1950s Quiz: Trivia, Pop Culture And History Questions

Coronation television, rock and roll, and the end of rationing.

Below are 13 1950s questions with the answers underneath each one, sorted into pop culture, history and news, and art and design.

Every fact is real and dateable. Print it, read it out, or play the same questions against the clock in our decade trivia game.

Years covered in the 1950s

• 1950 - Petrol came off the ration, the Festival of Britain was being built and there was no chart yet. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1950
• 1951 - The Festival of Britain, a Conservative return and still no singles chart. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1951
• 1952 - A new Queen, the Great Smog and the first ever singles chart in November. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1952
• 1953 - The coronation, Everest, the Matthews final and sweets off the ration. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1953
• 1954 - Rationing finally ended and Roger Bannister ran a mile in under four minutes. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1954
• 1955 - ITV launched, rock and roll arrived and Britain got its first television adverts. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1955
• 1956 - Suez, Elvis arriving in the chart and the start of skiffle. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1956
• 1957 - You've never had it so good, the Munich disaster still to come and skiffle everywhere. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1957
• 1958 - Munich, the first motorway and Cliff Richard's 'Move It'. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1958
• 1959 - The Mini, the M1 and the last year before the sixties. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1959
• That is every 1950s year we have written up so far: 1950 to 1959.

1950s pop culture round

• The UK singles chart began in which year? Answer: 1952. The first chart was published in November 1952.
• ITV, Britain's first commercial channel, launched in which year? Answer: 1955. It gave most viewers a second channel for the first time.

1950s history and news round

• In which year was the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II? Answer: 1953. Millions watched on television, often at a neighbour's house.
• Who reached the summit of Everest with Edmund Hillary in 1953? Answer: Tenzing Norgay. News reached Britain on Coronation morning.
• Which disaster struck Manchester United's team in 1958? Answer: The Munich air disaster. Eight players died when the plane crashed on take-off.
• Roger Bannister ran the first sub-four-minute mile in which year? Answer: 1954. At Iffley Road, Oxford, in May 1954.
• Which Britain's first motorway section opened in 1958? Answer: The Preston bypass. The M1 followed in 1959.
• What was the common name for the teenage subculture of the 1950s in drape jackets? Answer: Teddy Boys. Edwardian-style jackets, drainpipes and crepe soles.
• Which structure and festival site opened on London's South Bank in 1951? Answer: The Festival of Britain. It was meant as a tonic after the war years.
• The Clean Air Act was passed after which 1952 event? Answer: The Great Smog of London. Thousands died; the Act followed in 1956.

1950s art and design round

• The Festival of Britain, with the Skylon on the South Bank, was held in which year? Answer: 1951. A hundred years after the Great Exhibition of 1851.
• Lucienne Day's Calyx, one of the most influential British designs of the decade, was what? Answer: A furnishing fabric. Designed for the Festival of Britain in 1951.
• Richard Hamilton's 1956 collage 'Just what is it that makes today's homes so different?' is seen as an early work of which movement? Answer: Pop art. British pop art started a few years before the American version.

How to run it

• Read the question and hold back the answer - the note after it makes a good follow-up fact.
• Ten questions is one round; split the pop culture and history sections for two shorter rounds.
• For a birthday party, use the decade the guest of honour was born in and finish on their birth year page.
• In a care home session, stop wherever the conversation starts rather than finishing the list.

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How to write it so it lands

• Mix two decades in one round if the room spans a wide age range.
• The notes under each answer are the bits people actually enjoy - read them out.
• Pair the quiz with that decade's party playlist for a themed night.

Where to shop next

• Play the decade quiz: test your memory
• Play the decade trivia game: score points against the clock
• Decade art finder: search artists and styles by era
• Guess the year quiz
• Care home reminiscence quiz
• All decade quizzes in one place
• 1950s trivia: fun facts
• Look back to 1950
• Look back to 1951
• Look back to 1952
• Look back to 1953
• Look back to 1954
• Look back to 1955
• Look back to 1956
• Look back to 1957
• Look back to 1958
• Look back to 1959
• 1950s history: events, politics and culture
• 1950s calendar: year by year
• 1950s music: songs, genres and trends
• 1950s films and directors
• 1950s books, films and TV
• 1950s books: novels and authors
• 1950s art: artists and styles
• 1950s fashion: styles, designers and trends
• 1950s food: dishes, restaurants and trends
• 1950s travel: destinations and holidays
• 1950s technology: gadgets and computers
• 1950s shopping guide: what to buy
• 1950s games: board, card and video
• 1950s party playlist
• The 1950s: the whole decade
• Retro gift guide: the 1950s
• The decade before: the 1940s
• The decade after: the 1960s
• All decade guides in one place
• Card messages by occasion: every guide in one place
• Card hub: cards, badges and messages by occasion
• Decade history by era
• Decade calendars: every year from 1920
• Decade music: songs, genres and trends
• Decade films: best movies and directors
• Decade books: novels, authors and reading trends
• Decade art: artists, styles and trends
• Decade fashion: styles, designers and trends
• Decade food: dishes, restaurants and eating trends
• Decade travel: destinations and holidays
• Decade technology: gadgets and computers
• Decade shopping guides
• Decade games: board, card and video games by era
• Decade trivia: fun facts by era
• Shop art prints and posters
• Shop greetings cards
• Shop birthday cards
• Shop funny cards
• Milestone birthday cards
• Nostalgia gift shop
• Retro party supplies
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What are some good 1950s quiz questions?

In which year was the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II? The answer is 1953. There are 13 more above, with answers, across pop culture, history and art.

How many questions are in the 1950s quiz?

13, split into a pop culture round, a history and news round and an art and design round.

Can I use these for a quiz night or care home session?

Yes, freely. Print them, read them out, copy them - no permission needed.

Is there a version I can play online?

Yes. The decade quiz gives instant feedback and a score, and the decade trivia game is timed with points for speed and streaks. Both use these same questions.