1950 1955 ►
1950
1950s Era
Act I
The World Stage
1950
2.5B
people on Earth when this year began
Today
8.2B
+5.7B more people since
🇺🇸
US President
Harry S. Truman
🇬🇧
UK Prime Minister
Clement Attlee
🇺🇳
UN Secretary-General
Trygve Lie
Defining Moments
Korean War begins
China enters Tibet
First organ transplant (kidney)
McCarthy era anti-communist hearings begin
Act II
Culture & Entertainment
#1 Movie
Cinderella
Oscar Best Picture: All About Eve
- 🎥 Cinderella
- 🎥 King Solomon's Mines
- 🎥 Annie Get Your Gun
Top TV Shows
- 📺 Texaco Star Theatre
- 📺 The Lone Ranger
- 📺 Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
Notable Books
- 📚 The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis
Act III
Technology & Science
First credit card (Diners Club)
Color TV broadcasting begins
Space
Early rocket testing at White Sands
Nobel Peace Prize
Ralph Bunche
Nobel Physics
Cecil Frank Powell
Act IV
Cost of Living
Gas / Gallon
$0.27
Today: $3.50
Milk / Gallon
$0.83
Today: $4.15
Movie Ticket
$0.46
Today: $11.75
Average Home
$7,354
Today: $420,000
New Car
$1,510
Today: $49,500
Postage Stamp
$0.03
Today: $0.73
Average Salary
$3,300 / year (min wage: $0.75/hr)
Act V
Sports Champions
World Series
New York Yankees
NBA Finals
Minneapolis Lakers
NFL Champion
Cleveland Browns
FIFA World Cup
Uruguay (1950 WC)
Act VI
Our Planet
CO₂ Levels
0
parts per million
Today: 422 ppm
Temperature Anomaly
-0.16°C
vs. pre-industrial average
Today: +1.45°C
Life Expectancy
68.2 years