True Stories, and Fascinating Facts The 1950s: A Fun Facts Book

By Jonny Katz and Meridith Berk

A New, Exciting Book of True Stories and Fascinating Facts all about the 1950s

The True Stories in This Book Cover Interesting People and Events in Popular Culture; Sports; Science, Medicine and Technology; and the News.

Here are a Few of the Story Titles:

• The "Shot Heard 'Round the World"
  
• Are You or Have You Ever Been Senator Joe McCarthy?
• Big, Shiny, and Electric
• Wedding of the Century
• The Cop Show that Started it All
• Morey Bernstein's Quest
  

In the This and That Section you'll discover facts about other important events of the decade.

Whatever happened to the famous Hope Diamond?

Who were the first nations in NATO?

When was NASA established?

What film earned Audrey Hepburn an Academy Award in 1954?

What film won the Best Picture Oscar in 1953?

What was "The Day the Music Died?

Who was the "Greatest Swimmer of All Time?

The writer, Jonny Katz has also included a photo challenge. Can you name these celebrities from the 1950s?

At the end of the book, you'll find some almanac information about each year from 1950-1959.

This book is presented in a large print font size (18 point), which makes it perfect for seniors, people with close-vision difficulty, or anyone who likes the relaxation offered by the larger font size.

Reading trivia and fact books comes with some amazing mental and social benefits:

Improves Attention Span

Enhances Memory

Helps Retain Mental Health

Reduces Stress

Sharing Trivia Creates a Sense of Connectedness

Buy this book now for yourself, a friend, or a loved-one. (You'll be glad you did.)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Meridith Berk
• Release date: Jun 8, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223728269

Book preview

True Stories, and Fascinating Facts

The 1950s

––––––––

A Fun Facts Book

By

Jonny Katz

Copyright ©

Old Town Publishing

2022

All Rights Reserved

Contents

Introduction

Remembering the 1950s

In the News

Long Live the Queen

Are You or Have You Ever Been Senator Joe McCarthy?

Wedding of the Century

Rosa Parks and The Bus Ride That Changed America

Welcoming Two New States

Science, Medicine, and Technology

ENIAC, UNIVAC, MANIAC

Seeing an End to the Polio Epidemic

Gilbert’s Dangerous Toy

Another Product of the Cold War

Big, Shiny, and Electric

Sports

The Shot Heard Round the World

Tarzan! The Greatest Swimmer of All Time?

The Brockton Blockbuster

Tennis Wonder Althea Gibson

Mother and Son Roller Derby Stars

Popular Culture

It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, MAD Magazine

Morey Bernstein’s Quest

Music Celebrates a King

The Police Show That Began It All

Wham-O Toy Company’s Coast to Coast Hit

This And That - Some Random Facts About the 1950s

1950s Inventions

Can You Pass the 1950s Television Trivia Challenge?

Can You Name These 1950s Celebrities?

Answers to the Celebrity Quiz

Fast Facts

Fast Facts 1955

Introduction

The 1950s was a decade of challenge and of change; a decade that brought us Rock and Roll, color television, great movies and fantastic actors, social upheaval, space exploration, hope and prosperity.

It marked the earliest beginnings of our computer age and saw tremendous advances in medicine. Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. led the way toward a more just America while Althea Gibson broke the color barrier in professional tennis.

Meanwhile, the United States continued to grow and to prosper – new technology was making life easier inside and outside the home; more people owned cars, radios, and television sets; new toys were hitting the market and avenues of entertainment kept expanding.

This book is chock full of interesting bits of information about this fascinating time. Some of the names, trivia, stories and fascinating facts might be familiar to you. Others will take you by surprise.

We hope you enjoy this book and have some fun sharing your new-found knowledge with friends.

Remembering the 1950s

In the News

Long Live the Queen

On June 2nd, 1953, a 27-year-old Elizabeth Alexandra May Windsor acceded to the throne of England and was crowned Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire. She had already been serving as the head of the royal family for 16 months following the death of her father, the king, while England prepared for her coronation.

Over 3 million spectators lined the streets of London to watch the procession as it made its way slowly down the tree-lined royal road called The Mall to Westminster Abbey. Hundreds of microphones had been placed along the path and 750 commentators detailed the procession in 39 languages to the many millions sitting at home in front of their radios and television sets. The procession and the ceremony itself were broadcast live from Westminster on the BBC.

As the daughter of King George V’s second son and third in line to the throne, Elizabeth never expected to be queen. A peculiar set of circumstances thrust the title and all its accompanying responsibilities and duties upon her.

Her uncle, King Edward VIII became king in January 1936, but abdicated in December of the same year because of a scandal involving his intention to marry an American divorcee, Wallis Simpson. His brother, Elizabeth’s father, Albert Frederick Arthur George, assumed the throne December 11th, 1936, becoming King George VI. Unfortunately, the king died in 1952, at the age of 56.

Queen Elizabeth II may have been young when assuming the crown, but has worn it with intelligence and honor for these last 70 years as a symbol of the dignity of the British royal Monarchy.

Queen Elizabeth II has