1950s
Watson and Crick: Scientists Who Discovered DNA Double ...
February 28, 2021
On February 28, 1953, a couple of scientists from Cambridge University's Cavendish Lab stopped to grab some lunch. As they chewed their food, James Watson an...
Rosa Parks: Stories, Biography, & Things You Didn't Kno...
February 4, 2021
Civil rights leader Rosa Parks smiles while people gathered around her applaud at a ceremony held in her honor. (Angel Franco/New York Times Co./Getty Images) ...
Earl Lloyd: The First Black Player In The NBA Makes His...
October 31, 2020
Basketball player Earl Lloyd dribbling a basketball, Virginia, 1966. (Photo by Afro American Newspapers/Gado/Getty Images) On October 31, 1950, Earl Lloyd mad...
Lenny Bruce: True Stories, Trivia, And Facts You Didn't...
August 2, 2020
Although he never achieved the massive success of acolytes like Richard Pryor and George Carlin, Lenny Bruce is considered the father of modern comedy. He al...
Disneyland Opens For The First Time To The Public In 19...
July 17, 2020
On July 17, 1955, Walt Disney brought to life characters that children had only seen on the silver screen. With Disneyland, Uncle Walt didn't just create a s...
Brink's Building Robbery: The Heist That Tore A Gang Ap...
January 17, 2020
The Brink's building heist of 1950 is one of the most daring robberies of the 20th century. Like something from a movie, the robbery itself went off without a hit...
TV Dinners Exist Because They Killed Way Too Many Turke...
November 30, 2019
As ZZ Top once said, "TV dinners, there's nothing else to eat. TV dinners, they really can’t be beat." It's a succinct argument for the quick meal of the everyma...
Ed Gein: Stories, Trivia, And Facts You Didn't Know Unt...
November 16, 2019
Ed Gein: The Wisconsin cannibal. The hungriest mama's boy of the 20th century. He's long-held a strange place in Americana, but no one living in Plainfield, Wisco...
Rebel Without A Cause: Curse, Trivia, And More
November 13, 2019
Released on October 27, 1955, nearly a month after Dean's fatal car accident on September 30, Rebel Without a Cause was a groundbreaking film that portrayed the disillusionme...
Edward Paisnel: A Masked Sex Offender Known As 'The Bea...
November 9, 2019
When you live in an isolated area, you have to find your own ways to entertain yourself. You could go with something harmlessly mild, like erecting the world...
The Evolution of Television Weather Reports
July 19, 2019
Jack Lescoulie doing the weather report from Atlantic City on June 26, 1956 -- Photo by: NBC/NBC NewsWire(Getty Images) If you are like most people, you probably have at lea...
Remember 'Kukla, Fran And Ollie,' The TV Show That Time...
May 31, 2019
Kukla the puppet and hostess Fran Allison in an episode of Kukla, Fran and Ollie. Source: (Photo by: NBC/NBCU Photo Bank) Do you remember watching Kukla, Fran...
Scandalous Music: Songs That Were Banned in the 1950s
May 9, 2019
American singer and actress Rosemary Clooney (1928 - 2002), circa 1955. Source: (Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images) When compared to many of today’s p...
Science Fiction Movies: Then (1950s) And Now
March 10, 2019
There are many different tastes in movies with varying genres including drama, comedy, romance, action, and science fiction. Science Fiction movies started out very primit...
Seeing Double: A Look Back at Wrigley’s Doublemint Twin...
September 19, 2018
Jean Sagal, Liz Sagal (Photo by The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images) The Wrigley Company, a chewing gum manufacturer, introduced its “double strength” ...
NASCAR in the 1950s
September 9, 2018
The very first beach race was in 1936 in Daytona.Daytona Beach is the starting place of every season in NASCAR even though now they actually race on a real track rather than the beach. This beach ...
The World's First Computer With Data Storage
May 14, 2018
Technology has made major advancements since the mid 1900’s. Many consider the 1970’s to be the first time in history a computer was created and made available for purchase...
Story Behind the Picture of a Soldier Feeding a Tiny Ki...
January 10, 2018
In the middle of the Korean War, this kitten found herself an orphan. Luckily, she found her way into the hands of Marine Sergeant Frank Praytor. He adopted the t...
The Death of Emmett Till
January 5, 2018
While visiting family in Money, Mississippi on August 24, 1955, 14-year-old Emmett Till, an African American from Chicago, is brutally murdered for allegedly flirting with a white woman four days ...
USSR’s First Aerial Tramway Still In Use After Nearly 6...
