50's & 60's Modern History
What was the name of Russia's first artificial satellite that was launched in 1957?
Sputnik 1
Who wrote the critically-acclaimed 1960 novel "To Kill a Mockingbird"?
Harper Lee
In what year was the Hubble Space Telescope put into operation?
1988
What famous actor was born in 1979 that later played The Joker in The Bat Man's the Dark Night and then passed away soon after the movie was releaed?
Heath Ledger - died from sleeping pills because of how intense his role was as the joker.
In 1966, the actor Ronald Reagan began his involvement with US politics when he became the governor of what state?
California
What popular fast food chain restaurant opened in 1955?
McDonalds
Who did Marilyn Monroe marry in 1954?
Joe DiMaggio
Who was nominated to be the first female justice on the US Supreme Court in 1981?
Sandra Day O'Connor
Which heavy metal band was fronted by Ozzy Osbourne?
Black Sabbath
Which South African leader was sentenced to life in prison in 1964?
Nelson Mendela
What year were the first color television pictures broadcast from Empire State Building?
1951
In 1967, an off-Broadway musical called _____ combined many elements of the counterculture for a controversial performance.
"Hair"
The Sears Tower in what US city became the world's tallest building in 1974?
Chicago, Illinois
What was the most infamous article of clothing in the 80's?
Leg Warmers
Which Pope became the first to visit the United States in 1965?
Pope Paul VI
Cult members murdered several people in August of 1969, they were led by who?
Charles Manson - the Manson family
In the ‘60s, the "Motown Sound" emerged from ______, making a major impact on pop music.
Detroit
What was the name of the Mars planetary probe launched by NASA in 1975?
Viking 1
Which legendary British band released their final album in May 1970?
The Beatles
Which Japanese car manufacturer started selling cars in the USA in 1957?
Toyota
What popular toy was first introduced by Wham-O in 1958?
The Hula-Hoop
In 1969, which children's TV show debuted?
Sesame Street
What was the name of the USA's first space station that was launched in 1973?
Skylab
Who sang the title song of 70s Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun?
Lulu
Which famous American penitentiary closed in 1963?
The Alcatraz
Which chain department store first opened in Garden City, Michigan in 1962?
K-Mart
Which music group released an album called "Please Please Me" in 1963?
The Beatles
In what year did massive protests on either side of the Berlin Wall eventually lead to its being torn down?
1989
The 1985 Live Aid concerts to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia took place in London and what American city?
Philadelphia
Who is credited for developing the first Polio vaccine in 1953?
In what year did the Dennis the Menace comic strip appears in newspapers across the U.S. for the first time?
1951
In 1968, which famous news program debuted on TV?
60 Minutes
Tylenol capsules laced with what chemical caused the death of seven people in Chicago in 1982?
Potassium Cyanide
Wham! Became the first western pop group to play in which communist country?
China
The nationalization of which canal led Israel, Britain, and France to attack Egypt in 1956?
Suez Canal
In 1965, Dr. Christian Barnard performed the first transplant of what organ in South Africa?
Heart Transplant
In 1964, about what percentage of U.S. households had a color TV?
3%
After being taken hostage at the American Embassy in Tehran, Iran in 1979, how long were the hostages held during the Iranian Hostage Crisis?
444 Days
Who was the famous 70's and 80's singer that was named David Robert Jones and changed his name to avoid confusion with other British musician of the sane name, Davy Jones?
David Bowie
What European country granted women the right to vote in 1971?
Switzerland