Created for The Tigers of Cohn High School

The Fantastic Fifties

Enjoy some music from the 50's!
At the Hop American Bandstand Theme	Earth Angel 50's Medley	Only You Lost in the Fifties

1950

The 39-story U.N. Secretariat was built on the organization's grounds in New York.

President Truman authorized continuing development of the hydrogen bomb - "the H bomb."

The People's Republic Of Korea (North Korea) invaded the Republic Of Korea (South Korea) at the 48^th parallel. The U.N. Security Council declared the Communist action a breach of peace, and authorized military intervention. U.N. forces - under the command of General Douglas MacArthur - included 62,000 American reservists who were called up for active duty. Communist Chinese troops joined North Korea, forcing a U.N. retreat at the Yalu River along the Manchurian border.

Two Puerto Rican Nationalists were shot by guards when they attempted to assassinate President Truman at Blair House.

Science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard published the popular self-help book Dianetics: The Modern Science Of Mental Health. His disciples - using the spiritual "technology" from the book - would later organize the tax-exempt Church of Scientology.

Matinee With Bob & Ray, starring Bob Elliot and Ray Goulding, was immensely popular in the six New England States, originating from WHDH Radio in Boston.

Jack Benny made the move from radio to TV.

The Three Stooges (Moe, Larry & Shemp) made their TV debut portraying CBS-TV executives on Ed Wynn's Camel Cigarettes show.

"Mister Television," Milton Berle, received an Emmy for "most outstanding kinescope personality." A kinescope was the predecessor to video tape: a film recorded from video cameras, used to delay or edit programming.

1951

As the year began, 70% of America's 2,905,000 armed forces were fighting in the Korean War.

Seoul was recaptured by U.N. forces on March 14^th. "Truce Talks" were held beginning in July.

President Truman relieved General Douglas MacArthur of all his posts after MacArthur insisted that U.N. forces invade Communist China. The General quoted the refrain of a popular barracks ballad during his farewell address to Congress.

Costs exceeded a billion dollars when the Missouri River flooded farmland in Illinois, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Kansas City sustained major damage when levees gave way in July.

Julius & Ethel Rosenberg were convicted and sentenced to death on treason charges. The couple was accused of giving Soviet Russia the technology for the atomic bomb.

AT&T became the first corporation to have over 1,000,000 stockholders.

Rodgers & Hammerstein's The King & I opened on Broadway, starring Yul Brynner & Gertrude Lawrence.

1952

Soviet Jacob Malik's charge that the U.S. was using germ warfare was ruled by the United Nations to be out of order. Foreign minister Chou En-Lai had accused the U.S. of causing a deadly flu outbreak in Communist China.

Prices rose sharply when the U.S. experienced its first major bout with inflation.

An early heat wave killed dozens in the south, southeast and northeast. A record 105° was reached in New York City on June 10^th.

The U.S. won 40 gold medals and finished first in team standings at the Summer Olympics in Helsinki.

In the first TV "closed-circuit" event held in U.S. theaters, Rocky Marciano won the heavyweight boxing championship.

President Truman refused to run for re-election.

Under the campaign slogan "I Like Ike," General Dwight D. Eisenhower helped the Republicans take control of the White House for the first time in 20 years. His vice president was California Senator and attorney Richard M. Nixon. Nixon - accused of using campaign funds for personal benefit - made a nationwide TV appeal known as the "Checkers speech" - explaining how he accepted a dog named Checkers for his daughters and wouldn't give it back.

Right after the election, President-elect Eisenhower flew to Korea to inspect troops, including a secret visit to the front lines of battle.

Mr. Potato Head was the first toy advertised on television. The ad campaign was so successful, nearly a quarter of TV's advertising and programming would be aimed at children within a few years.

I Love Lucy was America's favorite TV show. Dragnet won an Emmy for best TV mystery.

On radio's Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy Show, Charlie prepared to marry guest Marilyn Monroe.

Betty Hutton & Cornel Wilde starred in the year's most popular movie, The Greatest Show On Earth.

Hit tunes included Your Cheatin' Heart, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, Glow Worm, and Jumbalaya.

