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Brittney Busher
Mrs. Petty
ENG091
26 October 2014
1950s vs. 2014
Many changes has occurred between the decade of 1950 and the year 2014. In 1950 was
the when my grandfather was around the age of Twenty-one, and him having to reach that age in
the time of war. While in the present of 2014 yes there are many hardships that people have to go
through today. Yet today, whenever seeing old videos or movies from around that time period
there is a chance of thinking what was it really to live back then. Therefore the thought of how
different everything is compared to then. Many things has happened in over the past sixty years
such as entertainment took an interesting turn. Medical breakthroughs that have come out of both
time eras, yet with the economy that was having ups and downs, and current events that changed
lives for the people today also for people back then.
Firstly between the two eras there have been many different ways that people were able
to entertain themselves. Back then in the 50s the entertainment mostly involved people watched
Films, along with the films also came in the drive in Movie Theater, and listened to a great deal
Radio. The color television was just invented, yet it cost just over a thousand dollars so not many
people were able to have them. Those who were able to have a colored T.V. the Peanuts show
was making its debut, and those that were less fortunate were left read comic books like Captain
America. The music scene revolved around Elvis along with Ray Charles and Johnny Cash also
the many records to show for it. Nowadays it seems very different since now almost every home
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has at least one or two colored T.V.s, and some even have 3D televisions. With having
computers today there are handheld iPads, iPods, and gaming consoles today there are more
different genre of music out there for people to listen to. When comes to entertainment there
should be a huge thank you toward technology today, so having things such telephones are
almost necessary to have.
Next difference in-between these two times is that they both had their own huge medical
breakthroughs. In those days Paul Zoll had developed the first cardiac pacemaker that helps
many people that them today. In the 50s James Watson and Francis Crick at Cambridge
University describe the structure of what we today now call a DNA molecule and were later to
go on and sharing the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine with Maurice Wilkins in the 60s.
Dr. Joseph E. Murray had performed the very first kidney transplant between identical twins.
Jonas Salk had developed the first polio vaccine. These day the first human clinical trials in the
United States for a wearable artificial kidney are taking place. In the many trying to find some
type of cure Immunotherapy was developed that may help people who are suffering though
cancer.
Another thing that has change since then and now would have be the economy. At that
time between the years of 1945 and 1960 the gross nation product doubled in growing for $200
billion to $500 billion. Came from building interstates and schools, so Most of the increase came
from the militarys purchases like airplanes, and new technologies like computers helping
economic growth It was a good time to be alive with the peace and prosperity. Unlike the 50s
time era today we have many problems in todays economy. While back then they many of had a
low unemployment rate when today its really high. With the economy drop that had happened a

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few years back we are just getting back to how it was before it happened. In this year alone the
economy has been on to be the best growth in nine years.
Lastly with how much the times have change, so have the current events had also change.
Before the current events that had happened were more exciting for example Truman signed
Peace Treaty with Japan, officially ending WWII. Princess Elizabeth was crown Queen at the
age of 25, the first Atomic submarine was launched, and the Montgomery bus boycott began.
Also during that time Disneyland opened, Chinese leader Mao Zedong launched the "Great Leap
Forward, and international treaty made Antarctica Scientific Preserve. Now the Mars'
Atmosphere is leaching out into Space, the West Africa Ebola virus outbreak began. Nicols
Maduro, President of Venezuela, severed diplomatic and political ties with Panama, The United
Nations Security Council approved Resolution 2166 in reply to the shoot down of Malaysia
Airlines Flight 17. The Scottish independence referendum was held, and The United States along
many Arab partners start the airstrike campaign in Syria. just thinking about what happened then
and comparing it to now it makes the things that are going on now seem scary to what people of
the went through war included.
There are not that many similarities to what went on then to now and those that we think
are the same are done now in completely different ways to how people used to do them. Farming
has to be one of the huge similarities back then they did things by mostly hand, and today we use
machines to collect everything in the felids to watering and feeding the plants. Making cars is
another example in those times they put them together all by hand. Today again we use machines
where as they used a great number of people while we only have so many that are truly needed
with the process of using the machines. In addition baseball has change somewhat the game is
still played the same way that it has always been, but its more of how popular it is. Today there
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are many different types of sports fan out there only loyal to that sport. Back then baseball was
probably one of the biggest sport here in America.
With the many changes that had happened over the years. There always going to be
something thats new in entertainment, yet someone out there is going to make a medical
breakthrough. We wont know wants going to be the next current event, and nobody knows what
way the economy is going to turn. We cant know whats beyond the next corner in life until it
hits us full on, and take it in our stride. Back then it seems has if they were better off having the
things that they did, and it seems like a good time to escape to if only there were a time machine
around.