Timeline: From Early 1950s to Late 1980s

Mar 29, 1950

The Rosenbergs

Learn MoreThe Rosenbergs, Ethel and Julius, were convicted on March 29 for espionage

Jan 20, 1953

A new President?

More infoDwight D. Eisenhower is first elected as U.S. president, winning by a landslide margin of 442 to 89 electoral votes.

Apr 18, 1955

Einsteins Death

More info Albert Einstein dies on April 18 at the age of 76.

Nov 21, 1955

The great Elvis Presley

More InfoElvis Presley signs with RCA Records on November 21, beginning his pop career.

Sep 5, 1957

A New Novel

More InfoJack Kerouac publishes his first novel in seven years, On the Road.

Feb 3, 1959

Bye Buddy

Learn MoreBuddy Holly dies in a plane crash on February 3 with Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper, in a day that had a devastating impact on the country and youth culture. Joel prefaces the lyric with a Holly signature vocal hiccup: "Uh-huh, uh-huh."

Aug 5, 1962

Monroe is dead!?

Learn More
On August 5, 1962, Marilyn Monroe's body was found in the bedroom of her home in Brentwood

Jan 1, 1965

Birth Control?

More InforBirth control: In the early 1960s, oral contraceptives, popularly known as "the pill", first go on the market and are extremely popular. Griswold v. Connecticut in 1965 challenged a Connecticut law prohibiting contraceptives. In 1968, Pope Paul VI released a papal encyclical entitled Humanae Vitae which declared artificial birth control a sin