If a few words had to provide a picture of the fifties they might be . . . optimism and anxiety. High hopes, deep fears.  The future did look bright, except for that lingering doubt about nuclear destruction.  It was the time of the Cold War.  Backyard bomb shelters were no novelty (at least in the United States). The Space Age began.  Camelot played in the White House.  Suburban development began to change the face of North American cities and the nearby countryside.  Jackie Robinson brought great talent and a new colour to major league baseball but the march to equality outside the ballpark was slow and tortuous. Television began to exert its enormous influence on our lives. Then came rock 'n roll.  Elvis. Tailfins. In Canada, a buck was still a buck (not .68 cents American). It was quite a time.

The decade had a dark beginning. War. Floods. In the summer of 1950 the Korean War started as North Korea invaded the South. It would last until 1953. In Western Canada, thousands of Winnipeg residents were forced from their homes as the Red River overflowed its banks and flooded the Manitoba capital. The Cleveland Browns began a string of  seven straight Eastern Division NFL titles.  Philadelphia's Whiz Kids won the NL, their first pennant in 35 years. Spahn and Bickford and Sain and pray for rain.  Warren Spahn won 21, Johnny Sain 20 and Vern Bickford 19 for the Boston Braves.  Club Med was first established in Alcudia on the Spanish island of Majorca.

1951 was a remarkable year. At the end of winter, Toronto's Bill Barilko scored the winning goal in overtime as the Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup over Montreal.  It was Barilko's last game.  He was killed in a plane crash.  In the spring, Willie Mays first suited up for the New York Giants. He was 20. "The Giants win the pennant, the Giants win the pennant, the Giants win the pennant . . . ". Oh yes, in October, the Giants' Bobby Thomson belted a 9th inning homer off Brooklyn's Ralph Branca (who wore uniform number 13) and New York came back from 13 1/2 games out to win. In December, Joe DiMaggio announced his retirement. In between, some beginnings -- in the summer of '51, J.D. Salinger's novel, "The Catcher in the Rye," was first published; "I Love Lucy" premiered on CBS and proved to be a television mainstay for ten years; Beckett's "Waiting for Godot" was first produced in Paris; in England, Winston Churchill was back as Prime Minister; back-yard bomb shelters became a phenomenon across America. In one of Bill Veeck's most famous stunts he brought 3 foot 7 inch Eddie Gaedel to the plate for the St. Louis Browns. Three of Cleveland's superb starting four had at least 20 wins. Bob Feller with 22, Mike Garcia and Early Wynn with 20.  Bob Lemon had 17.

1952 had barely begun when bold headlines announced the death of Britain's King George VI. His daughter, Elizabeth II succeeded him. Minor leaguer Ron Necciai set the standard for strikeouts -- 27 Ks over 9 innings. Argentina's first lady, Eva Peron, died in Buenos Aires. She was just 33. Television came to Canada with the September debut of CBC TV. The first issue of Mad Magazine hit the newsstands. Dwight D. Eisenhower was elected American president. Ernest Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea" was published. John Steinbeck wrote "East of Eden". The first toy advertisement appeared on television. Viewers saw an ad for Mr. Potato Head. High rise architecture began with Le Corbusier's "towers in the sky" in Marseilles, France. The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Dr. Albert Schweitzer. The first Holiday Inn opened its doors in Memphis, Tennessee. In Australia Rupert Murdoch inherited two fledgling newspapers in Adelaide.  Maureen Connolly of the United States would win the first of three consecutive Women's singles titles at Wimbledon. In the World Series, the Dodgers again lost to the Yankees. 

Baseball's first big news in 1953 was the move of the Boston Braves to Milwaukee (and the construction of County Stadium). In Hollywood, the Academy Awards show was on television for the first time. The BIG news was in medicine. Dr. Jonas Salk announced the successful test of a vaccine against polio. Edmund Hillary and Tensing Norgay climbed Mount Everest. Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in Westminster Abbey. Fidel Castro began his campaign to oust Batista in Cuba. Castro's revolution would succeed six years later. James Baldwin published "Go Tell It on the Mountain". The James Bond series began with Ian Fleming's first Bond book, "Casino Royale". Raymond Chandler wrote "The Long Goodbye". Joseph Heller began writing "Catch-22". It was published eight years later. We were introduced to the "beat generation". Jack Kerouac wrote "The Subterraneans". The US got colour television. The shock on the magazine rack was the introduction of Playboy. Marilyn Monroe was the first cover girl (Monroe would marry Joe DiMaggio in 1954). The first American sports car hit the road -- the two-seater Corvette from General Motors. There was a major breakthrough in science as Watson and Crick discovered the structure of DNA. Nikita Khrushchev came to power in the Soviet Union. The best college football player choose the Canadian Football League. Billy Vessels, the winner of the Heisman Trophy, turned down an offer from Baltimore (apparently, $6,500) to sign with the Edmonton Eskimos. He was one of several number one draft choices to opt for the Canada.  Dodgers-Yankees in the World Series. Brooklyn didn't win.

