Divine Randomness: The 1950s

Friday, October 14, 2011

The 1950s

Here we go with another stop in the Decade Spotlight Series, this time highlighting the 1950s. What more can we say about this decade that hasn't already been said? We had baby boomers coming of age, and with that came the rise in popularity in a new musical style called rock and roll. Elvis became King, names like Monroe, Dean, Taylor, and Brando became icons, and even kids got a piece of the good life with the production of toys like Etch-a-Sketch, Play-doh, and Silly Putty that are still out there today. Another famous face introduced this decade? Barbie, who made her debut in 1959 and shows no sign of slowing in popularity.

New innovations in cooking and cleaning made housework easier for mom, and a little thing called TV began broadcasting shows for all ages and changed home entertainment forever. There was the Korean War in the beginning of the decade, and McCarthyism (as it was called) rattled several nerves in the worlds of film and politics. Car culture began, and with it fast food and the drive-thru first began popping up, and the diner became a popular hangout for teens everywhere. Fashion became about poodle skirts, saddle shoes, buzz cuts or Brylcreem, Bermuda shorts, and jeans.

A new word called "suburbia" entered the national lexicon, and while it all seemed white picket fences and happy families, a disquiet was brewing under the surface, and by decade's end, the civil rights movement was in full swing (introducing us to a man named Martin Luther King, Jr.), and many disenfranchised youths turned from the straight path laid out before them and became "beats." A bold new era was about to dawn...as always, feel free to share your thoughts on the 50s!