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Harry Truman
Well loved 33rd President of the United States (1945-1953). Made the decision to drop the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima & Nagasaki. "Give 'em hell Harry!" The 1949 Inauguration was the first to be nationally televised, and was estimated to have been viewed by 10 million Americans. Fire Starter -
Doris Day
Popular singer/actress and later, star of the Doris Day Show (1968-1973). Most famous movies: The Pajama Game ('57) and Pillow Talk ('59). Fight It. -
Red China
"The Red Troops," Communists take over mainland China. Nationalists establish themselves in Taiwan. Fire Starter. -
Johnnie Ray
Partially deaf singer, whose song Cry was a number 1 hit. Ray actually cried in performing the song. He was a top star in 1949 and 1950 with his other hit songs. The Little White Cloud that Cried and Walking in the Rain. Fight It. -
South Pacific
Broadway musical first produced on this date. Fight It. -
Walter Winchell
America's first modern gossip columnist known for his aggressive style and tremendous use of slang. America tuned into him on the radio. Fight It. -
Joe DiMaggio
"Joltin' Joe," "The Yankee Clipper" was an outfielder for the New York Yankees (1936-1951) and has the longest hitting streak in the Major Leagues. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1955 and married Marilyn Monroe in '54. Fight It. -
Joeseph McCarthy
The Republican senator who led "Witch Hunts" against the communists in America. He also started the dreaded "Black listing." Fire Starter. -
Richard Nixon
Member of the US Senate and later President. Investigated domestic communism during this period. Fire Starter. -
Studebaker
Clement, Henry, and John Studebaker, The downfall of this eccentric auto company came when their sports car did not catch on as well as the new Corvette. Fire Starter. -
Television
The "Boob Tube" was introduced and became widely popular throughout the world. Fight It. -
North Korea
Democratic peoples republic occupied by U.S.S.R. Fire Starter. -
South Korea
South Korea was backed by the US in the Korean War. Fire Starter. -
Marilyn Monroe
Actress and Pin-up girl. Married Joe DiMaggio in 1954. She died of a drug overdose in 1956. Popular Movies: Some Like It Hot and Bus Stop. Fight It. -
Rosenbergs
Ethel-Greenglass Rosenberg and Julius Rosenberg were listed as communists and were convicted of giving secrets to the U.S.S.R. Executed, they were spies and traitors. Fire Starters. -
H-Bomb
First tested in 1951. This weapon was more powerful than the destructive Atomic bomb. Researched by Edward Teller as a response to the fear of communism after Russia duplicated the A-bomb. Fire Starter. -
Sugar Ray
Sugar Ray Robinson was the middle-weight boxing champion of the world. At the time considered pound-for-pound the best boxer ever. He was also highly personable and popular. Fight It. -
Panmunjom
Panmunjom is where negotiations to end the Korean War took place. Fight It. -
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 Fight It. -
The King and I
Popular musical and book by Oscar Hammerstein based on the novel Anna and the King of Siam by Margret Landon. About King Mongkut of Thailand and the social life and customs therein. Fight It. -
Thr Catcher in the Rye
The Catcher in the Rye was an extreme popular book among teens, as it epitomized their attitudes and feelings. Fight It. -
Eisenhower
"Ike" David Dwight Eisenhower. Allied European military leader and 34th U.S. president (1953-1961). Fire Starter. -
Vaccine
Jonas Salk, on March 11, 1952, provides the body with lasting defensive powers against 3 types of polio viruses. Fight It. -
England's got a New Queen
Queen Elizabeth II starts her reign, she is 27 years old. Fire Starter. -
Marciano
Rocky Marciano, Boxer and Actor. Undefeated Heavyweight Champion (1952-1956). Died in a plane crash in 1969. Fight It. -
Liberace
Liberace has a popular 1950s television show for his musical entertainment. Fight It. -
Santayana Goodbye
Famed philosophy George Santayana died in 1952. Fight It. -
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. Fire Starter. -
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. Fire Starter. -
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. Fire Starter. -
Prokofiev
Russian Composer who died in 1953 after putting together Peter and the Wolf. Fight It. -
Rockefeller
