Mad magazine makes its debut in May as a 32-page comic book full of zany nonsense. Alfred E. Neuman has yet to make his appearance, but he's coming. See First Cover
The 1950s African-American novelist Ralph Ellison publishes The Invisible Man to immediate popular acclaim. Buy the Book.
Fifties Pop History Guiding Light, currently the longest running drama in broadcasting history, premiered on TV after being a staple on radio since 1937.
The 1950s Oscar Stuff for 1952 - When men were men! Gary Cooper wins Best Actor for High Noon!
Fifties Pop History Bridey Murphy or How Shirley McLaine Got Her Groove! Another woman of past life fame.
The 1950s University of Tennessee admits its first black student.
Fifties Pop History Ronald Reagan and actress Nancy Davis were married in San Fernando Valley, California. It was Reagan's second marriage.
The 1950s President Truman seizes U.S. steel mills to avert an industry-wide strike for higher wages. The President asserts that the industry is vital to the defense of the U.S., but the Supreme Court rules the seizure unconstitutional. The strike is settled after 54 days in talks at the White House.
Fifties Pop History King Farouk I of Egypt abdicated in the wake of a coup led by Gamal Abdel Nasser.
The 1950s Maureen Connolly becomes the youngest woman to win the U.S. Open in tennis.
Fifties Pop History Ernest Hemingway, a heavyweight in American literature, publishes The Old Man in the Sea. Buy the book or Buy the Spencer Tracy Movie.
The 1950s Norman Vincent Peale, publishes his most popular book, The Power of Positive Thinking and it sells more than 20 million copies in 41 languages Buy the book.
Fifties Pop History Clarence Birdseye marketed the first frozen peas. A thing only a mother could love.
The 1950s U.S. Supreme Court upholds the decision barring segregation on interstate railways.
Fifties Pop History George Jorgensen/Christine Jorgensen, the first person to go public after a sex change operation.
The 1950s King George VI of Britain (1936-52) was found dead in bed by a servant delivering the morning tea. Elizabeth gets the job. A pic of a young Queen.
Fifties Pop History Mrs. Paul's introduces frozen fish sticks. Way to go Mrs. Paul! Now this is my idea of a food group. Although they will have their work cut out for them gaining market share as Americans currently eat 42 hotdogs per year.
The 1950s Mr. Potato Head arrives! See the original.
Fifties Pop History Richard Nixon's "Checkers" speech. is successful. Dwight D. Eisenhower is elected President and Nixon, Vice-President.
The 1950s "Anne Frank, Diary of a Young Girl" published in the U.S. Buy the book. or Buy the Movie on DVD On VHS
Fifties Pop History TV first acknowledges pregnancy on I Love Lucy. Considering that TV will not portray married people sleeping it the same bed... Fifties Web Lucy Page
The 1950s In Sports...
Fifties Pop History 50,000 will be stricken by polio and 3,300 of them will die. Many more will be crippled.
The 1950s When Howard Johnson's opens its 351st restaurant, it becomes the world's largest food chain.
Fifties Pop History The first Holiday Inn opens and has the familiar bright yellow and green sign.
The 1950s Gibson introduced the Les Paul model electric guitar, which was destined to become one of the most popular rock guitars of all time.
Fifties Pop History Nautilus, the first atomic submarine, is dedicated in Groton, Connecticut.
The 1950s 58,000 Scrabble sets are sold, a real resurgence for the 1931 toy.
Fifties Pop History The typical U.S. grocery store now carries about 4,000 different items, up from about 870 in 1928.By the mid-1960s the grocery will be a supermarket carrying some 8,000 items.
The 1950s Sony, a brand new Japanese company, introduces the first pocket-sized transistor radio More
Fifties Pop History Rocky Marciano beats ``Jersey'' Joe Walcott to win the world heavyweight boxing championship.
The 1950s The first birth control pill is introduced, although it will not be available to the public for another 8 years. Which is why you don't hear them discussing "free love" in the Fifties.
Fifties Pop History Telephone area codes begin.
The 1950s Sugar Frosted Flakes, 29 percent sugar, are introduced by Kelloggs. They're Gr-r-reat (wav) Also More on Tony the Tiger
Fifties Pop History The DeHavilland Comet, a commercial jet aircraft, made its debut. Twenty-one of this first model were built. Seven of them crashed due to a kind of metal fatigue that the designers had not considered. Hard to sell seats that way, fellas.
The 1950s Lipton onion soup mix comes along. More
Fifties Pop History Pream, a powdered nondairy coffee lightener is introduced. It keeps longer than real cream and costs less.
The 1950s Over 2,000 new TV Stations opened across the US. TV has become so popular that between 1948-1952 film profits dropped by $500 million.
Fifties Pop History Puerto Rico becomes a Commonwealth under U.S. jurisdiction.
The 1950s Roy Campanella, Preacher Roe (baseball) and Glenn Davis, Bob Waterfield (football) get their own Wheaties boxes!
Fifties Pop History There was a 28.7% business failure rate. Chart for 1946-1964
The 1950s Albert Schwietzer wins Nobel Peace Prize
Fifties Pop History There were 37,794 motor vehicle related deaths.While in the air, there were 5 accidents resulting in 140 fatalities.
The 1950s Unemployment is 3.1%
Fifties Pop History US GNP (Gross National Product) is $355.1 billion
