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Historical fiction
- Mad Men is a work of historical fiction. The implicit contract of the show, especially as Weiner has developed it, promises a certain level of fidelity to the facts of history.
bigthink.com/articles/truth-and-fiction-in-mad-men/
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Mad Men is a kind of time machine, but it’s a complicated one. It doesn’t go in only one direction. You start watching and it takes you to the past—early 1960—when you can smoke in any...
- The Birth Control Pill Is Approved
- Kennedy Defeats Nixon
- The Freedom Riders and Civil Rights
- Marilyn Monroe’s Death
- The Cuban Missile Crisis
- The Kennedy Assassination
- The Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking
- Sonny Liston v. Cassius Clay
- The Beatles at Shea Stadium
- Richard Speck Murders
The FDA approved Enovid, the first oral contraceptive for women, in May of 1960. When the series begins in 1960, Joan sends Peggy to a doctor to get a prescription. The condescending doctor tells Peggy he’ll take it away if she is too loose and abuses the drug’s power. Whether Peggy took the pill incorrectly or not, she does end up getting pregnant...
Sterling Cooper helps create Nixon’s ads, but cannot measure up to the upbeat spots for Kennedy that helped lead him to a surprise victory. But that doesn’t stop the conservative boys at Sterling Cooper from celebrating: In this episode, Harry Crane cheats on his wife with a secretary and gets himself kicked out of this house. Read original 1960 co...
Though Sterling Cooper is completely white-washed, racial tensions fizzle in the background of the show’s early years. Paul Kinsey heads south to protest with his black girlfriend Sheila after Don takes his spot on a business trip to L.A. in the first season. By 1966, the ad agency jokingly publishes an ad promising equal employment opportunity. Wh...
The actress overdosed on drugs on Aug. 4, 1962. Roger Sterling is surprised to find Joan Holloway crying over Marilyn’s death in his office. Hollis the elevator operator mourns Marilyn too—or, rather, he muses over how Marilyn’s ex, baseball player Joe DiMaggio, must feel. Peggy is a little colder, pointing out that Playtex’s rejection of their Jac...
The employees at Sterling Cooper worry that any day could be their last during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the closest the U.S. and the Soviet Union ever came to armed conflict during the Cold War. A priest at Peggy’s church tells worshippers they should prepare to meet God. Pete Campbell’s wife even leaves to stay with her parents, while Pete declar...
Betty stares blankly at the television, and Duck pulls the plug so that the tragic events won’t interrupt his dalliance with Peggy. Roger decides not to postpone the wedding of his daughter, Margaret, but everyone spends the reception glued to the TV. The episode is more about the fallout in the Sterling family than about the political ramification...
In 1957, Readers Digest had reported on the dangers of smoking—and the article was so influential that Sterling Cooper had to create a new strategy for Lucky Strike in the first season. They later lose the account when the Surgeon General confirms that smoking does kill, just as Roger, Don, Bert and Lane are breaking off to start their own firm. Do...
The fight only lasted two minutes and 12 seconds, but formed the backdrop for one of Mad Men’s greatest episodes, “The Suitcase.” Don takes his own swing at Duck Phillips when he calls Peggy a “whore.” Later, a picture of Ali’s victory inspires Don to create a great Samsonite luggage ad. Read original 1965 coverage of the fight, here in the TIME Va...
Don bribes his daughter Sally, who is none too happy about his and Betty’s divorce, with tickets to perhaps the most famous concert in the history of rock. She appropriately loses her mind. Read a 1965 cover story about rock ‘n’ roll, here in the TIME Vault: Sound of the Sixties
The workers at Sterling Cooper become fascinated with the then-unsolved Richard Speck murders in Chicago. Sally learns of the murders from the newspaper and becomes so frightened she cannot sleep. Simultaneously, racial violence rages in Harlem, forcing Dawn to spend the night in Peggy’s apartment. Read original 1966 coverage of the case, here in t...
- Eliana Dockterman
Apr 18, 2023 · Mad Men chronicles the story of an industry that shaped American culture as we know it today. We will explore how this show reflects one of America's most iconic periods in advertising...
- Freelance Writer
Apr 1, 2012 · Mad Men is a work of historical fiction. The implicit contract of the show, especially as Weiner has developed it, promises a certain level of fidelity to the facts of history.
Apr 9, 2012 · We've enlisted the help of a former '60s-era ad exec to run down the factual inaccuracies and anachronisms of Mad Men.
Mar 11, 2015 · Today, nine years later, Mad Men, which on April 5 begins its final seven episodes, is a pop cultural phenomenon that not only has made stars out of its cast of unknowns — Jon Hamm, Christina...
Mar 17, 2015 · In 2006, AMC—a struggling cable network looking for its first major series—bit. Seven seasons later, Mad Men has been widely hailed as one of the greatest dramas in television history, star ...
