1950s Calendar: Every Year, Events, TV And Music

The 1950s in order, one year at a time.

Each year below gives the headline event, what people were watching and what they were listening to, with a link to the full page for that year.

Good for a quiz round, a reminiscence session or working out what to put in a milestone birthday card.

Milestone birthday cards, drawn and printed by us

Funny and warm birthday cards, blank inside, printed in the UK with kraft envelopes. Order on a working day and it usually goes out the same day.

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1950

  • 1950 - Petrol came off the ration, the Festival of Britain was being built and there was no chart yet.
  • News: A general election in February returned Labour with a tiny majority.
  • Screen: Cinema attendance was near its peak, with most people going at least once a week.
  • Music: There was no official singles chart until November 1952, so popularity was measured by sheet music sales.
  • Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1950

1951

  • 1951 - The Festival of Britain, a Conservative return and still no singles chart.
  • News: The Festival of Britain opened on the South Bank in May, with the Skylon and the Dome of Discovery.
  • Screen: The Lavender Hill Mob and The Man in the White Suit were released by Ealing Studios.
  • Music: Popularity was still measured by sheet music, with no record chart until the following year.
  • Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1951

1952

  • 1952 - A new Queen, the Great Smog and the first ever singles chart in November.
  • News: King George VI died on 6 February; Princess Elizabeth was in Kenya and returned as Queen.
  • Screen: Television coverage of the King's funeral drew large audiences.
  • Music: The first official UK singles chart was published on 14 November, with Al Martino's 'Here in My Heart' at number one.
  • Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1952

1953

  • 1953 - The coronation, Everest, the Matthews final and sweets off the ration.
  • News: Elizabeth II was crowned on 2 June, and the news that Everest had been climbed arrived the same morning.
  • Screen: The coronation was the first mass television event in Britain, watched by an estimated twenty million.
  • Music: Frankie Laine spent a remarkable amount of the year at number one, including eighteen weeks with 'I Believe'.
  • Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1953

1954

  • 1954 - Rationing finally ended and Roger Bannister ran a mile in under four minutes.
  • News: All food rationing ended on 4 July.
  • Screen: The Nineteen Eighty-Four television adaptation in December caused questions in Parliament.
  • Music: Doris Day's 'Secret Love' and David Whitfield's 'Cara Mia' were among the year's number ones.
  • Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1954

1955

  • 1955 - ITV launched, rock and roll arrived and Britain got its first television adverts.
  • News: Anthony Eden became Prime Minister in April after Churchill resigned.
  • Screen: ITV launched on 22 September; the first advert was for Gibbs SR toothpaste.
  • Music: Bill Haley's 'Rock Around the Clock' reached number one in November and again the following year.
  • Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1955

1956

  • 1956 - Suez, Elvis arriving in the chart and the start of skiffle.
  • News: The Suez crisis in the autumn led to petrol rationing that lasted into 1957.
  • Screen: Rock Around the Clock in cinemas led to seats being ripped out in some towns.
  • Music: Elvis Presley reached the UK chart for the first time with 'Heartbreak Hotel'.
  • Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1956

1957

  • 1957 - You've never had it so good, the Munich disaster still to come and skiffle everywhere.
  • News: Harold Macmillan became Prime Minister in January and told the country most people 'have never had it so good' in July.
  • Screen: The Bridge on the River Kwai was the film of the year.
  • Music: Elvis Presley's 'All Shook Up' and Paul Anka's 'Diana' were among the biggest sellers.
  • Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1957

1958

  • 1958 - Munich, the first motorway and Cliff Richard's 'Move It'.
  • News: The Munich air disaster on 6 February killed 23 people, including eight Manchester United players.
  • Screen: Blue Peter began on 16 October.
  • Music: Cliff Richard's 'Move It' arrived in the autumn and is often called the first real British rock and roll record.
  • Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1958

