Look Back To The 1950s: The Whole Decade

Rationing ending, a new Queen, the first singles chart and the arrival of the teenager.

Below is the decade in sections, and a link to every single year from 1950 to 1959.

The music

• The first official UK singles chart was published by the New Musical Express on 14 November 1952, with Al Martino's 'Here in My Heart' at number one.
• Before that, popularity was measured by sheet music sales rather than records.
• Rock and roll arrived in Britain with 'Rock Around the Clock' in 1955 and 1956, and cinema audiences danced in the aisles.
• Skiffle, led by Lonnie Donegan, put a washboard and a tea chest bass in thousands of front rooms.
• Cliff Richard and the Drifters, later the Shadows, arrived in 1958 and gave Britain its own rock and roll star.
• The record player replaced the piano as the thing a family gathered around.

The news

• King George VI died on 6 February 1952 and Elizabeth II acceded to the throne.
• The coronation was held on 2 June 1953 and was the reason a great many families bought or rented their first television.
• Food rationing finally ended on 4 July 1954, nine years after the war.
• The Suez crisis in 1956 brought petrol rationing back for several months.
• The Clean Air Act followed the Great Smog of December 1952, which killed thousands in London.
• The first motorway sections opened in 1958 and the M1 followed in 1959.

On screen

• ITV launched on 22 September 1955 and Britain had a second channel and its first television adverts.
• The coronation in 1953 was watched by an estimated twenty million people, most of them crowded into a neighbour's front room.
• Children's programmes included Watch with Mother, Andy Pandy, Bill and Ben and Muffin the Mule.
• The Quatermass serials emptied the pubs in 1953 and 1955.
• Cinema was still the main night out, though audiences fell sharply as televisions spread.

Everyday life

• Coal fires, outside toilets and no central heating were normal in most homes at the start of the decade.
• The teenager arrived as a recognised idea, with money, records and coffee bars.
• Teddy boys were the first British youth style to alarm the newspapers.
• Prefabs and new council estates replaced bombed streets.
• The NHS was still new, and free spectacles and dentistry were a novelty people talked about.
• Milk, bread and coal were all delivered to the door.

Year by year

• 1950 - see the full page for that year, linked below.
• 1951 - see the full page for that year, linked below.
• 1952 - see the full page for that year, linked below.
• 1953 - see the full page for that year, linked below.
• 1954 - see the full page for that year, linked below.
• 1955 - see the full page for that year, linked below.
• 1956 - see the full page for that year, linked below.
• 1957 - see the full page for that year, linked below.
• 1958 - see the full page for that year, linked below.
• 1959 - see the full page for that year, linked below.

Shop birthday cards

How to write it so it lands

• Each year has its own page with the charts, the news and the everyday detail.
• For a party, pull three facts from one year and run it as a guess-the-year round.
• For a card, use the year they were born rather than the decade.

Where to shop next

• Look back to 1959
• Look back to 1958
• Look back to 1957
• Look back to 1956
• Look back to 1955
• Look back to 1954
• Look back to 1953
• Look back to 1952
• Look back to 1951
• Look back to 1950
• 1950s party playlist
• Wartime and 1950s party games
• Playground games by region
• Clapping games and skipping rhymes
• Seaside and beach games
• Sweets that disappeared
• The 2020s so far
• The 2010s: the whole decade
• The 2000s: the whole decade
• The 1990s: the whole decade
• The 1980s: the whole decade
• The 1970s: the whole decade
• The 1960s: the whole decade
• The 1950s: the whole decade
• The 1940s: the whole decade
• The 1930s: the whole decade
• The 1920s: the whole decade
• Decade calendar: every year from 1920
• Decade trivia: fun facts by era
• Decade trivia game: play for points
• Decade guides: books, films and TV by era
• Decade recipes: dishes and food trends by era
• Decade travel: destinations and holidays by era
• Decade tech: gadgets and computers by era
• Decade films: best movies and directors by era
• Decade art: artists, styles and trends by era
• Decade books: best novels, authors and reading trends
• Music by decade: albums, artists and songs
• Decade fashion: clothes, hair and accessories by era
• Nostalgia gift shop
• Retro party supplies
• Nostalgia birthday party by decade
• Nostalgia hamper and gift ideas
• Guess the year quiz
• Care home reminiscence quiz
• Reminiscence gifts for grandparents
• Milestone birthday cards
• Shop birthday cards
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Birthday cards for kids
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

When did the UK singles chart start?

14 November 1952, published by the New Musical Express. Al Martino's 'Here in My Heart' was the first number one.

When did rationing end in Britain?

Food rationing ended on 4 July 1954, when restrictions on meat and bacon were lifted.

When did ITV start?

22 September 1955, in the London area first, with other regions following.

When was the coronation of Elizabeth II?

2 June 1953, at Westminster Abbey.

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. The pages themselves are free to read and free to copy.