Post-war America was flush with pride and prosperity, and the company's business expanded vigorously during the 1950s. Now officially known as the Whirlpool Corporation, the company added automatic dryers, refrigerators, ranges and air conditioners to its product line.

Innovation, always a Whirlpool Corporation hallmark, was especially evident in 1956 with the “Whirlpool Miracle Kitchen.”

Originally conceived as a test laboratory for new products, the Miracle Kitchen became a hit with 1950s audiences all over the world.  An estimated 15 million people saw such space-age, time-saving wonders as a free-standing planning center with audio-visual controls, mobile dishwasher cart, automatic meal maker and a rotating TV screen to monitor activity throughout the house.

To keep pace with consumer demand, Whirlpool Corporation expanded its manufacturing locations nationwide. The company acquired a spare parts facility in LaPorte, Indiana, a refrigeration plant in Evansville, Indiana, and a dryer production plant in Marion, Ohio.

A merger with the Clyde (Ohio) Porcelain Steel Co. created a washer manufacturing plant — which was to become the world's largest washer factory.

The company grew operationally as well. A new 100-acre administrative center (still the corporate headquarters today) opened in 1956 in Benton Harbor, Michigan.

In 1951, Whirlpool Corporation established its philanthropic arm, the Whirlpool Foundation. Since its founding, more than $110 million in grants have been awarded to agencies and causes, including the American Heart Association, the Boys and Girls Club, Indiana University and Read for LIFE.

In 1957, the company established the Appliance Buyers Credit Corporation (later to be known as Whirlpool Financial Corp.) to extend credit to thousands of families hungry for the latest appliances.

In 1958, Whirlpool Corporation quietly began a relationship outside the North American market that would later define its successful global expansion and growth. That year, the company invested in Brasmotor S.A., for an equity stake in the Brazilian appliance market.