The Innovative 50's

By Jeff Little


The 50's was an era filled with creativity. Within that 10-year span, the world was introduced to bold innovations such as rock 'n' roll, devices which would explore space, medical breakthroughs that bettered the overall quality of life on our planet and, of course, Mr. Potato Head.

Actually introduced in the late 1940's and offered a piece at a time as prizes in breakfast cereal, Mr. Potato Head originally consisted of parts intended for use with real potatoes. The cereal promotion flopped, the product was purchased by a company that would later be known as Hasbro and in 1952 it became the first toy in history to be sold through national television advertising.

But Mr. Potato Head was only one of the many products introduced in the 50's that would immeasurably advance mankind as we know it. In addition to Hasbro's quirky little diversion was a gizmo marketed 2 years earlier that concerned another kind of potato: the couch potato.

In 1950, Zenith introduced the television remote control. A forerunner of today's electronic units, the original device did have wires connecting it to the TV, but still provided yet another strategy to avoid even the slightest form of physical exertion (like standing up every 30-60 minutes).

Not to be outdone, Bell Laboratories and Western Electric unveiled the telephone answering machine (also in 1950). Clearly superior to the TV remote, the answering machine allowed Americans to avoid exercise and human interaction simultaneously.

Later in the decade, 1953 proved to be a banner year for scientific breakthroughs as Francis Crick and James Watson discovered the DNA "double helix". Unfortunately for Crick and Watson their discovery was overshadowed by the public's discovery of Saran Wrap in the same year.

As if Saran Wrap wasn't enough of an accomplishment in the field of human endeavor for any one decade, we must remember that there were other landmarks in the history of invention that occurred past 1953. Dr. Jonas Salk announced to the public in 1955 that he had found a cure for polio.

Dr. Salk's gift to the world obviously saved millions from paralysis but was ignored to some degree by Zenith. The electronics company gave people a wireless television remote in the same year and made sure the public wouldn't need to walk.

Known to make mistakes other than choosing a sedentary lifestyle, Americans had long needed clerical correction assistance. And it came in 1956. That was the year Bette Nesmith Graham (mother of The Monkees' Michael Nesmith) aided harried typists and stenographers with the invention of "Mistake Out"  (later known as Liquid Paper).

In retrospect, the 50's seem to be years when America relaxed their bodies while inventing better ways to relax their bodies. The decade was wrought with innovations that mainly created leisure time, easier ways to accomplish mundane tasks in less time and near countless products to simply waste time. But the 50's was also a decade that introduced scientific milestones and technological breakthroughs which proved that at least our brains weren't getting as lazy as our bodies.


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