AUGUST 17, 1950

THURSDAY
1950 Coca-Cola advertising artwork
$1,000 INVESTED IN COKE STOCK (KO) IN 1950
WOULD HAVE MADE YOU $4,974,536 IN THE 2025 DATASET
Min Wage Hourly$0.75
Median Home Price$7,400.00
Gas Price Avg$0.27
Bread Price Avg$0.14
Movie Ticket Avg$0.46
First Class Stamp$0.03
Milk Price Avg$0.83
Top Movies From 1950
Show screen release and event cards
1 King Solomon's Mines
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King Solomon's Mines
2 All About Eve
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All About Eve
3 Annie Get Your Gun
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Annie Get Your Gun
4 Cinderella
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Cinderella
5 Father of the Bride
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Father of the Bride
6 Sunset Boulevard
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Sunset Boulevard
7 Broken Arrow
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Broken Arrow
8 Cheaper by the Dozen
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Cheaper by the Dozen
9 Born Yesterday
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Born Yesterday
10 The Flame and the Arrow
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The Flame and the Arrow
Gun Crazy
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Gun Crazy
Panic in the Streets
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Panic in the Streets
The Great Rupert
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The Great Rupert
Winchester '73
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Winchester '73
Three Came Home
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Three Came Home
No Way Out
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No Way Out
D.O.A.
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D.O.A.
Destination Moon
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Destination Moon
The Asphalt Jungle
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The Asphalt Jungle
Caged
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Caged
The Gunfighter
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The Gunfighter
Treasure Island
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Treasure Island
Where the Sidewalk Ends
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Where the Sidewalk Ends
My Friend Irma Goes West
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My Friend Irma Goes West
The Happiest Days of Your Life
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The Happiest Days of Your Life
Mystery Street
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Mystery Street
In a Lonely Place
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In a Lonely Place
The Damned Don't Cry
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The Damned Don't Cry
The Capture
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The Capture
Stromboli
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Stromboli
Samson and Delilah
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Samson and Delilah
Battleground
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Battleground
On the Town
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On the Town
Twelve O'Clock High
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Twelve O'Clock High
Sands of Iwo Jima
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Sands of Iwo Jima
Dear Wife
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Dear Wife

August 17, 1950 Trivia

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Television from this era Β· August 17, 1950

Exact-date daily brief

August 17, 1950

On August 17, 1950, a significant financial appeal was made, as leaders in the United States called for $1 billion in contributions to support the immigration costs for Jews relocating to Israel. This initiative was part of the br...

Inventions & Breakthroughs of August 1950

Gadgets, lab surprises, odd bets, and future-shocks from this slice of the calendar.

1 Magnetic Core Memory
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Magnetic Core Memory
2 Hydrogen Bomb Prototype
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Hydrogen Bomb Prototype
3 Charge-Coupled Device Concept
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Charge-Coupled Device Concept
4 Optical Fiber Concept
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Optical Fiber Concept
5 Commercial Credit Card
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Commercial Credit Card
6 Microwave Relay Network
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Microwave Relay Network
7 Automatic Seat Belt
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Automatic Seat Belt
8 Electronic Music Synthesizer
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Electronic Music Synthesizer
9 High-Speed Digital Computer
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High-Speed Digital Computer
10 Weather Satellite Concept
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Weather Satellite Concept

