Timeline
- 1950 - Television
- 1950 - Marilyn Monroe
- 1951 - The Catcher in The Rye
- 1952 - Vaccine
- 1952 - England's New Queen
- 1953 - Joseph Stalin
- 1959 - Castro
- 1963 - Malcolm X
- 1963 - J.F.K. Blown Away
- 1964 - Birth Control
- 1983 - AIDS
- 1970-80's - Crack
Political
England's New Queen
- Queen Elizabeth II.
- On February 6th, 1952 she took the throne after her father King George VI passed away.
- The change of power in Britain was a huge deal since King George had ruled for so long.
- Billy Joel included the queen in the song due to the significance of the change in power.
Joseph Stalin
- In 1953 Joseph Stalin became the leader of the Soviet Union.
- The United States did not agree with how he treated his people. He was a ruthless dictator and executed anyone who stood in his way.
- Billy Joel included him in the song to bring attention to his horrendous actions.
Castro
- In 1959 Fidel Castro became the Prime Minister of Cuba by overthrowing their previous dictator.
- He wanted Cuba to become a communist country, and work less with the United States.
- Billy Joel included him to draw attention to communism.
J.F.K. Blown Away
- On November 22, 1963, the U.S. president, John F. Kennedy, was assassinated in Dallas, Texas.
- He was elected in 1960.
- Billy Joel included him due mourn the loss of the country's president.
Scientific
Vaccine
- The Polio vaccine.
- Discovered by Jonas Salk in 1952.
- Billy Joel included this to display the importance of the vaccine during a time that Polio was striking all over the world.
Birth Control
- Is used to help prevent unwanted pregnancies.
- Was approved for public use in 1960, and became popular two years later, 1962.
- Billy Joel included it in the song to educate young audiences on the origin of popular medicine.
AIDS
- A disease which there is a great loss of the body's cellular immunity, greatly lowering the resistance to infection and malignancy.
- The epidemic struck in the 1980's.
- Billy Joel included it to educate the public on the disease.
Crack
- An illegal drug derived from coca leaves.
- It was named crack due to the noise of the drug as it is smoked.
- It was created by the government in 1984.
- Billy Joel included it to inform audiences on the origin and time frame of the drugs creation.
Social
Television
- Invented in 1927.
- Receives television signals and reproduces them on a screen.
- They became popular in the 40's and 50's, and colored TV was introduced in 1951.
- Billy Joel included it because of the huge role TV played in society.
Marilyn Monroe
- A sex symbol in her time and a movie star.
- Her fame began to rise in 1950.
- It is believed that she had an affair with President Kennedy.
- Billy Joel included her because of her immense fame.
The Catcher in the Rye
- A novel published in 1951.
- It was popular among teenagers because it epitomized their attitudes and feelings.
- Billy Joel included it to attract teenage audiences.
Malcolm X
- An African-American Muslim minister who played an important role in the civil rights/human rights movement.
- He was assassinated in 1965 when he was 40 years old.
- Billy Joel included him to bring attention to the movement he fought for, and bring equality for black people in America.