What Happened in the 1950s Quiz | 19th, 20th & 21st Centuries

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Ian Fleming was the creator of James Bond. In the 1950s he wrote and had published seven novels which included James Bond. Which was the first novel published?

Answer: Casino Royale

The seven novels in order of publication were "Casino Royale" (1953), "Live and Let Die" (1954), "Moonracker" (1955), "Diamonds are Forever" (1956), "From Russia with Love" (1957), "Doctor No" (1958) and the last of the decade was "Goldfinger" (1959).

2. Which of the following card companies was the first to introduce plastic cards instead of cardboard and celluloid?

Answer: American Express

Diners Club were the first credit card company to start in 1950. However, American Express, which started in 1958, was the first to introduce plastic cards in 1959. BankAmericard started in 1958 and MasterCard started in 1966.

3. Which of the following countries was the first to achieve independence or autonomy through the United Nations?

Answer: Libya

Libya had been a colony of Italy from 1911-1947, until Italy lost all colonies of the former Italian Empire. The country then gained independence through the UN in 1951 from British and French allied agreement after WWII. All of the other three nations gained independence from France during the 1950s: Cambodia (1953), Tunisia (1966) and Morocco (1966).

4. The four minute mile record was broken by Roger Bannister in 1954. What was the name of the track in which this historic event occurred?

Answer: Iffley Road Track

The Iffley Road Track is at Oxford University; it has since been renamed the Roger Bannister running track. The historical event occurred on May 6, 1954 and Bannister had two pacemakers in Chris Chataway and Chris Brasher. His record was broken by the Australian John Landry on June 21, 1954 while running in an international meet in Turku, Finland. Landry did not have any pacemakers. He set the pace himself.

5. There were some classic TV sitcoms that aired for the first in the 1950s. All of the four below started in the month of October in different years. Which was the first one to be aired?

Answer: I Love Lucy

"l Love Lucy" first aired on October 15, 1951 and "Father Knows Best" aired October 3, 1954. "The Honeymooners" aired on October 1, 1955 and "Leave It To Beaver" Aired on October 4, 1957. Not to mention "Gunsmoke" which aired on April 26, 1952 and lasted for over 20 years.

6. What was unusual about some events at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics?

Answer: Equestrian events were held in Stockholm, Sweden

Due to Australia's strict quarantine regulations on animals it was decided to hold the equestrian events in Stockholm, Sweden from June 11-17, 1956. There were six events with 159 competitors from 29 nations. Melbourne created a first which is still in practice today at all Summer and Winter Olympics and that is that on the day of the Closing Ceremony athletes enter the arena as one, not by nationality. Sailing events were held in Melbourne and the marathon was not cancelled, however, temperatures were very high. Beach volleyball was only introduced at the 1996 Olympics.

7. Under which Treaty was the European Economic Community established in 1957?

Answer: Treaty of Rome

The Treaty of Rome was signed on March 25, 1957 by Belgium, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and West Germany. The treaty came into force on January 1, 1958. The Central Treaty Organization was a military alliance between Iran, Pakistan, Iraq, Turkey and the United Kingdom formed in 1955.

It was dissolved in 1979. The General Treaty was a Treaty of international law signed on May 26, 1952 by West Germany and the Western allies(USA, France and the United Kingdom. This formally ended West Germany's status as an occupied territory.

The Treaty of San Francisco in 1951 formally ended the war between the Allies of WWII and Japan.

8. The space race got underway on the 1950s. "Laika" was a Soviet space dog that was launched in 1957 in which spacecraft?

Answer: Sputnik 2

Sputnik 2 launched Laika as the first animal in space and the first animal to orbit the earth, which took place on November 3, 1957. It has been revealed that Laika died during the Fourth orbit due to overheating. The spacecraft disintegrated during re-entry on April 14, 1958 five months later after 2,570 orbits of the earth. Sputnik 1 was the first satellite launched on October 4, 1957. Luna 2, launched on September 14, 1959, was the first spacecraft to reach the surface of the moon. Luna 3, launched on October 7, 1959, was the first spacecraft to transmit photos from the far side of the moon.

9. All of the following 1950s movies had more than ten Academy Award nominations. Which one received the most Oscars?

Answer: Ben-Hur

All of the four movies received the Oscar for Best Picture in their different years. "Ben-Hur" (1959) was nominated for twelve Oscars winning eleven. "All About Eve" (1950) topped the list with the most nominations being fourteen but won six Oscars. "From Here to Eternity" (1953) received thirteen nominations, winning eight. It was in this movie that Frank Sinatra won his only acting Academy Award, for Best Supporting Actor. "On the Waterfront" (1954) was nominated for twelve Oscars, winning eight.

10. There were numerous hit songs of the 1950s, possible none better known than Bill Haley & His Comets with "Rock Around The Clock"(1956). There are too many to mention but of the following four can you identify the mismatch of song and artist?

Answer: "That's Amore" (Frank Sinatra)

"That's Amore" was a hit in 1953 by Dean Martin. Frank Sinatra had a big hit in 1958 with "Come Fly With Me". All of the other hits and artists are correct. "Wake Up Little Susie" (1957), "Dream Lover" (1959) and "Peggy Sue" (1957).

Source: Author zambesi

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
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What Happened in the 1950s Trivia Quiz

Besides the Korean War taking up four years, what other events or happenings occurred from 1950-1959?

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