Portal:1950s

The 1950s Portal

Top, L-R: U.S. Marines engaged in street fighting during the Korean War, circa late September 1950; The first polio vaccine is developed by Jonas Salk.
Centre, L-R: US tests its first thermonuclear bomb with code name *Ivy Mike* in 1952. A 1954 thermonuclear test, code named *Castle Romeo*, is shown here; In 1959, Fidel Castro overthrows Fulgencio Batista in the Cuban Revolution, resulting in the creation of the first communist government in the Western hemisphere; Elvis Presley becomes the leading figure of rock and roll in the mid-1950s.
Bottom, L-R: Smoke rises from oil tanks on Port Said following the invasion of Egypt as part of the Suez Crisis in late 1956; The Hungarian flag with the Communist coat of arms cut out during the Hungarian Revolution, 1957; The Soviet Union launches *Sputnik 1*, the first artificial satellite to orbit the earth, in October 1957.

The 1950s (pronounced nineteen-fifties; commonly abbreviated as the "Fifties" or the "'50s") (among other variants) was a decade that began on January 1, 1950, and ended on December 31, 1959.

Throughout the decade, the world continued its recovery from World War II, aided by the post-World War II economic expansion. The period also saw great population growth with increased birth rates and the emergence of the baby boomer generation. Despite this recovery, the Cold War developed from its modest beginnings in the late 1940s to a heated competition between the Soviet Union and the United States by the early 1960s. The ideological clash between communism and capitalism dominated the decade, especially in the Northern Hemisphere. (Full article...)

1950s Topics:

Selected article -

Polio vaccines are vaccines used to prevent poliomyelitis (polio). Two types are used: an inactivated poliovirus given by injection (IPV) and a weakened poliovirus given by mouth (OPV). The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends all children be fully vaccinated against polio. The two vaccines have eliminated polio from most of the world, and reduced the number of cases reported each year from an estimated 350,000 in 1988 to 33 in 2018.

The inactivated polio vaccines are very safe. Mild redness or pain may occur at the site of injection. Oral polio vaccines cause about three cases of vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis per million doses given. This compares with 5,000 cases per million who are paralysed following a polio infection. Both types of vaccine are generally safe to give during pregnancy and in those who have HIV/AIDS, but are otherwise well. However, the emergence of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV), a form of the vaccine virus that has reverted to causing poliomyelitis, has led to the development of novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2), which aims to make the vaccine safer and thus stop further outbreaks of cVDPV. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

Did you know...

... that on the 1950s game show Across the Board, crossword answers were clued by both a phrase and an image?
... that in the 1950s, 70 percent of senior officers in the People's Liberation Army came from the Eyuwan Soviet area?
... that for a while in the 1950s, Englewood Golf Club was co-owned by four well-known comedians?
... that a group of 25 women disfigured by the atomic bombing of Hiroshima traveled to the United States in the 1950s to receive reconstructive surgery?
... that in the 1950s, links to sexually transmitted infection were dropped from the title of several skin-disease journals, including the Archives of Dermatological Research?
... that Alan Choe was tasked with developing Queenstown, Singapore's first satellite town, after its British architects left the country in the mid-1950s?

1950s films -

These are Good articles, which meet a core set of high editorial standards.

Image 1
The Long, Hot Summer is a 1958 American drama film starring Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Anthony Franciosa and Orson Welles. It was directed by Martin Ritt, with a screenplay by Irving Ravetch and Harriet Frank Jr., based in part on three works by William Faulkner: the 1931 novella "Spotted Horses", the 1939 short story "Barn Burning" and the 1940 novel The Hamlet. The title is taken from The Hamlet, as Book Three is called "The Long Summer". Some characters, as well as tone, were inspired by Tennessee Williams' 1955 play, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, a film adaptation of which – also starring Newman – was released 5 months later.

