Fashion & Fads
Women styled their hair into this stiff, rounded shape using rollers and lots of hairspray.
A bouffant
This blonde bombshell starred in “Some Like It Hot” and sang happy birthday to a president.
Marilyn Monroe
This war in a divided Asian peninsula was fought in the early 1950s.
The Korean War
This fizzy soda fountain treat combines ice cream and soda pop in one tall glass.
Root beer float (or ice cream soda)
This was the price of a first-class postage stamp for most of the 1950s.
3 cents
Poodle skirts were often paired with this soft, fuzzy pullover sweater, popular with teenage girls.
A cardigan (or angora sweater)
This 1965 musical film starred Julie Andrews and was set in the Austrian Alps
The Sound of Music
This young senator became the youngest elected U.S. President in 1960.
John F. Kennedy
This TV dinner brand, launched in 1953, let families eat a full meal straight from the freezer in a tray
Swanson
This many people could you fit in a phone booth, according to a wacky 1950s college fad?
As many as possible (phone booth stuffing)
Teenage boys slicked their hair back into this style, named after a type of bird.
A duck tail (ducktail)
This rebellious actor starred in “Rebel Without a Cause” before his tragic early death.
James Dean
This Soviet satellite, launched in 1957, kicked off the space race.
Sputnik
This burger chain, started by two brothers, introduced fast, cheap food and the golden arches.
McDonald’s
This household object gave families their first taste of “frozen” convenience meals, eaten on TV trays in front of the television.
TV dinner
This colourful, plastic ring became a huge toy fad in 1958, with kids swinging their hips to keep it up.
A Hula Hoop
This Alfred Hitchcock film featured a terrifying shower scene and an old motel.
Psycho
This civil rights leader delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963.
Martin Luther King Jr.
This fluffy, marshmallow and gelatin dessert, often molded with fruit or vegetables inside, was a popular potluck dish.
Jell-O salad
Gas cost around this many cents per gallon for most of the 1950s.
25 to 30 cents
This tight-fitting men’s pant style, popular with rock and rollers, was named for its narrow shape.
R: Drainpipe (or “pegged”) pants
This leading man romanced Doris Day in several films and was known for his rugged good looks — later famous for another surprising reason.
Rock Hudson
In 1969, astronauts from this mission became the first humans to walk on the moon.
Apollo 11
This soft drink was invented as a cola alternative and became Coca-Cola’s biggest rival during the “cola wars.”
Pepsi
This toy, a coiled metal spring that could “walk” down stairs, was a huge seller in the 1950s.
Slinky