Portal:1950s

Topics Culture Geography Health History Mathematics Nature People Philosophy Religion Society Technology Template:/box-header The 1950s or The Fifties was a decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. By its end, the world had largely recovered from World War II and the Cold War developed from its modest beginning in the late 1940s to a hot competition between the United States and the Soviet Union by the beginning of the 1960s. Clashes between communism and capitalism dominated the decade, especially in the Northern Hemisphere. The conflicts included the Korean War in the beginnings of the decade and the beginning of the Space Race with the launch of Sputnik I. Along with increased testing of nuclear weapons (such as RDS-37 and Upshot-Knothole), this created a politically conservative climate. In the United States, the Red Scare (fear of communism) caused public Congressional hearings by both houses in Congress and anti-communism was the prevailing sentiment in the United States throughout the decade. The beginning of decolonization in Africa and Asia occurred in this decade and accelerated in the following decade, the 1960s. More about the 1950s... Template:/box-footer More anniversaries... Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer, musician, and actor. One of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century, he is often referred to as "the King of Rock and Roll", or simply, "the King". Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, Presley and his family moved to Memphis, Tennessee when he was 13 years old. His music career began there in 1954, when he started to work with Sam Phillips, the owner of Sun Records. Accompanied by guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, Presley was an early popularizer of rockabilly, an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country music and rhythm and blues. RCA Victor acquired his contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, who was to manage the singer for more than two decades. Presley's first RCA single, "Heartbreak Hotel", released in January 1956, was a number-one hit in the US. He became the leading figure of rock and roll after a series of network television appearances and chart-topping records. His energized interpretations of songs and sexually provocative performance style, combined with a singularly potent mix of influences across color lines that coincided with the dawn of the Civil Rights Movement, made him enormously popular—and controversial. Select [+] to view subcategories ▼ 1950s ► 1950 ► 1951 ► 1952 ► 1953 ► 1954 ► 1955 ► 1956 ► 1957 ► 1958 ► 1959 ► 1950s architecture ► 1950s births ► 1950s books ► 1950s comics ► 1950s deaths ► 1950s economic history ► 1950s fads and trends ► 1950s fashion ► 1950s racehorse births ► 1950s racehorse deaths ► 1950s in science ► 1950s in sports You are invited to participate in WikiProject Years, a WikiProject dedicated to developing and improving articles about years, decades, centuries, and millennia. Improve this portal Add all 1950s articles 1920s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s What are portals? List of portals Featured portals