1959

  • 1959 - The Mini, the M1 and the last year before the sixties.
  • News: Harold Macmillan won the October general election with an increased majority.
  • Screen: Juke Box Jury began on the BBC in June.
  • Music: Cliff Richard's 'Living Doll' was one of the year's biggest sellers.
  • Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1959

Pop culture milestones of the 1950s

  • 1950 - Cinema attendance was near its peak, with most people going at least once a week. There was no official singles chart until November 1952, so popularity was measured by sheet music sales.
  • 1951 - The Lavender Hill Mob and The Man in the White Suit were released by Ealing Studios. Popularity was still measured by sheet music, with no record chart until the following year.
  • 1952 - Television coverage of the King's funeral drew large audiences. The first official UK singles chart was published on 14 November, with Al Martino's 'Here in My Heart' at number one.
  • 1953 - The coronation was the first mass television event in Britain, watched by an estimated twenty million. Frankie Laine spent a remarkable amount of the year at number one, including eighteen weeks with 'I Believe'.
  • 1954 - The Nineteen Eighty-Four television adaptation in December caused questions in Parliament. Doris Day's 'Secret Love' and David Whitfield's 'Cara Mia' were among the year's number ones.
  • 1955 - ITV launched on 22 September; the first advert was for Gibbs SR toothpaste. Bill Haley's 'Rock Around the Clock' reached number one in November and again the following year.
  • 1956 - Rock Around the Clock in cinemas led to seats being ripped out in some towns. Elvis Presley reached the UK chart for the first time with 'Heartbreak Hotel'.
  • 1957 - The Bridge on the River Kwai was the film of the year. Elvis Presley's 'All Shook Up' and Paul Anka's 'Diana' were among the biggest sellers.
  • 1958 - Blue Peter began on 16 October. Cliff Richard's 'Move It' arrived in the autumn and is often called the first real British rock and roll record.
  • 1959 - Juke Box Jury began on the BBC in June. Cliff Richard's 'Living Doll' was one of the year's biggest sellers.

Holidays and annual dates

  • 1 January - New Year's Day, a bank holiday across the UK (2 January too in Scotland).
  • 25 January - Burns Night.
  • 14 February - Valentine's Day.
  • 1 March - St David's Day.
  • 17 March - St Patrick's Day.
  • Mothering Sunday - the fourth Sunday of Lent, so it moves with Easter (March, sometimes late February).
  • Good Friday and Easter Monday - the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after 21 March sets the date.
  • 23 April - St George's Day.
  • First Monday in May - the early May bank holiday (added in 1978).
  • Last Monday in May - the spring bank holiday (fixed to that Monday in 1971).
  • Third Sunday in June - Father's Day.
  • 12 July - a bank holiday in Northern Ireland.
  • First Monday in August - the summer bank holiday in Scotland.
  • Last Monday in August - the summer bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
  • 31 October - Halloween.
  • 5 November - Bonfire Night.
  • 11 November - Armistice Day, with Remembrance Sunday on the second Sunday of the month.
  • 30 November - St Andrew's Day, a bank holiday in Scotland.
  • 25 and 26 December - Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
  • 31 December - New Year's Eve, Hogmanay in Scotland.

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How to write it so it lands

  • For a guess-the-year round, read the three lines for a year and hide the date.
  • For a card, use the year they were born rather than the decade.
  • In a reminiscence session, stop on whatever gets a reaction rather than finishing the list.

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Frequently asked questions

What happened in the 1950s?

Petrol came off the ration, the Festival of Britain was being built and there was no chart yet. The calendar above runs through every year from 1950 to 1959, with the main event, the television and film, and the music for each one.

What was on television in the 1950s?

Each year on this page lists what people were watching that year. For the full television and film picture, open the year page itself.

Where do these facts come from?

They are the same checked facts used on our year pages - real, dateable events only. The official UK singles chart begins in November 1952, so earlier years list popular songs rather than chart positions.

Do you sell anything to do with this decade?

We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK, including milestone birthday cards. This page is free to read and free to copy.

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