What do you remember "PERSONALLY" about your life in America in 1950's ??

[kenv1950]

For me also. The 50's by a huge margin the best. The 60's "SUPER SUCKED" for me. The 70's would be my second-best decade.

same here on the 60's Thats when I had my first wife and that didn't end well but the music was great

 

[viking]

You forgot the pic.

Looking back to those years, I'd have to say that he was one of the better presidents. I was born in 1942 so I saw the beginnings of early television and radio shows changing over to TV. I remember going through the blizzard of 49' and 50' and the wild earthquake I went through on the playground when I was in the third grade, I was very confused to see waves on solid ground and trees wagging like a dogs tail. I also remember that the time just after WW II was pretty good.

 

[FarmOR]

Dad was born in 44. Hates computers, so I can speak for him. Kinda.

Just the other day he was reminiscing about speeding in his 59 Buick. Must've been early 60's, oops? Anyway, doing 100mph between east Idaho towns (as was common then) and he came across a car in the ditch with the headlights on. He slowed his approach and recognized it was a cop car. So he stopped.

"Are you okay? Do you need any help?"

It was the county sherriff. "Drunker than shat!" He staggered out and waved him on. "Go on. I'm okay. Keep going!" Slurred speech and all..

Time passed on and dad was speeding through town this time. He passed a parked cop before he realized it. Sure enough turned the bubble gum lights on and came after him. Dad thought his Buick was uncatchable. "I'll just outrun that SOB!". But he couldn't! He eventually gave up and pulled over. It was the same sheriff!

" Son! You damned well better slow down! Cause you might hurt someone! "

"Yessir."

And he let dad go. "Maybe he remembered me from that time he was in the ditch?"

 

[Amish Heart]

Food stamps and rations....I've researched the area that I currently live in for what was going on during that time. My grandparent's farm was just down the road from where I now live. They were both born in 1900, and they had a very productive farm. Survived the area with the Spanish flu. Alot of people here that were drafted during WW2 would not fight, for religious reasons, so they were put in hospitals to work and at the military base that was built right outside our town. The military took over a big chunk of my grandparent's acreage to lay train track. The big thing around here was to trade ration stamps with the bigger townies for sugar ration stamps. Sugar was needed for canning. No one needed meat, dairy, fruit, egg, or veg. So I stock alot of sugar. Sugar substitutes were grown here, but nothing beat sugar. The people did ok. But there were lots of gypsies that would come around...one would keep you busy at the door, the others were taking chickens. And the orphan trains would come through, and families would take a child or two to help with the farmwork. My grandparents had a couple.

 

[SoJer]

All I remember from the 1950s was 'little white tadpoles' everywhere all around me..

jk, Wasn't even a 'recipe' till prolly ~ June-July '67

jd

 

[Bacpacker]

I'm another 1960 vintage kid
Good thread

 

[BBLife]

I lived a duel life back then. Was waiting and waiting for my mom and dad to meet and put me together.

 

[BBLife]

Dad was born in 44. Hates computers, so I can speak for him. Kinda.

Just the other day he was reminiscing about speeding in his 59 Buick. Must've been early 60's, oops? Anyway, doing 100mph between east Idaho towns (as was common then) and he came across a car in the ditch with the headlights on. He slowed his approach and recognized it was a cop car. So he stopped.

"Are you okay? Do you need any help?"

It was the county sherriff. "Drunker than shat!" He staggered out and waved him on. "Go on. I'm okay. Keep going!" Slurred speech and all..

Time passed on and dad was speeding through town this time. He passed a parked cop before he realized it. Sure enough turned the bubble gum lights on and came after him. Dad thought his Buick was uncatchable. "I'll just outrun that SOB!". But he couldn't! He eventually gave up and pulled over. It was the same sheriff!

" Son! You damned well better slow down! Cause you might hurt someone! "

"Yessir."

And he let dad go. "Maybe he remembered me from that time he was in the ditch?"

Ha! I've been lucky to not get a ticket a few times.