December 14, 2017
The mining town of Chiatura, Georgia, surrounded by steep cliffs, is criss-crossed by a network of aging Soviet-era aerial tramways that are still in use today....
Color Photographs of Travel Trailers and Motorhomes in ...
December 12, 2017
In 1910 the first motorhome, Pierce-Arrow's Touring Landau, debuts at Madison Square Garden. It has a back seat that folds down into a bed, a chamber pot toilet a...
These Were the Popular Christmas Gifts 70 Years Ago
December 12, 2017
This collection of Macy’s best-selling holiday gifts of 1948, compiled by LIFE magazine shows use just how much things have changed since then. For starters, the gifts t...
The Ghost Ships of the National Defense Reserve Fleet
December 10, 2017
After World War II, the US established the National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF) – a fleet of vessels that serve as a reserve of ships for national defense and nationa...
Beautiful Candid Photos of Marilyn Monroe, 1957
December 5, 2017
These photos, taken by American photographer and film producer Sam Shaw, over the course of 3 days in New York with Marilyn's husband Arthur Miller are especially poignant b...
Has the Lovely Old Soho Changed Since 1956
November 15, 2017
Has Soho completely changed since 1956? Take a colourful tour to find out. Credit: BFI
John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy in Georgetown, 1954
November 15, 2017
It was one fine day in May of 1954 in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. and future president John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jackie Kennedy, were walking down the street to ...
Did You Know That The United States Once Planned on Nuk...
October 30, 2017
The United States once planned on shooting a nuclear bomb at the moon. If you presumed that the reasoning behind such an act was “because we can,” you are absolut...
Vintage Photos of Famous Inventions You Did Not Know Co...
October 9, 2017
The 1950s was a decade post World War II. It was the decade of Elvis. It was the decade families gathered in living rooms to watch television and ate TV dinners. ...
The Story of Andre the Giant
October 9, 2017
Andre the Giant was born on May 19, 1946 in Grenoble, France. He suffered from a condition called Acromelagy, also known as Giantism. Giantism is due to an excess of hormones which causes the ...
The Lost Victorian Houses of Downtown LA
September 27, 2017
Downtown LA have a history buried under gleaming high-rise office blocks and strip malls… Despite its once fashionable apartment buildings attracting high-income residents, Bunker ...
The US Post-World War II: A Look on American Life Durin...
September 21, 2017
These amazing colored photos show everyday life in the US during the 1950s. San Francisco cable cars, San Francisco, California St. Francis Westin Hotel, San Fran...
This 1950s Expirement Asked Artist to Draw Portrait 9 T...
September 13, 2017
In the 1950s the US government did experiments with psychotomimetic drugs. In one of these experiments, an artist was given a measured amount of LSD and an activi...
The Wonder Spot of the 1950s, Where the Laws of Natural...
August 22, 2017
This particulat 'Spot' is located south of Wisconsin Dells/Lake Delton, only about a half-block off of Highway 12. Its powers were strongest in The Wonder House, ...
Lovely Photos of Frida Kahlo from the Last Years of Her...
August 6, 2017
In 1950, photographer Gisèle Freund traveled to Mexico where she met the legendary couple Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Welcomed into their home, she had the chan...
The Abandoned Island Was Once Used As a Leper Colony
August 1, 2017
The small island of Spinaloga, officially known as Kalydon, is located in a gulf in north-eastern Crete, next to the town of Plaka, near the Spinaloga peninsula – which...
60+ Inventions from the 1950s - Present That Have Impro...
July 29, 2017
This is just a handful of inventions from recent history that have helped to change how we live – in some cases beyond all recognition. H/T Stormclad
Before Computer: Photos of People from the Past Working...
July 28, 2017
Before there were actual computers, there was a job simply called, "computer". The job involved converting figures and crunching numbers and often involved some b...
This 1950s Pink Car Especially Made For Women Comes wit...
May 27, 2017
After World War II, women became a vital part of the American workforce. They were no longer confined to the roles of housewives or secretaries, they also started...
Recovered: Vietnam-era Lighters Carried by Soldiers Dur...
May 17, 2017
Recently, Cowan’s Auctions featured over 280 Vietnam-era lighters carried by soldiers during the war. As seen in the small sampling below, these small objects ref...
At the Age of 67, Emma Rowena Gatewood Became the First...
April 24, 2017
In 1955, at the age of 67, Emma Rowena Gatewood became the first woman to hike the entire 2,168 mile (3,489 km) Appalachian Trail -- wearing sneakers and carrying...
The “Bazooka Vespa”: The Scooter that Could Destroy Tan...
