In 1951, the United States made the Galvina, an experimental underwater sensor which could sense another sub 9 miles away.
In 1954, the first atomic powered sub was created.
In 1958, the Submarine Tunny launched a Regalus 1, which was a missile that could be fired from a sub across vast distances.
In 1958, Willy Higinbotham created the first video game with an old oscilloscope. It was like a tennis game viewed from the side.
In 1959, Barbie was invented by Ruth Handler and Mattel. Barbie was named after Ruth's daughter.
Jacques Cousteau invented a Diving Saucer, a very manueverable ship for two people: a submarine that could go 1,100 feet deep.
The integrated circuit is invented in 1958, allowing millions of transistors to be placed on a small chip, called a microprocessor.
The first stereo records hit the market in 1958.
I got this from http://sos.state.mi.us/history/museum/techstuf/fifties/50sday.html
Coonskin fur cap, with tail. The "Davy Crockett, Indian Fighter"
three-part series premiered on the Disneyland TV show on December 15, 1954.
Wiffle ball--first marketed in 1955
Mr. Potato Head--This game first appeared in 1952, but you had to supply your own
potato as the plastic one appeared later.
Gumby--Creator Art Clokey introduced the green, rubber posable toy on the Howdy
Doody Show in 1956.
Silly Putty, developed in 1946, Silly Putty was first sold as a toy in 1949. Kids
molded it and, also, used it to "pick up" images from color newsprint pictures
and cartoons.
Lego, a 1954 invention of Danish carpenter Ole Kirk Christiansen, he interlocking
building bricks became an international favorite.
Barbie Doll, introduced on March 1, 1959.
Frisbee--began with tossing of empty pie tins by college students in the 1940s;
the Wham-O company marketed them as "Flyin' Saucers" on the west coast in 1957
and, changing the name to Frisbee in 1959, started a nationwide craze
Hula Hoop, marketed by Wham-O in 1957, became a craze during the summer of 1958.
Scrabble, first marketed in 1948, became a hit in 1952 and has maintained its
popularity among board games.
Bunny Hop, a conga line "dance" from a hit record by band leader Ray
Anthony.
Rock 'n' Roll, emerged in 1954-55 with hits by singers including Chuck Berry,
Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis Presley.
Novelty songs, including David Seville's Witch Doctor and The Chipmunk
Song, The Purple People Eater by Sheb Wooley, and Willie and the Hand Jive
which spurred an unusual "dance" in 1958.
Paint-by-Number, A craze begun in 1950 when Detroit's Craft Master company
introduced kits that included paints and a drawing on a canvas with areas numbered for the
proper color.
Television shows, including The Howdy Doody Show (1947-1960), Hopalong
Cassidy (1949-1951), I Love Lucy (1951-1956), The Adventures of Ozzie and
Harriet (1952-1966), The Danny Thomas Show and Make Room for Daddy
(1953-57, 1957-1964), Michigan's The Soupy Sales Show ([1953, local, Detroit],
1955, 1959-1960), Disneyland (1954-1958), Captain Kangaroo (1955-1984), Father
Knows Best (1954-1962), The Honeymooners (1955-1956), Leave It to Beaver
(1957-1963), Our Miss Brooks (1952-1957), Gunsmoke (1955-1975), and Perry
Mason (1957-1966).
Fifties fashion fads included poodle skirts, cinch belts and crinolines, saddle
shoes and white bucks as fashion imitated what viewers saw on their televisions.
Michigan Week, begun in 1954, celebrates Michigan achievements and natural
attributes.
