The decade of the '50s was full of changes is culture and technology; these changes impacted the English language in the form of neologisms, new words that eventually entered the dictionary and our everday English lexicon. One prime example is rock 'n' roll.
Today is the anniversary of the first rock concert, held in Cleveland, Ohio, on March 21, 1952. The concert, called the Moondog Coronation Ball, was organized by Alan Freed, Cleveland disc jockey and reported originator of the now classic Americanism "Rock and Roll." Freed organized the event in honor of his loyal listeners, the Moondoggers, and himself, the King of the Moondoggers. Tickets were under $2.00, but counterfeiting of tickets created confusion, fights, and chaos in the Cleveland Arena. Legitimate ticket holders attempted to force their way into the arena, resulting in broken doors and windows. After only one song, by John "Hucklebuck" Williams, fire marshals shut the entire concert down.
On this date, which some mark as the birthday of rock ‘n’ roll, we honor the many new words that came out of the 1950s.
The Oxford Press book of 20th Century Words lists the following examples of words that entered the dictionary in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Decade:
A.S.A.P.
Backlash
Beatnik
Big Bang
Biological clock
Brain-washing
Charisma
Cinerama
Cowabunga
Credit card
Dee-jay
Discotheque
Disinformation
Fast food
Freudian slip
Junk mail
Lego
Ms
Murphy’s law
Nerd
RAM
Sci-fi
Scrabble
-speak
UFO
-ville
Walter Mitty
World War III
Xerox
Today's Challenge: List as many words, phrases, or associations as you can for the word "rock."
Quote of the Day: No steam or gas ever drives anything until it is confined. No Niagara is ever turned into light and power until it is tunneled. No life ever grows until it is focused, dedicated, disciplined. --Harry Emerson Fosdick
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