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America in the 1950s: Influential Events and Figures

Explore key events and notable figures that shaped America in the 1950s, from civil rights milestones to cultural shifts. Learn about Elvis Presley, Levittown, the Montgomery GI Bill, and more.

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America in the 1950s: Influential Events and Figures

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  1. America In The 1950’s Civil Rights 100 100 100 100 100 200 200 200 200 200 300 300 300 300 300 400 400 400 400 400 500 500 500 500 500

  2. Although Chuck Berry did more to pioneer Rock n Roll in the 1950’s, this guy usually gets more credit, primarily, due to the color of his skin.

  3. Elvis Presley

  4. Often referred to as the Baby Boom, about how many million babies were born in the US between 1946-1964 (You must be within 5 million)

  5. 76.4 million

  6. William Levitt created America’s first middle-class this, in 1949, when he built Levittown on Long Island, New York.

  7. Suburb

  8. Jonas Salk became a hero to generations of children not yet born when he created a vaccine for this in 1954.

  9. Polio

  10. Also known as the Montgomery GI Bill, this act gave WWII veterans a chance to get a free education and/or a home mortgage with a low interest rate.

  11. The Serviceman's Readjustment Act

  12. Former Supreme Commander of all Allied forces in Europe during WWII, Dwight D. Eisenhower, became president in 1952 by defeating this Democratic nominee.

  13. Adlai Stevenson

  14. The Beatnik’s, a group of writers & poets who rejected conformity and many of the 1950’s social norms, are recognized as America’s first or second what?

  15. Counterculture

  16. Although, by 1960, 90% of US households owned a television, in 1946, only this percentage of them did.

  17. .5% or ½ of 1%

  18. Betty Friedan authored this book, which documented the unhappiness of many suburban American housewives.

  19. The Feminine Mystique

  20. Eisenhower’s Secretary of State who coined the term “Brinkmanship,” which became a major piece of American foreign policy.

  21. John Foster Dulles

  22. The use of robots, computers, or machines to replace human labor can be defined using this term.

  23. Automation

  24. Although he hated the moniker (nickname), this man was anointed “King of the Beats” by followers after publishing “On the Road” in 1957.

  25. Jack Kerouac

  26. The Interstate Highway Act, which is the biggest public works project in US history, and the biggest earth moving project in world history; cost the US about how many billion dollars? Hint: You must be within 5 billion either way.

  27. About $129 billion

  28. You might think Master Card, Visa, or American Express would have come first, however, it was this company that introduced the first credit card in 1950.

  29. Diner’s Club

  30. The culture of the car, the creation of new highways, and the viewing of the same TV shows led American’s to become more similar, and created a more _______ society in the 1950’s.

  31. homogeneous

  32. Although he didn’t found the first fast food restaurant, nor was he the first to apply the assembly line concept to food, Ray Croc became most responsible for making McDonald’s the largest fast food company in the world after he bought these rights from the McDonald brothers in 1961.

  33. Franchising Rights

  34. Although Ruth Handler was also a co-founder of the toy company Mattel, she is most remembered for inventing this doll in 1959.

  35. The Barbie Doll

  36. The invention of this allowed computers to be built smaller and work more efficiently. It also led to the development of the first personal portable radio, which was named after the invention.

  37. The Transistor

  38. The term that is used to describe a person or society that cares too much about what they own.

  39. Materialism

  40. Led by this man, Televangelists helped contribute to America’s religious revival in the 1950’s by using television to spread Christianity.

  41. Billy Graham

  42. Rosa Parks sparked a 381 day bus boycott in this city after she was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger in 1955.

  43. Montgomery, Alabama

  44. Cesar Chavez and the National Farm Workers Association led a boycott of this fruit in an effort to gain better wages and working conditions for Latinos.

  45. Grapes

  46. After emerging as the Civil Rights Movement’s most famous leader during the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955, Martin Luther King Jr. led the movement until his assassination in this city on April 4th, 1968.

  47. Memphis, Tennessee

  48. Before changing his beliefs on integration following his pilgrimage to Mecca in 1964, this Civil Rights Movement leader advocated for a separation of the races “by any means necessary.”

  49. Malcolm X

  50. He was the attorney for the Brown family in Brown v. Board of Education Topeka, KS & the first African-American to be appointed to the US Supreme Court

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