First Thing That Comes To Mind When You Think Of The 50s

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Quality clothes, made in America.
Real food, cooked from scratch.
Shows, like ‘Gunsmoke’ and ‘Our Miss Brooks ‘ were still on the radio, not on TV yet.
Sputnik.
Many people did not have cars, most rode buses and trolleys and trains.
Going to the movies was a BIG thing; 2 movies, plus ‘coming attractions’, frequently short films as well.
Only 3 channels on the TV.

Rolled up jeans and poodle skirts.

suffocating conformity. buzz cuts. big ol' cars.

Avon Ladies, going door-to-door.

"golden age of television" with lots of live product.

I think of a sort-of idealised American living room scene.

Dad's in his chair, reading the newspaper after coming home from work. Wearing a suit, with his wavy hair combed back. Mum's in the kitchen like a good, obedient housewife that she's expected to be. Son's playing with a red toy rocket. The new fancy black and white television is on, with news stories about how marvelous american engineering is building atomic rocketships to fly into space narrated with anti-commie propeganda. While outside the birds are chirping over a black man being beaten to a pulp by a cop who's too busy being corrupt to worry about the threat of nuclear annihilation that always looms overhead.

the beginnings of the counterculture.

Hard to say a 'first' thing because several things come to mind kind of all tumbled together.

Developments in diesel locomotives.
Advancements in aviation.
That the level of medical knowledge would have not allowed me to survive childhood.