Brief overview of the situation in the 1950's:
By its end, the world had largely recovered from World War II and the Cold War developed from its modest beginning in the late 1940s to a hot competition between the United States and the Soviet Union by the beginning of the 1960s.
Clashes between communism and capitalism dominated the decade, especially in the Northern Hemisphere. The conflicts included the Korean War and the beginning of the Space Race with the launch of Sputnik I. Along with increased testing of nuclear weapons (such as RDS-37 and Upshot-Knothole), this created a politically conservative climate.[citation needed] In the United States, the Red Scare (fear of communism) caused public Congressional hearings by both houses in Congress and Anti-Communism was the prevailing sentiment in the United States throughout the decade (this is what primarily led the country to intervene in the Korean War and later the Vietnam War). The beginning of decolonization in Africa and Asia occurred in this decade and accelerated in the following decade, the 1960s. The 1950 congressional seminar gave way to the new focus of contention between communist and capitalist ideology. Through which multiple instances of terminal interests, but never became an open conflict.
Natural Disasters that occurred in that decade:
- On 15 August 1950 an earthquake and floods in Assam, India kill 574 and leave 5,000,000 homeless. Mount Lamington erupted in Papua New Guinea on 18 January 1951, killing 3,000 people.- On 31 January 1953 the North Sea flood of 1953 kills 1,835 people in the southwestern Netherlands (especially Zeeland) and 307 in the United Kingdom[1]On 9 September 1954 an earthquake centered on the city of Orleansville, Algeria killed 1,500 and left thousands homeless.
- On 11 October 1954 Hurricane Hazel crosses over Haiti, killing 1,000.
- On 19 August 1955 Hurricane Diane hits the northeastern United States, killing over 200 people, and causing over $1.0 billion in damage.
- On 27 June 1957 Hurricane Audrey demolishes Cameron, Louisiana, US, killing 400 people.
- Typhoon Vera hit central Honshū on 26 September 1959, killing an estimated 5,098, injuring another 38,921, and leaving 1,533,000 homeless. Most of the victims and damage are centered in the Nagoya area.
Science and Technology:
- The United States conducts its first hydrogen bomb explosion test (Operation Castle).
- The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite to orbit the earth on October 4, 1957.
- The invention of the Transistor.
- The invention of the Solar cell.
- Passenger jets enter service.
- Francis Crick and James Watson discovered the spiral structure of DNA.
- An immunization vaccine is produced for polio.
- The first successful ultrasound test of the heart activity.
- The CERN was established.
- The world's first nuclear power plant was opened in Obninsk near Moscow.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1950s
After all the trouble from the wars, there was a much more optimistic feeling in the air, here are some of the optimisms from the 1950's: (taken from Retro Style by Marion Haslam)
-1951 - Sir Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister.
-1953 - Edmund Hillary and his team conquered Everest.
-1953 - The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
-1953 - Dwight Eisenhower becomes president of the US.
-1954 - The end of rationing.
-1954 - The four minute mile was broken by Roger Bannister.
-1955 - The Guggenheim in New York opened.
Other exciting things that happened:
-1951 - The first supermarket chain opened.
-1951 - Andy Pandy aired on the BBC.
-1952 - Tetley tea was launched.
-1952 - The first British single chart was launched.
-1953 - The James Bond era began.
-1955 - Birds Eye Fish Fingers launched 'heat and serve'.
-1955 - Disneyland California opened.
-1958 - Blue Peter began on the BBC.
-1959 - Austin Mini car launched.
-1959 - The birth of Barbie.
-1959 - Soviet rocket photographed the far side of the moon.
No comments:
Post a Comment