1951

There are many attractions to family history and telling our story. Sharing family stories, recipes, old photos, connecting with relatives and finding new family members. It is important to understand the world our family members lived in. That is a large part of their story and history. This is also an overlooked part of our family histories.

There is a series of books called “The Year Was –“. This series of books focuses on one year per book. I am not sure how many years they do it for but it is a great series of books. The books are published by Flickback Media, Inc., Chatsworth, CA. The web site is flickback.com and their telephone number is (800) 541-3533. I buy them at Poopsies in Galena, IL, a novelty sore I just love. I highly recommend the books if you can find them.

I was born in 1951 so I am going to focus on what the world was like in 1951, with the help of the book and wikipedia.com, the online encyclopedia. I was born on November 11, 1951. What was the world like in 1951.

Harry S. Truman was President of the United States and we were engaged in the Korean War. On January 4, 1951, North Korea and China captured Seoul for the second time only to lose it again on March 27. A court in West Germany found Ilse Koch, “The Witch of Buchenwald” and wife of the commandant of Buchenwald concentration camp is sentenced to life in prison. On February 6, a Pennsylvania Railroad passenger train derailed near Woodbridge Township, New Jersey killing 85 people and injuring over 500. The 22^nd Amendment to the United States constitution term limiting the President was ratified on February 27.

The first NBA All Star game took place and the Julius and Ethyl Rosenberg’s trial begins resulting in their conviction for treason and are sentenced to death. General Douglas MacArthur is relieved of duty by President Truman. King Abdullah I of Jordan is assassinated by a Palestinian on July 20.  Winston Churchill is re-elected Prime Minister of Great Britain. And, on my birthday Juan Peron is re-elected President of Argentina. The Marshall Plan expired on December 31. That is a brief recap of the political state of the world in 1951.

The year in movies saw Humphrey Bogart win the Best Actor Oscar for “The African Queen” which co-starred Katherine Hepburn. Gene Kelly starred in “An American In Paris” which won the Best Picture Oscar.  Marlon Brando was outstanding in “A Streetcar Named Desire” for which Vivian Leigh won the Best Actress Oscar, Karl Malden won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar and Kim Hunter won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar. “Showboat” with Ava Gardner, Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson was released in 1951. Top box office stars of 1951 were John Wayne, Bing Crosby, Doris Day, Bob Hope, Martin & Lewis, Abbott & Costello, Spencer Tracy and Gary Cooper.  

Television, that relatively new medium, had an impact on 1951. Top TV shows were “The Jack Benny Show”, “You Bet Your Life” with Groucho Marx, “Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts” and “Your Show Of Shows” with Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca. Imogene Coca won the Emmy as best actress, Red Skelton won best comedian Emmy for “The Red Skelton Show” which also won for the best comedy show, and Sid Caesar won for best actor for “Your Show Of Shows” which also won for best variety show. “Studio One” took the Emmy for best drama. Milton Berle, Mr. Television, signed a 30 year contract with NBC.

On the radio, “Amos ‘n’ Andy”, “Fiber McGee & Molly” and “Sky King” were top programs. General Electric was a leading manufacturer of radios in 1951.

Dinah Shore was the favorite female singer. Hank Williams “Cold, Cold Heart” was number one on both the country and pop charts.

Top Broadway shows were “The King & I” with Yul Brynner, “Guys And Dolls” with Robert Alda and “The Rose Tattoo” by Tennessee Williams. Top books were “Catcher In The Rye” by J. D. Sallinger, “The Caine Mutiny” by Herman Wouk, and “From Here To Eternity” by James Jones.

In 1951, apples were a dime a pound, eggs 59 cents a dozen, milk 23 cents a quart, bread was 20 cents a loaf, and coffee was 79 cents a pound. A phone call was 10 cents and a paper back book was a quarter. A three bedroom apartment on Park Avenue in New York was $450/month. I wonder what it is today.

In sports, Joe DiMaggio announces his retirement, Bobby Thompson had the shot heard around the world when he homered against the Dodgers to go to the World Series. The Rams beat the Browns 24-17 to become NFL champions. Michigan beat California in the Rose Bowl 14-6. Dick Kazmaier from Princeton won the Heisman Trophy, The Rochester Rockets beat the New York Knicks 4-3 to win the NBA and George Mikan of the Lakers, then in Minneapolis, won the scoring title. Kentucky beat Kansas State 68-58 to win the NCAA National Championship for basketball and Bill Spivey from Kentucky was selected outstanding player.

In boxing, very big in 1951, Jersey Joe Walcott KO’d Ezzard Charles to become heavy weight champion. Jake LaMotta and Sugar Ray Robinson were middleweight champions. Ben Hogan, coming back from sever injuries suffered in an auto accident in 1949, won the US Open in golf. Dick Savitt won at Wimbledon, The Maple Leafs beat the Canadians for the Stanley Cup and Country Turf, a 15-1 shot, won the Kentucky Derby.  

That’s a brief review of the year that was 1951. This is the world I was born into. If you enjoyed this, stay tuned for more of these. I hope to do 1957 in the near future.