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Friday, January 18, 2013

Mad Man's History Lessons: Timeline 10

We've already discussed all the interesting bits of history in our first set of posts that began with where we all came into existence here, and came to a halt shortly after our discussion on the World War II, when mankind nearly destroyed itself. Funnily enough, while World War II united the world against the common enemy - Axis Power - the end of the war divided it almost equally. So the years following the war continued to be a showcase of crimes, follies and misfortunes of mankind. Here's world history, after the start of what ought to have been the happiest days of our lives.

1945: The allied leaders meet up for a party at Yalta, and agree to part with the spoils of war.

1946: Winston Churchill delivers his "Iron Curtain" speech. After practicing it 37 times behind the curtain.

1947: A huge explosion near Sikhote-Alin in the Soviet Union raises suspicion of an American attack. Turns out, it was only a harmless meteor. The Russians were so disapointed, they didn't even bother naming the damn meteor.

1948: NASCAR competitions begins. It was also the origin of the joke, "What's the difference between  NASCAR and a porcupine? In a porcupine, the pricks are on the outside."

1949: One USAF Captain can't deal with his war withdrawal symptoms anymore. So he takes his B-50 Superfortress and flies it around the world, literally.

1950: Korean War begins. Gives Richard Hooker the idea for a book full of laughs, which would eventually turn into M*A*S*H franchise

1951: JD Salinger cracks a joke about this overly abusive teenager. He's surprised when the critics take the book way too seriously. Decades later, critics still swear by it, while Salinger rolls in his grave, laughing

1952:  Elizabeth II is crowned the queen. And she remains so forever (As of 2012).

1953: Samuel Beckett's play "Waiting for Godot" opens successfully. Many of the audience are still found waiting for Godot.

1954: H-Bomb tested in Bikini Atoll. Somehow, the island is still named after the garment that adorns other shapely bombs.

1955: Disneyland opens as a theme park for public. This turns out to be Disney's first venture that made kids throw up.

We'll be back next week with a review of the next decade and a half that takes us into the 60s, when we'll feature a generation that remembers very little, mostly because they smoked some good shit! So until then, keep rolling.




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