Fire & Ice
This is the temperature in Fahrenheit at which water turns to ice.
What is 32 degrees F? The typical freezer is set at zero to five degrees, and it takes three to four hours to make standard ice cubes.
Today, sugar comes in sealed packages at restaurants, but in the 1950s, it came in this shape.
What is a cube? It's sanitary in today's sealed packages but not in cubes left in a bowl on the table. The polio vaccine was also administered on a sugar cube.
These little powerhouses of nutrients look like miniature cabbages.
What are brussels sprouts? Around an ounce of these veggies provides five grams of protein and five grams of fiber. They can grow all winter in moderate climates.
This addictive habit was once portrayed as being cool in ads, commercials, TV shows, and movies.
What is cigarette smoking? Watch almost any movie from the 1950s and you’ll see characters smoking.
The UK’s longest-serving monarch, she served her country from February 6, 1952, to September 8, 2022.
Who is Queen Elizabeth II? Her full official name is Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of her other realms and territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.
This determines the color of a flame.
What is temperature or materials being burned? Sodium burns yellow, calcium burns red, and potassium burns violet. Additionally, the flames with the hottest temperatures burn a white-blue color.
This fruit was used before today's laxatives.
What is a prune? Prunes contain soluable and non-soluable fiber.
These red root vegetables are often found in smoothie mixes or cooked and added to salads.
What are beets? Nineteenth-century women in England rinsed their hair in beet juice to give it a red sheen.
During this decade, women wore flapper dresses.
What are the 1920s? It was the first time women’s dresses sported shorter hemlines, sometimes above the knee.
He was a legendary actor known for starring in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner and In the Heat of the Night.
Who is Sidney Poitier? He was the first African American man to win a Best Actor Academy Award.
Dry ice is made of this element.
What is carbon dioxide, or CO2? When it melts, it turns to gas, not liquid.
Today water comes in plastic bottles; in the 1950s it came from here.
What is the tap? People were not concerned about water purity in the 1950s.
This green leafy vegetable is full of iron, and its tender leaves are often found in salads.
What is spinach? During the Great Depression, spinach consumption rose 33 percent.
During World War II, people sacrificed by limiting how much they bought of some items. When they bought them, they had to present these.
What are ration coupons, books, or cards? Some of the rationed items included gas, tires, nylon stockings, shoes, and many household staples.
She was an Australian singer-actress best known for starring in the 1978 film Grease in the role of Sandy Olsson.
Who is Olivia Newton-John? She almost turned down the role in Grease that launched her career into the stratosphere.
This Nordic country is known as “the land of fire and ice.”
What is Iceland? The fire part of the moniker comes from the more than 100 active volcanoes in Iceland.
No one in the 1950s communicated on one of trhese while eating dinner.
What is a smartphone, tablet, device, or similar? Children were mostly required to eat dinner with the family, and the family talked with one another about their day.
This is a white carrot look-alike.
What is a parsnip? They’re sweeter when harvested after the first frost.
In the 1960s, Dippity-Do was used on this part of the body.
What is hair? It was a setting gel, and a newer formulation is available today.
This Grammy Award–winning performer is known for the songs “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad” and “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That).” Hint: His stage name is a comfort food.
Who is Meat Loaf? He was born Marvin Lee Aday.
In an ice crystal, the water molecules are arranged in layers that are this shape.
What is hexagonal? Glacier ice is made of ice crystals that are packed tightly together.
Outside of Hawaii, it was a real treat to eat this fruit fresh. We got it mostly in cans either cubed or in slices.
What is pineapple? Canned pineapple was popular in desserts, in congealed salads, and as snacks. It was everywhere in the 1950s.
Hardy varieties of scallions, also known by this common name, can survive freezing weather.
What are green onions? The entire plant is edible—the green sprouts as well as the bulbous root.
Charles Yeager broke the sound barrier during this decade.
What are the 1940s? In 1947, he broke Mach 1 at 40,000 feet.
She was president Donald Trump’s first wife.
She was president Donald Trump’s first wife.