1950s
1950–1959Zoom in — years
Key events
- January 12, 1959Motown Records is founded
Berry Gordy launches the label that will define the "Sound of Young America."
- May 1, 1950Gwendolyn Brooks wins the Pulitzer
Brooks becomes the first African American to win a Pulitzer Prize.
- August 28, 1950Althea Gibson breaks the tennis color line
Gibson becomes the first Black player at the US National Championships.
- December 10, 1950Ralph Bunche wins the Nobel Peace Prize
Bunche becomes the first African American Nobel laureate.
- January 7, 1955Marian Anderson at the Metropolitan Opera
Anderson becomes the first Black singer at the Met.
- July 30, 1955Chuck Berry's "Maybellene"
Berry helps invent rock and roll.
- March 11, 1959"A Raisin in the Sun" opens on Broadway
Lorraine Hansberry becomes the first Black woman with a play on Broadway.