Britain's Atomic Achievement poster, 1950s

Source: The National Archives UK.

Princess Alexandra at the Royal National Show, Brisbane, on her tour of Australia, 1959

First place finisher at the 13th annual Fat Cattle Sale and Show in Quincy, Florida, 1959

Source: State Library and Archives of Florida.

Valentine's day card, c. 1940-1950

Hair ornament, c.1950s-60s Silver hair-ornament (halqa) in the shape of a heart decorated with seven sets of danglers on silver chains with round bells that jingle with the movement of the body. The heart is decorated with chased vine-scrolls and a border of hatched lines and the middle of the heart is pierced to created a smaller plain heart in the centre. The ornament has a silver loop on top and is usually braided into the hair and worn low down on the back. Probably from a region of interior Oman, such as Bahla, Jabrin or Rustaq.

Hutterite girl holding her baby sister, Alberta, 1950 Hutterites (German: Hutterer) are a communal branch of Anabaptists who, like the Amish and Mennonites, trace their roots to the Radical Reformation of the 16th century. Since the death of their namesake Jakob Hutter in 1536, the beliefs of the Hutterites, especially living in a community of goods and absolute pacifism, have resulted in hundreds of years of diaspora in many countries. Nearly extinct by the 18th and 19th centuries, the Hutterites found a new home in North America. Over 125 years their population grew from 400 to around 42,000. Today, most Hutterites live in Western Canada and the upper Great Plains of the U.S.

Credit to the Galt Museum and Archives.

A cookery class at Charlestown Secondary Modern School, Nevis, West Indies, ca. 1950-1959 Credit to the National Archives UK.

Walter Gonnason at Mount Rainier, ca. 1950  This photo shows Walter Gonnason (ca. 1950), explorer and mountaineer, rappelling from Pinnacle Peak with Mt. Rainer framed perfectly in the background. Gonnason, a Seattle native, made many expeditions to peaks and glaciers around North America. He also played a small role in a long-fought controversy over the credibility of one of America’s most famous explorers.

Miss New Zealand collapses, 1954 Credit to Retronaut for this image.

A stamp of Zhang Heng issued by China Post in 1955 Zhang Heng (AD 78–139) was a Chinese astronomer, mathematician, inventor, geographer, cartographer, artist, poet, statesman, and literary scholar from Nanyang, Henan. He lived during the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25–220) of China. He was educated in the capital cities of Luoyang and Chang'an, and began his career as a minor civil servant in Nanyang. Eventually, he became Chief Astronomer, Prefect of the Majors for Official Carriages, and then Palace Attendant at the imperial court. His uncompromising stances on certain historical and calendrical issues led to Zhang being considered a controversial figure, which prevented him from becoming an official court historian. His political rivalry with the palace eunuchs during the reign of Emperor Shun (r. 125–144) led to his decision to retire from the central court to serve as an administrator of Hejian, in Hebei. He returned home to Nanyang for a short time, before being recalled to serve in the capital once more in 138. He died there a year later, in 139.

Coronation celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II, Manchester, 1953

The 1958 launch of a Mark II nose cone on an Atlas B missile gave real-world proof of Allen’s breakthrough ideas (NASA) The SM-65B Atlas, or Atlas B, also designated X-12 was a prototype of the Atlas missile. First flown on 19 July 1958, the Atlas B was the first version of the Atlas rocket to use the stage and a half design.

Ten flights were made. Nine of these were sub-orbital test flights of the Atlas as an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, with five successful missions and four failures. The seventh flight, launched on 18 December 1958, was used to place the SCORE satellite into low Earth orbit, the first orbital launch conducted by an Atlas rocket.

Passports issued in the 1950s to John F Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy (Photograph: Aaron Jackson/AP)

ON THIS DAY: 1953 – An armistice was signed to end hostilities in the Korean War, officially making the Division of Korea indefinite by creating an approximately 4 km (2.5 mi) wide demilitarised zone across the Korean Peninsula

Flinders Street Station illuminated for the 1954 Royal Visit Since 1867, there have been over fifty visits by a member of the Royal Family to Australia, though only six of those came before 1954. Elizabeth II is the only reigning monarch of Australia to have set foot on Australian soil; she first did so on 3 February 1954. During her sixteen journeys the Queen has visited every Australian state and the two mainland territories.

Hamburgo Velho Station, Brazil, 1950