1950s Timeline

In 1950:

• The first "Peanuts" comic strip was published
• The first organ transplant took place
• The Korean War Began
• President Harry Truman Orders the Construction Of The Hydrogen Bomb
• Senator Joseph McCarthy Begins The "Red Scare" In The US

In 1951:

•  22nd Amendment, establishing term limits for President.
• "I Love Lucy" premieres on CBS, Sparking the "Golden Age Of Television"
• Truman Signs Peace Treaty With Japan, Officially Ending WWII

In 1952:

• Seatbelts were introduced in cars
• The vaccine for Polio was created
• Princess Elizabeth becomes the Queen Of England at age 25
• Dwight D. Eisenhower "IKE" was elected President of the United States

In 1953:

• The first Playboy Magazine Premiered featuring Marilyn Monroe as the centerfold
• Joseph Stalin Dies
• DNA is Discovered
• The Korean War Ends

In 1954:

• The first Atomic Submarine was launched
• Roger Bannister breaks the Four Minute Mile
• Segregation is ruled Illegal in the US 
•  NBC airs the The Tonight Show the first late-night talk show is originally hosted by Steve Allen

In 1955:

• The Happiest Place On Earth, Disneyland, opens
• The McDonald's Corporation was founded
• The Warsaw Pact was signed
• Actor James Dean is killed in a highway accident
• Rock and roll music enters the mainstream, with "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley and His Comets

In 1956:

• Elvis Presley Appears on The Ed Sullivan Show for the first time. Causing controversy with his gyrating hips.
• Marilyn Monroe marries Arthur Miller
• Grace Kelly Marries Prince Rainier III of Monaco

In 1957:

• The Cat in the Hat is first published by Dr Seuss
• Soviet Satellite Sputnik Launches Space Age
• Laika The Dog Becomes the First Living Animal to Enter Orbit
•  Civil Rights Act of 1957, primarily a voting rights bill, becomes the first civil rights legislation enacted by Congress since Reconstruction

In 1958:

• Legos are introduced
• NASA is founded
• Hula Hoops gained popularity
• The Hope Diamond is dedicated to the Smithonian

In 1959:

• The Cuban Revolution takes place and Fidel Castro becomes Dictator
• Alaska and Hawaii become the 49th and 50th States in the United States
• International Treaty Makes Antarctica Scientific Preserve