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War in Europe Ends
After the long and hard years of fighting, the German forces finally stopped after the German high command realeased their instrument of surrender in 1945. Thousands of men died as a result of this war. Thousands of families left without husbands, fathers and sons. Now that the wars have concluded those remaining men were on their way back home to their families and their loved ones. -
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Baby Boom!
From the span of 1946 to 1964 there was a thing known as the "baby boom". The baby boom was a term Americans used to describe the spike in births during the time. The soldiers had just returned from war and they obviously missed their girlfriends and wives a lot. About 9 months after the soldiers returned, the birth rates jumped, hence the name baby boom. -
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Cold War
The Cold War was military tension between the United States and the Soviet Union in the mid to late 1900's. The tension was brought up after World War II. It got the term, Cold War, because there was no fighting. It was silent but so much tension built up on both sides especially since they both have now acquired nuclear bombs. Cititzens were constantly on their feet, looking for spies and hoping that they didn't hear a nuclear bomb warning playing over the television and the radio. -
Rock and Roll Era
There is no specific date for when this era of a new type of music and attitude took over. Parents of teenagers despised this music and they thought this type of music encouraged bad behavior and juvenile delinquency. One of the most famous Rock and Roll musicians, Elvis Presley's career took off. This new type of music shaped the way music is today. -
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Television
With the brand new hope and prosperity after the war, Americans were having the best times. Everyone had decent amounts of money and everyone was happy. Television has been around before that time but it really took off in the 50's because more people were able to afford a television set. Televisions allowed families to hear news and get entertainment without even leaving their living room. Televisions also opened up the opportunity to send out mass messages incase of attacks or emergency. -
Construction of Levittown Begins
Land purchased by Levitt and Sons was being used to produce 6 different types of houses that could be built every 16 minutes. All the houses were the same except for a few design variations. The houses were relatively small but that made them easy to build. This was a very important thing for the baby boomers as they were called. These houses allowed all the families to grow up into a nice and affordable neighborhood with the other children. -
Rosa Parks Arrested
December 1, 1955, an African American woman refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a bus and for that reason she was arrested. This sparked major controversy and uprises. This African American woman was wrongfully arrested and for that activists started to spring up more like Martin Luther King Jr. Together these activists and protesters made their points and led to African Americans to be treated normally. -
Interstate Highway Act
The Interstate Highway act was signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on June 29, 1956. This plan was to construct 41,000 miles of interstate highways systems. The plan was thought to take around 10 years to complete. These highways were not only made for travel but for defense. Most of the US Air Force bases have a direct link to the highways so these roads would service as easy travel if the military needed to defend any of these bases in case of an attack. -
First Nuclear Power Plant
In Shippingport, Pennsylvania, the first nuclear power plant rises up. This power pant would bring up hundreds of jobs and provide cleaner forms of obtaining electricity. The nuclear power plants would turn water to steam which would then turn big turbines creating energy. This was an important thing for more available jobs and a cleaner source of energy. -
US Enters Space Race
On this historical day, the United States launched Explorer I into space. Explorer I was a satellite created by the Americans. The Americans were down because of how the Soviets launched Sputnik into space before them. This day renewed the hope of the Americans and proved that we can keep up with the other countries.
