1950s
The 1950s in America saw a post-World War II economic boom, the dawn of the Cold War and a burgeoning of the civil rights movement. With the help of the G.I. Bill, many (mostly white) returning U.S. veterans drove demand for suburban homes, new cars and other consumer goods. But the decade also brought great conflict and division, as Black Americans increasingly organized to fight discrimination and as the crusade against communism intensified both at home and abroad in the Korean War.
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The Cold War conflict was a civil war that became a proxy battle between the superpowers as they clashed over communism and democracy.
The parties swept the nation during the 1950s and 1960s—and were more than they seemed.
Pioneering shows from the 1950s, like 'I Love Lucy,' would help shape the medium for decades to come.
When the governor of Arkansas failed to integrate Central High School, Eisenhower called in federal troops to protect the Little Rock Nine.
Flashback
Flashback: What Makes A Good Party?
House parties in 1950s didn't really look like those you go to today. This flashback looks at how teenagers had fun in a much simpler time.
3 Major Events of the 1950s
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Despite what adults of the era wanted, their kids had very different ideas about what it meant to have fun.
During the 1950s, the United States was the world’s strongest military power. Its economy was booming, and the fruits of this prosperity–new cars, suburban houses and other consumer goods–were available to more people than ever before. However, the 1950s also saw great conflict. The nascent civil rights movement and the crusade against communism at home and abroad exposed underlying divisions in American society.
The construction of the interstate highway system in the mid-1950s forever changed the road once known as “America’s Main Street.”
Here's how America became a drive-thru nation.
California’s In-N-Out Burger brought drive-thru dining to the mainstream.
As postwar road trips surged, Mission 66 transformed America's national parks for the automobile age.
The futuristic tailfin craze symbolized 1950s affluence and optimism.
Tract housing offered affordable suburban homes to families after World War II.
The future fast-food giant started out as anything but swift, serving up slow-cooked barbecue. How did it become the behemoth it is today?
Rand’s novels helped transform objectivism into a movement.