1 - Was speeding on the way back from the airport and was still very close. Cop pulls me over "Alright speedy, you were flying when you passed me, let's see your pilots license". I grabbed my wallet and pulled out my pilots license and handed it to him. He laughed and said "Ok. You got me to laugh so you can go this time".
2 - Had 2 beers in me and just a couple weeks from going into the NAVY. Was going a little fast and cop flashed his lights at me. I freaked and tried to outrun and hide from him in my honda civic hatchback and decide I'm an idiot and pull over into a parking lot and sit and wait for him. He has about 4 other cops arrive at the scene. I said "Going to serve the country in 2 weeks and saw the lights and knew it was going to mess up my enlistment". They all talked and came to me and told me "Thanks for your future service. Go home and stay out of trouble!"
3 - Was pulled over just 2 weeks ago by small town cop going 18 MPH over. I was SURE I was going to get a ticket but was polite and friendly, told the truth that I missed seeing the speed limit when it reduced. He was in his car at least 10 minutes and walked up "Slow it down when driving through this town" and let me go. I was shocked. The wife was laughing when she thought I was getting a ticket but I got the laugh when he let me go.
Had a few other "warnings" over the years but always was let go.

 

[Swing]

1959 - getting a new Barbie as she was the new girl toy. My brother was getting a peddle car for his Birthday.

 

[LadyLocust]

My primary interest (among everything 50's) is Food stamps, foods impossible to find even with required stamps. Rationing of many things other than food, tires. innertubes, fuel, etc.. And other lingering effects of WW-II well into the late 50's.

SD maybe check out the 1940’s diaries posted on gdonna.com. It’s a blog and she and her husband have done living studies and share the journals they’ve collected for the given era.

 

[Sourdough]

SD maybe check out the 1940’s diaries posted on gdonna.com. It’s a blog and she and her husband have done living studies and share the journals they’ve collected for the given era.

A large part of what I was hoping to learn is how it was different in different parts of the country in that period. I was on dairy farms in po'dunk, South-South-Central Pennsylvania.

 

[LadyLocust]

A large part of what I was hoping to learn is how it was different in different parts of the country in that period. I was on dairy farms in po'dunk, South-South-Central Pennsylvania.

Another example of I shouldn’t post in the evenings. The journals are from the 40’s. The couple is in Alabama I believe and she speaks of how it was for her family, but the journals they share are from up north somewhere. They have collected old journals to help them learn, like you about how it was in different places. One of the main differences was urban places had electricity and ability to use appliances and many rural places did not.

 

[FarmOR]

Another example of I shouldn’t post in the evenings. The journals are from the 40’s. The couple is in Alabama I believe and she speaks of how it was for her family, but the journals they share are from up north somewhere. They have collected old journals to help them learn, like you about how it was in different places. One of the main differences was urban places had electricity and ability to use appliances and many rural places did not.

And the significance of that statement is why smaller more local control is so much better than remote and large centralized control?

Sorry for the political stance, but so many people are ignorant of the vast differences between democracy and a republic?

The small remote mill town that I grew up in was behind the times. And mostly that was a positive thing.

 

[Sourdough]

One of the main differences was urban places had electricity and ability to use appliances and many rural places did not.

Not only no electricity, but also phone. I was 8 or 9 when we got a phone. And there were seven parties on the phone line. It sucked because the phone was always ringing with other people's ring combination.

 

[Haertig]

I was very young in the 50's and only remember personal experiences that affected me deeply, for the rest of my life, not events related to the rest of the world.

One vivid memory is when I put my head through the metal railing of the handrails on our front steps. Ears went in one direction, wouldn't come out the other. Fire department to the rescue.

Another was when I helped out the family by washing the windows from outside with a hose. Except the living room window was open, and I ended up washing the piano inside. I think I came close to becoming an emancipated minor for that one.

 

[Caribou]

Not only no electricity, but also phone. I was 8 or 9 when we got a phone. And there were seven parties on the phone line. It sucked because the phone was always ringing with other people's ring combination.

We got our first private line in 1960. It was a battle with the phone company but my father won out because he was a judge and conducted court business on the home phone. He got calls 24/7 and if he got a call to set bail or issue a search warrant he couldn't have anyone listening in.

 

[Haertig]

Oh wait! I now recall a positive memory.

When the Charles Chips man would deliver that nice yellow and brown can of potato chips to our door!

 

[Caribou]

Oh wait! I now recall a positive memory.

When the Charles Chips man would deliver that nice yellow and brown can of potato chips to our door!

For me it was the ice cream truck with its song slowly driving through the neighborhood. My cousin lived on a navy base in the desert and they didn't have the ice cream trucks. When he visited I'd hear the jingle first and then I'd focus on him. I really got a kick watching him when he picked up on the truck and realized what it was.

Ked's, Levi's purchased too long so you could roll up the cuffs, and enough Brylcreem in my hair to grease the axels of a farm wagon.

A one world government was a wild conspiracy theory. Only the extremist crazies believed it was being attempted.

 

[LadyLocust]

Not only no electricity, but also phone. I was 8 or 9 when we got a phone. And there were seven parties on the phone line. It sucked because the phone was always ringing with other people's ring combination.