The Sounds of

Popular recordings and roots/country selections associated with the year

Headlines From August 17, 1950

Full News Archive

  • Headline: Funding Support for Israeli Immigration. Impact: This billion-dollar ask led to a chain reaction where Jewish communities worldwide began to form secret societies to out-fundraise each other. Fast forward a few decades, and you’ve got bake sales turning into international fundraising galas, all because someone needed a new place to live. Fact: Did you know that if you put all the money raised from these events in a line, it would probably stretch to the moon and back? Or at least to the next town over.
  • Headline: Bombay Strike Leader Detained. Impact: The arrest of this strike leader sparked a wave of labor movements that eventually collapsed the entire fabric of bad management practices. Somewhere down the line, a CEO got a conscienceβ€”now that’s a plot twist!. Fact: Fun fact: The phrase 'striking gold' originally referred to labor strikes, not miners finding gold. Who knew labor disputes could be so profitable in the long run?.
  • Headline: R.H. Palmer Leaves 13th New Haven. Impact: R.H. Palmer quitting might have inadvertently led to a series of poor decisions by management that caused a company to implode. This is the moment when an intern at the company decided to just wing it and accidentally invented a new product line. Fact: Did you know that R.H. Palmer's brother was a former president? Talk about keeping it in the family! Too bad R.H. didn’t take a few notes on how to handle a reorganization.
  • Headline: LIBRARY MYSTIFIES SIDEWALK CROWDS; Crane Lifting Junked Machines Through Engine-Room Roof Attracts the Curious. Impact: As curious crowds gathered to watch the crane, a new trend of 'urban spectacles' was born, leading to an entire generation obsessed with watching construction. This fascination with cranes eventually led to the rise of YouTube channels dedicated to heavy machinery. Fact: Did you know that the first crane was invented in ancient Greece? Apparently, watching machines lift heavy things is a timeless pastime!.
  • Headline: BENTON HITS SPAIN LOAN; C. I. O. Officers Join in Attack on $100,000,000 Credit. Impact: Senator Benton’s opposition to the loan caused a rift that would lead to a dramatic shift in international finance. Years later, a random investor in a coffee shop would overhear the debate and decide to start investing in obscure cryptocurrencies. Fact: Fun fact: The phrase 'loan shark' is not just a metaphor; it originated from the predatory practices of lenders in the 1930s. Maybe Benton was onto something!.
  • Headline: New Chromium Plant Slated. Impact: The establishment of the chromium plant set off a race for industrial resources that ultimately led to the creation of a bizarre dystopian future where everyone was hoarding metal like it was toilet paper during a pandemic. Fact: Did you know that chromium is used in everything from stainless steel to your favorite car? So, when you think about it, this plant basically paved the way for your morning commute.
  • Headline: DEMOCRATS HEAR IDEAS ON PLATFORM; Proposals Range From More State Aid to Cities to a Tighter Curb on Bias Broader Tax Powers Urged Curb on Speculation Asked. Impact: The Democratic platform hearing was the beginning of a long tradition of politicians talking a lot without saying anything. Fast forward to today, and we’ve perfected the art of saying 'let's have a discussion'β€”which really means 'let's do absolutely nothing.'. Fact: Did you know that political platforms often include proposals that sound great but are about as likely to happen as a unicorn sighting? Welcome to politics!.
  • Headline: MAIL TWICE A DAY ORDERED BY HOUSE; Ballot of 264 to 108 Rescinds Economy Cut in Service-- Bill Now Up to Senate MAIL TWICE A DAY IS VOTED BY HOUSE Rushes Back to Capital. Impact: The decision to mail twice a day created a cascade of postal innovations, eventually leading to email. So, technically, the House of Representatives invented spam emailsβ€”thanks, guys!. Fact: Fun fact: The postal service was originally intended to be a speedy way to communicate. Now it’s an eternal waiting game for packages that arrive late, if at all.
  • Headline: UNION BLOC TO FIGHT REDS; Group Formed in Marine Cooks --Membership Already 100. Impact: The formation of this anti-Communist bloc sparked a bizarre rivalry among unions that resulted in more dramatic meetings than a soap opera. The legacy? A future of union leaders turning into reality TV stars. Fact: Did you know that the term 'Red Scare' became a popular phrase in American politics? Turns out, fear-based naming conventions have a rich history!.
  • Headline: Children Turning to Arson. Impact: The rise in child arson led to an unexpected crackdown on fire safety, resulting in a future where kids would be more interested in fire safety than actually starting fires. Who knew it would take a few burned down houses to create future firefighters?. Fact: Did you know that the first recorded use of fire by humans was over a million years ago? Apparently, some kids never got the memo about fire safety.

Wall Street Time Machine

The Right Call: A historical $1,000 investment comparison using the stored long-range dataset.
Rank #1
JNJ
Johnson & Johnson
Price in 1950
$0.06
Stored value
$3,433,941

Johnson & Johnson - If you invested $1,000 in 1950, it would be worth $3,433,941 today (3433.9x return)

Rank #2
PG
Procter & Gamble
Price in 1950
$0.25
Stored value
$586,657

Procter & Gamble - If you invested $1,000 in 1950, it would be worth $586,657 today (586.7x return)

Rank #3
MO
Philip Morris
Price in 1950
$0.00
Stored value
$23,651,330

Philip Morris - If you invested $1,000 in 1950, it would be worth $23,651,330 today (23651.3x return)

🦸 Top 5 Comics
Crime Suspenstories #1
Crime Suspenstories #1
$2,500
Classics Illustrated #75: Oliver Twist
Classics Illustrated #75: Oliver Twist
$75
Marvel Family #10
Marvel Family #10
$300
Mutiny On The Bounty #1
Mutiny On The Bounty #1
$150
Walt Disney'S Comics And Stories #111
Walt Disney'S Comics And Stories #111
$50
🧸 Top 5 Toys
Magic 8-Ball
Magic 8-Ball
$30.00
Silly Putty
Silly Putty
$25.00
Lone Ranger Guns And Holster Set
Lone Ranger Guns And Holster Set
$150.00
Davy Crockett Coonskin Cap
Davy Crockett Coonskin Cap
$150.00
Cootie Game
Cootie Game
$25.00
⚾ Top 5 Trading Cards
1950 Bowman Jackie Robinson
1950 Bowman Jackie Robinson
$1,200
1950 Callahan Hall Of Fame Babe Ruth
1950 Callahan Hall Of Fame Babe Ruth
$50,000
1950 R714-27 Topps 'Funny Foldees'
1950 R714-27 Topps 'Funny Foldees'
$2,000
1950 Swedish Cigarett-Paket Gretzky Tobacco Stamp
1950 Swedish Cigarett-Paket Gretzky Tobacco Stamp
$1,500
1950 L-M Gum Superman
1950 L-M Gum Superman
$250,000