Task 1: Watch the Introductory Video to this Unit (5 minutes)

Task 2: Review the provided images, videos and attached links for the vehicles of  the 1950's (15 minutes)

Task 3: Complete a Timeline by Selecting FIVE (5) Vehicles Throughout the Decade (1950 - 1959) to Show Shifting Interests of Americans in the 1950's (30 minutes)

1. Use the Shared Google Slide on Classroom OR Go to Canva Timeline to Create Your Timeline

2. Follow the Directions on the Google Slide OR Use the Directions Below to Complete Your Timeline

   1. Click on the Blue "Create a Timeline Now" Button

   2. On the Left Side of Your Screen You Will See Title Timeline

      1. Create a Title For Your Timeline

   3. Below Your New Title You Click on The Grey "+ Add Event" Box

      1. Add Image

      2. Add A Title

      3. Add A Date

      4. Add A Description

         1. Why does this selection represent that point in the decade

   4. Repeat For Each Year in Decade

   5. Click the Blue "Download" Button in the Upper Right Hand Corner and Complete Download

Task 4: Submit Completed Timeline to Google Classroom

America entered the 1950s with a sense of adventure and enthusiasm, this iconic decade turned into a period filled with classic designs and power that had never been experienced behind the wheel.  In the 1950s, cars were as much about style as they were about substance, and many of the models are now modern legends.  This decade sparked America’s fascination with fast, sporty vehicles and changed both the way people drove and the reasons they got behind the wheel. (https://www.hertz.com/blog/automotive/birth-sports-car-cars-50s-changed-america )

Commercial and personal trucking was authorized for use on the Interstate Highway System in 1956. During this decade, many Americans moved away from the cities and began moving into suburbs. Jobs, however, stayed in the cities. This prompted a new hunger for automobiles to transport people to and fro to work. This included a voracious hunger for pickup trucks. The big three, Dodge, Ford, and Chevrolet rose as the leaders in the market to meet this new demand.

New pickup truck models began to pump into the marketplace with unique body styles and new features. For example, in 1955 the first contemporary V-8 engine with overhead valves was introduced in a Chevy pickup truck. This improved the horsepower for traveling at high rates of speed. The International Harvester in 1957 introduced the first crew cabin. Initially, the Harvester came with three doors, but a fourth was added in 1961. (https://www.carcovers.com/resources/history-of-the-pickup-truck.html )

Hot Rod popularity continued to rise, supported by the formation of the National Hot Rod Association in 1951. Hotrodders moved to custom-made drag strips and avoided public roads. The hot rod culture branched out into several subcultures—including street rods for illegal street racing, dragsters for drag track racing, and custom cars with elaborate cosmetic upgrades. (https://www.buyautoinsurance.com/hot-rod-history/ )

During the 1950s, airlines promoted commercial air travel as glamorous: stewardesses served full meals on real china, airline seats were large (and frequently empty) with ample leg-room, and passengers always dressed well.

After jets were introduced in the late 1950s, passengers could travel to even the most distant locations at speeds unimaginable a mere decade before. An airline trip from New York to London that could take up to 15 hours in the early 1950s could be made in less than seven hours by the early 1960s. (https://theconversation.com/longing-for-the-golden-age-of-air-travel-be-careful-what-you-wish-for- )