Welcome to the 1950-1959 Decades History Project Homepage.

Here you will be given some random facts and guidelines about the 50's. As you see, the taskbar on the left will direct you to any of the pages concerning the fifties and or this site. As you go through the pages you will gain more and more knowledge about this decade. Feel free to take any information off this site and use it to gain more experience within this decade. At the end of each page, you will be given a small test. At the end of the site, if you pass all the tests with a C or better. You will be given a prize, and a link to a brand new webpage!! I will discuss neither the prize or the new page with anyone but Mr. Hasdovic, Thom, and myself. Other than this please enjoy your stay, the 1950 decades way (Which would consist grey flannel suits, barbie dolls, and James Dean).

 

 

 

Random Facts:
- The population during the 1950's was 151,684,000(U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of the Census)*
- The unemployed population was about 3,288,000.
- The life expectancy for men was age 66, and for women the age was 71.
- The number of cars sold during this decade was around 6,665,800.
- The average salary per year was $2,992.
- The ratio of men to women in the labor force was 5/2.
-Cost of a loaf of bread was at $0.14.
Plans for building a bomb shelter became available almost anywhere.

1950 - President  Harry Truman  ( 'til 1952) approves production of the hydrogen bomb and Sends air force and navy to Korea in June.
1951 - Transcontinental television begins with a speech by Pres. Truman. 
Dwight D. Eisenhower  is president  from 1953 until 1961
1952 - The Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1952 is signed, removing racial and ethnic barriers to becoming a U.S. citizen. 
1953 -  Julius and Ethel Rosenberg are electrocuted for their part in W.W.II espionage. 
1953 - Fighting ends in Korea. 
1954 -  U. S. Senator Joseph McCarthy begins televised hearings into alleged Communists in the army. 
1954 - Racial segregation is ruled unconstitutional in public schools by the U.S. Supreme Court. 
1955 -  Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat on a public bus in Montgomery, Alabama. 
1955 - The American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations merge making the new AFL-CIO an organization with 15 million members. 
also in 1955  Dr. Jonas Salk  developed a vaccine for  polio
1956 - The Federal Highway Act is signed, marking the beginning of work on the interstate highway system. 
1958 - Explorer I, the first U.S. satellite, successfully orbits the earth. 
December 10, 1958 - The first domestic jet-airline passenger service is begun by National Airlines between New York City and Miami. 
1959 - Alaska and Hawaii become the forty-ninth and fiftieth states.