Dad owned a 1957 Chevy that he was very proud of, as it was his first brand new car. I also remember a water moccasin that almost fell around my neck, and which later Mom shot with her 22 caliber pistol. The Korean War was going on but I didn’t know anything about it, as dad never had to serve. The Cold War was also going on, and I do remember the bomb shelter ads and the drills where we all got under the school desks. The following are a few random facts about the 50’s. Enjoy the travel back in time.
Presidents: There were two presidents during the time period of 1950 to 1959. They were Harry S. Truman and Dwight David Eisenhower.
Harry Truman was president from 1945 to 1953. Mr. Truman was the 33rd president. The vice president was Alben W. Barkley. Harry Truman was born on May 8, 1884 in Lamar, Mo. He married Elizabeth Virginia Wallace. They had one child named Margaret. His nickname was The Man from Independence. He died December 26, 1972.
Dwight D. Eisenhower was president from 1953 to 1961. He was the 34th president. Richard M. Nixon was his vice president. Dwight was born in Denison, Texas in 1890. He was a Republican. His nickname was Ike. He died on March 28, 1969.
Music: In the 1950’s, music changed forever with the birth of rock and roll. Bill Haley and The Comets, Buddy Holly, and other stars, brought this new music to America, and the kids loved it. But the “king” of rock and roll was Elvis Presley, the most popular singer of the 1950’s. He wrote many songs, like Jail House Rock.
Inventions: Television was not invented in the 1950s, but it became very popular very early in the decade. Everything that happened afterwards was changed by television and how people watched television.
The Polio vaccine made it safe for kids to go out in the summer without being afraid of deadly polio. It was invented by Dr. Jonas Salk in 1955. Now thanks to Jonas Salk, kids are vaccinated for polio.
Fashion and changes in fashion were very important in the 1950’s.
Transistor electronics made radios and TVs smaller and more reliable.
Heroes: Two heroes from the fifties were Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez. They were big TV and movie stars. One of their biggest TV shows hits was I Love Lucy. They got married soon after they met, but unfortunately, later in their marriage, after they had had children, they got divorced.
Many American heroes in the 1950’s were scientists like Albert Einstein and the scientists who began the American Space Programs.
Games:
Some games in the 1950’s were big fads, very popular for a while, then gone. One fad game was phone booth stuffing. The object was to see how many people you could squeeze into a phone booth (or a Volkswagen) at one time. This was a big college thing and didn’t last long.
One of the most popular games invented was the hula hoop, which sold millions of copies in just a year. The hula hoop is still popular today. Some people can hula many hula hoops at a time.