VIDEO OF 1950S INNOVATIONS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKfJjb_H4QY

MAJOR 1950S ADVANCEMENTS -  Television -  Satellite -  Vinyl -  Ballpoint pen -  Transistor radio -  Heart pacemaker -  The Hydrogen Bomb -  Polio vaccine -  Nuclear power plant -  Solar cells

THE COLD WAR’S ROLE IN INNOVATIONS

So, the Americans and the Soviet Russians were at each other throats during the 50s because both of them made nukes and figured that they this world wasn’t big enough for two superpowers. So America made the Ivy Mike and tested its power in Enewetak on Oct. 31st, 1952. It was the first hydrogen bomb to be tested. The Soviets eventually made and tested their own bombs and the two kept on trying to one-up the other as everyone else worried when one would be dropped on them.

In a less apocalyptic light, the Cold War brought the space race, where both of them tried to see how many interstellar milestones they could create. Soviet Russia snagged the “first artificial satellite” title with Sputnik in ‘57 with America following suit in ‘58 with Explorer 1.

MEDICAL IMPROVEMENTS The first wearable heart pacemaker as well as artificial heart valves have

managed to save tons and tons of lives but none of them were as impacting as the polio vaccine (at least around the 50s). See polio was a complete epidemic back then, affecting the lives of thousands of people (must like AIDS and cancer today). In ‘52, a man named Jonas Salk came to creating the polio vaccine by using an inactivated (dead) poliovirus. Afterwards, Albert Sabin created an oral vaccine which proved to be more effective in the eradication of polio.

The vaccine was so effective, it managed to eradicate the epidemic in most

countries from 350,000 cases in 1988 to just less than 2000 nowadays.

TELEVISION AND ADVERTISING In the 50s, television was as big as our plasma screens, as it dominated the way

that people would be informed in their day to day lives. It took a while for color to come along (despite the first color broadcast happening in ’53), but it still was a great way to catch up with politics or the latest episode of the Honeymooners. It was so powerful, it managed to kill radio. As television grew, advertisers decided to cash in on its power, which resulted in countless commercials creating consumerism to the common man. This included everything from automobiles to Coca Cola.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5HpMd4dxtE

HOW TELEVISION HAS WARPED CHANGED US -  Consumerism increased, as the demand for the latest in household appliances,

daily products and automobiles increased -  Fathers were seen as the wise authoritative figure while mothers were

constantly at home, helping the family and being a good housewife -  Kids and teenagers were bombarded to buy merchandise such as toys, games

and hats.

VINYL Vinyl was invented by a chemist who also

invented bubble gum. It is a fire-resistant, waterproof, flexible and cheap material. It was used to create convertible automobile roofs, garden hoses and of course, the long lasting records that now double as a frisbee. Nowadays it’s used to create polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes, flooring, insulating electrical wires, blood and IV bags, packaging materials and countless toys. Guess it’s not so obsolete after all.

QUESTIONS

1.How did the automobile culture change neighbourhoods? What businesses developed because of the automobile culture?

2. Describe the roles of men and women in the 50s. Discuss the reasons why you think many accepted these roles.

3. What effect did television have on many people’s buying habits in the post-war period?

4. How would being a teenager in the 50s be similar to and different from being a teenager today?