1950s-Period+1

The 1950s Keisha, Billy, Shauna, Sharon, Nikki

__**Historical Events**__

 * Sputnik was launched in 1957
 * Fidel Castro Seized power in Cuba in 1959
 * More nuclear weapons were tested as the Cold War started
 * There was a massive decolonization movement across the European empires, as more and more new countries fought for independence and recognition
 * China becomes communist
 * Reconstruction of war damaged zones in Europe and Asia is at its peak
 * The first nuclear power plant is built outside of Moscow in 1954
 * CERN is established in 1954
 * NASA is organized in 1958

__**Culture**__
Fashion Family
 * Women wore very tailored dresses and skirts and girdles were a necessary part of women's wear
 * Men mostly dressed in preppy clothes
 * Divorce was not common so families most likely had a mother and father
 * The mother was usually younger than the father
 * Family dinners followed by watching TV together was an important part of the 1950s life

"Baby Boom"

 * From 1948 to 1953 more children were born than in the previous thirty years

Minimum Wage: 75 cents per hour
Housekeeping and raising a family were considered ideal female roles, but more women were entering the work place as well

__**Education**__
During the 1950's education changed severely.
 * Brown vs. The Board of Education vs. Topeka, Kansas
 * Disputed the idea of "seperate but equal"
 * Education was also challanged, and it was for the first time put into question whether or not the educational system was doing its job.
 * Enrollment went up 30 percent

__**Pop Culture**__
Rock-n-roll became extremely popular during this decade.

Elvis Presley became a main figure of Rock-n-roll during the mid 1950s.

Doo Wop was another type of popular music during the 1950s.

Some popular Doo Wop groups were The Teenagers, The Flamingos, and many more.

Johnny Cash also became very popular in the mid 1950s. His career began to flourish from there on out and he was extremely famous.

Two very influential artists were Jackson Pollock and Willem de Koonig.

Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe were very famous actress’s at the time.