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The 1950s as I Remember Them Trivia Quiz

This quiz is representative of the 1950's I vividly remember. Mostly good, mostly fun, but some bad stuff, too!

A multiple-choice quiz by Pick61. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Author
Pick61

Time
3 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
355,739

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Easy

Avg Score
8 / 10

Plays
2583

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

Last 3 plays: Guest 108 (10/10), KrisInPA (8/10), daveguth (10/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. This World War II general was elected president of the USA in 1952 and served in the White House for the rest of the decade. Who was he? Hint

George Marshall

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Douglas MacArthur

Erwin Rommel

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. In 1956, Elvis Presley appeared in his first movie. The original title was "The Reno Brothers", but was changed to the title of a song that Elvis sang in the movie. Name the song and the movie. Hint

Love Me Tender

G.I. Blues

Viva Las Vegas

Roustabout

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Question 3 of 10

3. In the USA, 1950s fashion among teenagers was very likely to include a specific type of skirt for the girls. It was made of felt and probably had a crinoline underskirt which made a particular swishing movement and sound. It also had an applique. What were these very popular articles of clothing called? Hint

Bouncies

Poodle skirts

Hollywood skirts

Eye catchers

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Question 4 of 10

4. "House of Wax" and "Creature from the Black Lagoon" were movies that were released in 1953. They were unique in that they were made with something called "stereoscopic linear polarization", better known as what? Hint

Cinerama

Cinemascope

Flat Screen

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Question 5 of 10

5. The "Yankee Clipper" retired from baseball in 1951. He hit safely in 56 games, breaking a record which had stood since 1897. Who was he? Hint

Joe DiMaggio

Jimmy Foxx

Ted Williams

Mickey Mantle

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Question 6 of 10

6. 1950s automobiles came with some radical designs and lots of chrome. Among the most popular were the Chevy Bel Air models and the Chrysler 300 letter series. They also came with an incentive to buy another model in 3 to 5 years. What was this incentive called? Hint

Planned obsolescence

New color schemes

Planned high trade in values

Poor construction values

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Question 7 of 10

7. Toys of the 1950s bring to mind ant farms, silly putty, and Barbie dolls. One toy which made its appearance at that time allowed a child to put ears, eyes, and a mouth on a vegetable. Remember what it was called? Hint

Super Ball

Slinky

Mr. Potato Head

Mr. Onion

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. Television featured some great shows, some of which are still being aired, like "I Love Lucy". My own favorite featured the "man of steel". Who was he? Hint

Superman

Lone Ranger

Cisco Kid

Captain Marvel

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Question 9 of 10

9. The bad part of the 1950s was the Korean War, which lasted from 1950 to 1953. What General was dismissed by U.S. President Truman when the war was at its height? Hint

Omar Bradley

Matthew Ridgeway

Douglas MacArthur

George Patton

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Question 10 of 10

10. As a teenager, the first rock and roll song to really catch my attention was "Rock Around the Clock", released in 1953 by a spit-curled musician and his band. What were they called? Hint

The Teenagers

Archie Bell and the Drells

The Imperials

Bill Haley and His Comets

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Most Recent Scores

Dec 13 2024 : Guest 108: 10/10
Dec 12 2024 : KrisInPA: 8/10
Dec 12 2024 : daveguth: 10/10
Dec 09 2024 : Maybeline5: 6/10
Dec 08 2024 : colbymanram: 4/10
Dec 03 2024 : TPO0831: 9/10
Nov 30 2024 : Kingdaddy8: 9/10
Nov 21 2024 : Guest 136: 10/10
Nov 20 2024 : Guest 164: 9/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. This World War II general was elected president of the USA in 1952 and served in the White House for the rest of the decade. Who was he?

Answer: Dwight D. Eisenhower

Eisenhower was the 34th president. He ended the Korean War, helped hold inflation to nothing and oversaw the building of an amazing interstate highway system. He was "Ike" to millions. He passed away in 1969.

Answer: Love Me Tender

This was the first of Elvis Presley's 33 movies. A civil war era story, it also starred Richard Egan and Debra Paget. A tribute to Elvis' box office power, it was made at a cost of 1 million and wound up grossing 9 million world wide.

Answer: Poodle skirts

The applique mentioned was most likely a poodle, hence the name. The skirt came to just below the knees. For boys, the fashion was pegged levis, plain white t shirts and a duck tail haircut, to which I conformed for 3 years of high school.

Answer: 3D

3D was viewed using glasses with one red eyepiece and one blue or green. It took slightly different images which were screened by the glasses and made the image appear 3 dimensional. The movies were startling to view, but their popularity was relatively short lived.

5. The "Yankee Clipper" retired from baseball in 1951. He hit safely in 56 games, breaking a record which had stood since 1897. Who was he?

Answer: Joe DiMaggio

DiMaggio was also called "Joltin' Joe". He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955. The name "Yankee Clipper" came from the grace and style with which he played center field for the New York baseball team.
The previosu record was 44 set by Willie Keeler of the (then) Baltimore Orioles.

Answer: Planned obsolescence

Planned obsolescence was the brain child of Harley Earl of General Motors. The idea was to change body styles every 3 to 5 years to make the customer want a newer model. The Chevys from 1955 to 1957 featured fins, as did many other makes, which grew progressively bigger.

Answer: Mr. Potato Head

Mr. Potato Head was marketed by Hasbro. It was based on the idea that children like to play with their food. It also featured lots of small, sharp plastic pieces which could be inserted into the child's mouth. The plastic potato was introduced in the 1960s, due to complaints from parents about rotting fruit being used by their children.

8. Television featured some great shows, some of which are still being aired, like "I Love Lucy". My own favorite featured the "man of steel". Who was he?

Answer: Superman

Superman ran from 1952 to 1958 and starred George Reeves. The production values weren't much, especially compared to the later movies, but the hero was much truer to his origins, believing in justice, right and the American way.

9. The bad part of the 1950s was the Korean War, which lasted from 1950 to 1953. What General was dismissed by U.S. President Truman when the war was at its height?

Answer: Douglas MacArthur

The war began when the Republic of South Korea was attacked by the North Koreans. The U.N. intervened, as did the Chinese. In the end, 3.5 million people lost their lives and the positions of the two countries remain basically unchanged. Truman fired MacArthur because "he forgot who the boss was."

10. As a teenager, the first rock and roll song to really catch my attention was "Rock Around the Clock", released in 1953 by a spit-curled musician and his band. What were they called?

Answer: Bill Haley and His Comets

Haley scored one of the earliest rock hits with this tune. "See You Later, Alligator" was another, although less successful. The band had 9 singles reach the top twenty, during the period of 1954 to 1956. Haley continued touring with his band until his death in 1981. The song was played as a theme for the TV series "Happy Days".

Source: Author Pick61

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