Jan. 1, 1949 to Dec. 31, 1989

Peter Pan

Dec 27, 1904

broadcast on TV live and in color from the 1954 version of the stage musical starring Mary Martin on March 7. Disney released an animated version the previous year.

Richard Nixon

Jan 9, 1913

is first elected to the United States Senate.

Mickey Mantle

Oct 20, 1931

is in the middle of his career as a famous New York Yankees outfielder and American League All-Star for the sixth year in a row.

Starkweather

Nov 23, 1938

homicides capture the attention of Americans, killing eleven people before he is caught in a massive manhunt in Douglas, Wyoming.

H-bomb

Aug 6, 1945

is in the middle of its development as a nuclear weapon, announced in early 1950 and first tested in late 1952.

“Rock around the clock”

May 20, 1954

is a hit single released by Bill Haley & His Comets in May, spurring worldwide interest in rock and roll music.

Einstine

Apr 18, 1955

dies on April 18 at the age of 76.

Birth control

Mar 29, 1965

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.

Jonnie Ray

Jan 10, 1972

American singer, and song writer

Cola Wars

Mar 29, 1989

Soft drink giants Coke and Pepsi each run marketing campaigns using rock & roll and popular music stars to reach the young adult demographic.