More Detailed Information on each Event and those not included can be found below
1950 Year In History including South Africa the Group Areas Act creates Apartheid, NATO Created, China invades Tibet, McCarthy Begins his Persecution of Communists, US Leads World in Korean War following North Korea invasion of South Korea, James Dean big break comes with Pepsi Commercial.
1950 was the start of the fast changes that would be seen in the next 2 decades , the great depression was becoming a faint memory and families were moving out to the suburbs, kids watched howdy doody on 12 inch black and white TV sets and spent Saturday afternoons watching cartoons at Cinema matinees , times were gentler with little violence and the consumer revolution was about to start in a big way, and the man of the household became the sole breadwinner. The median family income was $3,300 a year and milk was still delivered to the doorstep.
Yearly Inflation Rate USA 1.09%
Yearly Inflation Rate UK 1.09%
Average Cost of new house $8,450.00
Average wages per year - $3,210.00
Average House Price UK - 1,940 -
Average Cost of a new car - $1,510.00
Loaf of Bread - $249.95
Ball Point Pen - 25 cents
Samsonite Case - $25.00
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Clock Radio - $59.95
Baby Diapers ( Cotton ) - From $2.79
Children's Tricycle - From $14.00
Cost of a gallon of Gas 18 cents
The Korean War begins when North Korea invaded South Korea in June . The country had previously been divided after the end of World War II with the North becoming Communist and the South remaining Capitalist. After the initial division each side had indicated that they wanted to unify the country under their preferred ideology but only small attacks had been made. Full on civil war began after the North launched a full invasion and eventually captured the South's capital of Seoul. Not long after the war began, it became an international conflict when the United States and United Nations sent troops to help the South and China began helping the North. The war ended in 1953 when the two countries settled on maintaining the original division
American troops and North Korean forces fight each other for the first time in the Korean War during the Battle of Osan.
In July American troops and North Korean forces fought against each other for the first time in the Battle of Osan. The Korean War had only just begun in June when North Korea launched a full scale invasion of the South. Only a few U.S. troops had arrived in Korea by the time the Battle of Osan began, and they were considered largely unprepared to face the North Koreans. During the battle, the North Koreans quickly moved in on the U.S. forces and the Americans decided to withdraw from the fighting. Unfortunately, the withdrawal was uncoordinated and in the confusion the U.S. Troops suffered many casualties. The aftermath of the battle revealed that a combination of outdated equipment and a lack of organization would likely make it difficult for the Americans to win against the more well-prepared and organized North Korean forces.
In April , the NSC-68 report was completed and presented to U.S. President Harry Truman. The report contained recommendations on how to approach the Cold War with the Soviet Union and would influence U.S. Policy in regards to the Cold War for the next twenty years. Some of the main results of the report was the United States' aggressive military expansion and build up of nuclear weaponry, as well as enacting the policy of containment against Communist nations. The recommendations of NSC-68 became official U.S. policy in September after the outbreak of the Korean War. One of the long term effects of the report was the massive increase in military spending, with the budget nearly tripling soon after the policy change was enacted. The document was not officially declassified until 1975.
1. The Great Brinks Robbery takes place on January 17th.
2. The Brinks Armored Car Depot in Boston, Massachusetts was burglarized by a group of 11 men in a well-planned and coordinated robbery, masterminded by Anthony Pino.
3. The robbers used Halloween masks as disguises and completed the robbery in about 30 minutes and stole about $2.7 million.
4. The perpetrators were caught because one of the men involved in the crime, Joseph "Specs" O'Keefe, had been apprehended for another crime and threatened to cooperate with authorities.
5. The other members of the group tried to have O'Keefe assassinated but the attempt failed.
6. After the botched hit, O'Keefe decided to cooperate with the FBI and made a deal to testify against his accomplices.
7. Two of the burglars died before facing trial and the remaining eight burglars were sentenced to life in prison.
8. They were not caught until January of 1956, just before the statute of limitations for the robbery expired. Only some of the money was ever recovered.
More Information and Timeline for first credit cards.
1. The first independent credit card company is created by Frank McNamara in February .
2. The first cards were made with cardboard and the plastic versions did not appear until the 1960s.
3. The Diners Club credit card was the first multi-purpose charge card and within a year of beginning operations the company had over 40,000 members.
4. Soon after that businesses in other countries began to accept the Diners Club Card as a form of payment, making it the first international credit membership in 1953.
5. By the end of the decade, over one million people were members in 1959.
6. In 1981 Citicorp took over Diners Club and it continued to be a popular choice for businesses and travelers.
7. In 2008 it was taken over by Discover and in 2009 BMO Financial Group was given the right to issue Diners Club credit cards in North America.
James Dean gets his break when he appears in a Pepsi Commercial
First Peanuts Comic Strip appears in newspapers across the U.S. for the first time.
Cinderella
Samson and Delilah
Sunset Blvd
Father of The Bride
King Solomon's Mines
Annie Get Your Gun
Gary & Bing Crosby
Nat King Cole
Sammy Kaye
Andrews Sisters
The Lone Ranger
The Ed Sullivan Show
More Information for the Guam Act.
The Organic Act of Guam is signed into law by U.S. President Harry S. Truman during August . The act made the island an unincorporated territory of the United States and granted all Guam residents U.S. Citizenship. The act also gave a small amount of autonomy with the creation of legislative, judicial and executive branches of government and a bill of rights. Jurisdiction over the territory was also transferred to from the Untied States Navy to the United States Department of the Interior. The act marked the first time in over 300 years of colonialism that Guam would be given some form of self governance.
More Information and Timeline for Belgium King Referendum.
