1950s Trends - Glogster Project

The post-war economic boom dramatically affected multiple areas of culture and society.
Many Americans had more disposable income than ever before, which allowed them to
devote more time and money to enjoy leisure activities and the consumption of pop-culture.
This project will allow you to explore a trend of the 1950s and construct a visual display to
share with your classmates in an online “gallery” next week…

Topic Options:
#1 – Fashion
What were the popular fashion trends of the 1950s? Who were the fashion icons? Who were
the most popular designers? How did Americans see and hear about the latest fashion
trends? Where could they buy clothing?

#2 – Movies, Drive-Ins, and TV Shows

How much did it cost to go to the movies? How much did it cost to own a TV? When and why
did drive-ins become popular? When did the first color TVs emerge? What were the most
popular movies and television shows of the era? How could Americans watch these movies
and TV shows?

#3 – Sports and Popular Activities

What were the popular sports in the 1950s? Who were the popular sports celebrities? What
were they best known for? How could Americans enjoy watching or participating in those
sports?

#4 – TV Dinners, Fast Food, and Supermarkets

Why were TV dinners, fast food, and supermarkets popular during the 1950s? What were the
most popular forms of fast food? How much did a typical TV dinner cost and what was
included? How much did a typical meal from a fast food restaurant cost? What were the most
popular brands of TV dinners? What were the most popular restaurants? What 1950s
fast-food restaurants became franchises? What goods did the first supermarkets offer?

#5 – Consumerism and Advertising

How was advertising used in the 1950s? What types of items were most popular to advertise?
What were the biggest companies of the 1950s? Why was the advertising expanding in the
1950s? What strategies were used to convince people to spend their money on goods,
services, and leisure activities?
#6 – Suburbia, Housing, Household Appliances
Why did the number of suburbs increase in the 1950s? What was it like to live in the suburbs?
What types of household appliances were used in the 1950s? How was housing advertised?
How much did the average house in the suburbs cost?

#7 – Automobiles and the National Highway System

What were the most popular cars of the 1950s? What special features did they have? How
much did it cost? What were the most prosperous automobile companies of the era? Under
which president did the National Highway System emerge? What impact did the National
Highway System have on society?

#8 – Music and Dance

What were the most popular genres of music? What were the most popular songs of this
decade? What were the common themes of 1950s music? What were the most popular dances
and dance moves called? Where did people learn how to do these dances?

#9 – The Housewife and the Organization Man

What were the stereotypical expectations of the ideal 1950s man/woman, husband/wife,
father/mother?

#10 – Counterculture – The Beatniks

Who were the Beatniks? What did they do? What did they believe? How and where did they
live? Who were the most famous Beatniks and why?

#11 – “Spock Babies”

Who is Dr. Benjamin Spock? Why did he write a book about parenting? What was the name of
his child-rearing book? What were his most popular philosophies about child-rearing? How
many books did he sell in the 1950s? How many editions and copies of his book have been
sold over time?

#12 – The Polio Vaccine

What is polio? How many people had been affected by polio prior to the development of the
vaccine? Who is Dr. Jonas Salk? What conditions led him to discover the polio vaccine? What
impact did the vaccine have on society?

Ms. Zann’s Example – The G.I. Bill

What is the G.I. Bill? How was it supposed to help veterans as they returned home from war?
Who qualified for assistance under the G.I. Bill? How did it help to provide long-term
economic stability for families of veterans? How does the G.I. Bill help veterans and their
families today?