What else happened in 1950?

In the news…

*Jan. 17 – The Great Brinks Robbery. 11 thieves steal more than $2 million from an armored car in Boston.
*Jan. 31 – President Truman orders the development of the hydrogen bomb in response to the detonation of the Soviet Union’s first atomic bomb in 1949.
*Feb. 4 – Ingrid Bergman’s affair with married film director Roberto Rossellini sparks a huge scandal in the USA.
*Mar. 8 – The first Volkswagen Microbus rolls off the assembly line in Wolfsburg, Germany.
*Jun. 25 – The beginning of the Korean War.
*Sep. 3 – Beetle Bailey comic strip begins.
*Oct. 1 – Charles Schulz’s Peanuts is first published in seven newspapers.
*Oct. 7 – The Chinese invasion of Tibet begins.

Famous Births…

*Jan. 9 – David Johansen, lead singer of The New York Dolls
*Jan. 17 – Andy Kaufman, brilliant comedian
*Feb. 10 – Mark Spitz, Olympic gold medal winning swimmer
*Feb. 13 – Peter Gabriel, rock star
*Feb. 18 – John Hughes, director of Pretty in Pink and The Breakfast Club
*Feb. 20 – Walter Becker, guitarist for Steely Dan
*Feb. 25 – Neil Jordan, director of The Crying Game
*Mar. 2 – Karen Carpenter, singer and drummer for The Carpenters
*Mar. 4 – Billy Gibbons, singer and guitarist for ZZ Top
*Apr. 28 – Jay Leno, Tonight Show host
*May 12 – Gabriel Byrne, great actor, check out The Usual Suspects and Miller’s Crossing
*May 13 – Stevie Wonder, R&B legend
*May 18 – Mark Mothersbaugh, Devo!!!
*Jun. 6 – John Byrne, comic book artist and writer
*Aug. 14 – Bob Backlund, famous wrestler
*Sep. 7 – Julie Kavner, the voice of Marge Simpson
*Sep. 21 – Bill Murray, SNL alumni and one of the funniest and coolest guys ever
*Sep. 28 – John Sayles, brilliant indie director, check out Lone Star
*Oct. 1 – Randy Quaid, really good actor
*Oct. 20 – Tom Petty, rock star
*Nov. 22 – Tina Weymouth, bass player of The Talking Heads
*Nov. 22 – Steven Van Zandt, guitarist for the E Street Band and “Silvio Dante” on The Sopranos
*Dec. 28 – Alex Chilton, singer for The Box Tops and Big Star

Famous Deaths…

*Jan. 21 – George Orwell, legendary author, check out 1984 and Animal Farm
*Mar. 19 – Edgar Rice Burroughs, creator of Tarzan
*Apr. 3 – Kurt Weill, composer of great German cabaret
*Nov. 2 – George Bernard Shaw, great writer and philosopher

In the world of movies…

The Top Grossing Films of 1950

5. Cheaper by the Dozen
4. King Solomon’s Mines
3. Battleground
2. Samson and Delilah
1. Cinderella

Oscar winners of 1950

Best Picture – All About Eve
Best Actor – Jose Ferrer (Cyrano de Bergerac)
Best Actress – Judy Holliday (Born Yesterday)

Other films released in 1950

The Asphalt Jungle
Father of the Bride
Harvey
The Men
Rashomon
Rio Grande
Sunset Boulevard

In the world of television…

Shows premiering in 1950

What’s My Line
Your Show Of Shows
Your Hit Parade
Andy Pandy
Truth or Consequences
The Jack Benny Show
The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show

In the world of books…

Great Books published in 1950

The Town and the City – Jack Kerouac
I, Robot – Isaac Asimov
Kon-Tiki – Thor Heyerdahl
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – C.S. Lewis
The Martian Chronicles – Ray Bradbury

In the world of sports…

*World Series – The New York Yankees win 4 games to 0 over the Philadelphia Phillies.
*Boxing – Ezzard Charles retains his World Heavyweight Championship with a 15 round unanimous decision over Joe Louis in New York City.
*NFL Championship – The Cleveland Browns win 30-28 over the Los Angeles Rams.
*College Football champions – Oklahoma Sooners
*World Cup – 1950 World Cup held in Brazil. Uruguay wins the cup after defeating Brazil.
*Stanley Cup – The Detroit Red Wings win 4 games to 3 over the New York Rangers.