The 50s have always been described as a conservative period socially, however, advancements in technology were about to change all that. During the 50s, television became the dominant media. While television had been invented many years previous, the 50s saw nearly every family buying a television set, and nearly everyone watching television for longer and longer periods of time. Television broadcasts became our number one source of news, information, and entertainment during the 50s. Live news broadcasts were now possible coast to coast, and this has changed our world forever.
- 1900 to 1909 1910 to 1919 1920 to 1929
- 1930 to 1939 1940 to 1949 1950 to 1959
- 1960 to 1969 1970 to 1979 1980 to 1989
- 1990 to 1999 2000 onwards
1950
- The first credit card (Diners) invented by Ralph Schneider.
1951
- Super glue invented.
- Power steering invented by Francis W. Davis.
- Charles Ginsburg invented the first video tape recorder (VTR).
1952
- Mr Potato Head patented.
- The first patent for bar code issued to inventors Joseph Woodland and Bernard Silver.
- The first diet soft drink sold.
- Edward Teller and team build the hydrogen bomb.
1953
- Radial tires invented.
- The first musical synthesizer invented by RCA.
- David Warren invented the black box - flight recorder.
- Transistor radio invented by Texas Instruments.
1954
- Oral contraceptives invented - the pill.
- The first nonstick teflon pan produced.
- The solar cell invented by Chaplin, Fuller and Pearson.
- Ray Kroc started McDonalds.
1955
- Tetracycline invented.
- Optic fiber invented.
1956
- The first computer hard disk used.
- The hovercraft invented by Christopher Cockerell.
- Bette Nesmith Graham invented "Mistake Out," later renamed Liquid Paper, to paint over mistakes made with a typewriter.
1957
- Fortran (computer language) invented.
1958
- The computer modem invented.
- Gordon Gould invents the laser.
- The Hula Hoop invented by Richard Knerr and Arthur "Spud" Melin.
- The integrated circuit invented by Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce.
1959
- The internal pacemaker invented by Wilson Greatbatch.
- Barbie Doll invented.
- Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce both invent the microchip.