Just two days before the 1954 season began, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Brown vs. The Board of Education of Topeka that it was illegal to have segregated schools. Rock 'n' Roll was just around the corner. But, the hit song in '54 was Sh-Boom by the Crew Cuts. Oh what a celebrity couple!  In January, 1954 Joe DiMaggio married Marilyn Monroe in San Francisco. The first mass inoculation against polio with the Salk vaccine began in Pittsburgh. The Viet Minh's assault on Dien Bien Phu in Saigon was the beginning of the end for the French in Southeast Asia, and a mark on the timeline of the Vietnam War. Canada got its first subway as the Yonge Street line opened in Toronto.  On April 23rd, 1954 Milwaukee beat St. Louis 7-5. A kid by the name of Hank Aaron hit his first major league homer. It was the year of the first sub four minute mile.  England's Roger Bannister ran the first in a (then) astonishing  3:59:4.  Australian John Landy beat the record a few weeks later. 3:57:9.  Bannister and Landy met in the Commonwealth Games in Vancouver in August, 1954.  Bannister won as both broke the four minute barrier.  In minor league baseball, Joe Bauman of the Roswell team in the Class C Longhorn League hit 72 homers, an all-time record for organized baseball.  Willie Mays of the New York Giants, won the NL batting title with a .345 average. The Giants met Cleveland (which had won a record 111 games) in the World Series.  It's a fall classic remembered for Mays' amazing catch of a Vic Wertz drive in the opening game of the series (left). Jean Beliveau made his National Hockey League debut with Montreal.  The St. Louis Browns went under. They became the Baltimore Orioles. In the summer of '54 in Cleveland, a killing, and subsequent claim of innocence by Dr. Sam Sheppard, inspired the TV series "The Fugitive".  In the middle of Lloydminster's first baseball season, Elvis Presley's first commercial recording session took place in Memphis. Presley's recorded "That's All Right (Mama)". The first issue of Sports Illustrated was August 16th, 1954. The Tonight Show made its debut on NBC. The first host was Steve Allen. Tolkien introduced a new mythological world in "The Lord of the Rings". The NBA had a new rule -- the 24-second clock. Martin Luther King became pastor at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama.  Fast food beginnings -- a pizza parlour in Sacramento, a Burger King in Miami.  Jackie Parker scooped up a fumble and ran 95 yards in the dying seconds of the Grey Cup to lead Edmonton Eskimos to the first of three straight titles. 

In 1955, Rock Around The Clock by Bill Haley was the theme music for Blackboard Jungle (a movie about juvenile delinquents) and Rock 'n' Roll was on the way.  March 17th, violence in Montreal as hockey fans protest the suspension of Quebec idol Rocket Richard. Emmett Till, just 14, was kidnapped and murdered in Mississippi. Apparently, he had "whistled at a white woman". He was black.  Finally, Dodger fans didn't have to wait 'til next year.  Brooklyn beat the Yankees for their first World Series title.  Disneyland opened in Anaheim. In late 1955, Rosa Parks, a black woman from Montgomery, Alabama, was arrested when she refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white rider.  A newspaper column by Ann Landers first appeared.  "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" by Tennessee Williams opened on Broadway. Ray Kroc acquired the McDonald's fast food restaurants. Disneyland opened in Los Angeles. Actor James Dean died in a car crash in California. Albert Einstein died. In December, Martin Luther King organized a bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama and began a civil rights movement to end segregation. "Guinness Book of World Records" was first published. On television, Captain Kangaroo with Bob Keeshan began its run on CBS. It would last for nearly forty years. "Gunsmoke" was another new series on the small screen. The celebrated Canadian pianist, Glenn Gould, recorded the "Goldberg Variations" by Bach. The T-Bird hit the road. It was Ford's answer to GM's Corvette.  Mickey Mantle won the AL home run title with 37.  Willie Mays took the NL crown with 51.  

