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1950 History, Trivia and Fun Facts |
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1950 70 Years Ago | History Snapshot |
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World Series Champions |
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New York Yankees | |||
NFL Champions |
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Cleveland Browns | |||
National Basketball Association Champions |
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Minneapolis Lakers | |||
NHL Stanley Cup Champions |
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Detroit Red Wings | |||
US Open Golf |
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Ben Hogan | |||
US Open Tennis (Men Ladies) |
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Arthur Larsen/Margaret Osborne duPont | |||
Wimbledon (Men/Women) |
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Budge Patty/Louis Brough | |||
NCAA Football Champions |
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Oklahoma | |||
NCAA Basketball Champions |
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CCNY | |||
Bowl Games |
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Orange Bowl: January 2, 1950 - Santa Clara over
Kentucky Rose Bowl: January 2, 1950 - Ohio State over California Sugar Bowl : January 2, 1950 - Oklahoma over LSU |
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Kentucky Derby |
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Middleground | |||
Westminster Kennel Best in Show Dog |
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Walsong Winning Trick of Edgerstoune | |||
Time Magazine's Men of the Year |
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The American Fighting-Man (Korean War Troops) | |||
Miss America |
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none | |||
Fashion Icons and Movie Stars |
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Lauren Bacall, Doris Day, Dorothy Dandridge, Ava Gardner, Rita Hayworth, Dorian Leigh, Dorothy McGuire, Elizabeth Taylor, Lana Turner | |||
"The Quotes" |
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"Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity
for taking things for granted" - Aldous Huxley "Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night." - Betty Davis, in All About Eve "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up." "I am big! It's the pictures that got small." - Gloria Swanson, in Sunset Boulevard |
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1950 Pop Culture History |
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Corn Pops were originally named "Corn Pops"
in 1950, then "Sugar Corn Pops" in 1951, then "Sugar
Pops" in 1955 then back to "Sugar Corn Pops" in 1978
and since 1984, "Corn Pops" again, except for a brief time
in 2006 when there were just "Pops". When the Peanuts started in 1950, Charlie Brown was 4 years old, aged to six 1957, and has been about eight since 1979. If I Ran the Zoo by Dr. Seuss, published in 1950, is the first recorded instance of the word "nerd." Sean Connery placed third in the 1950 Mr. Universe contest. The FBI made the first 'Ten Most Wanted' list in 1950. There were others of course. # 11 was Willie Sutton. He was probably the most successful and famous bank robber of all time, although he was caught several times. He was once supposedly quoted by a reporter, when asked why he robbed banks he supposedly said, "because that's where the money is." The Real Story: An articulate man (and snazzy dresser), Mr. Sutton later said that he never said it, although the statement on itself was true. "Why did I rob banks? Because I enjoyed it. I loved it. I was more alive when I was inside a bank, robbing it, than at any other time in my life. I enjoyed everything about it so much that one or two weeks later I'd be out looking for the next job. But to me the money was the chips, that's all." In 1950, the interior of the Whitehouse was dismantled, leaving the house as a shell. It was then rebuilt using concrete and steel beams in place of its original wooden joists. Minute Rice appeared on the shelves for the first time. The Type A/B Personality Theory was actually invented by the cigarette industry in the 1950's to prove coronary heart disease and cancer were risks related to high-stress personality types instead of tobacco use. Disposable diapers were invented by Marion Donovan. The 1950 toy lab set "Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Laboratory" contained uranium ore, polonium, a Geiger counter and a cloud chamber. Hurricanes in America were not named until 1950. That year there was Hurricane Dog, Hurricane Easy, Hurricane Jig, Hurricane Item, Hurricane Love, and Tropical Storm How. These years use the same calendars: 2017, 2006, 1995, 1989, 1978, 1967, 1961, 1950, 1939, 1933, and 1922. The modern day "pirate accent" we know comes from Robert Newton's portrayal of Long John Silver in the 1950 Disney adaptation of Treasure Island. Before that, there was no universal"pirate accent". Private Kenneth Shadrick was the first US casualty of the Korean War, on July 5th 1950. After the Empire State Building opened in New York City in 1931, much of its office space went unrented. It was nicknamed the "Empty State Building" by New Yorkers and didn't become profitable until 1950. Green plastic garbage bags, made from polyethylene, were invented by Harry Wasylyk. In 1950, an average of 3.37 people lived in each American home; in 2011, that number had shrunk to 2.6 people.The average size of a new American home in '50 was 983 square feet; by 2011, the average new home was 2,480 square feet. The first metal lunchbox, featuring Hopalong Cassidy, was produced by Aladdin (the company, NOT the 1001 Arabian Nights hero). Kathryn Johnston became the first girl to play Little League baseball in 1950, when she tucked her hair under her hat, adopted the nickname "Tubby", and joined the Kings Dairy team, posing as a boy. When she told her coach she was a girl, he said "That's O.K., you're a darned good player." Since 1950 the United States has lost a total of 8-10 nuclear bombs, that we know of. When the New York Sun was relaunched in 2002, its first edition carried the solution to the last crossword puzzle that the earlier Sun published before it folded in 1950. In 1950 Louis Eliasberg completed the first and only complete US coin collection - one of every date, metal, denomination, and mint mark ever struck as of that year. Mr. Eliasberg was presented with a special trophy by Numismatic Gallery Magazine in recognition of his unique achievement. John Hopps invented the world's first cardiac pacemaker. It was larger than life and had to be used outside the body of the first recipient. 7UP originally contained lithium citrate, a mood-stabilizing drug. It was in the product until 1950. The The Chinchaga Fire, the largest recorded fire in North American history, produced massive amounts of smoke that was mostly in the upper atmosphere and could not be smelled. Since news of the fire was also sparse, many thought the dark sky was a result of nuclear armageddon, supernatural forces, or alien invasion. Kent, a major tobacco company, sold unique cigarette filters in the 1950s and advertised their health benefits. The advertised ingredient that set them apart? Asbestos. In 1894, the London Times predicted that London would be under nine feet of horse manure by 1950. Racing pioneer C.J. Hart was credited with creating the first commerical drag racing strip on the runway of the Orange County Airport in Sant Ana, California on June 19. |
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Firsts and the Biggest Christmas Gifts |
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Little People and the Safety School Bus, Wooly Willy, official Magic-8 Ball, Silly Putty Galaxy Science Fiction Magazine (1950-1980) |
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The Habits |
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Watching Your Show of Shows on television Playing the Card Game Canasta. Reading The Cardinal by Henry Morton Robinson Watching Harvey, All about Eve, Sunset Boulevard The Asphalt Jungle, Annie Get Your Gun, Cheaper by the Dozen and Cinderella in theaters |
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United States 1950 Census |
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Total US Population: 151,325,798 1. New York, New York - 7,891,957 2. Chicago, Illinois - 3,620,962 3. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - 2,071,605 4. Los Angeles, California - 1,970,358 5. Detroit, Michigan - 1,849,568 6. Baltimore, Maryland - 949,708 7. Cleveland, Ohio - 914,808 8. St. Louis, Missouri - 856,796 9. Washington, District of Columbia - 802,178 10. Boston, Massachusetts - 801,444 |
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1950/51 Biggest Television Shows |
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(according to Nielsen
TV Research) 1. Texaco Star Theatre (NBC) 2. Fireside Theatre (NBC) 3. Philco TV Playhouse (NBC) 4. Your Show of Shows (NBC) 5. The Colgate Comedy Hour (NBC) 6. Gillette Cavalcade of Sports (NBC) 7. The Lone Ranger (ABC) 8. Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts (CBS) 9. Hopalong Cassidy (NBC) 10. Mama (NBC) |
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Popular Music Artists |
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The Biggest Pop Artists of 1950 include Ames Brothers, Andrews Sisters, Anton Karas, Bing Crosby, Eileen Barton, Esther Phillips, Frank Sinatra, Frankie Laine, Guy Lombardo, Ivory Joe Hunter, Jimmy Wakely, Jo Stafford, Johnny Otis, Lloyd Glenn, Louise Jordan, Lowell Fulson, Margaret Whiting, Nat 'King' Cole, Patti Page, Perry Como, Phil Harris, Red Foley, The Robins, Roy Brown, Sammy Kaye, Teresa Brewer, Roy Brown, Dinah Washington, Weavers with Gordon Jenkins (Data is complied from various charts including: Billboard's Pop, Rock, Airplay, R&B/Dance and Singles Charts. The Hot 100 is the primary chart used for this list.) |
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Number One Hits of 1950 |
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November 26, 1949 - January 6, 1950: Frankie Laine
- Mule Train January 7, 1950 - January 13, 1950: Gene Autry - Rudolph, The Red-nosed Reindeer January 14, 1950 - February 10, 1950: The Andrews Sisters - I Can Dream, Can't I February 11, 1950 - February 17, 1950: Ames Brothers - Rag Mop February 18, 1950 - March 17, 1950: Red Foley - Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy March 18, 1950 - April 14, 1950: Teresa Brewer - Music! Music! Music! April 15, 1950 - April 28, 1950: Eileen Barton - If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake April 29, 1950 - July 14, 1950: Anton Karas - The Third Man Theme July 15, 1950 - August 18, 1950: Nat King Cole - Mona Lisa (Nat King Cole song) August 19, 1950 - November 17, 1950: Gordon Jenkins and The Weavers - Goodnight Irene November 18, 1950 - December 1, 1950: Sammy Kaye - Harbor Lights December 2, 1950 - December 29, 1950: Phil Harris - The Thing December 30, 1950 - March 2, 1951: Patti Page - The Tennessee Waltz |
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Popular Movies |
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Abbot and Costello in the Foreign Legion, All About Eve, The Asphalt Jungle, Born Yesterday, Cinderella, D.O.A., Father of teh Bride, The File on Thelma Jordon, Gun Crazy, The Gunfighter, Harvey, In A Lonely Place, King Solomon's Mines, Orpheus, Panic in the STreets, Rio Grande, Seven Days to Noon, Sunset Boulevard, Treasure Island, Winchester '73 | |||
More Pop Culture History Resources |
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Popular Music in 1950
# 1 Hits of 1950 |
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Pop Culture News | |||
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