The plot follows the conflicts of the Varner family after ambitious drifter Ben Quick (Newman) arrives in their small Mississippi town. Will Varner (Welles), the patriarch, has doubts about his son, Jody (Franciosa) and sees Ben as a better choice to inherit his position. Will tries to push Ben and his daughter Clara (Woodward) into marriage. (Full article...)
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The Quatermass Xperiment (a.k.a. The Creeping Unknown in the United States) is a 1955 British science fiction horror film from Hammer Film Productions, based on the 1953 BBC Television serial The Quatermass Experiment written by Nigel Kneale. The film was produced by Anthony Hinds, directed by Val Guest, and stars Brian Donlevy as the titular Professor Bernard Quatermass and Richard Wordsworth as the tormented Carroon. Jack Warner, David King-Wood, and Margia Dean appear in co-starring roles. J. Elder Wills was the Art Director, Phil Leakey handled Makeup, and the Special Effects were by Les Bowie.

The film concerns three astronauts who have been launched into space aboard a single-stage-to-orbit rocket designed by Professor Quatermass. It crashlands with only one of its original crew, Victor Carroon (Richard Wordsworth), still aboard. He begins mutating into an alien organism, which, if it spawns, will engulf the Earth and destroy humanity. After Carroon escapes from custody Quatermass and Inspector Lomax (Jack Warner) of Scotland Yard have just hours to track him/it down and prevent a catastrophe. (Full article...)
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Theatrical release poster
Godzilla Raids Again (Japanese: ゴジラの逆襲, Hepburn: Gojira no Gyakushū; lit. 'Godzilla's Counterattack') is a 1955 Japanese kaiju film directed by Motoyoshi Oda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd., it is the second film in the Godzilla franchise, and a sequel to Godzilla (1954). The film stars Hiroshi Koizumi, Setsuko Wakayama, Minoru Chiaki, and Takashi Shimura, with Haruo Nakajima as Godzilla and Katsumi Tezuka as Anguirus. In the film, Japan struggles to survive the attack of the second Godzilla, as well as its destructive battle against its ancient foe Anguirus.

Executive producer Iwao Mori instructed producer Tomoyuki Tanaka to immediately commence production on a second Godzilla film, fearing to lose the momentum of the first film's success. Oda was chosen to direct the film as Ishirō Honda was busy directing Lovetide. (Full article...)
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Madhumati is a 1958 Indian Hindi-language paranormal romance film directed and produced by Bimal Roy, story and screenplay written by Ritwik Ghatak and dialogues written by Rajinder Singh Bedi. The film stars Vyjayanthimala and Dilip Kumar in lead roles, with Pran and Johnny Walker in supporting roles. The plot focuses on Anand, a modern man who falls in love with a tribal woman named Madhumati. But they face challenges in their relationship finally leading to a paranormal consequence. The film was ranked 11th in the Outlook Magazine's 25 leading Indian directors' poll for selecting Bollywood's greatest films in 2003.

Madhumati was filmed in various Indian locations, including Ranikhet, Ghorakhal, Vaitarna Dam and Aarey Milk Colony. The soundtrack album was composed by Salil Chowdhury and the lyrics were written by Shailendra. The film was released on 12 September 1958. It earned ₹40 million in India and became the highest-grossing Indian film of the year, and one of the most commercially successful and influential Indian films of its time. It received highly positive reviews from critics, who praised the technicality, soundtrack, and performance of the cast. (Full article...)
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Darah dan Doa ([daˈrah ˈdan doˈa]; Indonesian for Blood and Prayer, released internationally as The Long March) is a 1950 Indonesian war film directed and produced by Usmar Ismail, telling the story of the Siliwangi Division and its leader Captain Sudarto on a march to West Java. Following Ismail's Dutch-produced Tjitra (1949), Darah dan Doa is often cited as the first 'Indonesian' film, and the film's first day of shooting – 30 March – is celebrated in Indonesia as National Film Day.

