese prisoner-of-war camp. -
Lebanon
U.S. President Eisenhower ordered U.S. Marines into Lebanon at the request of Lebanese President Chamoun to help stop riots that were occurring in the country. -
Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle returned to power as the leader of France. -
California Baseball
The Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team moved to Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Giants moved to San Francisco. -
Starkweather homicide
Charles Starkweather was a serial killer who made the news 1958 because of his gruesome murders. -
children of thalidomide
Thalidomide was a medication intended for pregnant women to combat morning sickness and as an aid to help them sleep. Unfortunately, inadequate tests were performed to assess the drug's safety. -
buddy holly
Buddy Holly was a popular singer and leader of the Crickets rock group. He was killed in a plane crash, along with singers The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens. -
space monkey
Starting in 1948. a number of monkeys had been sent into space in various rockets, but unfortunately all died during their flights. it wasnt until 1959 that they were successful. -
mafia
Mafia leaders met in upstate New York to get better organized. -
hula hoops
Hula Hoops became a national fad. Everywhere, you would see children and even adults trying to spin the large plastic hoop around their waist. -
castro
Fidel Castro had been a wealthy lawyer, advocating social justice and protesting the influence of the United States in Cuba. He became involved in political activism and led the revolution to overthrow Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959. -
Edsel is a no go
Ford Motor Company came out with a new car, the Edsel. The car was named after Edsel Ford, who was Henry Ford's son. The car was to fit in between the Ford and Mercury, but it was the wrong car at the wrong time and lasted only a few years until it was discontinued. -
Ben hur
Ben Hur was a spectacular movie starring Charlton Heston. It was set around the time of Christ. -
U-2
The United States had been sending the secret U-2 high-flying spy plane over the Soviet Union to take pictures and gather information, when one was shot down by a Russian missile. -
Syngman Rhee
Syngman Rhee was the first President of South Korea, serving from 1948 to 1960. His method of rule became unpopular, and he was forced to resign by a student-led democratic movement. -
Payola
Many disk jockeys were exposed for taking bribes to pay certain songs on the radio, thus biasing the record sales. Top national disk jockey Allen Freed was convicted of payola. -
Chubby checker
Singer Chubby Checker came out with the song The Twist, which started a national dance sensation. Soon, not only teens but also adults where doing the twist. The dance was responsible for popularizing "fast dancing" or rock-and-roll among adults. -
belgians in the congo
The country of Belgian Congo gained independence from Belgium in 1960 to become simply the Congo. -
psycho
Psycho was a thriller movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock. -
Kennedy
John F. Kennedy was elected President of the United States in 1960. He was assassinated in Dallas, Texas on 22 November 1963. -
Dylan
Singer Bob Dylan led the folk music craze. -
Stranger in a Strange Land
Stranger in a Strange Land was an award-winning fictional book by Robert A. Heinlein -
bay of pigs invasion
In 1960, the Eisenhower Administration created a plan to overthrow Fidel Castro in Cuba. In April of 1961, newly-elected President John F. Kennedy allowed the attack on Cuba. Armed Cuban exiles sailed from Florida and landed at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba. -
Eichmann
Former Nazi leader Adolf Eichmann was arrested in Argentina and brought to Israel, -
Hemingway
Famous author Ernest Hemingway committed suicide. -
Berlin
The Soviets erected the Berlin Wall, dividing the city into the Russian-controlled part and the area controlled by the U.S., British and French. -
British beatle-mania
British rock group the Beatles took over the music scene, with numerous hit records on the Top-40 charts. -
Ole miss
University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) admitted its first black or African-American student, James Meredith, with U.S. Marshals enforcing the rules to integrate the school. -
John Glenn
John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth in 1962. He had previously been a U.S. Marine test pilot, but in 1959 he was assigned to NASA as one of the original group of Mercury astronauts. -
Liston beats patterson
Boxer Sonny Liston easily defeated Heavyweight Champion Floyd Patterson to gain the title. Liston was a large, mean-looking boxer that struck fear in the hearts of his opponents. He was finally defeated by Cassius Clay, who after the fight changed his name to Muhammad Ali -
Lawrence of arabia
The movie Lawrence of Arabia starring Peter O'Toole won the Academy Awards. -
malcolm X
Malcolm X came into the news when he preached separation of the races as part of the Black Muslim teachings.In 1963, he commented that he was not sad that President Kennedy was assassinated. -
British politician sex
A sex scandal rocked British Parliament. Secretary of State for War John Profumo was highly respected and married, but after it was discovered that he had a several week affair with a showgirl named Christine Keeler, he was forced to resign. -
pope paul
Pope Paul VI was pope—or leader—of the Catholic Church from 1963 to 1978. -
JFK blown away
President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas in 1963. -
Richard Nixon back again
Nixon was elected then President in 1968. -
moon shot
The United States landed the first man on the moon. -
Woodstock
A farmer in the Woodstock area of New York state donated his land for a rock concert. -
watergate
Supporters and staff of U.S. President Richard Nixon were accused of breaking into the Democratic headquarters in the Watergate hotel. -
Punk rock
Punk rock hits the music scene with such groups as the Sex Pistols, who would spit at the audience. -
wheel of fortune
The Wheel of Fortune TV show became a favorite. -
Russians in Afghanistan
Palestinians protested unfair treatment by the Israelis. -
AIDS
AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) disease started to spread throughout the world. -
reagan
Former movie actor Ronald Reagan became President of the United States. -
foreign debts
Foreign debts were causing an increase in inflation, as well as a burden on American taxpayers. -
Sally ride
Sally Ride became the first American woman in space as a member of the Space Shuttle crew in 1983. -
china's under martial law
In June 1989, thousands of protesters marched in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China. Many were killed and China went under martial law until order was restored.
