Baby Boomers are defined as anyone born in the United States between the years 1946 and 1964. They tended to be the sons and daughters of the service men and women who came out of the war and settled into domestic life. The Greatest Generation won the war and wished to start families, work in good-paying jobs, own homes, drive cars and have the modern conveniences that made life a little better. The first generation ever to experience television, the Boomers also benefited from advances in medicine, communications technology, and the availability of educational opportunities. The polio vaccine introduced in 1956 was a breakthrough in medical science that is still being felt today. They saw the television and the automobile as the primary components of their lives. Before 1950, few families owned an automobile and they relied on public transportation or walked. By 1960 most every American family had a car at their disposal and many families had two or more. By 1970 an automobile for every adult member of the family was not uncommon. This led to a mass migration from cities to the suburbs and the shopping center became a place not only to purchase necessary goods but also a place to hang out and socialize. More and more housing subdivisions sprang up as home ownership became the norm. Apartment complexes also became popular as living quarters for singles and married couples just starting out. Areas that had been considered rural and remote became urbanized almost overnight. Traffic congestion became a major problem all across the country
Socially, the Boomers also were the first generation to see household appliances and machines replace much of the everyday tasks that had been a part of domestic living. Refrigerators with built-in freezers, washers and dryers, dishwashers, ovens and cooking ranges went from being luxury items to basic equipment needed for everyday living. Engine-driven lawn mowers replaced push mowers and cut down on time spent and physical energy needed for outdoor maintenance. This also led to more free time for most everyone. Television became the principle source of entertainment and information for the Boomers. But there were always other sources of entertainment, with television introducing kids to material consumption. Hula Hoops, Tiny Tears and Barbie Dolls, Tinker Toys, shootin’ shell cap guns, model cars and airplanes with genuine gas powered engines, go-bots, erector sets, and action figure play sets with adventure movie tie-ins were the toys that Boomers wanted for their birthdays or asked Santa to bring them on Christmas. Some of those toy became national crazes.
James Dean, Elvis, Captain Kangaroo the Lone Ranger, Howdy Doody, Roy Rogers, and Superman were the Boomer heroes and Saturday morning cartoon shows were a viewing must for any sleepy-eyed boomer kid as they dipped into their Trix, Sugar Crisp, Captain Crunch, or Coco Krispies. Walt Disney and the Mickey Mouse Club, American Bandstand, and the Twilight Zone were the Boomer television shows with the faces of Elvis Presley, Dick Clark, Rod Serling and Annette becoming idols to Boomer kids. The hamburger entered the Boomer diet with McDonalds, Burger Chef, