Almost thirty million people owned televisions by this time so it was no surprise that America fell in love with shows like "The Ed Sullivan Show," "I Love Lucy," "Dragnet," and "Lassie." A meeting of the President's cabinet aired on television for the first time. The Miss America Contest was broadcast live on television for the first time. The price of a color television dropped to 1,110 dollars. .
Rock "N" Roll records topped the charts. Songs like "Earth Angel" by The Penguins, "Goodnight Sweetheart Goodnight" by The Spaniels, and "Honey Love" by The Drifters. Bill Haley may have recorded the first rock "n" roll record by a white person to become popular. His version of "Shake Rattle and Roll" was a huge success. The Midnighters were the most popular group in the R&B section. .
In the 50's, America fell in love with the car as well. Popular cars included the "54 Chevy, the Chrysler Imperial, the stationwagon, and the El Dorado Brougham by Cadillac. Prices ranged from $2,500 for a Dodge with automatic transmission to $13,074 for an El Dorado Brougham. The car changed Americans" entire way of life. People no longer were forced to stay in the same town. Teenagers were no longer forced to stay at home with their family. Therefore, drive-in movies and diners grew in popularity. Commercial airlines were taking hold but a survey showed that only twenty-five percent of Americans had ever flown in an airplane. .
A widespread terror of Red attacks and Red spies enveloped the country. The danger of the situation was exaggerated by Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin. Thousands were accused of being communist with no sufficient evidence to prove that they were. McCarthy did not successfully prove any communists had infiltrated the government. McCarthyism began to decline after 1954 because of the end of the Korean War and the condemnation of McCarthy by the Senate. .
In the sports world, Rocky Marciano retained his boxing title.
