1. Russo-Japanese War
   World War II
2. Vietnam War

World War II officially ended in 1945 but at the start of the ‘50s, its destruction was still evident in many places. By the end of the ‘50s, though, reconstruction was mostly complete.

1. a nuclear bomb test
   an artificial satellite
2. a manned moon mission

In October 1957, the Soviets launched Sputnik 1, the world’s first artificial satellite. Its success terrified Americans, who feared that their Communist foes were suddenly technologically superior.

1. Red Scare
   Space Race
2. Great Leap Forward

Sputnik 1 was a testament to the Soviets’ technological prowess, and it sent America into an uproar, sparking the Space Race, in which both sides raced to land the first men on the moon.

1. China
   USSR
2. Iran

After WWII, a standoff developed between the U.S. and Soviet Union. For decades, the Cold War flared up all around the world, at some points threatening world peace.

1. “baby boom"
   "atomic boom"
2. “car boom"

After WWII, soldiers returned home and grew their families — the "baby boom" was a major phenomenon all over the world during the 1950s, drastically changing demographics and economies.

1. Joseph Stalin
   Fidel Castro
2. Vladimir Putin

By 1959, Fidel Castro’s revolution finally grabbed hold of power in Cuba. It established a Communist government near America’s shores, becoming a thorn in the sides of the United States for decades to come.

1. Spanish-American War
   Spanish Civil War
2. Korean War

In 1950, North Korea, backed by Communist allies, invaded South Korea. The United Nations and United States rushed to the scene, and the conflict turned ugly in a hurry.

1. She defied public bus policies.
   She burned down a library.
2. She strangled a small child.

In 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white rider ... and the event predictably caused a kerfluffle. Parks eventually became an icon of the Civil Rights movement.

1. They started using trains instead.
   They boycotted the bus system.
2. They rioted.

To protest Parks’ arrest (and mistreatment of blacks in general), black citizens boycotted Montgomery’s bus system. For 13 months, the fight dragged on, but ultimately the bus companies were forced to capitulate or go under.

1. arms control
   segregation
2. gay rights

In the early 1950s, American courts took up Brown v. Board of Education, which argued against the legality of separate (segregated) schools for black and white students. The Supreme Court ultimately decided that schools must desegregate.

1. India
   Ghana
2. China

Communist China offered weapons and troops during the Korean War, in part to forward its Communist agenda. The war raged for three bloody years and ended in an uneasy truce.

1. Communist witch hunts
   moving to the suburbs
2. crack cocaine proliferation

After WWII, American suburbs boomed. "Levittowns" were large-scale suburban complexes that offered white picket fences and yards, major components of the "American Dream."

1. Communists
   witches
2. bloodstains

After WWII, the Cold War generated fears of Communists and the Soviet Union. During the "Red Scare," Americans basically conducted a witch hunt for Communists, often ruining the lives of decent people all over the country.

1. a dance for kids
   a revolution in footwear
2. a fancy type of food

In the ‘50s, "sock hops" became very popular. They were just informal dances for youth, where the kids often kicked off their shoes and got wild.

1. presidential term limits
   the sale of alcoholic beverages
2. election financing

In 1951, the 22nd Amendment took hold. It establishes a two-term limit for presidents. The country had just previously witnessed its first three-term president in Franklin D. Roosevelt.

1. Chihuahua hats
   Labrador pants
2. poodle skirt

In the ‘50s, women often donned wide skirts featuring images — and those images were often poodles. The "poodle skirt" was all the rage.

1. color TV
   compact disc
2. invisible dog fence

Color television was a major innovation starting in 1951. But it would be years before many people could afford them ... and before Hollywood really began making color programs.

1. George Strait
   Elvis Presley
2. Tennessee Williams

Elvis was a king of the ‘50s, and in ‘56 he had his first number one hit with "Heartbreak Hotel," which is still one of his trademark tunes.

1. They were the sole source of nutrition for some children.
   They were hubs of social interaction.
2. They featured heavy metal bands.

In the '40s and '50s, soda fountains served up frosty cold drinks to people all over the world. In America, espeically, these businesses were places for people to gather and share stories about their days.

1. Iraq
   France
2. Israel

In 1954, Algerian fighters decided that they wanted their independence from France. The Algerian War featured brutal guerrilla warfare and inhumane crackdowns by the French, and in the end, France was forced to give up its African colony.

1. Topeka
   Sydney
2. London

In 1952 combination of terrible pollution and stagnant winds caused the Great Smog in London. There may have been as many as 10,000 deaths from the tragedy.

1. They were Soviet conspirators.
   They wanted Puerto Rico’s independence.
2. They wanted nuclear bomb plans.

In 1950, two men burst into Truman’s living quarters intending to kill the president. Why? They wanted to strike a blow for Puerto Rico’s independence.

1. toddlers that weren’t potty-trained
   Communists
2. Canadians

During the Red Scare of the ‘50s, Americans wrung their hands about "subversives" (Communists) who might infiltrate and wreck the country’s way of life. So politicians stoked the mob mentality and won votes all across the land as they uprooted subversives and their ilk.

1. hip hop
   rock ‘n’ roll
2. ska

In the ‘50s, rock ‘n’ roll became a thing, a loud, raucous form of music that’s still evolving today.

1. Apple Computer
   Disneyland
2. Microsoft

In 1955, Disneyland opened its gaudy doors in Anaheim. Since then, the park has had more than 650 million visitors, but at this point who’s counting?

1. Antarctica
   DNA
2. cure for leprosy

In 1953, scientists discovered DNA, the double helix of genetic material that carries so much of a lifeform’s potential. DNA’s discovery opened many new doors in medical and scientific pursuits all over the world.

1. Alaska
   Iowa
2. North Dakota

The U.S. bought the area from the Russian Empire in 1867, and in 1959, Alaska finally became an official state. As of 2017, it has a population of less than 800,000 people.

1. gore
   snuff films
2. 3-D

In the 1950s, the red-and-blue glasses that were the hallmark of 3-D movies became a popular craze. 3-D movies helped to buoy an industry that was suffering from the effects of stay-at-home TV viewing.

1. Korean War
   election of Saddam Hussein
2. assassination of JFK

The stalemate of the Korean War resulted in a demilitarized zone ("DMZ") between North and South Korea. More than half a century later, the DMZ is still a place of danger and intrigue, although recent peace overtures are changing that.

1. tie dye
   conical bras
2. bellbottoms

In the ‘50s, conical bras — those torpedo-shaped undergarments of yore — were a hit with women all over America. Suddenly, it was cool to have oddly-shaped appendages.