John D. Rockefeller. Most well known of the wealthy Rockefeller family. Founded Chevron Oil company. Nelson Aldridge Rockefeller was Governor of New York from 1958 to 1974. Fire Starter. -
Campanella
Roy Campanella, an African-American baseball catcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers, receives the National League's Most Valuable Player award for the second time. Fight It. -
Communist Bloc
The Communist Bloc refers to the countries that comprised the "enemy" during the Cold War. Fire Starter. -
Roy Cohn
Roy Cohn resigns as Joseph McCarthy's chief counsel and enters private practice with the fall of McCarthy. He also worked to prosecute the Rosenbergs, mentioned earlier. Fire Starter. -
Juan Perón
Juan Perón spends his last full year as President of Argentina before a September 1955 coup. Fire Starter. -
Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini, child prodigy. One of the great Orchestra conductors who performed in New York and Italy. He retired in 1954 at the are of 87. Fight It. -
Dacron
The Tradename for Polyester fiber rope. The beginning of polyester clothing. Fire Starter. -
Dien Bien Phu Falls
Vietnam swamp land, location of the French fortress that was defeated in 1954. Fire Starter. -
Rock Around The Clock
Number 1 song by Bill Haley and the Comets. Considered the beginning of Rock n' Roll. Fight It. -
Einstein
Physicist and mathematician who penned the Theory of Relativity and did substantial work on the creation of the Atomic Bomb. He won the Nobel Prize before passing away on April 18, 1955. Fight It. -
James Dean
Actor and teen heartthrob. Became an icon for American teenage boys after a career in films which was tragically cut short when he was killed in a car accident on Sept. 30, 1955. Fire Starter. -
Brooklyn's Got a Winning Team
The Brooklyn Dodgers win the World Series for the only time before their move to Los Angeles. Fight It. -
Davy Crockett
Davy Crockett is a Disney television series about the legendary frontiersman of the same name. The show was a huge hit with young boys and inspired a short-lived "coonskin cap" craze. Fight It. -
Peter Pan
Peter Pan is broadcast on TV live and in color from the 1954 version of the stage musical starring Mary Martin on March 7. Fight It. -
Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley signs with RCA Records on November 21, beginning his pop career. Fight It. -
Disneyland
Disneyland opens on July 17, 1955 as Walt Disney's first theme park. Fight It. -
Bardot
Brigitte Bardot was a popular French "sex-kitten" movie star. Fight It. -
Budapest
Anti-communist riots took part in Budapest, Hungary. Soviet troops put down the revolt and arrested many Hungarians, especially students. Fight It. -
Alabama
Moved towards civil rights with the Civil Rights Movement. Blacks protested against discrimination. Fight It. -
Krushchev
Nikita Khrushchev emerged as a leader in the Soviet Union after the death of dictator Josef Stalin. In 1956, he advocated reform and indirectly criticised Stalin and his methods. He became the Premier of the Soviet Union from 1958 to 1974. Fire Starter. -
Princess Grace
Actress Grace Kelly left Hollywood to marry Prince Ranier of Monaco. She then attained the title of Princess Grace. Fire Starter. -
Peyton Place
The book Peyton Place became the number-1 best-seller. Teens often marked the "good parts" in the book, as they passed it between each other. Fight It. -
Trouble in the Suez
Egypt nationalizes the canal and refuses passage to Israel. War erupts and Israel, with the help of France and Great Britain occupy the Sinai Peninsula. Fight It. -
Little Rock
Arkansas, troops are sent to a central high school to enforce racial integration. Fight It. -
Pasternak
Boris Pasternak, Russian creator of Dr. Zhivago. Forced to refuse the Nobel Prize for literature in '58. Fight It. -
Mickey Mantle
"The Commerce Comet." NY Yankees outfielder (1951-58). Won the AL Triple Crown in '56 and held the record for 536 home runs. He was a 3 time MVP and was entered into the Hall of Fame in '74. Fight It. -
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. Fight It. -
Sputnik
The first artificial satellite, launched by the Russians on Oct 4, 1957. Sputnik means satellite in Russian. Fire Starter. -
Chou En-Lai
The premier of China sought to normalize relations between the PRC and the USA. Fire Starter. -
Bridge on the River Kwai