Produced on a budget of 350,000 rupiah and intended to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival, financial difficulties led production of Darah dan Doa to almost stop before the director received financial backing. After raising controversy for its subject material, the film underwent censorship and was finally released to commercial failure. Retrospective analysis has, however, been more positive, and Ismail has been dubbed the "father of Indonesian film". (Full article...)
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Tiga Dara (Indonesian for Three Maidens) is a 1957 Indonesian musical drama film starring Chitra Dewi, Mieke Wijaya, and Indriati Iskak. Directed by Usmar Ismail for Perfini, the film follows three sisters who live with their father and grandmother. When the eldest sister, Nunung, shows no interest in marrying, her family tries unsuccessfully to find a husband for her. Nunung initially rejects the advances of a young man named Toto, who instead dates her younger sister. However, when he becomes jealous and travels from Jakarta to Bandung to profess his love, she agrees to marry him.

Produced using government credit and written in an attempt to cover Perfini's outstanding debts, Tiga Dara was intended to be commercial despite Ismail's disapproval of such works. After it was released on 24 August 1957, the film was an immense popular success, launching the careers of its stars, earning the highest box office returns of any Perfini film, and being screened in first-class cinemas. However, even though Tiga Dara was shown at the 1959 Venice Film Festival and received Best Musical Arrangement at the 1960 Indonesian Film Week, Ismail considered it a compromise of his initial vision for Perfini. (Full article...)
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Theatrical release poster

Sweet Smell of Success is a 1957 American film noir satirical drama film directed by Alexander Mackendrick, starring Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison, and Martin Milner, and written by Clifford Odets, Ernest Lehman, and Mackendrick from the novelette by Lehman. The shadowy noir cinematography filmed on location in New York City was shot by James Wong Howe. The picture was produced by James Hill of Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions and released by United Artists. The supporting cast features Sam Levene, Barbara Nichols, Joe Frisco, Edith Atwater, David White, and Emile Meyer. The musical score was arranged and conducted by Elmer Bernstein and the film also features jazz performances by the Chico Hamilton Quintet. Mary Grant designed the costumes.

The film tells the story of powerful and sleazy newspaper columnist J.J. Hunsecker (portrayed by Lancaster and based on Walter Winchell) who uses his connections to ruin his sister's relationship with a man he deems unworthy of her. (Full article...)
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Loving You is a 1957 American musical drama film directed by Hal Kanter and starring Elvis Presley, Lizabeth Scott, and Wendell Corey. The film was Presley's first major starring role, following his debut in a supporting role in the 1956 film Love Me Tender. The film follows a delivery man who is discovered by a music publicist and a country–western musician who wants to promote the talented newcomer.

The film was written by Herbert Baker and Hal Kanter, and based on the short story "A Call from Mitch Miller". Kanter expanded the script after being inspired by Presley's last appearance on the Louisiana Hayride and his manager Colonel Tom Parker's antics. Paramount Pictures chose to ignore the first-run theater system, opting instead to release the film in sub-run neighborhood theaters, a system later dubbed the "Presley Pattern". (Full article...)
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Night of the Blood Beast is a 1958 American science-fiction horror film about a team of scientists who are stalked by an alien creature, which implants its embryos in an astronaut's body during a space flight. Produced by exploitation filmmaker Roger Corman and his brother Gene, it was one of the first films directed by Bernard L. Kowalski and was written by first-time screenwriter Martin Varno, who was 21 years old. It starred several actors who had regularly worked with Roger Corman, including Michael Emmet, Ed Nelson, Steve Dunlap, Georgianna Carter and Tyler McVey. The film was theatrically released in December 1958 as a double feature with She Gods of Shark Reef.

It took Varno six weeks to write the script, the original working title of which was Creature from Galaxy 27. The story was partially influenced by the real-life Space Race and the Howard Hawks film The Thing from Another World (1951). Screenwriters Jerome Bixby and Harold Jacob Smith gave Varno uncredited assistance with the dialogue. With a budget of about $68,000, it was shot over seven days at the Charlie Chaplin Studios, Bronson Canyon and a television station on Mount Lee in Hollywood. (Full article...)
Image 10

Theatrical release poster
Godzilla (Japanese: ゴジラ, Hepburn: Gojira) is a 1954 Japanese epic kaiju film directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho, it is the first film in the Godzilla franchise. The film stars Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akihiko Hirata, Takashi Shimura, Sachio Sakai, Fuyuki Murakami, Keiji Sakakida, Toyoaki Suzuki, Tsuruko Mano, Kin Sugai, Takeo Oikawa, Kan Hayashi, Seijiro Onda, and Toranosuke Ogawa with Haruo Nakajima and Katsumi Tezuka as Godzilla. In the film, Japan's authorities deal with the sudden appearance of a giant monster, whose attacks trigger fears of nuclear holocaust in post-war Japan.

