The 1950’s By:

The 1950’s By:

Doug

Andrea Rosie

Tracy

Inventions

Scientific Advancements Sports

TV

The 1950’s

1951 – UNIVAC 1 became the first commercial computer

1952- Mr. Potato Head made his first appearance

1950 - Bell Laboratories & Western Electric developed the first answering

machine

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1953 – Dow Chemical creates Saran Wrap

1951- Chrysler introduces power steering and calls it “Hyrdaguide”

1958 – Richard Knerr & Arthur Melin developed the Hula Hoop

Notable Mentions

George de Mestral patented Velcro in 1957

1954 – General Electric introduced colored kitchen appliances

1951 – Charles Ginsburg invented the first video tape recorder

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1951 - J. Andre-Thomas invented the first Heart-Lung machine, allowing advanced life support during open heart surgery

1952 - Frances Crick & James Watson discovered the “double helix” of DNA.

1952 - Dr. Jonas Salk developed the vaccine for poliomyelitis

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1958 – Gordon Gould invented the laser1959 – Wilson Greatbatch develops the first internal pacemaker1956 – Anti-protons are detected in the atmosphere for the first time

Notable Mentions

First successful kidney transplant is performed by Harvard physicians in 19541950 – Antihistamines were used for the first time to treat allergies & head colds

1954 – Oral contraceptives were invented

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American Band Stand

To Tell the TruthI’ve Got A Secret

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Twenty One

Ed Sullivan Show

$64,000 QuestionWhat’s My Line

Jack Benny Show

News Shows

Meet the Press

See It NowNBC NEWS

Today

CBS NEWS

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New York YankeesWorld Series Wins: 6

1950

1953 1956 1958

1951 1952

Sports Heroes

Some of the Yankees players included: Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Joe Dimaggio, Phil Rizzuto, Mickey Mantle, Billy Martin, Elston Howard

Sugar Ray Robinson was a five time middleweight champ between the years 1951-1960

Stan Musial, a St. Louis Cardinal, was Sporting News Major League Player of the year in 1951. Sports Illustrated chose him as the Sportsman of the Year in 1957. Stan Musial became the first player to hit five homeruns in a double header.

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Jim Brown is one of football’s greatest running backs, earning the rushing title every year he played but one. He remains active in Civil Rights groups.Bob Cousy, known as the “Houdini of the Hardwood,” led the Boston Celtics to 6 championships, including five in a row. He led the league 8 times in assists and won MVP in 1957

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Jackie Robinson was the first black player to erase the color barrier and played for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He won the National League MVP in 1949. Willie Mays, known as the “Say hey kid,” had 3,283 hits and 660 homeruns. He remains one of baseball’s most beloved players.

BOOKS

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” ~Dr. Suess

FOR CHILDREN

BOOKS WRITTENBY DR. SUESS

1950 If I Ran the Zoo 1953 Scrambled Eggs Super! 1954 Horton Hears a Who! 1955 On Beyond Zebra! 1956 If I Ran the Circus 1957 The Cat in the Hat 1957 How the Grinch Stole Christmas 1959 Happy Birthday to You!

Did you know that The Cat in the Hat contains

236 words that every 1st grader should know?

BOOKS FOR ADULTS

“Writers should be read but never seen

nor heard.”

~Daphne du Mauier

Four #1 Books in the 1950’s (New York Times)

Mary Ann, My Cousin Rachel, Parasites, and The Scapegoat

WAR AND MILITARY The Suez Crisis

Follows Nationalization of canal in 1956

United Kingdom, France, and Israel invaded and were successful at first

US and Soviet Union United in opposition to the invasion which forced invaders to withdraw

•The Korean War

June 25, 1950-July 27, 1953

Western Powers –led by US and allies

VS

Communist Powers of the People’s Republic of China and the Soviet Union

Key Political Figures

“There is nothing wrong with America that the faith,

love of freedom,

intelligence and energy of her citizens

cannot cure.”

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight D. Eisenhower

34th President from 1953-1961

•Oversaw cease-fire Korean War

•Pressure on Soviet Union during Cold War

•Nuclear weapon-high defense priority

•Launch of space race

•Enlarge social security program

•Began Interstate Highway System

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=va5Btg4kkUE

Harry S. Truman

“If you can’t stand the heat,

you better get out of

the kitchen.”

Harry S. Truman33rd President from 1945-1953

1/7/53 announced the detonation of the first US Hydrogen Bomb

Strong supporter of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

Throughout his presidency, Truman had to deal with accusations that the federal government was harboring Soviet spies

4/11/51 fires MacArthur who led UN forces

Supreme Court found actions unconstitutional (steel mills)

Alaska and Hawaii become the 49th and the 50th states

Rosa ParksOn December 1, 1955 Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4OTdlXN66Y Home

Families worked together, played together and vacationed together at family themed entertainment areas like national parks and the new Disneyland. Gender roles were strongly held, girls played with Barbie dolls and Dale Evans gear, boys with Roy Rogers and Davy Crockett paraphernalia. Drive-in movies became popular for families and teens. Cars were seen as an indicator of prosperity and cool-ness. Highways were built to take people quickly from one place to another, by-passing small towns and helping to create central marketing areas or shopping.

FADSLets’ Hoola-hoop through the 1950’s!

Mr. Sandman by the Chordettes

1953: The McDonald's begins to franchise their restaurant, with Neil Fox the first franchisee. It is

the first to feature the Golden Arches design

MC DONALD’S

Willard Scott as the first Ronald McDonald.

• Movie studio head Walt Disney sitting in front of backdrop filled with Disney creations including Pluto, Goofy, Peter Pan, Pinocchio, Bambi, Snow White & Dopey.

