What Happened in 1950

Major Events

1950 in Film & TV

  • Feb 25 "Your Show of Shows" with Sid Caesar & Imogene Coca premieres on NBC. Writers include Mel Brooks, Neil Simon and Woody Allen.
  • Jul 10 "Your Hit Parade" premieres on NBC-TV (later CBS), after being broadcast on radio from 1935
  • Jul 20 "Arthur Murray Party" premieres on ABC TV (later DuMont, CBS, NBC)
  • Aug 19 ABC begins Saturday morning kid shows (Animal Clinic & Acrobat Ranch)
  • Aug 27 1st transmission of a TV programme from continental Europe shown on BBC
  • Sep 30 Radio's "Grand Ole Opry" is broadcast on TV for 1st time

1950 in Music

  • Nov 24 Frank Loesser's musical "Guys & Dolls", starring Robert Alda, Vivian Blaine, and Sam Levene, opens at 46th St Theater, NYC; runs for 1200 performances, winning 5 Tony Awards

1950 in Sport

  • Apr 25 Chuck Cooper becomes the 1st African American to be drafted into the NBA (for Boston Celtics)
  • May 13 First ever race of the Formula 1 World Drivers Championship is run at Silverstone, England and won by Giuseppe Farina of italy in an Alfa Romeo
  • Sep 3 Giuseppe "Nino" Farina wins inaugural Formula 1 World Drivers Championship by taking out the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in an Alfa Romeo; wins by 3 points from Juan Manuel Fangio
  • Nov 1 Celtics' forward Chuck Cooper becomes first African American to play in the NBA in Boston's 107-84 loss at Fort Wayne Pistons; future Hall of Famer Bob Cousy also debuts for Celtics

Did You Know?

FBI's "10 Most Wanted Fugitives" program begins

March 14, 1950


More People Born in 1950
More 1950 Deaths

Famous Weddings in 1950

Famous Divorces in 1950

  • Mar 1 Actress Ingrid Bergman (34) divorces dentist Petter Aron Lindström after 12 years of marriage
  • Jul 5 Actress Bette Davis (42) divorces artist William Grant Sherry after more than 4 years of marriage

More 1950 Weddings