The 1950S: in Class Note Taking Sheet

20th CENTURY US HISTORY

THE 1950s: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Idea Notes  Replaced vacuum tubes, which broke easily and took up space.  Bardeen, Shockley, & Brattain developed it in 1947. Transistor Radio  Led to transistor radio and transistorized TV.

 Use of Silicon led to creation of microchip.  Russia launched Sputnik in 1957.  US launches Explorer I in 1958. US launches  NASA set up in 1958. Satellites  Funding for schools improve math & science scores.  Developed by Jonas Salk in 1952. Victory Over  Polio cases dropped 97%. Polio  FDR's case brought national attention to infantile paralysis. The vaccine helped the baby boom.

 March of Dimes helped in raising funds for polio research.  Technology improved in technique and equipment. Advances in  heart valves and heart-lung machines. Surgery  Artificial veins used.  Early computers were as big as a room.  First computer weighed 16,000 lbs and used magnetic tape to record Computers in data. Business  Govt. built the UNIVAC for computations.

 1954: 20 computers. 1960: 2000 computers.  1958: Pan Am used a Boeing 707 to fly passengers form NY to Paris.  Jets went two times faster than propeller planes. Commercial Jet  Original purpose was military. Aircraft  Air Force One was a Boeing 707 but is now 747.  Started in 1956 to give the military ability to move men, materials. Interstate  Made commuting over long distance easier. Highway System  Put more Americans on the road for vacations.

http://www.cyberlearning-world.com/lessons/ushistory/1950s.chart.notes.htm 20th CENTURY US HISTORY

THE 1950s: LIFESTYLES

Idea Notes  Style was more important than cost, safety, ease of use.  Design was inspired by trains, planes, or subs. Tail Fins and  Tail fins came from the P-38 "Lightning" Fighter. Chrome  By 1959, 80% of all families owned cars.  Helped Hollywood compete with TV.  Cheap way for a family to go to the movies: kids wore PJs and huddled Drive-in movies under blankets.  Teenagers got away from parents.

 More cars allowed greater freedom.  Became a national craze in the 1950s Hula Hoop Toys  20 million sold  banned by USSR and Japan as examples of "American emptiness."

 TV exposure led to a child-driven toy craze.  Blue jeans, bobby socks, and the poodle skirts.  "Preppie": Wholesome look. Teen Fashion  Greaser: inspired by the Wild One with Brando wore leather and a "duck tail" hair style.

 Teens had more freedom, money and were targeted by advertisers.  Produced to try and bring audiences back from TV. 3-D Movies  Audience had to wear special glasses while watching.

 Lasted from 1952-1954.  "American modern" made from synthetic materials. Modern  Design was simplified. Included "Kitsch" or "fun style." American  Mass produced: wire, plastic, plywood. Furniture  Worked well in suburban houses.  GI Bill and FHA allowed more Americans to buy homes.  Demand grew for single family homes. Suburbs Attract  Features for casual living were added. Families  people used cars to get back and forth to work.

THE 1950’s: ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Idea Notes  Combined rhythm & blues, country & western, and gospel.  Strongly influenced by blacks. Rock & Roll  1955: Bill Haley & the Comets: Rock Around the Clock.

 Elvis Presley became a big star by 1956.  Released in 1952: told the story of the change from silent films to Talkies. Singin' In the  One of the most famous scenes in movies: Gene Kelley dancing in the Rain rain.

 Integrated songs into the story line.  1954: about organized crime in the labor movement, esp. the longshoremen's union.  Starring Marlon Brando and Karl Malden. On The  Based on a series of articles by Malcolm Johnson. Waterfront  Leonard Bernstein wrote the music.

 Brando: "I coulda been a condenter!"  Based on Romeo & Juliet  new dance themes: ballet 7 jazz. West Side Story  Leonard Bernstein, Steven Sondheim & Jerome Robbins

 Movie won 10 Oscars in 1961.  Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez starred in one of the most popular shows of all time.  Based on a radio show "My Favorite Husband" I Love Lucy  First show filmed before real people.

 10 Million households tuned in each week.  Theodore Seuss Geisel wrote Cat In the Hat in 1957. Dr. Seuss' Cat In  He won 3 academy awards and a 1984 Pulitzer Prize. The Hat  He also wrote "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."  Jackson Pollock broke out of traditional painting styles. New York  He dripped, threw, poured paint on canvas. School  Considered to be a modern master today.

 Began abstract expressionism.

THE 1950’s: SPORTS

Idea Notes  She changed the style and look of women's tennis. Maureen "Little  She was hard-hitting and fast paced. Mo"  First woman to win the grand slam in tennis. Connolly  Paved the way for interest in women's sports.  1951 Classic game between Dodgers & Giants The "Shot  Bobby Thompson led Giants to victory. Heard Round  TV and Radio led to drop in attendance the World"  Racial integration made the games more popular  Starting 1947: Rocky won all 49 fights, 43 by KO.  "Brockton Blockbuster" beat Joe Lewis in 1951. Rocky  Heavyweight champion 1952-1956. Marciano,  Symbolized the American dream. Undefeated  TV made boxing popular.  NY Yankees and Brooklyn Dodgers were rivals.  Played each other 4 times in the 1950s. World Series  NY: Casey Stengel, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Phil Rizzuto. Rivals  Brooklyn: Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Gil Hodges. they went to LA in 1958.  Outgrowth of American love affair with cars. Stock Car  NASCAR started: standards for rules established. Racing  Drag racing came off streets and onto tracks.

 American Hot Rod Assoc. formed.

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