"My Fair Lady" (Lerner and Loewe) opened on Broadway in 1956. The soaps began to take hold as "As the World Turns" and "The Edge of Night" premiered on CBS. Elvis had his first gold record, "Heartbreak Hotel" and made an appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show." In July, Elvis appeared on the Steve Allen Show to sign "Hound Dog", accompanied by a basset hound. Don Larsen pitched the only perfect game in a World Series as the New York Yankees beat the Brooklyn Dodgers, 2-0. Russian troops and tanks attacked Budapest and crushed the Hungarian revolution. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down laws allowing racial segregation on public buses.  William Whyte published "The Organization Man". Heavyweight boxing champion, Rocky Marciano retired, undefeated. Proctor & Gamble introduced Crest toothpaste. The Fortran computer language was developed. The computer mouse was invented. Jerome Lemelson applied for a patent for his "machine vision device", now known as a bar code scanner. Cornelius McGillicuddy (aka Connie Mack) died. A.A. Milne, the author of Winnie the Pooh, died. Lawrence Durrell wrote his "Alexandria Quartet." The Montreal Canadiens began a string of five straight Stanley Cup titles (Rocket Richard & Jean Beliveau, right).  A Porche 1600 c.c. Coupe was advertised for $3,700 FOB New York. The Boston Celtics got Bill Russell in the NBA draft. 24-year-old Mickey Mantle belted 52 homers and captured the Triple Crown and MVP Award.

A "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On " (Jerry Lee Lewis) in 1957.  Fans saw the final games at Ebbets Field and the Polo Grounds. The National League approved the move of the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants baseball teams to Los Angeles and San Francisco. Harry Belafonte recorded "The Banana Boat Song."  Dick Clark's "American Bandstand" made its network debut on ABC. The Governor of Arkansas, Orval Faubus, used the National Guard to prevent nine black students from entering Central High School in Little Rock. President Eisenhower responded with Federal troops to press integration.  Canadian Prime Minister Lester Pearson was awarded the Nobel peace Prize. The Soviet Union stunned the world with the launch of Sputnik 1. It was the beginning of the Space Age. The event was timed to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Bolshevik revolution. Paul Anka, of Ottawa, wrote and sang Diana. It was the first year of the Frisbee.  "Perry Mason," starring Raymond Burr, and "Leave It to Beaver" premiered on CBS. Vance Packard  wrote "Hidden Persuaders and Ayn Rand wrote her novel "Atlas Shrugged."  Sam Cooke made a hit with "You Send Me" as did Buddy Knox with "Party Doll."  Frank Sinatra sang "All the Way." AT&T introduced its Touchtone phones. The birth control pill developed in 1951 was approved in the US for treating menstrual problems. Actor Humphrey Bogart died of cancer. In Mao's China, more chaos. It began with life under the slogan "Let a hundred flowers bloom, and a hundred schools of thought contend.." It ended with tens of thousands of intellectuals jailed or sent to the countryside to do manual labor.  Miles Davis and Gill Evans collaborated to produce several masterpieces, including  "Porgy and Bess," and "Sketches of Spain."  In June, 1957 John Diefenbaker of the Progressive Conservative Party won a slim minority in Canada's federal election.   Nine months later, Diefenbaker would call another vote and win the largest majority in Canadian history taking 208 of the 265 seats. 38-year-old Ted Williams hit .388 to capture the AL batting title. He was the oldest player to do so.  Milwaukee's Lew Burdette tossed three complete games, won them all as the Braves beat the Yankees in the World Series. 

In 1958, Elvis' music career took a back seat to the Army. He was inducted in Memphis. Canada's era of supersonic flight began with the maiden flight of the Avro CF-105 Arrow. The project was scrapped before the plan could be put into production. Arnold Palmer won his first Masters golf tournament. Stan Musial got hit number 3000. Charles de Gaulle became premier of France. Alaska became the 49th American state (with Hawaii to follow as the 50th). The first trans-Atlantic passenger jetliner service between London and New York was begun by BOAC. Remember the Kingston Trio?  Remember the "Ballad of Tom Dooley."?  Smaller cars entered the North American market courtesy of Toyota and Datsun. It was the first time kids could play with Lego those plastic building bricks. AT&T Bell Labs scientists invented the laser. And, the integrated circuit, or silicon chip came from Robert Noyce and Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments. Jerry Lee Lewis, was hot with Great Balls of Fire.  The Cleveland Browns got Jimmy Brown who went on to  lead the league in scoring and rushing.  

January 1st, 1959, Fidel Castro marched into Havana to mark the success of the Cuban Revolution.  The Barbie Doll was introduced.  February 3rd, 1959, The Day Music Died -- Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper killed in a plane crash. NASA announced the selection of America's first seven astronauts for the US first orbital flight in 1962 . President Eisenhower joined Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in ceremonies officially opening the St. Lawrence Seaway. NBC launched "Bonanza," the first color western on TV. Paul Anka had a hit with "Put Your head on My Shoulders." The Newport Folk Festival began. 18-year-old Joan Baez sang at the festival and launched her career as a professional singer. Americans bought 100 million Hula Hoops. Pantyhose first came out. Frank Lloyd Wright died at age 92. Robert Stack starred as Eliot Ness in the TV series "The Untouchables."   Boston Celtics began a run of eight consecutive NBA titles. Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain faced off for the first time. The Richardsons of Regina won their first of four world curling titles.  They would repeat in 1960, 1962 and 1963. 

