Featured moment
I Love Lucy Premieres
Lucille Ball's sitcom pioneered the multi-camera setup and syndication, becoming the most watched show in America.
I Love Lucy and color TV.
I Love Lucy revolutionized television production, color TV was broadcast, and nuclear power was generated.
The Cost of Living in 1951
Gallon of Gas
$0.27
Loaf of Bread
$0.15
Gallon of Milk
$0.84
World Population
2.58 billion
Featured moment
First Color TV Broadcast
CBS broadcast the first commercial color television program, though almost no one owned a color TV yet.
Featured moment
First Electricity from Nuclear Power
Experimental Breeder Reactor I in Idaho produced the world's first usable electricity from nuclear energy.
The wider picture
More from 1951
A few more things worth remembering.
Literature
The Catcher in the Rye Published
J.D. Salinger's novel about teenage angst and alienation became a defining work of 20th-century literature.
World Events
22nd Amendment Ratified
The US Constitution was amended to limit the President to two terms in office.
Technology
UNIVAC I Delivered to US Census Bureau
The first commercial computer produced in the US was installed, predicting the 1952 election results accurately.
Cinema & TV
A Streetcar Named Desire Released
Marlon Brando's raw performance brought method acting to the mainstream and earned him an Oscar nomination.
You arrivedin 1951.
The longer view
This was only the opening scene.
Follow the world as it changed around you, from 1951 to today.