1950s
Eisenhower era years
The 1950s are the years from 1950 through 1959.
The term evokes post-World War II prosperity, suburban expansion, rock and roll's emergence, and Cold War anxiety in American cultural memory: a 1950s diner, 1950s fashion.
Often called "the fifties." Someone's 1950s are the decade of their life from age 50 to 59: She took up painting in her 1950s.
Hillbilly-influenced early rock
- doo-wopFifties vocal harmony genre
- greaserMachinery lubricator or fifties tough
- drive-inVenue serving seated motorists
- bobby-soxerForties adolescent female fan
diner · pin-up · cruising · jukeboxes · carhop · ducktail · prom · varsity
Rock and roll monarch
- pompadourHigh-fronted upswept hairstyle
- ducktailSlicked-back men's hairstyle
- rockabillyHillbilly-influenced early rock
- rebellionDefiance of established power
Politically-motivated accusation without evidence
- SputnikFirst orbital spacecraft
- suburbiaResidential areas outside cities
- LevittownPlanned suburban community, postwar
- ElvisRock and roll monarch
Polaroid · Eisenhower · desegregation · rock-and-roll · television · Disneyland
Of elemental particles
- starburstRadiant pattern from center
- boomerangSelf-returning thrown weapon
- EamesMidcentury furniture designer
- FormicaWood ant genus
tailfins · chrome · pastel · Lucite · Noguchi · geometric · plywood · futuristic
Planned suburban community, postwar
- cul-de-sacStreet closed at end
- TupperwarePlastic kitchen storage brand
- housewifeHome-focused married woman
- lawnmowerMachine that trims grass
patio · barbecue · subdivision · carport · split-level · homeownership · commuter · backyard
Age-defined peer group
- fertilityCapacity for reproduction
- maternityState of being pregnant
- pediatricsMedicine for minors
- diaperAbsorbent infant undergarment
nursery · stroller · child-rearing · playground · siblings · optimism · prosperity
Western defense organization
- containmentPreventing hostile expansion
- StalinismTotalitarian Communist doctrine
- MaoismPeasant-centered communist doctrine
- communismCollective ownership system
capitalism · espionage · brinksmanship · SEATO · decolonization · UN · CIA · KGB
rockabilly
Hillbilly-influenced early rock
- doo-wopFifties vocal harmony genre
- greaserMachinery lubricator or fifties tough
- drive-inVenue serving seated motorists
bobby-soxer · diner · pin-up · cruising · jukeboxes · carhop · ducktail · prom · varsity · milkshake
Elvis
Rock and roll monarch
- pompadourHigh-fronted upswept hairstyle
- ducktailSlicked-back men's hairstyle
- rockabillyHillbilly-influenced early rock
McCarthyism
Politically-motivated accusation without evidence
- SputnikFirst orbital spacecraft
- suburbiaResidential areas outside cities
- LevittownPlanned suburban community, postwar
Elvis · Polaroid · Eisenhower · desegregation · rock-and-roll · television · Disneyland
atomic
Of elemental particles
- starburstRadiant pattern from center
- boomerangSelf-returning thrown weapon
- EamesMidcentury furniture designer
Formica · tailfins · chrome · pastel · Lucite · Noguchi · geometric · plywood · futuristic · streamlined
Levittown
Planned suburban community, postwar
- cul-de-sacStreet closed at end
- TupperwarePlastic kitchen storage brand
- housewifeHome-focused married woman
lawnmower · patio · barbecue · subdivision · carport · split-level · homeownership · commuter · backyard · sprinkler
generation
Age-defined peer group
- fertilityCapacity for reproduction
- maternityState of being pregnant
- pediatricsMedicine for minors
diaper · nursery · stroller · child-rearing · playground · siblings · optimism · prosperity
NATO
Western defense organization
- containmentPreventing hostile expansion
- StalinismTotalitarian Communist doctrine
- MaoismPeasant-centered communist doctrine
communism · capitalism · espionage · brinksmanship · SEATO · decolonization · UN · CIA · KGB
- Decades1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1960s, 1970s
- Fashion ErasVictorian era, Edwardian era, Elizabethan era, Georgian era, Baroque
- vintage stylesretro, antique, Victorian, Art Nouveau, mid-century modern
- Somali historyMogadishu, Somaliland
1950s1960s
Decade after the fifties
Summer of Love · sexual revolution · 1970s · 2020s · Roaring Twenties
1950sdistant future
Time very far ahead
2020s · 21st century · distant past · ancient times · Middle Ages
1950sdigital age
Epoch of computerized life
information age · smartphone era · social media era · atomic age · 2010s
- 1950s fashionMid-century American clothing trends