The 1950’s By: Margaret Riedy,Kendra Laurens,Theo Ferguson, & Connor Duffy.

Key People Dwight D. Eisenhower- 34 th of the United States. World War 2 war hero. His campaign slogan was “I like Ike.” Also wanted to maintain world peace. Martin Luther King- Remembered for his leadership. Civil Rights activist. Did some work in the 50’s but his mo st popular speeches and boycotts were in the 60’s. Rosa Parks- Refused to give up her seat for a white man. Later got arrested for breaking a Jim Crow Law. Werhner Von Braun- Helped the United States get up to par with the Soviet Union technology. Joseph Stalin- Soviet Dictator. Died in 1953.

Dwight D. Eisenhower Martin Luther KingRosa Parks Wernher Von Braun Joseph Stalin

Key Events The Korean War- North Korean Communist Troops crossed the 38 th parallel into South Korea starting the Korean War in The US sided with the South, and the Soviet Union sided with the North. During the war, the US was able to contain communism. Alaska and Hawaii- in 1959 Alaska and Hawaii became the 49 th and 50 th states. This greatly increased US territory. Montgomery Bus Boycott- In 1955, this boycott headed my Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks. It all began when Rosa Parks was arrested for breaking a Jim Crow Law. The Red Scare- This was the scare of communism in the US. Senator McCarthy accused suspicious people of being communists. The Sending of Sputnik- Created by the Soviet Union, Sputnik (a man made satellite) successfully orbited around earth in 1957.

The Korean War Sputnik Alaska and Hawaii Montgomery Bus Boycott. The Red Scare.

Technology/Inventions Explorer I- The United States caught up with the Soviet Union in technology through our artificial satellite “Explorer I.” Saran Wrap- Saran wrap was created in 1953 to keep food fresher for longer. It could also withstand extremely high temperature without the food going bad. Television- By the year 1950 millions of American’s had televisions in their home for entertainment. The four major networks were CBS, NBC, ABC & Dumont network. Xerox Machine- The first xerox machine was created by a patent holder by the name of Chester Carlson. It was designed in He called it xerography. Vaccination For Polio- Jonas Salk Created the vaccination for polio The vaccine consisted of dead polio virus, which can enable the body to create antibodies without risks of infection.

Explorer 1 Saran Wrap Television Xerox Machine Television

Fads & Fashion Popular phrases included words like “the fuzz,” which means the police; “Knuckle sandwich,” which means a punch in the face; “Cat,” which means a cool guy; “chick,” which means a cool girl; and “beatnik,” which means an extremly cool person who lives spontaneously. Girls fashion included a tight sweater, a poodle skirt with sequined decoration, bobby socks, and saddle shoes. Boys Fashion included faded and/or ripped jeans and a white tee with a rock and roll symbol. Girls played with the new found “Barbie Doll” designed and released in Boys played with Davey Crockett and oy Rogers toys. Popular designers such as Dior, Chanel, and Givenchy were copied in the US.

Girl’s Fashion Barbie Doll Boy’s Fashion Coco Chanel “The Fuzz”

Music & Entertainment Elvis Presley- One of the most popular artists of not only the decade but of the century. With hits like “Aint Nothin’ But a Hound Dog” and “Blue Suede Shoes,” Elvis quickly became the first teen idol of the 1950’s. His outragious clothes, hair, and dance moves made new fashion trends. Drive in Theaters- The number of drive in theaters increased five times from Cars were a sign of coolness. Drive ins increased in both size and number. Johnny Cash- When he first started his career in the music biz, he sang mostly R&B and a little bit of rock. In ’56, he released his hit album, “I Walk the Line.” Bill Haley- He released his hit “Rock Around The Clock” in ’55. Rock and Roll brought new dances and trends to the US. Patsy Cline- A Country Singer, she came out with hits like Faded Love and So Long. She was singed to a label in ’53.

Patsy Cline Elvis Presley Bill Haley Drive in theater Johnny Cash