Google Cultural Institute
Google Cultural Institute: Favorite Technologies of the 1950s
Photographic essay recalls some of the best technological advances of the 1950s in cooking, personal hygiene, radio, laundry, television, transportation, and more.
ClassFlow
Class Flow: Pictures of 1950's Culture
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart is an activity examining pictures of 1950's life and culture. Students are to examine different advertisements of the 1950's, movie posters and pictures. Students will record observations...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Us History: 1945 1980: Popular Culture and Mass Media in the 1950s
In the 1950s, financial prosperity allowed young Americans to participate in a shared culture of rock and roll music, movies, and television.
![Southwestern Academy: The 1950s: The Search for Consensus and Conformity [Pdf] Website](https://d15y2dacu3jp90.cloudfront.net/images/attachment_defaults/resource/large/FPO-knovation.png "Southwestern Academy: The 1950s: The Search for Consensus and Conformity [Pdf] Website")
Other
Southwestern Academy: The 1950s: The Search for Consensus and Conformity [Pdf]
A good review of the culture of the 1950s including a look at big business at the time, the affluent society, and the beginnings of youthful rebellion.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Us History: 1945 1980: The Great Society
A quick comprehension check over the "Great Society" of the 1950s.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Us History: 1945 1980: Women in the 1950s
Learn about the myths and realities of women's lives during the 1950s.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Open Course Ware: Understanding Television
A course from MIT on the cultural history of television. Includes readings, assignments, exams, and videos of lectures.
PBS
The Sixties: The Years That Shaped a Generation
Companion Web site to the PBS series. Provides an overview of the pivotal events, culture, and politics of the Sixties. Links to lesson plans and related material for a more in-depth study.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Land of Television
The advent of increased television programming helped create a national popular culture. Read about the many kinds of television programs offered in the 1950s.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Voices Against Conformity
The decade of the 1950s was kown for conformity. There was an undercurrent of rebellion, especially among younger Americans. Read about the Beat Generation, alternative literature, rebellion in art, and treatment of those who were not...
ClassFlow
Class Flow: 1950s vs. 1920s
[Free Registration/Login Required] This is an interactive Venn Diagram activity that allows students to compare and contrast the era of the 1950s with the era of the 1920s.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: America Rocks and Rolls
Read a brief history of rock and roll and its roots. See why this form of music shook the establishment and shattered the idea of conformity.
Duke University
Duke University Libraries: Digital Collections: Ad Views
A record of the times as well as of vintage brands, AdViews provides access to commercials created during the postwar period, 1950s through 1980s.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Us History: 1945 1980: The Dark Side of Suburbia
Some background information that sheds light on how suburbia wasn't paradise for everyone especially women and African Americans in the 1950s and 60s.
Art Cyclopedia
Artcyclopedia: Artists by Movement: Pop Art
A site with artists and links to the Pop Art movement of the 1950s and 60s. There are links to museums with great images.
Oklahoma State University
Chronicles of Oklahoma: Custer's Hunting Horse [Pdf]
A biographical sketch of a Kiowa Native American named "Hunting Horse" who lived from 1846 to the 1950's and for a time served with General George Custer as a scout. The article gives cultural details on the life of the Kiowa.
Other
Fifties Web: Burma Shave Slogans of the 50's
Burma-Shave information and slogans from the fifties.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Sti Lesson 20: The 1960s Through Music
By listening to and analyzing the lyrics of selected examples of popular music from the 1960s era, students will develop a greater understanding of the historical and political forces as well as the emotional climate of the decade. This...
Digital History
Digital History: The Youth Revolt
"Right on, man." Find what led to the nationwide rebellion of the Baby Boomer generation.
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: Consensus and Change
Brief illustration of the changes in U.S. domestic and foreign policy that occurred following WWII.
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: A Biography of America: The Fifties 1945 1960
World War II ends with the legacy of its final moment: the atomic bomb. After reading comprehensive background material, interactive feature lets you decide if President Truman was correct in his decision to drop atomic bombs on...
Other
Elvis Presley
The official site for Elvis Presley, from Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. Read a biography, an overview of his achievements, frequently asked questions, and what notable others have said of him. Good explanations of the roots of his...
Curated OER
Unesco: Israel: White City of Tel Aviv the Modern Movement
Tel Aviv was founded in 1909 and developed as a metropolitan city under the British Mandate in Palestine. The White City was constructed from the early 1930s until the 1950s, based on the urban plan by Sir Patrick Geddes, reflecting...