Godzilla entered production after a Japanese-Indonesian co-production collapsed. Tsuburaya originally proposed a giant octopus before the filmmakers decided on a dinosaur-inspired creature. Godzilla pioneered a form of special effects called suitmation in which a stunt performer wearing a suit interacts with miniature sets. Principal photography ran 51 days, and special effects photography ran 71 days. (Full article...)
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Veerapandiya Kattabomman (transl. Kattabomman, the Brave Warrior) is a 1959 Indian Tamil-language historical war film produced and directed by B. R. Panthulu. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Gemini Ganesan, Padmini, S. Varalakshmi, and Ragini, with V. K. Ramasamy and Javar Seetharaman in supporting roles. Its soundtrack and score were composed by G. Ramanathan.

The film is loosely based on the story of Veerapandiya Kattabomman, the 18th-century Telugu king who rebelled against the East India Company. It was an adaptation of the play of the same name by Sakthi T. K. Krishnasamy which featured Sivaji Ganesan as the title character, and premiered in August 1957. Principal photography began in October the same year, and took place mainly in Jaipur and Madras (now Chennai) until late 1958. This was the first full-length Tamil film released in Technicolor. (Full article...)
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Parasakthi or Parashakti is a form of the Hindu goddess Shakti. It may also refer to:
- Parashakthi Temple, Michigan, United States
- Parasakthi (1952 film), 1952 Indian film by Krishnan–Panju
- Parasakthi (2026 film), upcoming Indian film by Sudha Kongora
- Adi Parasakthi, supreme Hindu goddess
  - Aathi Parasakthi, a 1971 Indian Tamil-language film based on the Hindu deity
(Full article...)
Image 13

Theatrical release poster

King Creole is a 1958 American musical teen drama film directed by Michael Curtiz and based on the 1952 novel A Stone for Danny Fisher by Harold Robbins. Produced by Hal B. Wallis, the film stars Elvis Presley, Carolyn Jones, Walter Matthau, Dolores Hart, Dean Jagger, Vic Morrow, Liliane Montevecchi and Paul Stewart, and it follows a nineteen-year-old (Presley) who gets mixed up with crooks and involved with two women.

Presley later indicated that of all the characters that he portrayed throughout his acting career, the role of Danny Fisher in King Creole was his favorite. To make the film, Presley was granted a 60-day deferment from January to March 1958 for beginning his military service. Location shooting in New Orleans was delayed several times by crowds of fans attracted by the stars, particularly Presley. (Full article...)
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Title card

Last Clear Chance is a 1959 American short film produced and directed by Robert Carlisle. Sponsored by the Union Pacific Railroad, Last Clear Chance is a safety film intended to warn young drivers to be careful at railroad crossings. The film's cast consists of William Boyett, Harold Agee, Mrs. Harold Agee, Tim Bosworth, William Agee, Christine Lynch, and Lou Spraker. Written by Leland Baxter, the film was shot in parts of Idaho. Wondsel, Carlisle & Dunphy Inc, based in New York City, served as the film's production company.

The film centers on the Dixon family, in particular Alan Dixon, who has recently received his driver's license and is eager to begin driving a car. When local police officer Hal Jackson visits the Dixons and learns that Alan's license has arrived, he sits down and tells Alan ways to drive safely and avoid getting into accidents. Although the film is fictional, it was inspired by a real family who experienced a scenario similar to the film. During production, assistance was provided by staff of the National Safety Council, along with the Idaho State Police and the Colorado State Patrol. (Full article...)
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Devadasu is a 1953 Indian romantic drama film directed by Vedantam Raghavayya and produced by D. L. Narayana for Vinodha Pictures. Chakrapani wrote the script based on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel, Devdas. C. R. Subbaraman composed the film's music. The film was edited by P. V. Narayanan, while B. S. Ranga provided the cinematography.

