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 20th Century 1945-1965 infographic
Photomontage shows key events and personalities of the 20th Century, focusing on the years 1945-1965. Photomontage banner shown in full at the top of the preview, and with two enlargements below.
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20th Century 1945-1965

December 30, 1999 - Photomontage shows key events and personalities of the 20th Century, focusing on the years 1945-1965.

From left to right:

An idea devised during the darkest days of World War II, the United Nations Charter was signed by representatives of 50 countries in June 1945, and the organization officially came into existence in October

Frank Sinatra, now well established in his solo career, was perfecting the smooth, romantic singing style that made him one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century

Mahatma Gandhi’s long campaign of passive resistance to British rule in India was instrumental in winning independence for the vast nation in 1947, although he vigorously opposed the partition of India and the separate Muslim state of Pakistan. When violence broke out between Hindus and Muslims Gandhi urged tolerance, but while holding a prayer meeting for peace in New Delhi in January 1948, he was shot dead by a Hindu fanatic

The world’s first jet-propelled airliner, the British De Havilland Comet, made its maiden flight in 1949. It had four turbo-jet engines mounted on its wings and could accommodate 48 passengers. A scheduled passenger service began in May 1952, when 36 passengers boarded a flight from London to Johannesburg

After Japan’s defeat in 1945, Korea was divided at the 38th parallel into a Soviet occupation zone in the north and the U.S. zone in the south. Relations deteriorated rapidly and war broke out in 1950 when North Korean forces invaded South Korea. The UN sent an international army under U.S. command to repel the Communist invaders. After three years of bitter fighting with heavy casualties on both sides an armistice was signed which permanently divided the peninsula

New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tensing Norgay became the first men to reach the summit of Mount Everest on May 29, 1953. News of the success by the British-led expedition reached London just ahead of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on June 2 – an excited nation saw the feat as heralding the dawn of a new Elizabethan age

Tennessee country boy Elvis Presley became a national sensation in 1956 with “Heartbreak Hotel”, and dominated rock music well into the 60s. By the time of his death in 1977, sales of his records stood at over 300 million worldwide. While his songs captivated his audiences, it was his highly sexual pelvic gyrations, which thrilled an entire generation of teenagers and appalled their parents, that skyrocketed Presley to fame

Voted the sexiest woman of the century by Playboy magazine, Marilyn Monroe’s distinctively breathy voice and seductive film roles made her the world’s favourite blonde. An accomplished actress despite the dizzy facade often projected, her private life was troubled – three marriages all ended in divorce. Her apparent suicide from an overdose of drugs in 1962 is now subject to numerous conspiracy theories after revelations of affairs with both John and Robert Kennedy

Francis Crick and James Watson identified the molecular structure of the chemical deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, as consisting of millions of atoms arranged in a twisted double spiral. Their double-helix model revealed how cells use DNA to store and pass on genetic blueprints – unlocking the key to the mechanisms of heredity. Their findings, considered the most important biological discovery of the century, won them the Nobel Prize in 1962

The era of manned space flight began in April 1961 when Russian air force pilot Yuri Gagarin became the first man to be rocketed beyond Earth’s atmosphere. His single orbit of the planet in a Vostok spacecraft lasted an hour and 48 minutes, the five-ton craft reaching an altitude of 190 miles (305km), before parachuting gently back to terra firma

Cars or clothing, the 1960s were the decade of the Mini. A masterpiece of industrial design, Alec Issigonis’ little superstar changed the face of motoring as demand for small, economical cars soared in the wake of the Suez crisis. Launched in 1959 at a cost of £496, the Mini soon acquired mega-popularity in fashionable, swinging London and cult status around the globe

The miniskirt was the brainchild of French designer Courreges and popularized by leading lights of the fashion scene such as Mary Quant. As hemlines rose inexorably higher, traditionalists clucked indignantly about declining moral standards while the younger set revelled in their new-found freedom

Contributing largely to that sense of liberation was the launch of the Pill, which first went on sale in the United States in 1961. The oral contraceptive allowed women to control their own fertility and reduced the dread of an unwanted pregnancy

November 22, 1963: America’s youngest president, John F. Kennedy, was shot dead while being driven through Dallas in an open-topped car with his wife Jackie at his side. One of the defining moments of the century, people around the world claim to remember where they were and what they were doing when news of the assassination broke

Sources
PUBLISHED: 9/12/1999; STORY: Graphic News
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