Technology In The 50's

The 1950s was the decade that defined America after the second world war. The 50s birthed many of mankind’s greatest technological feats that still shine through today. One of the biggest political and social battles also took place in the decade. As the 1950s is important, it is paramount to know what makes it one of the greatest times of our history.
Because of the wartime production boom of the 1940s, many scientific achievements and milestones were reached. Such advancements gave Americans a new range of convenient devices as well as new worries. During World War II, the U.S. monopolized nuclear weapons until 1949 when the U.S.S.R. developed their own devastating atomic weapons. As Nobel Prize- winning chemist Harold C. Urey put it, “There is only one thing worse than one nation having the atomic bomb; That’s two nations having it (Kagan 78).” However, to compete with Russia in the field of nuclear weapons, the U.S. created and detonated
Cars created in the 50s were of a different style. Manufactured by brands such as General Motors, Chrysler, Cadillac, they often had bright colors, chromed metal bumpers, and shiny hubcaps (Kagan 66-67). Cars seemed to dominate many activities in the decade. Drive-in theaters, Drive-in banks, and even Drive-in Laundromats sprang up around the country. With the advent of new technologies came new ideas and novelties (Kagan 72) In the view of the early and mid 50s, computer companies such as RCA, IBM, General Electric, and many more began advertising vacuum tube and magnetic disk computers to the public, mostly targeting business owners. While computers were useful for office work, the rental rates on these business computers varied from a few thousand, to well over ten thousand U.S. dollars (Early Popular Computers). New conveniences and concepts came out because of the advancement of