Where my folks had their ranch was a ghost town. We know the last living person of the founding family. She grew up and went to school there etc. I am still in contact with her. A while back I asked her some questions sorta as a means of preservation of the history. Her sister had put together a little historical write up about it so she sent me a copy. One of the things that stood out was who was postmaster and where the PO was. I thought that was a little peculiar until I read that it wasn't until the 1960's when the first phone line was brought in. It's a long ways from nowhere and mail was their connection to the outside world. It also mentions when plumbing was brought to the house and when electricity was brought in. Doesn't seem like that long ago.

 

[Caribou]

Where my folks had their ranch was a ghost town. We know the last living person of the founding family. She grew up and went to school there etc. I am still in contact with her. A while back I asked her some questions sorta as a means of preservation of the history. Her sister had put together a little historical write up about it so she sent me a copy. One of the things that stood out was who was postmaster and where the PO was. I thought that was a little peculiar until I read that it wasn't until the 1960's when the first phone line was brought in. It's a long ways from nowhere and mail was their connection to the outside world. It also mentions when plumbing was brought to the house and when electricity was brought in. Doesn't seem like that long ago.

The Tennessee Valley Authority, a federal owned utility, was created in 1933 to bring electricity to all or parts of at least seven States. It was not profitable for a private corporation to develop electricity distribution to sparsely populated ares. In the 1950's it was still growing and in the news on a regular basis.

 

[Sourdough]

What was the relationship between "The Rural Electrification Act" and the "TVA"..??

 

[Cabin Fever]

Another thing I remember growing up is we had only 1 car and Mom never got a driver's license until she was 40.

 

[Caribou]

What was the relationship between "The Rural Electrification Act" and the "TVA"..??

I think the TVA is part of the Act but don't ask me to sign an affidavit.

 

[Pearl]

Another thing I remember growing up is we had only 1 car and Mom never got a driver's license until she was 40.

My mom grew up in NY City. She got a driver's license at 21!! She was the talk of the town! Both her sisters never drove!

 

[Morgan101]

My mom grew up in NY City. She got a driver's license at 21!! She was the talk of the town! Both her sisters never drove!

Both of my parents and me as well were born in Brooklyn. We never had a car until we moved to Long Island. Not sure when they got drivers licenses.

 

[Amish Heart]

Everyone around here would drive real early. Mom learned to drive at 12, the old farm truck. But all the young people learned to drive tractor early anyway. You can get a "farm license" here at 14. That means to drive on your farm, the nearby farm, to school, or to church. It is not unusual to see a kid driving a really big tractor down the road. The "school busses" (tractor and horse trailer) are driven loaded with kids in the horse trailer every morning by kids who graduated the 8th grade last year. I guess it just depends on where you live.

 

[Sourdough]

Everyone around here would drive real early. Mom learned to drive at 12, the old farm truck. But all the young people learned to drive tractor early anyway. You can get a "farm license" here at 14. That means to drive on your farm, the nearby farm, to school, or to church. It is not unusual to see a kid driving a really big tractor down the road. The "school busses" (tractor and horse trailer) are driven loaded with kids in the horse trailer every morning by kids who graduated the 8th grade last year. I guess it just depends on where you live.

Where I grew-up you could get a limited driver's license at 14 y/o that was restricted to zero passengers, and only valid in daylight. I don't remember when I started driving tractors. At 11 y/o I bought my first car to race around the fields shooting Red Fox. You could buy a used car for $15.00

I was always frightened driving the BIG green JDeere with the narrow front wheels. Much preferred the smaller RED Massy Furgeson with wide front wheels.

 

[rusty]

Born in 1948. Met Richard Nixon when he and Ike were running for reelection. At age 8, I would put either my 22 or a fishing rod across my bike handle bars to hunt or fish. Whether I got fish or rabbits, I would clean them when I got home and mom would fix them for supper. Some days I would go with my dad and pull nails from used lumber. He reused the nails and the lumber.
Then the atom bomb drills. They had us convinced if we crawled under our desks, we would be safe from a nuclear war. No school bullies in my day. We had 1st thru 6th in the same building. The older kids always protected the younger ones.

 

[Dani]

Sorry. . . I got nothing for the 50's. I was a 70s kind of child.

 

[Buffalo]

My dad was born in 1955 and my mom in 1958, I didn't make an appearance until 1982. Growing up in a small rural community in flyover country, I think my childhood wasn't that much different as some of yours who grew up in the earlier era.