1955 Oscars 27th Academy AwardsWinners Announced: March 30, 1955Venues: RKO Pantages Theatre, Hollywood, California and NBC Century Theatre, New York City, New YorkHosts: Bob Hope (Hollywood) and Thelma Ritter (New York City)Eligibility Year: 1954Major Wins:On the Waterfront clinched the Best Picture Award.Marlon Brando won Best Actor for his unforgettable role in On the Waterfront.Grace Kelly […]
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1954 Billboard Number One Hits: Pre-Hot 100 Chart-ToppersThe 1954 Billboard Number One Hits list captures American pop just before rock and roll fully broke into the mainstream. Traditional pop singers, vocal groups, movie songs, Broadway-connected ballads, novelty-leaning records, and early R&B crossover sounds all shared the top of Billboard’s pre-Hot 100 charts. Tony Bennett opened
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1954 History, Facts, and TriviaQuick Facts from 1954World-Changing Event: The Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Brown v. Board of Education on May 17, 1954, that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional — overturning Plessy v. Ferguson after 58 years and setting the legal foundation for the civil rights movementOther World-Changing Event: RCA put the
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1954 Music Hits: Doo-Wop, R&B, Mambo, Crooners, Movie Songs, and the Doorway to Rock and Roll 1954 music hits caught American pop right before the rock era fully kicked the door open. The year still belonged partly to crooners, vocal groups, movie themes, and polished radio pop, but the sound of change was already loud
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Tales from my Childhood As a poor kid in Detroit, there were several ways to earn a little pocket change. If you had a bicycle, you could try to get a paper route. Another was to shine shoes. My local barber shop had a chair set up where you could shine the shoes of the
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1954 Oscars 26th Academy AwardsWinners Announced: March 25, 1954Venues: RKO Pantages Theatre, Hollywood, California and NBC Century Theatre, New York City, New YorkHosts: Donald O’Connor (Los Angeles) and Fredric March (New York City)Eligibility Year: 1953Major Wins:From Here to Eternity reigned supreme, taking home the Best Picture award.William Holden secured the Best Actor trophy for his
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1953 Billboard Number One Hits: Pre-Hot 100 Chart-ToppersThe 1953 Billboard Number One Hits list captures American pop before rock and roll took over the conversation. Traditional pop singers, novelty records, movie themes, sentimental ballads, vocal groups, comedy records, and early studio-era stars all shared the top of Billboard’s pre-Hot 100 charts. Jimmy Boyd opened the
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1953 History, Facts, and TriviaQuick Facts from 1953World-Changing Event: James Watson and Francis Crick published the double helix structure of DNA on April 25, 1953, in Nature — one of the most significant scientific discoveries in human history, explaining for the first time the molecular mechanism of heredity and the basis of all living thingsOther
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1953 Popular Music: Crooners, Movie Songs, R&B, Country Heartbreak, Novelty Records, and Early Rock Signals In 1953, popular music still lived mostly in the world of crooners, orchestras, vocal groups, movie themes, Broadway songs, and radio-friendly pop. This was the era of Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Eddie Fisher, Patti Page, Frankie Laine, Kay
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Growing up in a poor neighborhood in Detroit in the early fifties, our neighborhood gang was composed of Black kids as well as the kids of European immigrants and there was even the girl next door that hung out with us for a while. We did fun things like exploring empty lots, laying in the
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While my mom and I were poor and lived in a poor area of Detroit, we enjoyed life by making do with bare necessities. In Detroit in the 1950s, you were not alone. Neighbors shared whatever they could and contributed to the well being of their neighbors. As kids, we learned to make stuff out
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1953 Oscars 25th Academy AwardsWinners Announced: March 19, 1953Venue: RKO Pantages Theatre, Hollywood, California and NBC International Theatre, New York City, New YorkHosts: Conrad Nagel (emcee), Bob Hope (Hollywood), Fredric March (New York City)Eligibility Year: Films released in 1952Major Wins:The Greatest Show on Earth won Best Picture, a controversial pick still debated by film buffs.Gary
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1952 Billboard Number One Hits: Pre-Hot 100 Chart-ToppersThe 1952 Billboard Number One Hits list captures American pop before rock and roll, before the Hot 100, and before youth culture became the main engine of the singles chart. Traditional pop singers, orchestral instrumentals, sentimental ballads, British vocal pop, comedy records, and holiday songs all reached the
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1952 Trivia, Fun Facts, and Pop Culture HistoryIn 1952, the United States detonated the first hydrogen bomb at Enewetak Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, destroying an entire island and demonstrating a weapon of a magnitude that made atomic bombs seem small. I Love Lucy was the most-watched show on television. Eisenhower was elected president. Queen
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1952 Popular Music: Crooners, Movie Musicals, Country Crossovers, R&B, Novelty Songs, and Early Rock Sparks 1952 popular music still belonged largely to crooners, orchestras, movie themes, country-pop ballads, and sentimental radio hits, but the future was already sneaking in through rhythm and blues, jump blues, and early rock and roll. This was the year of
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1952 Oscars 24th Academy AwardsWinners Announced: March 20, 1952Venue: RKO Pantages Theatre, Hollywood, CaliforniaHost: Danny KayeEligibility Year: Films released in 1951Major Wins:Best Picture was swept by An American in Paris, shocking some as A Streetcar Named Desire was a strong contender.Humphrey Bogart grabbed the Best Actor award for The African Queen.Vivien Leigh took home Best
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1951 Billboard Number One Hits: Pre-Hot 100 Chart-ToppersThe 1951 Billboard Number One Hits list captures American pop before rock and roll, before the Hot 100, and before youth culture became the main driver of the singles chart. Traditional pop singers, movie-star voices, country crossover songs, studio innovators, and emotional ballads all reached the top of
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1951 Trivia, Fun Facts, and Pop Culture HistoryIn 1951, I Love Lucy premiered on October 15 and was immediately the third most-watched show on television. Ike Turner recorded Rocket 88 in March, which many music historians consider the first rock-and-roll record. A Streetcar Named Desire reached movie screens. The Catcher in the Rye was published.