[back to top]

1953

The House Interior Committee unanimously voted to admit Ohio as a state, after it had been discovered that an official vote had never been taken on Ohio's statehood in 1803.

A Senate report on the notorious Republican "Commie hunter," Senator Joseph McCarthy, said much of "McCarthyism" was motivated by his self-interests.

In his inaugural address, President Eisenhower said his administration's priorities included world policy aimed at promoting freedom.

The Korean War ended when an armistice was signed, but President Eisenhower cautioned that the free world had only won a battle - not the whole war - against Communist oppression.

Tornadoes in June killed a total of 305 in Texas, Ohio, Michigan and Massachusetts.

Scrabble became America's favorite board game.

The New York Yankees became the first to win five world championships in a row, defeating the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 50^th annual World Series.

Bob Hope hosted the first coast-to-coast telecast of The Academy Awards on NBC-TV.

After a long battle over the method of technology, RCA's color television system was chosen over CBS's by the Federal Communications Commission. The RCA system was compatible with existing black & white TV sets.

Arthur Godfrey's audience began to decline when he fired his much-loved singer, Julius LaRosa, live on the radio.

Hit songs included Ebb Tide, How Much Is That Doggie In The Window? and You You You.

1954

The U.S.'s first hydrogen bomb detonation took place at Eniwetok Atoll.

Dr. Jonas Salk - developer of the anti-polio vaccine, began testing his final version on school children in Pittsburgh. The serum would be approved for national vaccine programs the next year.

Nationally televised hearings and an Edward R. Murrow interview in which Senator Joseph McCarthy was caught in several lies - helped end McCarthy's witch hunt for Communists in show business and the armed forces. The senator was later rebuked by a condemnation in the Senate for his tactics and behavior.

Congress and the Pentagon authorized creation of the U.S. Air Force Academy.

The Iwo Jima statue was dedicated in Arlington National Cemetery.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against racial segregation in schools.

Hurricanes killed 170 Americans and over 200 Canadians.

A massive air raid drill was conducted in June in the 48 states, Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.

The Yankee Clipper, Joe DiMaggio, began hosting a Yankees TV pre-game show.

Captain Midnight encouraged kids to be popular by using the advertiser's products.

Successes at the box office included Bing Crosby in White Christmas, Humphrey Bogart in The Caine Mutiny, and Ethel Merman & Marilyn Monroe in There's No Business Like Show Business.

Hit songs included Mr. Sandman, Sh-Boom, Hernando's Hideaway, and the first rock & roll tune to make the hit parade, Joe Turner's Shake, Rattle & Roll.

1955

President Eisenhower endorsed the use of nuclear weapons in the case of war. School children were taught in government drills that they could avoid the devastation of nuclear weapons by ducking and covering when they saw "the flash." Military films told soldiers witnessing nuclear tests that they wouldn't experience any side effects if they wore sunglasses.

The Presbyterian Church approved the ordination of female ministers.

The Brooklyn Eagle newspaper - where Walt Whitman had once served as editor - went bankrupt following a 45-day strike. The paper had been published daily for 115 years.

The major labor advocates, the AFL and the CIO, merged.

Dr. Albert Einstein died at age 76.

Cole Porter's Silk Stockings opened on Broadway.

Long before his stint as straight-ahead TV journalist and 60 Minutes anchor, Mike Wallace became the TV spokesman for Fluffo Shortening.

On the big screen, James Dean & Julie Harris starred in East Of Eden and Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones teamed up for Oklahoma!.

DJ Alan Freed coined the term "Rock & Roll." Bill Haley & the Comets had the first #1 rock hit, Rock Around The Clock, which they introduced on Freed's radio show.

1956

Many school districts in the South defied the Supreme Court ruling that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. Many schools were closed down when federal funding was cut off for non-compliance.

A Super Constellation and a DC-7 which had left L.A. three minutes apart collided and crashed into the Grand Canyon, killing 130.

For the second time, the Democrats nominated Adlai Stevenson for president, and for the second time he lost the election to Republican Dwight Eisnehower.

Actress Grace Kelly married Prince Ranier II of Monaco, renouncing her U.S. citizenship to take the title of Princess.

NBC-TV gave Tonight! host Steve Allen his first of many prime-time variety shows.