Won 7 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor-Alec Guinness and Best (Adapted) Screenplay. Fight It. -
Lebanon
U.S. President Eisenhower ordered U.S.Marines into Lebanon at the request of President Chamoun to help stop rioting. Fire Starter. -
Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle returns to power as the leader of France. Fire Starter. -
California Baseball
The Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team moves to Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Giants move to San Francisco. Fight It. -
Starkweather Homicide
Charles Starkweather was a serial killer who made the news 1958 because of his gruesome murders. Starkweather and his girlfriend, Caril Fugate, went on a killing spree of 11 to 15 people over a span of a month and a half. They were captured and he was executed in 1959. Fire Starter. -
Children of Thalidomide
Children of women who took the drug Thalidomide during pregnancy were born with only stubs for arms. After this tragedy, the drug was taken off the market. Fire Starter. -
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. In the 1980s, the hit song American Pie referred to his death in the line "...the day the music died." Fight It. -
Ben Hur
Ben Hur was a spectacular movie starring Charlton Heston. It was set around the time of Christ. Fight It. -
Space Monkey
Ham-the-space-monkey was sent up in an American space satellite as a prelude to sending a man in space. He was a mean little guy who would often try to bite the workers who put him in the space capsule. Fire Starter. -
Mafia
Mafia leaders meet in upstate New York to get better organized. Fire Starter. -
Hula Hoops
The Hula Hoop was invented and became the latest fad. Fight It. -
Castro
Fidel Castro led a campaign to overthrow the Batista regime. The Communist leader took over in Cuba and became the Premier. Fire Starter. -
Edsel is a No-Go
The Edsel, a car too advanced for its time, people were not ready for it and it flopped. Fire Starter. -
U-2
A spy plane, then being flown by Gary Powers, was shot down. News of its existence ruined a summit meeting in Vienna between Kruchev and the American President, Eisenhower. Fire Starter. -
Syngman Rhee
The President of South Korea (1948-1960) was forced from office for political abuses. Fire Starter. -
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. American Bandstand TV dance show host Dick Clark was accused of payola but found innocent. Fire Starter.
Fire Starter. -
Kennedy
John F. Kennedy. 36th President of the United States (1961-1963). The first Roman Catholic President. Fire Starter. -
Chubby Checker
Rock n' Roll sensation who created the dance craze, "The Twist." Fight It. -
Psycho
Psycho was a thriller movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The most memorable scene is when the main woman character is stabbed to death while taking a shower. Fight It. -
Belgians in the Congo
In June, the Belgians lost control of the Congo, which became the independent state of Congo-Kinshasa. Today it is known as Zaire. Fire Starter. -
Hemingway
Famous author Ernest Hemingway commits suicide. Fight It. -
Eichmann
Adolf Eichman, Nazi leader and most feared Nazi. He was in charge of Hitler's Death Camps. He escaped to Argentine in 1946 and was captured by Israelies in 1960. Tried in 1961 and hanged in 1962 for his war crimes. Fire Starter. Fire Starter. -
Stranger in a Strange Land
Novel by Richard Heinlein published in 1961. Winner of the 1962 Hugo Award. Fight It. -
Dylan
Singer Bob Dylan leads the folk music craze. Fight It. -
Berlin
The Wall goes up to divide East Communist Germany from West Democratic Germany. Fire Starter. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
April 17-19. The unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the Communist government of Cuba by U.S. backed Cuban exiles. Fire Starter. -
Lawrence of Arabia
The movie Lawrence of Arabia starring Peter O'Toole wins the Academy Awards. Fight It. -
British Beatle Mania
British rock group the Beatles take over the music scene, with numerous hit records on the Top-40 charts. Fight It. -
Ole Miss
The University of Mississippi is the first to allow African Americans to attend a University. Fight It. -
John Glenn
First American to orbit Earth. Fire Starter. -
Liston Beats Patterson