April 19, 2017
“Not just a scooter, a way of life.” This is the slogan of the iconic Italian brand Vespa, most suitable for the world’s number one scooter producer. The com...
How Tootsie Rolls Saved the Lives of Soldiers During th...
March 22, 2017
The Battle of the Chosin Reservoir During the Korean War, American Troops stationed at Chang Jin mountain reservoir or Chosin reservoir, experienced extreme weath...
Declassified Cold War Footages Of Some Of History’s Lar...
March 20, 2017
This week, the federally funded Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California released 62 newly declassified and restored films of U.S. nuclear te...
Then and Now: How Much Famous Fastfood Chains Have Chan...
March 13, 2017
Currently revitalizing their menus, fast-food chains all over America are also re-designing their looks in order to be more competitive. Take a look at how some ...
The Woman Who Got Hit By a Meteorite and Survived
March 3, 2017
One clear afternoon in Sylacauga, Alabama, Ann Hodges was napping on her couch. It was 1954. She was resting and covered by quilts, when all of a sudden, a softball-size h...
In 1954, This 9-Week-Old Baby Became the 'World's Young...
March 1, 2017
LIFE magazine introduced its readers to an incredible nine-week-old baby named Julie Sheldon in 1954. She lived in Los Angeles and was, based from LIFE, the "wor...
The Interesting Story of Deadshot Mary
February 5, 2017
Mary Shanley was born in Ireland in 1896, and after immigrating to America with her family, made the bold choice to join the NYPD. Along with a handful of other woman cops, she went ...
Old Photos of Albert Einstein
January 20, 2017
Albert Einstein (born 14 March 1879 – died 18 April 1955), a German theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, actualizing a revolution in physics. With this achiev...
The Jericho Skull - Face of 9,500-Year-Old Man Revealed...
January 6, 2017
Excavated by archaeologist Kathleen Kenyon in 1953, the Jericho Skull is one of seven plastered and ornamented Neolithic skulls located at the site of Tell es-Sul...
The Rotor Ride: A Spinning Human Blender from the Past ...
December 30, 2016
The Rotor, also known as the “Devil’s Hole”, was designed by German engineer Ernst Hoffmeister in the late 1940s. The photo below was taken at Coney Island in the...
California Couple Inherits 50-Year-Old Bunker Beneath T...
December 21, 2016
When they bought the house, the Otcaseks were only told that the property had “an unusual feature”: a large, concrete-lined hole in the backyard. They were told t...
Photographer Uncovers 1,200 Rolls of Unprocessed Film F...
December 14, 2016
Levi Bettwieser, the creator of the The Rescued Film Project, has been finding and recovering rolls of “lost and forgotten” film for years. Last year, Bettwieser ...
12 Vintage Ads Aimed at Kids We Will Never, Ever See To...
December 1, 2016
In a world full of government regulations where every light bulb comes in a package explaining how you shouldn't eat it, it's easy to forget that it wasn't always...
Globe-Making Process From 1955
November 28, 2016
Take a peek behind the curtains as the workers at this globe factory hand-make globes using paper maché method that’s quite fascinating. There is so much craftsmanship and time that go into ...
The Book Rescuers (7 Photos)
November 17, 2016
This small collection of photos in the LIFE Archives show the sheer awesomeness of librarians who tried their best to save the books that were drenched following a building fire... Pictured in...
20 Vintage Photos of People Camping and Caravanning Bet...
November 8, 2016
It was before the 20th century when camping holidays really started. The first real holiday camp was in the Isle of Man, called the “Cunningham Camp”. The only st...
Three of the Scariest Nuclear Bomb Accidents in History
November 3, 2016
1958 Georgia: Nuclear Bomb Training Accident Nuclear Bombing training exercises were common during the 1950s, so it’s not entirely surprising for an accident to occ...
Betty Lee Bennet: 10-Year-Old Girl Who Became the Young...
November 2, 2016
Ten-year-old Betty Lee Bennett has been up in the air a good part of her early years. When she was six months old her father, Alfred Bennett, who is vice presiden...
The Story of the Tollund Man
October 31, 2016
Would you believe this peaceful, careworn face is that of a 2,000-year-old bog body? Discovered by accident in 1950 in the bogs of the Danish Jutland Peninsula by some peat farmers. The farme...
Color Photos Showing Life In Japan In The 1860s - 1900s
October 29, 2016
Prisoner, 1860 Woman in front of the mirror, photographer Baron Raimund von Stillfried, 1860 Two tattooed men, photographer Baron Raimund von Stillfried Pilgrim g...
