Born in the 1950s
People born in the 1950s are 66 to 76 years old in 2026 and belong to Baby Boomers. The world population went from about 2.49 billion in 1950 to 2.97 billion in 1959, and the U.S. population from 154.2 million to 177.1 million.
| Born | Age in 2026 | President | Top song | Top movie | Best Picture | Top names (boy / girl) | Min. wage | Gas | Median new home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | 66 or 67 | Eisenhower | The Battle of New Orleans | – | Ben-Hur | Michael / Mary | $1.00 | – | – |
| 1958 | 67 or 68 | Eisenhower | Volare (Nel blu dipinto di blu) | – | Gigi | Michael / Mary | $1.00 | – | – |
| 1957 | 68 or 69 | Eisenhower | All Shook Up | – | The Bridge on the River Kwai | Michael / Mary | $1.00 | – | – |
| 1956 | 69 or 70 | Eisenhower | Heartbreak Hotel | – | Around the World in 80 Days | Michael / Mary | $1.00 | – | – |
| 1955 | 70 or 71 | Eisenhower | Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White | – | Marty | Michael / Mary | $0.75 | – | – |
| 1954 | 71 or 72 | Eisenhower | Little Things Mean a Lot | – | On the Waterfront | Michael / Mary | $0.75 | – | – |
| 1953 | 72 or 73 | Truman / Eisenhower | The Song from Moulin Rouge | – | From Here to Eternity | Robert / Mary | $0.75 | – | – |
| 1952 | 73 or 74 | Truman | Blue Tango | – | The Greatest Show on Earth | James / Linda | $0.75 | – | – |
| 1951 | 74 or 75 | Truman | Too Young | – | An American in Paris | James / Linda | $0.75 | – | – |
| 1950 | 75 or 76 | Truman | Goodnight Irene | – | All About Eve | James / Linda | $0.75 | – | – |
Most popular names of the 1950s
Combined counts of Social Security card applicants born 1950 to 1959.
| Rank | Boys | Girls |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | James (843,776) | Mary (625,609) |
| 2 | Michael (837,466) | Linda (564,363) |
| 3 | Robert (830,391) | Patricia (459,686) |
| 4 | John (797,917) | Susan (437,773) |
| 5 | David (769,951) | Deborah (430,541) |
| 6 | William (591,226) | Barbara (345,723) |
| 7 | Richard (535,453) | Debra (341,347) |
| 8 | Thomas (454,385) | Karen (332,533) |
Events that defined the 1950s
- August 24, 1950. Edith Sampson becomes the first black U.S. delegate to the United Nations.
- March 7, 1951. Korean War: Operation Ripper: United Nations troops led by General Matthew Ridgway begin an assault against Chinese forces.
- March 14, 1951. Korean War: United Nations troops recapture Seoul for the second time.
- December 17, 1951. The American Civil Rights Congress delivers "We Charge Genocide" to the United Nations.
- September 15, 1952. The United Nations cedes Eritrea to Ethiopia.
- December 14, 1955. Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Ceylon, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Laos, Libya, Nepal, Portugal, Romania and Spain join the United Nations through United Nations Security Council Resolution 109.
- November 12, 1956. Morocco, Sudan and Tunisia join the United Nations.
- February 1, 1957. Northeast Airlines Flight 823 crashes on Rikers Island in New York City, killing 20 people and injuring 78 others.
- January 4, 1958. Sputnik 1, the first artificial Earth satellite, launched by the Soviet Union in 1957, falls to Earth from orbit.
- January 2, 1959. Luna 1, the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Moon and to orbit the Sun, is launched by the Soviet Union.
- January 4, 1959. Luna 1 becomes the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Moon.
- November 20, 1959. The Declaration of the Rights of the Child is adopted by the United Nations.
Famous people born in the 1950s
- Narendra Modi, Indian politician; Chief Minister of Gujarat and 14th Prime Minister of India (1950)
- Vladimir Putin, Russian colonel and politician, 4th President of Russia (1952)
- Xi Jinping, Chinese engineer and politician, General Secretary of the Communist Party and President of China (1953)
- Angela Merkel, German chemist and politician, Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. (1954)
- François Hollande, French lawyer and politician, 24th President of France (1954)
- Hugo Chávez, Venezuelan colonel and politician, President of Venezuela (died 2013) (1954)
- Bill Gates, American businessman and philanthropist, co-founded Microsoft (1955)
- Steve Jobs, American businessman, co-founded Apple Computer and Pixar (died 2011) (1955)
- Nicolas Sarkozy, French lawyer and politician, 23rd President of France (1955)
- Debbie Mathers, Mother of Eminem (died 2024) (1955)
- Pope Leo XIV, (1955)
- Osama bin Laden, Saudi Arabian terrorist, founded al-Qaeda (died 2011) (1957)
- Michael Jackson, American singer-songwriter, producer, dancer, and actor (died 2009) (1958)
- Madonna, American singer-songwriter, producer, actress, and director (1958)