Boxer Sonny Liston easily defeats Heavyweight Champion Floyd Patterson to gain the title. Liston was a mean-looking boxer who struck fear in the hearts of his opponents. He was finally defeated by Cassius Clay, who then changed his name to Muhammad Ali. Fight It. -
Pope Paul
Pope Paul VI was pope from 1963 to 1978. Fire Starter. -
Malcom X
His original name was Malcolm Little. After derogatory comments regarding the assassination of J.F.K he was silenced by Black Muslims. Murdered in 1965. Fight It. -
British Politician Sex
British minister Stephen Ward was brought down by virtue of a sex scandal in the early 60s -- he had an affair with Christine Keeler and killed himself in shame. Fire Starter. -
JFK Blown Away
John F. Kennedy's assassination took place on Nov. 22, 1963 during a political parade in Dallas. Fire Starter. -
Birth Control
The start of endless debates and controversies over birth control. Fight It. -
Ho Chi Minh
Leader of the Vietminh against the Japanese. An ally of the US during WWII. He was president of North Vietnam during the period of the Vietnam War. Fire Starter. -
Richard Nixon Back Again
After losing the election for President to John F. Kennedy and then losing his bid to be Governor of California, Richard Nixon fought back to regain prominence in national politics. Fire Starter. -
Moonshot
July 1969. U.S. wins race to the Moon, Neil Armstrong plants American flag. Fire Starter. -
Woodstock
Famous rock and roll festival of 1969 that came to be the epitome of the counterculture movement. Fight It. -
Watergate
Break in of Democratic National Headquarters, by Nixon White House Aides. Causing scandal, including evidence of missing tapes. Fire Starter. -
Punk Rock
In the fifties, baby boomers were teens and they rebelled against adults with Rock n' Roll. In the early seventies, their children started punk rock. Fight It. -
Begin
Menachem Begin becomes Prime Minister of Israel in 1977 and negotiates the Camp David Accords with Egypt's president in 1978. Fire Starter. -
Ayatollah's in Iran
During the Iranian Revolution of 1979, the West-backed and secular Shah is overthrown as the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini gains power after years in exile and forces Islamic law. Fire Starter. -
Russians in Afghanistan
Following their move into Afghanistan, Soviet forces fight a ten-year war, from 1979 to 1989. Fire Starter. -
Reagan
Ronald Reagan was President of the United States from 1981 to 1989. Fire Starter. -
Palestine
A United Nations resolution that calls for an independent Palestinian state and to end the Israeli occupation. Fire Starter. -
Wheel of Fortune
A hit television game show which has been TV's highest-rated syndicated program since 1983. Fight It. -
Sally Ride
First American woman in Space. Fight It. -
Heavy Metal Suicide
In the 1980s Ozzy Osbourne and the bands Judas Priest and Metallica were brought to court by parents who accused the musicians of hiding subliminal pro-suicide messages in their music. Fire Starter. -
Roreign Debts
Persistent U.S. trade deficits. Fire Starter. -
Homeless Vets
Veterans of the Vietnam War, including many disabled ex-military, are reported to be left homeless and impoverished. Fire Starter. -
AIDS
The AIDS epidemic becomes the headline news. Fire Starter. -
Crack
Crack cocaine use surged in the mid-to-late 1980s. Fight It. -
Bernie Goetz
On December 22, Mr. Goetz shot four young men who he said were threatening him on a New York City subway. Goetz was charged with attempted murder but was acquitted of the charges, though convicted of carrying an unlicensed gun. Fire Starter. -
Hypodermics on the Shore
Medical waste was found washed up on beaches in New Jersey after being illegally dumped at sea. Before this event, waste dumped in the oceans was an "out of sight, out of mind" affair. This has been cited as one of the crucial turning points in popular opinion on environmentalism. Fire Starter. -
Terror on the Airline
Numerous aircraft hijackings took place, specifically, the Palestinian hijack of Air France Flight 139 and the subsequent Operation Entebbe in Uganda. Fire Starter. -
China's under Martial Law
On May 20, China declares martial law, enabling them to use force of arms against protesting students to end the Tiananmen Square protests. Fight It. -
Rock-and-Roller Cola Wars
Soft drink giants Coke and Pepsi each run marketing campaigns using rock & roll and popular music stars to reach the teenage and young adult demographic. Fight It.
