The Fifties
Fifties Fashions, the peak of the Baby Boomer Years were following the end of the great depression and then World War II people wanted to live a normal life raising a family, teens found rock and roll music and Elvis, parents found more consumer choice and jobs were abundant.
Fifties Inventions
The Year Invented Inventors and Country or attributed to First Use
Atomic Clock —– 1955 England
Breeder Reactor —– 1951 USA Converted Uranium to Plutonium
Computer Modem —– 1958 USA
Credit Card —– 1950 USA by Ralph Schneider
Hovercraft —– 1955 England by Christopher Cockerell
Hydrogen Bomb —– 1952 USA by Edward Teller’s team
Lunar Probe —– 1959 Russia Lunik I passed the Moon
Lunar Probe —– 1959 Russia Lunik II crashed on the Moon
Lunar Probe —– 1959 Russia Lunik III photographed the far side of the Moon£
Microchip —– 1958 USA by Jack Kilby
Nuclear Power —– 1956 England First power station at Calder Hall
Robot —– 1954 USA by George C Devol Jr
Satellite —– 1957 Russia Sputnik I
Solar Cell —– 1954 USA Or Photovoltaic cells
Transistor Radio —– 1953 USA Texas Instruments
Video Recorder —– 1956 USA
Video Tape —– 1956 USA
Fifties Money and Inflation
If you have $100 Converted from 1950 to 2020 it would be equivalent to $1071.02 today
In 1950 a new house cost $8,450.00 and by 1959 was $12,400.00 More House Prices
The average income per year was $3,210.00 and by 1959 was $5,010.00
A gallon of gas was 18 cents and by 1959 was 25 cents
The average cost of a new car was $1,510.00 and by 1959 was $2,200.00
A few more prices from the ’50s and how much things cost
Chrysler New Yorker $4347
Chevrolet Corvette $3631
Men’s All Wool Suits $28.90
Square dance Cotton Check Dress $3.29
Electric Portable Singer Sewing Machine $19.90
Ronson Electric Shaver $28.50
Rib Roast 29 cents per pound
Ritz Crackers 32 cents
Fifties Popular Culture
Popular Culture in the ’50s can be captured in just a few words that speak volumes. “The Cold War”, “Baby Boomers” , “Korea” , “The Red Scare”,. This was the decade where people built Bomb Shelters, had babies and the news was filled with what the reds were doing or going to do.
The other important change was in how teenagers were viewed up until the 50’s teenagers were just children and were treated as such the 50’s and future decades changed that where teenagers became an important section of society when politicians and others realized teenagers would very quickly become voters and consumers and a new generation of pop stars including Elvis Presley were created whose main target audience was teenagers.
Some of the Most Well Known Movie Stars of the Fifties
Gary Cooper
Bing Crosby
Bob Hope
John Wayne
James Stewart
Frank Sinatra
Marilyn Monroe
William Holden
Fifties Homes
As new homes were built, furniture was needed to fill them and with the restrictions ended on use of raw materials and a feeling of calm and prosperity, plus the availability of new materials, new furniture became bright and functional.
Fifties Fashion
With the economic boom in the Fifties, glamour became fashionable once again and A-line and pencil skirts were very popular form-fitting fashions. Dresses in the decade would often feature stylish ruffles or lace accents and were usually knee-length or tea-length. Going into the late fifties and 1960s mini-dresses and maxi-length skirt outfits entered the scene. In the mid-’50s trends in women’s fashion changed again. Round-neck styles on sleeveless shirts or long sleeve shirts were popular, as well as polo necks. Dolman sleeves dominated fashionable tops in the fifties and sixties,