The film focuses on Devadasu and Parvati, who have been in love since childhood. Devadas' father rejects the proposal from Parvati's family. Parvati's father forces her to marry a middle-aged zamindar. Unable to cope with his failure to win Parvati, Devadas turns into a drunkard, and the rest of the film is about whether or not Devadas meets Parvati again. (Full article...)

Related portals

Selected biography -

Khrushchev in 1962

Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (15 April [O.S. 3 April] 1894 – 11 September 1971) was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and the Chairman of the Council of Ministers (premier) from 1958 to 1964. As leader he stunned the communist world by denouncing his predecessor Joseph Stalin and launching a campaign of de-Stalinization, and presided over the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.

Khrushchev was born in a village in western Russia. He was employed as a metal worker during his youth and was a political commissar during the Russian Civil War. Under the sponsorship of Lazar Kaganovich, Khrushchev worked his way up the Soviet hierarchy. He originally supported Stalin's purges and approved thousands of arrests. In 1938, Stalin sent him to govern the Ukrainian SSR, and he continued the purges there. During the Great Patriotic War, Khrushchev was again a commissar, serving as an intermediary between Stalin and his generals. Khrushchev was present at the defense of Stalingrad, a fact he took great pride in. After the war, he returned to Ukraine before being recalled to Moscow as one of Stalin's close advisers. (Full article...)

List of selected biographies
Marilyn Monroe Nikita Khrushchev Elvis Presley Joseph McCarthy Gamal Abdel Nasser Dwight D. Eisenhower John Foster Dulles Frank Sinatra James Stewart Marlon Brando Alfred Hitchcock Clark Gable Gary Cooper Ray Charles Buddy Holly Ella Fitzgerald Patsy Cline Jerry Lee Lewis Johnny Cash Fulgencio Batista Harry S. Truman Adlai Stevenson II Alben W. Barkley