Until Just Recently, People Thought The Easter Island S...
October 3, 2016
An email that made the rounds in May 2012, contained photos of a startling excavation project at Easter Island. According to the email, archaeologists were in the...
The Wedding Of John F. Kennedy and Jackie Bouvier, 1953
October 1, 2016
Jacqueline Lee Bouvier and John F. Kennedy were married on the morning of September 12, 1953 in St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Rhode Island. The wedding was att...
The Story Behind: Einstein Sticking His Tongue Out
September 21, 2016
Photo credit: Arthur Sasse The shot was taken on Einstein’s 72nd birthday right after the end of an event held in his honor at Princeton on March 14, 1951. While walking...
Amazing Vintage Portraits of Padaung Women in the 1950s
September 13, 2016
Padaung is a Shan term for the Kayan Lahwi, the group in which women wear the brass neck coils. The Kayan Lahwi people (Padaung) are an ethnic group from Myanmar and...
What a Dollar Would Buy from 1945 - 1960
September 9, 2016
Take a look at this year-by-year breakdown of what you could get for a dollar since 1945. Anyone who's approached a vending machine with a buck in their hand realizes that a dollar...
A Look at Some Bizarre Beauty Contests from the Past
August 26, 2016
MISS BOBBED HAIR In 1925, Coral Gables, Florida, held a contest for the most beautiful bobbed hair. Yes, that’s right. The contestants all had their hair cropped and ne...
The Demolition of the Most Beautiful Library in America
August 15, 2016
The old Public library of Cincinnati is the kind of place you only see in a Harry Potter movie -- huge cast-iron book alcoves, spiral staircases that went several s...
A Look Back at American Classic Motorcycles from 1950s ...
August 4, 2016
Here is an interesting collection of classic motorbikes that Americans used in the 1950s and 1960s. H/T Dan Larson
A Mouthwatering Look At What In-Flight Meals Used To Be...
August 1, 2016
Today, meals served up during a long-haul flight are admittedly not the same as they were before. You can now travel back in time to the golden age of flying whe...
Wonderful Vintage Color Photos of Streets of the U.S. i...
July 13, 2016
Let's go 65 years back and take a look at what the streets of America looked like on a regular day. &n...
25 Timeless Fashion Lessons from Audrey Hepburn Every W...
July 4, 2016
Audrey Hepburn is one of the 20th Century’s most heralded style icons, and for good reason! She had consistent, classic style throughout her life, sticking to sim...
Remember Your Favorite Toys From the 1950s?
June 27, 2016
Here, we put together a list of our 10 favorite toys from the 1950s. Take a look at them below, and let us know what you’re favorite toy was as a kid! No internet, no iPhones an...
These Photos Show the Changing Face of New York More Th...
June 26, 2016
These vintage images taken in the 1940s - 1950s by legendary crime photographer Arthur "Weegee" Fellig are shown alongside shots of the same places taken last yea...
What the City of Boston Looks Like 60 Years Ago
June 23, 2016
Boston is one of the oldest cities in the United States, it's also the capital and largest city of Massachusetts. Let's make a trip back to Boston in the 1950s. ...
10 Vintage Versions of Modern Technology
May 27, 2016
Sometime people comes up with ideas and inventions that are just way ahead of their time. Like these familiar but curious designs from the past that were actually early prototypes ...
32 Incredible Photos Of San Francisco In The 40s And 50...
May 19, 2016
Fred Lyon is a legendary San Francisco-based photographer known today for capturing the ethereal feel of the city. However, during the 1940s and 1950s, when Lyon ...
The Diaper Derbies of the 1950s: Where Babies Became Cr...
May 19, 2016
Between 1946 and 1955, the Diaper Derby was America’s most loved sports event. The race is a cutthroat competition among future triathletes as they bear crawl pas...
What Happened to the Incredible Flying Yachts of the 19...
April 29, 2016
They don’t call the 1950s the "Golden Age of Travel" for nothing. Found deep within LIFE magazine’s trove of incredible stories from the past is the story of the...
Google Earth Captured These 22 Images Of This Ghost Tow...
April 25, 2016
There’s something about abandoned places that oddly fascinates me. Perhaps it’s the story they tell, like the story of the now-abandoned city of East St. Louis, I...
Vintage Photos Show How Christmas Shopping In New York ...
December 7, 2015
1947: Christmas rush at Macy's in NYC 1929: Christmas shoppers fill the sidewalk at 42nd Street and Sixth Ave, NYC Ca. 1910 - 1915: Christmas shoppers in New Yo...
