Vintage photos can tell us a lot about Alabama’s past. During the 1950s, life in Alabama was much more different than it is today. For example, Dr. Wernher von Braun arrived to Huntsville in 1950 to assist the space program. During this time, Huntsville only had a population of 15,000. From now on, it’ll be forever known as the place where America’s space program was born. After all, Huntsville is where the rockets were developed that put the first U.S. satellite into orbit and sent the first men to the moon.
These 13 photos, including a few of Dr. Wernher von Braun, were taken in Alabama during the 1950s:
- Fort McClellan, Alabama / August 30, 1955—Newnan Guardsman of Company C, 122nd Infantry provide instructions in landmine emplacement.
flickr/161st Military History Detachment
- Loveman’s Department Store in Birmingham, Alabama. Photo taken in 1950.
flickr/army.arch
- This photo of Miss America pageant contestant Yolande Betbeze (Miss Alabama) was taken in 1950. She was eventually crowned Miss America 1951.
wikimedia commons
- A postcard featuring Vulcan (1950).
flickr/Dystopos
- 1701st Air Transport Wing Douglas C-74 Globemaster at Brookley AFB in the early 1950s—a former United States Air Force base in Mobile, Alabama.
wikipedia
- Ann Boykin Thomas—a ballerina, model and member of the ice follies during the late 40s and early 50s. This photo was likely taken in Montgomery, Alabama during the mid 1950s.
flickr/T
- In this photo, Dr. Wernher von Braun was visited by Walt Disney in 1954. During the 1950s, von Braun worked with Disney Studios as a technical director, making three films about space exploration for television.
flickr/Stuart Rankin
- Rosa Parks is being fingerprinted by Deputy Sheriff D.H. Lackey after being arrested for boycotting public transportation in Montgomery, Alabama on February 22, 1956.
wikimedia commons
- The late Tom Solomon was an avid railfan in the Wiregrass region of Alabama. Many of his photos, such as this one taken in Daleville, Alabama (1958), are some of the only ones that exist from the region during the 19th and 20th centuries.
flickr/Frankie Grove
- Dr. Wernher von Braun and the NASA team meet in the conference room of building 4488 on August 11, 1959.
flickr/NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center
- Circa 1955—Picketers on the Alabama-Tennessee border carry signs that read, “Judge Lee won’t let Serbin employees picket in Tennessee.”
flickr/Kheel Center
- Birmingham Fire Station No. 11 during the mid 1950s.
wikimedia commons
- Dr. Wernher von Braun is shown here with his daughters in a Huntsville parade (March 1959). The parade celebrated the success of the Pioneer IV sun probe.
wikimedia commons
Do you (or any family members) have memories of what life was like during the 1950s? If so, we’d love for you to share them with us in the comments below! Also, if you have any photos from this era, feel free to share those as well. We enjoy seeing unique photos that remind us of what life was once like in Alabama.
flickr/161st Military History Detachment
flickr/army.arch
wikimedia commons
flickr/Dystopos
wikipedia
flickr/T
flickr/Stuart Rankin
flickr/Frankie Grove
flickr/NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center
flickr/Kheel Center
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