General images

The following are images from various 1950s-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Elvis Presley was the best-selling musical artist of the decade. He is considered as the leading figure of the rock and roll and rockabilly movement of the 1950s. (from 1950s)
Image 2W. Sterling Cole, first Director-general of AIEA (from 1950s)
Image 3Abdullah I of Jordan (from 1950s)
Image 4An American family watching television together in 1958. (from 1950s)
Image 5The MOSFET (MOS transistor) was invented by Mohamed Atalla and Dawon Kahng at Bell Labs in November 1959. It is central to the Digital Revolution, and the most widely manufactured device in history. (from 1950s)
Image 6S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike (from 1950s)
Image 7Motorcycle clubs became more prominent in the 1950s. Pictured is a vintage 1950s motorcycle toy. (from 1950s)
Image 8The creation and expansion of many multinational restaurant chains still in existence today, including the likes of McDonald's, IHOP, Pizza Hut, Denny's and Burger King, all occurred in the 1950s. (from 1950s)
Image 9Presidents Eduardo Lonardi and Pedro Aramburu, the first and second leader of the "Revolución Libertadora" dictatorship in Argentina. (from 1950s)
Image 10In 1957, the Soviet Union launches to space Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite (from 1950s)
Image 11Official portrait of Dwight D. Eisenhower, president of the United States for a majority of the 1950s (from 1950s)
Image 12Harry Belafonte in 1954, whose breakthrough album Calypso (1956) was the first million-selling LP by a single artist. (from 1950s)
Image 13Korean War (from 1950s)
Image 14Liz Taylor in the 1950s, a fashion icon of the era (from 1950s)
Image 15Cary Grant as Roger O. Thornhill in North by Northwest (1959) (from 1950s)
Image 16TV shows like I Love Lucy, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, and Father Knows Best were popular during the original Golden Age of Television era. (from 1950s)
Image 17Israeli troops preparing for combat in the Sinai peninsula during the Suez Crisis. (from 1950s)
Image 18Top, L-R: U.S. Marines engaged in street fighting during the Korean War, c. late September 1950; The first polio vaccine is developed by Jonas Salk.
Centre, L-R: US tests its first thermonuclear bomb with code name Ivy Mike in 1952. A 1954 thermonuclear test, code named Castle Romeo; In 1959, Fidel Castro overthrows Fulgencio Batista in the Cuban Revolution, which results in the creation of the first and only communist government in the Western Hemisphere; Elvis Presley becomes the leading figure of the newly popular music genre of rock and roll in the mid-1950s.
Bottom, L-R: Smoke rises from oil tanks on Port Said following the invasion of Egypt by Israel, United Kingdom and France as part of the Suez Crisis in late 1956; The Hungarian Revolution of 1956; The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth, in October 1957. This starts the Space Race between the Soviet Union and the United States. (from 1950s)
Image 19Paavo Nurmi and the Olympic flame in the opening ceremony of the 1952 Summer Olympics (from 1950s)
Image 20North Sea flood of 1953 (from 1950s)
Image 21Leading figures of the Nepali Congress and King Tribhuvan (from 1950s)
Image 22The 1950s saw the rise of the Beatnik movement, which had a significant influence on popular culture, and bringing counterculture to the mainstream. (from 1950s)
Image 23The world map of military alliances during the Cold War in 1959 (from 1950s)
Image 24The 1950s was the beginning period of rapid television ownership. In their infancy, television screens existed in many forms, including round. (from 1950s)
Image 25The jukebox was particularly popular in the 1950s (from 1950s)
Image 26Newspaper clipping on "The Day the Music Died" (from 1950s)
Image 27Castle Bravo: A 15 megaton hydrogen bomb experiment conducted by the United States in 1954. Photographed 78 miles (125 kilometers) from the explosion epicenter. (from 1950s)
Image 28Harry S. Truman (from 1950s)
Image 29Che Guevara and Fidel Castro. Castro becomes the leader of Cuba as a result of the Cuban Revolution (from 1950s)
Image 30The successes of The Wild One, Blackboard Jungle (pictured) and Rebel Without a Cause are credited with kicking off the teenage rebellion films of the 1950s (from 1950s)
Image 31Pez candies were released in the 1950s, and became well known in pop culture. (from 1950s)
Image 32Gamal Abdel Nasser and Mohammed Naguib, leaders of the 1952 Egyptian revolution (from 1950s)
Image 33Francis Crick and James Watson discover the spiral structure of DNA (from 1950s)
Image 34Many famous children's books released in the 1950s, including The Cat in the Hat, Charlotte's Web and Harold and the Purple Crayon. (from 1950s)
Image 35Four Olympic Games were held in the 1950s, Oslo and Helsinki in 1952, Cortina d'Ampezzo and Melbourne in 1956 (all during the Cold War). (from 1950s)
Image 36The 1950s were the true birth of the rock and roll music genre, led by figures such as Elvis Presley (pictured), Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and others. (from 1950s)
Image 37In the 1950s poodle skirts were popular with women, as were leather jackets with men. Pictured is a 1950s leather jacket label. (from 1950s)
Image 38The maximum territorial extent of countries in the world under Soviet influence, after the Cuban Revolution. (from 1950s)

More Did you know (auto generated)

... that on the 1950s game show Across the Board, crossword answers were clued by both a phrase and an image?
... that Alan Choe was tasked with developing Queenstown, Singapore's first satellite town, after its British architects left the country in the mid-1950s?
... that in the 1950s, 70 percent of senior officers in the People's Liberation Army came from the Eyuwan Soviet area?
... that a group of 25 women disfigured by the atomic bombing of Hiroshima traveled to the United States in the 1950s to receive reconstructive surgery?
... that Patricia Banks-Edmiston was prevented from becoming a flight attendant during the 1950s because she was black?
... that Cusrow Baug in Mumbai had only a few tenants in the 1950s even at a low rent of 40 rupees per month?

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