On the second day of 1960, Senator John F. Kennedy tossed his hat into the ring for the Democratic presidential nomination (he would defeat Richard Nixon for the presidency).  "Camelot" opened on Broadway.  It was the year of the Miracle On Ice -- the Americans stunning gold medal victory in the Olympic hockey championships in Squaw Valley. The big hits on TV (not in Lloydminster, but where they had TV) -- The Ed Sullivan Show, Bonanza, I Love Lucy.  The lunch counter sit-ins began in the American South. In Switzerland, women finally got the right to vote in municipal elections.  In Sharpeville, South Africa, a police massacre left 69 blacks dead. Baseball uniforms now sported player's names.  The CIA in the US began a plot to invade Cuba. It resulted in the Bay of Pigs disaster. American pilot Gary Powers, in a U-2 spy plane, was shot down over Russia.  Adolf Eichmann was captured by Israeli soldiers in Buenos Aires. The Nazi war criminal was convicted and hung.  "Save the Last Dance For Me" was recorded by The . In the Summer Olympics in Rome, Wilma won three gold medals for the US.  The marriage of television and politics occurred with the presidential debates between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon.  Mohammad Ali (then known as Cassius Clay) was refused service at a restaurant in Louisville and promptly threw his Olympic gold medal for boxing into the Ohio River.  Dallas has a football team.  The Cowboys finish the season with no wins. 

JFK took the oath of office in January, 1961..  "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." Russia's Yuri Gagarin became the first spaceman. He made one orbit of the Earth before setting down safely (less than a month later, Astronaut Alan Shepard became the first American in space).  The US launched the infamous Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba.  It was a disaster.  The "Freedom Riders", a group of civil rights activists left Washington, D.C. for New Orleans to challenge racial segregation on buses (their own bus would be bombed and burned, activists attacked and beaten).  President Kennedy announced his goal of a man on the moon by the end of the decade. Ernest Hemingway committed suicide. The erection of the Berlin Wall began. Roger Maris hit his 61st homer to beat the Babe's home run record. Dave Brubeck recorded "Take Five." "Surfin" was a moderately successful hit for a new group on the music scene, The Beach Boys . Patsy Cline recorded the Willie Nelson song "Crazy." The Tokens had a hit with "The Lion Sleeps Tonight."  The Twist, from Chubby Checker, was a mega hit.

In February, 1962  John Glenn became the first American to orbit the earth. Wilt Chamberlain forced the NBA to re-write the record book as he scored 100 points as the Philadelphia Warriors beat the New York Knicks 169-147. Transitions -- Jack Paar gave way to Johnny Carson on NBC's "Tonight" and Walter Cronkite took over as anchor of the "The CBS Evening News." Jackie Robinson became the first African American to be inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame. Marilyn Monroe's death was ruled a "probable suicide". The Beatles put their first single on vinyl for EMI --   "Love Me Do" and "P.S. I Love You".  With thousands of Federal troops at the ready, black student James Meredith registered for classes at the University of Mississippi. James Watson, Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins won the Nobel Prize for their work on DNA.  Artist Andy Warhol gained notoriety with his "Soup Can" series.  Rachel Carson published "Silent Spring" awakening people to the dangers of pesticides.  Tony Bennett sang what became his musical signature "I left My Heart in San Francisco."  Bob Dylan released his first album and Mick Jagger and Keith Richards formed The Rolling Stones. The drug thalidomide crippled thousands of babies. 

A few days into 1963 George Wallace was sworn in as governor of Alabama with a pledge of "segregation forever."  Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King began the first non-violent campaign in Birmingham, Alabama (police used dogs and cattle prods on civil rights demonstrators).  Medgar Evers, of the NAACP in Mississippi, was shot and killed by the KKK in front of his home in Jackson.  The Post Office in the US began using five-digit zip codes. Britain had its "Great Train Robbery" as thieves held up the Glasgow to London Royal Mail and took off with what today would be about 60-70-million dollars. The civil rights March on Washington drew about 250,000 demonstrators.  It was the scene of  King's "I Have a Dream" speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial. John F. Kennedy was assassinated In Dallas, Texas. Police arrested Lee Harvey Oswald as the suspected assassin.  Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as the 36th President of the United States.