Elvis Presley skyrocketed to fame with Heartbreak Hotel, Don't Be Cruel, Hound Dog and Love Me Tender. Presley's appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show brought TV its highest viewer numbers to date.

My Fair Lady began its seven-year run on Broadway.

The top-grossing film was The Ten Commandments, starring Charlton Heston.

[back to top]

1957

Rock & Roll took over the music charts, with number one songs like That'll Be The Day by the Crickets (with Buddy Holly), Honeycomb by Jimmie Rodgers, You Send Me by Sam Cooke, and Party Doll by Buddy Knox. Elvis Presley's #1 hits included Too Much, All Shook Up, Teddy Bear, Jailhouse Rock, and Treat Me Nice.

Seven earthquakes and dozens of aftershocks rocked the San Francisco area.

America watched nervously as Fidel Castro led an uprising against the government of Cuba's Fulgencio Batista.

In a major technological bruise to the U.S., Russia successfully launched the first man-made orbiting satellite, the Sputnik. The announcement was made - in English - on Radio Moscow. The "Space Race" had begun.

In January, TV game show Truth Or Consequences, starring Bob Barker, became the first regular program produced on video tape. The recording medium was employed in March to delay CBS News With Douglas Edwards on the west coast.

Meredith Willson's The Music Man, starring Robert Preston & Barbara Cook, opened on Broadway.

Leonard Bernstein was appointed director of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.

1958

East German police captured nine Army crewmen when a helicopter accidentally landed beyond the West German border. The International Red Cross negotiated their release.

Fidel Castro's army captured 37 Americans and 4 Canadians at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. Navy Base.

The nuclear-powered submarine Seawolf ran underwater without surfacing for 60 days.

Besting the Soviet Union, America launched three successful Earth-orbiting satellites. Four attempts to reach the moon with rockets during the year were unsucessful.

The vocally anti-American Nikita Khrushchev became the premier of the Soviet Union.

An engineer suffered a heart attack just before his Jersey Central commuter train plunged off an open draw bridge over Newark Bay, killing 45.

U.S. first class postage was increased to 4¢.

The Beat Movement had begun, fueled by the literature of Jack Kerouac, the sounds of progressive jazz, and espresso.

In the 1958 Miss America telecast, host Bert Parks was told by a contestant that America should not try to reach the moon.

Danish-born comic Victor Borge was given his own one-man TV show by CBS.

David Seville (Ross Bagdasarian, cousin of William Saroyan) had two novelty hits, Witch Doctor and The Chipmunk Song, using sped-up voice tracks. Other 1958 chart-toppers included At The Hop by Danny & The Juniors, All I Have To Do Is Dream by the Everly Brothers, and Hard-Headed Woman by Elvis Presley.

1959

Alaska and Hawaii became America's 49^th and 50^th states.

Vice president Richard Nixon toured Poland and the Soviet Union and debated with Nikita Khrushchev. The premier visited visit the U.S. later in the year.

Oklahoma repealed its Prohibition Law, leaving Missouri as the only "dry" state.

America's first second-generation black general, Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., was promoted to major general.

2,000 anti-American Panamanians unsuccessfully attempted to seize the Canal Zone.

Rockers Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Richie Valens died in an air crash.

The first TV cartoon aimed at adults as well as kids, Rocky & His Friends, debuted in syndication. The Jay Ward production starred Rocket J. Squirrel and Bullwinkle J. Moose, whose middle initials came from their producer. William Conrad of radio's Gunsmoke was the show's announcer.

Gunsmoke had become the top-rated TV show, and NBC introduced Bonanza, the first series filmed entirely in color.

Ben Hur, starring Charlton Heston, was the year's top box office hit.

Hit songs included The Battle Of New Orleans by Johnny Horton, A Big Hunk O'Love by Elvis Presley, and Mack The Knife by Bobby Darin.

This material is used with the express permission of the author(s). Reproduction of text or audio without written permission is prohibited. See below:

The 1900s®
Compiled and designed by Archer & Valerie.
Written by Archer.
©1999-2003 Archer Audio Archives
Used with permission

Home | Disclaimer | Contact | Privacy Policy

[back to top]
Back to Main Page