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The 1950s

The 1950s were a transformative period marked by the rise of rock and roll, social movements, and technological innovations. In the world of music, Elvis Presley emerged as a superstar, while television introduced new entertainment experiences. Landmark events, like Rosa Parks' stand against segregation, paved the way for civil rights advancements. Iconic cultural phenomena such as hula hoops and the opening of Disneyland captivated the public. The decade also saw historic developments like the launch of Sputnik and the founding of NASA, shaping future generations.

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The 1950s

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  1. The 1950s The birth of rock and roll

  2. News • 1955 • Disneyland Opens • McDonald's Corporation Founded • Rosa Parks Refuses to Give Up Her Seat on a Bus • 1956 • Elvis Gyrates on Ed Sullivan's Show • T.V. Remote Control Invented • Velcro Introduced • 1957 • Dr. Seuss Publishes The Cat in the Hat • Soviet Satellite Sputnik Launches Space Age • 1958 • Hula Hoops Become Popular • Lego Toy Bricks First Introduced • NASA Founded • 1959 • Castro Becomes Dictator of Cuba • Alaska and Hawaii become final two states 1950 • First Modern Credit Card Introduced • First Organ Transplant • Korean War Begins • Senator Joseph McCarthy Begins Communist Witch Hunt • U.S. President Truman Orders Construction of Hydrogen Bomb 1951 • South Africans Forced to Carry ID Cards Identifying Race 1952 • Car Seat Belts Introduced • Princess Elizabeth Becomes Queen at Age 25 1953 • DNA Discovered • Julius and Ethel Rosenberg Executed for Espionage 1954 • First Atomic Submarine Launched • Report Says Cigarettes Cause Cancer • Roger Bannister Breaks the Four-Minute Mile • Segregation Ruled Illegal in U.S.

  3. People • Spies, dictators, Presidents, movie stars, athletes, music superstars • Soon to be President John F. Kennedy; Marilyn Monroe, Martin Luther King Jr., Fidel Castro • James Dean, Marlon Brandon, Elizabeth Taylor, Doris Day • Joe DiMaggio, Jackie Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Wilt Chamberlain, Maurice Richard • Lucille Ball, Milton Berle, The Marx Brothers • Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis

  4. Music • Early fifties music was ‘feel good’ sung by such artists as Pat Boone, Frank Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney etc. • Mid fifties, the rock and roll era began • First rock and roll song considered to be “Rock Around the Clock” by Bill Haley and the Comets • Rock and roll music was based on r and b music • Country music was popular in the South • American Bandstand played music on television and featured dancers and countdowns of the weeks biggest hits on the jukeboxes and radio • And then there was Elvis • Most successful artist ever: 17 #1 songs; over 140 top 40 singles • Also a movie star

  5. Music Top songs of the 1950s: • Don’t Be Cruel/Hound Dog – Elvis • Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White – Perez Prado • Sincerely – The McGuire Sisters • Singing the Blues – Guy Mitchell • Mack the Knife – Bobby Darin • All Shook Up – Elvis • Rock Around the Clock – Bill Haley and the Comets • The Wayward Wind – Gogi Grant • Sixteen Tons – Tennessee Ernie Ford • Heartbreak Hotel - Elvis • Records from popular movies and musicals dominated the sales charts

  6. Television • Television was very limited in the 1950s • Very few homes had televisions • Black and white with very few channels • Programming was not available 24 hours a day • Genres included: game shows, variety, sitcom, soap operas, westerns • Remote controls were invented in the 1950s • Colour television was introduced near the end of the decade

  7. Television • I Love Lucy was the most popular sitcom • First inter-racial couple on TV • The $64,000 Question was a popular game show that turned out to be rigged • Other famous shows: Leave it to Beaver, Father Knows Best, Gunsmoke, Ed Sullivan, Lassie • When Elvis appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show, he had to be shown from the waist up

  8. Movies • Movies were popular escapes from suburbia and the Cold War • Drive in theatres, 3-D movies very popular • Popular genres: science fiction, horror, musicals, dramas, westerns, comedies

  9. Movies Top Ten Movies of the 1950s • Lady and the Tramp (1955) • Peter Pan (1953) • Cinderella (1950) • The Ten Commandments (1956) • Ben-Hur (1959) • Sleeping Beauty (1959) • Around the World in 80 Days (1956) • This is Cinerama (1952) • South Pacific (1958) • The Robe (1953)

  10. Fads and Trends HULA HOOP • Richard Knerr and Arthur "Spud" Melin, founders of the Wham-O Company, are the architects of the biggest fad of all time - the hula-hoop! • In 1957, an Australian visiting California told them, quite casually, that in his home country, children twirled bamboo hoops around their waists in gym class. • They understood how popular such an item could be and proceeded to manufacture one made of plastic, Marlex specifically, a lightweight but durable plastic then recently invented by Phillips Petroleum. • The name "hula hoop" came from the Hawaiian dance its users seemed to imitate. • Talk about sales! Wham-O sold 25 million hula-hoops in two months. Almost 100 million international orders followed. They were manufacturing 20,000 hoops a day at the peak of popularity. • Japan banned the hoops thinking they might promote improprieties. • The Soviet Union said the hula-hoop was an example of the "emptiness of American culture."

  11. Fads and Trends The Coonskin hats • Made famous by the Davey Crocket movies and television shows Telephone booth stuffing • The idea was to cram as many people as possible into a telephone booth • You had to be able to be able to either place or receive a call • Record was 25 people in South Africa

  12. Fads and Trends 3-D Movies • the concept was re-introduced because film executives feared television would limit theatre sales • short lived fad • soon only “B” movies were3-D

  13. Fashion Overview The 1950's stereotypical style… 1.  The cashmere sweater.2.   Poodle skirt. 3.  Rolled up t-shirt sleeve 4.  Pedal pushers 5.  Black leather jacket 6.  The scarf.7.  1950's gym wear.

  14. Youth Fashion

  15. Adult Fashion

  16. Slang Here is a list of new words added to the dictionary during the 1950s • BeatnikBermuda ShortsComputerizeData processingDesegregateDoublespeakGeodesic domeHash brownsJunk mailNeutron bombPolio virusSky divingWeirdo

  17. Firsts, Inventions and Innovations • The TV Dinner • McDonalds • Disneyland • The Answering Machine • Super Glue • Mr. Potato Head • Vaccine for polio • Non-stick frying pan • Home microwave ovens • Hovercraft • Liquid paper • Laser • Barbie

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