1959 : the year everything changed / Fred Kaplan.

Author/creator Kaplan, Fred M.
Format Book
Publication InfoHoboken, N.J. : J. Wiley & Sons, ©2009.
Descriptionxiii, 322 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm
Subjects
History, Modern--1945-1989.
Civilization, Modern--1950-.

Variant title Nineteen fifty nine
Contents Breaking the chains -- A visitor from the East -- The philosopher of hip -- Generations howling -- The cosmonaut of inner space -- The end of obscenity -- Sickniks -- Thinking about the unthinkable -- The race for space -- Toppling the tyranny of numbers -- The assault on the chord -- Revolutionary euphoria -- Breaking the logjam, hitting the wall -- The frontier's dark side -- The new language of diplomacy -- Sparking the powder keg -- Civilization in the stars -- A great upward swoop of movement -- Blurring art and life -- Seeing the invisible -- The off-Hollywood movie -- The shape of jazz to come -- Dancing in the streets -- Andromeda freed from her chains -- New frontiers.
Abstract Conventional historical wisdom focuses on the sixties as the era of pivotal change that swept the nation, yet, as Fred Kaplan argues, it was 1959 that ushered in the wave of tremendous cultural, political, and scientific shifts that would play out in the turbulent decade that followed. During this vital, overlooked period in American history, pop culture exploded, court rulings unshackled prevously banned books, civil rights laws and protests broadened political power, the birth control pill ushered in the sexual and feminist revolutions, America entered the war in Vietnam, the invention of the microchip launched the computer age, and the space race put a new twist on the frontier myth.
Bibliography noteIncludes bibliographical references and index.
LCCN 2008045529
ISBN9780470387818 (cloth)
ISBN0470387815 (cloth)

Availability

Library Location Call Number Status Item Actions
Joyner General Stacks D842.5 .K35 2009 ✔ Available Place Hold