The citizens of Belgium vote in a referendum to decide whether or not to allow the exiled King Leopold III to return to the throne. The vote took place on March 12th and the result was that 57.68% of the Belgian voters were in favor of his return. King Leopold III had first come into power in 1934 and had given Belgium's unconditional surrender to Nazi Germany when they invaded in 1940, an unpopular and controversial decision. In 1944, Leopold III and his family were deported to Germany and then to Austria, only to be liberated by the Allies in May of 1945. After the March referendum, the king returned on July 22nd . In the next year King Leopold III renounced the throne in an effort to resolve issues over his controversial return. His son, Prince Baudouin, took over the crown after he left.
More Information for the Tollund Man.
In May Viggo and Emil Hojgaard found the mummified body of a 4th century man in a peat bog on the Jutland Peninsula in Denmark. After its discovery, the body was excavated and examined as if he had been a recent murder victim as he had been so well preserved that the men who discovered him called the police to report a crime. Similar ancient bodies had been found before in that region so the police decided to consult with a local museum. They determined that the body was pre-historic and had belonged to a man between the age of 30 and 40 who had died by hanging while being sacrificed to the Gods and buried in the peat bog by his village over 2,400 years ago.
More Information and Timeline for the India Constitution.
India's new constitution officially takes effect on January 26th when the new President Dr. Rajendrea Prasad took the oath of office. The original draft of the constitution was submitted during November of 1947 and was re-worked until it was finally approved by the Constituent Assembly in November of 1949. The new constitution declared that the country of India would be a sovereign socialist and democratic republic that would be organized as a federal union of territories and states, ruled under a parliamentary system. As the constitution of India took effect, the newly self-governing country became the most populous democracy in the world.
From Our 1950 Accessories Bags, Hats, Scarves and More Page
Head Hugging HelmetMore Information and Timeline for the Evacuation of Hungnam.
After the Chinese intervene in the Korean conflict on behalf of North Korea, United Nations and Republic of Korea troops are overrun and left with no land evacuation options during December . The UN and ROK forces decided to attempt a "reverse amphibious operation" to evacuate over 100,000 troops and hundreds of thousands of tons of supplies and vehicles. They did so by ferrying from the Port of Hungnam out to sea and back to Korean locations south of the 38th parallel. The plan faced complications as nearly 100,000 refugees showed up, asking for evacuation as well. The operation began on December 10th and it lasted until December 24th. They were miraculously successful in their efforts as the troops and most of the refugees were transported by ship to safety. The UN Troops also demolished the port and destroyed all of the left over supplies that could have been useful to the enemy as they left.
Earthquake and floods in Assam, India - 574 deaths, 5,000,000 believed homeless
President Harry Truman sends United States military personnel to Vietnam to aid French forces
President Harry S. Truman places America's railroads under the control of the U.S. Army
Two Long Island commuter trains collide in the Richmond Hills section of Queens killing 79 people
The British Labour party wins the 1950 general election
Petrol Rationing Ends in Great Britain after 11 years
>Uruguay wins World Cup in Brazil
Fangio wins the Monaco Grand Prix his first Grand Prix of a total of 24 Grand Prix victories
Albert Einstein warns that nuclear war could lead to mutual destruction
Volcanic cloud kills 5000 in Mount Lamington, New Guinea
Formation of the Warsaw Pact in answer to the wests NATO
12 nations agree to the creation of North Atlantic Treaty Organization NATO for the defense of the United States and Europe.
Chinese invasion of Tibet
The Eastern United States suffers 7 days of Blizzard Conditions and strong winds leaving more than 1 million homes without power.
Persecution of Communists is initiated by Senator McCarthy
US Defense Production Act starts wage and price controls.
President Truman approved U.S. construction of the hydrogen bomb
Great Brinks Robbery on January 17 in Boston
In South Africa, the Group Areas Act is passed formally segregating races
Violent storms and a tornado devastate southern England
Loyd Grossman
Born: September 16th Marblehead, MA
Tom Petty
Born: October 20th Gainesville, FL
Stevie Wonder
Died October 2nd 2017, Santa Monica, CA
Jay Leno
Born: April 28th, New Rochelle, NY
Princess Anne
Born: August 15, England, United Kingdom
Stevie Wonder
Born: May 13th, Saginaw, MI
Dr. Phil
Born: September 1st, Vinita, Oklahoma
Robbie Coltrane
Born: March 30th, Rutherglen, United Kingdom
Bill Murray
Born: September 21st, Evanston, IL
Narendra Modi
Born: September 17th, Vadnagar, India
Steve Wozniak
Born: August 11, San Jose, CA
From Our 1950 Fashions 1950 Ladies Dresses and Mens Clothes Page
Sport Coat and SlacksFirst TV remote control, Zenith Radio's Lazy Bones is marketed<
Diners Club Issues First Credit Cards
President Truman authorizes production of hydrogen bomb
8 million homes in the US now own Televisions
Credit Card USA by Ralph Schneider
Transistor USA by William Shockley ( Bell Telephone )
Australia - Prime Minister - Sir Robert Menzies
Brazil - President - Gaspar Dutra
Canada - Prime Minister - Louis St. Laurent
China - Chairman of the People's Republic of China - Mao Zedong
France - President - Vincent Auriol
Germany - Chancellor - Konrad Adenauer
India - Prime Minister - Jawahar Lal Nehru
Italy - Prime Minister - Alcide De Gasperi
Japan - Prime Minister - Shigeru Yoshida
Mexico - President - Miguel Aleman Valdes
Russia / Soviet Union
Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars - Joseph Stalin
South Africa - Prime Minister - Daniel Francois Malan
United States - President - Harry S. Truman
United Kingdom - Prime Minister - Clement Attlee