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1951 Popular Music: Crooners, Pop Standards, R&B, Country Crossovers, Novelty Records, and Pre-Rock Sparks 1951 popular music still sat firmly in the early-1950s world of crooners, orchestras, vocal groups, movie songs, country crossovers, and radio-ready ballads. This was the year of Nat King Cole’s Unforgettable and Too Young, Mario Lanza’s Be My Love, Tony Bennett’s
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1951 Oscars 23rd Academy AwardsWinners Announced: March 29, 1951Venue: RKO Pantages Theatre, Hollywood, CaliforniaHost: Fred AstaireEligibility Year: Films released in 1950Major Wins:All About Eve triumphed with the Best Picture award.José Ferrer nabbed Best Actor for his role in Cyrano de Bergerac.Judy Holliday surprised many by winning Best Actress for her performance in Born Yesterday.Directing &
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1950 Billboard Number One Hits: Pre-Hot 100 Chart-ToppersThe 1950 Billboard Number One Hits list captures American pop at the start of the 1950s, years before rock and roll and the official Hot 100 era. Traditional pop singers, country crossover records, novelty songs, movie themes, folk revival, instrumentals, and vocal groups all reached the top of
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1950 Trivia, Fun Facts, and Pop Culture HistoryQuick Facts from 1950World Changing Event: The Korean War began on June 25, 1950, when North Korean forces crossed the 38th parallel. It drew in American troops within days, Chinese forces by October, and eventually cost over 36,000 American lives. It ended in a stalemate in 1953. It
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Pop Culture Headlines: 1950 Top Events in January 1950 Pop Culture History 1. The Great Brink’s Robbery (January 17, 1950): A gang of masked thieves stole more than $2.7 million in cash and securities from the Brink’s armored car company headquarters in Boston, at the time the largest robbery in American history and a heist
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1950 Popular Music: Crooners, Movie Themes, Novelty Hits, Country Crossovers, R&B, and the Sound Before Rock Took Over 1950 popular music sat right at the edge of a major cultural shift. The mainstream still belonged to crooners, vocal groups, orchestras, movie themes, Broadway songs, and novelty records, but rhythm and blues, country, jump blues, mambo,
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Dangerous Toys: The Atomic Energy Lab The Atomic Energy Lab was released by the A.C. Gilbert Company in 1950. The kit’s intention was to allow children to create and watch nuclear and chemical reactions using radioactive material. The lab contained a cloud chamber that allowed the viewer to watch alpha particles traveling at 12,000 miles
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1950 Oscars 22nd Academy AwardsWinners Announced: March 23, 1950Held at: RKO Pantages Theatre, Hollywood, CaliforniaHost: Paul DouglasEligibility Year: 1949Winners Announced: March 23, 1950Venue: RKO Pantages Theatre, Hollywood, CaliforniaHost: Paul DouglasEligibility Year: Films released in 1949Major Wins:All the King’s Men scooped up Best Picture.Best Actor went to Broderick Crawford for his performance in All the King’s
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Road Films With Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and Dorothy LamourThe Road to Singapore (1940)US Release Date: March 14, 1940Starring: Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour\Plot: Best friends Josh (Bing Crosby) and Ace (Bob Hope) flee their impending marriages and sail to the exotic port of Singapore. There, they meet Mima (Dorothy Lamour), a captivating dancer,
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I am an American. I’ve been called Colored, Negro, Black, African American, high yellow, and even uncle Tom by some. I’ve also been called bubblehead, Super Fly, senior chief by others. But first and foremost I am an American. I will always be an American even though America isn’t a perfect country. I once swore
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