• Date taken: 1950

Walt Disney

Christmas

Advertisements of the 1950’s

FASHION Fashion successes were Bill Blass and

his blue jeans, poodle skirts made of felt and decorated with sequins and poodle apliques, pony tails for girls, and flat tops and crew cuts for guys. Saddle shoes and blue suede loafers were popular. Teenagers were defined as a separate generation and were represented by James Dean who wore blue jeans in “Rebel Without a Cause” and created a fashion and attitude sensation.

The Second World War left women craving for glamour which they were able to recreate themselves. Dressmaking Pattern manufacturers such as Butterick, McCall's, Simplicity, Vogue along with magazines such as Woman, Woman's Own and Woman's Weekly all responded by creating stylish dress patterns.

Dress Making Patterns

Corselettes

In 1950s underwear, other support existed in the form of the all in one corselette such as this example by Roussel of Regent street selling at 8 guineas for this made to measure item. This was an expensive corselette at the time and was featured in The Queen magazine of the Coronation in 1953.

PAINTINGS & ART

Salvador Dali

Escher

Pablo Picasso

1954 - Corpus Hypercubus

The hallmark “Soft Watches” that first

appear in The Persistence of

Memory suggest Einstein's theory

that time is relative and not fixed.

Salvador Dali

Pablo Picasso

1950. Paloma with Celluloid Fish. Oil and enamel on plywood.

1958. Monolithic Nude. Oil on canvas.

1956. Paloma Picasso. Oil on canvas.

M. C. Escher Regular Division of the Plane III, woodcut, 1957 - 1958.

• Concave & Convex, 1955 Poster

• Drawing Hands

BUSINESSES & INDUSTRIES

Aerial view of Levittown as it was being built in the 1950’s. Most of the materials were supplied by the steel workers from Fairless Hills, PA.

The Country ClubberLevittown is a

suburban community planned and built by

Levitt & Sons. The majority of the land

on which it is built was purchased in 1951.

Houses built in Levittown consisted of

just six models, including the

Levittowner, the Rancher, the Jubilee,

the Pennsylvanian, the Colonial and the Country Clubber.

The Steel Mill

Fairless Hills as it is known today began in 1951 when developer Danherst Corporation began erecting pre-fabricated homes built by Gunnison Magichomes, Inc. The development was financed by U.S. Steel with a loan of $50 million. It was named in honor of Benjamin Fairless, then president of U.S. Steel, which operated the "Fairless Works" plant which employed most of Fairless Hills' homeowners at the time.

By 1950 people generally recognized that the nation's economy — the financial performance of its businesses — affects every American personally. The security of our jobs and how much we earn doing them, the cost of the goods we buy, the price we pay to borrow money, and the interest we get by saving it are all directly related to the health of the economy. During the 1950s the American economy was the strongest in the world.

Importance of the Economy

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Broadway plays of the fifties included Tony award winning shows such as the 1950 musical South Pacific, My Fair Lady, and the 1951 musical Guys and Dolls

Other plays include 1954’s Tea House of the August Moon and Diary of Ann Frank in 1956.

Broadway Plays of the Fifties

Other plays include The Music Man in 1958, which won the award for best musical.

The nominees were West Side Story, New Girl in Town, Jamaica and Oh, Captain!

In 1959, The Sound of Music came out on Broadway, mesmerizing crowds with the music of Rodgers and Hammerstein.

Broadway Plays (cont’d)

A Streetcar Named Desire All About Eve-Starring Betty Davis 1952-The Greatest Show on Earth 1953-From Here to Eternity Starring Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr 1954-On the Waterfront-Starring Marlon

Brando

OSCAR WINNING FILMS

1955-Marty-Starring Ernest Borgnine 1956-Around the World in 80 Days-

Starring Shirley MacLaine 1957-The Bridge on the River Kwai-

Starring William Holden 1958-Gigi-Starring Maurice Chevalier 1959-Ben Hur-Starring Charlton

Heston

Oscar Winning Films (contd)

Popular Entertainers of the Fifties-ELVIS!!!!!!!!

Some popular entertainers included Elvis Presley, with songs such as “You Ain’t Nothing but a Hound Dog”, “Love Me Tender”, “Jailhouse Rock”, “Blue Suede Shoes”, “Don’t Be Cruel” and “Heartbreak Hotel”

Popular Entertainers (cont’d) and Music of the Time

These entertainers were known as “hip”, “cool”, and “groovy”

Entertainers such as Frankie Avalon and Bobbie Darin mesmerized crowds

Paula Ankin-” And They Call it Puppy Love”

Bobby Rydell and Ricky Nelson

Some fun Songs:• “How Much is That Doggie in the Window•“That’s Amore”•“Rock Around the Clock”

More Popular Entertainers!

“Dick Clark with his “American Bandstand”, was one of the most popular shows for teenagers.

MORE MUSIC OF THE FIFTIES•1950-Bing Crosby-

White Christmas•1951-Rosemary Clooney-Come on-a My House•1952-Nat King Cole-Unforgettable•1953-You, You, You•1955-Bill Haley and His Comets-Rock Around the Clock•1956-Elvis Presley-Don’t Be Cruel•1957-Pat Boone-Love Letters in the Sand•1958- Tommy Edwards-It’s All in the Game•1959-Bobby Darin-Mack the Game

Comedy in the Fifties-NEAT!

Television shows such as “I Love Lucy”, “The Honeymooners”, and “The Families of the Fifties” gave fans everywhere goodclean laughs.

I Love Lucy Funny Clip!

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