Social Problems in the 1950s

By cutherellsocial

  • Birth Control Research

    $150,000 went into birth control research, and while it wasn't approved until 1960, it was the start to woman's control of their bodies and lives

  • Sunset Boulevard released

    A movie Mrs. Cutherell really likes, this vault favorite movie depicts the decay of older generations, paving a new path for a fresher and younger generation.

  • Peanuts Strip debue

    This classic comic strip was seen in newspapers across the country, and touched millions of hearts

  • The Catcher in the Rye (novel)

    by J.D. Salinger
    popular for its themes of angst and alienation

  • I Love Lucy airs

    The golden age of television is said to begin with this tv show, touching the hearts of many in 6 years, and is still an icon in modern television

  • Singing in the Rain

    This musical is an original classic, and inspired a whole generation to produce other iconic musicals, ie grease

  • Olympics

    The first Olympics after WW2 was hosted in Sweden, America won the most medals with 76 total and 40 gold. Soviet Union was in second with 71

  • TV Color broadcasting began

    Because more and more American families owned a television, shows and programs became popular and the classic black and white broadcasting changed to color, revolutionizing television.

  • Brown Vs. Board

    Brown v Board was a landmark United States Supreme Court case in which the Court declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students to be unconstitutional.

  • Ray Kroc founded McDonalds

    Fast produced food was revolutionary and was part of the consumerism fascination

  • First home microwave ovens are manufactured by Tappan

    They cost $1300!

  • Opening of Disneyland

    With consumerism on the rise, urban families were spending money on entertainment and materialistic items

  • James Dean died

    This young heart throb died at the early age of 24, and died in Cholame, California in a car crash, very close to Bakersfield!

  • Montgomery Bus Boycott

    This boycott began in 1955 when Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white man on the bus. It lasted 381 days and ended on December 21, 1956.

  • Olympics

    Winter Olympics in Italy, and Summer in Austria, America in total won 81 but was outranked by the Soviet Union with 114

  • Southern Christian Leadership Conference

    The Southern Christian Leadership Conference is an African-American civil rights organization. It was founded in 1957. SCLC, which is closely associated with its first president, Martin Luther King Jr., had a large role in the American Civil Rights Movement.