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Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Eisenhower Interstate Highway System |
Since the start of the Eisenhower Interstate System in the 1950s, times have, as they always have, changed. For those who did not live through the 1950s, there are books that provide a comprehensive look at the times out of which the Interstate System emerged. See, for example, David Halberstam's The Fifties (Villard, 1993, 800 pages). Just for fun, here's a less comprehensive look at how much things have changed since the 1950s. If you have any "Then and Now" submissions as possible additions to the list, please email them to Interstate50th@fhwa.dot.gov.
| Then | Category | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Rear fins | Auto craze | Hybrids |
| "I Love Lucy" | Sitcom | "Everybody Hates Chris" |
| Carl Sandburg | Poet | Bruce Springsteen |
| Newsreel | Pre-Movie Feature | Commercials |
| Davy Crockett | Children's Fave | The Bionicles |
| Hula Hoops | Toy | Nintendo |
| TV Dinner | Meal | Chicken McNuggets |
| Sandra Dee | Girl Next Door | Ashlee Simpson |
| Pressure cooker | Cooking Device | Microwave oven |
| Chuck Berry | Rock n Roll | Coldplay |
| Elvis Presley | King-- Rock n Roll | Elvis Presley |
| Jack Paar | "Tonight" Host | Jay Leno |
| Dave Garroway | "Today" Host | Katie Couric/Matt Lauer |
| "Peanuts" | Comic Strip | "The Boondocks" |
| Ike | Presid. Nickname | Dubya |
| Soda | Drink | Red Bull |
| Montreal Canadiens (1956) | Stanley Cup Winner | Season Canceled (2005) |
|
Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 (29 pages) |
Highway Law | SAFETEA-LU (800+ pages) |
| Smoking | Bad Habit | Smoking |
| 45's | Teen Music | iPods |
| "My Fair Lady" | Movie Musical | "Chicago" |
| "The Adventures of Superman" | Superhero TV | "Smallville |
|
Jim Anderson on "Father Knows Best" |
TV Dad |
Ray Barone on "Everybody Loves Raymond" |
| Johnny Unitas | Quarterback | Tom Brady |
| Three | # of TV Channels | 300+ |
| BPR | Agency Name | FHWA |
| AASHO | State Group | AASHTO |
| ARBA | Contractor Group | ARTBA |
| Mickey Spillane | Writer of Thrillers | Dan Brown |
| Trees | Roadside View | Noise barriers |
| Communism | International Threat | Terrorism |
| "77 Sunset Strip" | Teen TV Show | "The O.C." |
| "Gunsmoke" | TV Western | "Deadwood" |
| Beatniks | Alienation Trend | Slackers |
| Nichols and May | Comedy Team | Will and Grace |
| Housewife | Teen Dream (Girls) | CEO |
| Baseball player | Teen Dream (Boys) | Football player |
| "Life" | Magazine | "Vanity Fair" |
| Antonino Rocca | Wrestler (M) | Triple H |
| The Fabulous Moolah | Wrestler (F) | Trish Stratus |
| John Wayne | Action Star | Vin Diesel |
| "War of the Worlds" | Sci-Fi Movie | "War of the Worlds" |
| New York Yankees (1956) | World Series Winner | Chicago White Sox(2005) |
| Stop motion | Special Effects | Computer Generated |
| Cary Grant | Sex Symbol (M) | Brad Pitt |
| Mickey Mantle | Slugger | Barry Bonds |
| "The Wild One" | Rebel Movie | "The Devil's Rejects" |
| Zsa Zsa Gabor | Celebrity | Paris Hilton |
| Marilyn Monroe | Sex Symbol (F) | Jessica Biel |
| Peter DeVries | Humor Novelist | Christopher Buckley |
| 3-D | Movie Gimmick | IMAX |
| Drive-In Theatre | Movie Viewing | DVD |
| Alaska, Hawaii | Not Yet States | District of Columbia |
| James Dean | Too Short Life | Kurt Cobain |
| "Twenty-One" | Quiz Show | "Jeopardy" |
| Ted Mack's "Original Amateur Hour" | Amateur TV Show | "American Idol" |
| "Queen for a Day" | Sad Appeals | "Extreme Makeover-Home Edition" |
| Dick Clark's "American Bandstand" | Music TV | MTV |
| Mort Sahl | Political Comedy | Bill Maher |
| Telephone booth stuffing | Teen Stunt | Tongue piercing |
| Bridey Murphy | Medium | Alison BuBois |
| "Around the World in 80 Days" (1956) | Best Picture Oscar | "Million Dollar Baby" (2005) |
| Typewriter | Office Tool | PC |
| "Real gone" | Teen Lingo (1) | "Bomb!" |
| "Hang loose" | Teen Lingo (2) | "It's all good" |
| Howdy Doody | Kid's TV Star | SpongeBob SquarePants |
| Letter to the editor | Express Yourself | Blog |
| Closed circuit | Pay TV | Pay-per-view |
| Beat | Teen Style | Goth |
| 3.8 million (1960) | Bikes Sold | 18.3 million (2004) |
| Golf | President's Recreation | Mountain biking |
| "Dragnet" | TV Cop Show | "CSI" |
| Sputnik Science Gap | Educa. Crisis | Dumbing of America |
| Egghead | Smart Putdown | Nerd |
| "Ten Commandments" | Bible Movie | "The Passion of the Christ" |
| Rosemary Clooney | Pop Star (F) | Sheryl Crow |
| Perry Como | Pop Star (M) | Paul McCartney |
| Homburg | Hat (M) | Off-center baseball cap |
| Flowery chapeau | Hat (F) | Sunglasses |
| EC Comics | Comic Book Trend | Graphic novels |
| "West Side Story" | Broadway Hit | "Monty Python's Spamalot" |
| "Confidential" | Tabloid | "National Enquirer" |
| Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III | Storybook Marriage | Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck |
| Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher | Splitsville | Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt |
| Brigitte Bardot | Foreign Movie Star | Nicole Kidman |
| 151 million (1950) | USA Population | 298 million (2005) |
| "Your Show of Shows" | Sketch Comedy | "Saturday Night Live" |
| Edward R. Murrow | TV Commentator | Bill O'Reilly |
| "I Love Lucy" | Desperate Housewives | "Desperate Housewives" |
| Omnibus | Magazine TV Show | "NBCs Dateline" |
| "Truth or Consequences" | Stunt TV Show | "Fear Factor" |
| "Black and White Telvision" | Home Entertainment | "HDTV" |
