Work time to pay for a weekly basket of basic food items such as milk, butter and bread was around 3 hours 40 minutes. 1950s saw the introduction of fish fingers, electric fires, washing machine, ink and toilet paper.
Unemployment was very low in the 1950s and it was a long period of prosperity with living standards in Britain rising considerably. In the early 1950s, many homes in Britain still did not have bathrooms and only had outside lavatories. In the 1950s, a typical home had a cooker, vacuum cleaner and a plug-in radio. Only 33 per cent of households had a washing machine. Most people were still doing their washing by hand. Only 15 per cent had a fridge and freezers and tumble dryers were scarcely heard of.
Only 10 per cent of the population had a telephone.
TV first became common in the 1950s. A lot of people bought a TV set to watch the coronation of Elizabeth II and a survey at the end of that year showed that about one-quarter of households had one. By 1959 about two-thirds of homes had a TV. At first, there was only one TV channel but between 1955 and 1957 the ITV companies began broadcasting.
In Britain, the health of ordinary people greatly improved when the National Health Service was founded in 1948. In the 1950s Dr. Jonas Salk invented a vaccine for poliomyelitis. The first kidney transplant was performed in 1950 by Richard Lawler.
There was growing opposition to the death penalty. In 1957 the Homicide Act abolished hanging for certain kinds of murder. It was still allowed for murder during a theft, by shooting or explosion, and for the murder of a police officer or prison officer while on duty. A person who was convicted of more than one murder could also be hanged. There were several firsts for women in the 1950s. Barbara Mandell became the first woman newsreader on British TV In 1956. Rose Heilbron became the first woman judge in Britain and in 1958 Hilda Harding became the first woman bank manager in Britain.
Transport: Cars increased in number after World War II, and car ownership more than doubled in the 1950's. By 1955 there were over three million cars on Britain's roads. By 1959 32% of households owned a car.
The first zebra crossing was introduced in 1949. Lollipop men and women followed in 1953. The first parking meters in Britain were installed in London in 1958.
Following the 1944 Education Act all children had to sit an exam called the 11 plus. Those who passed went to grammar schools while those who failed went to secondary modern schools. Meanwhile, new sweets were introduced, Bounty (1951), Munchies (1957), and Picnic (1958). Also, in the 1950s young people had significant disposable income for the first time. A distinct ‘youth culture’ emerged, with teddy boys. A revolution in music was led by Elvis Presley and Bill Haley, and it was the decade of jive, skiffle and rock'n'roll.
Leisure: People spent most of their leisure time at home – reading, listening to the radio/gramophone records, watching television or pursuing hobbies. The most popular hobbies were knitting and needle-work for women, and gardening for men. Children spent a lot of time playing with other children outdoors, and enjoyed a range of hobbies such as stamp collecting. Families enjoyed playing board games such as Monopoly, Ludo, and Snakes and Ladders. In the 1950s Lego became a popular toy. Mr. Potato Head was invented in 1952. Skateboards were first sold in 1958. Barbie dolls were invented in 1959. There was a craze for yo-yos, 3D-spectacles, I-Spy books and hoola hoops in the late 1950s.
Pop Art started in London in the mid-1950's depicting images from popular culture, including comics, advertising images, and celebrity portraits. The best known artist of Pop Art is undoubtedly the American artist Andy Warhol.
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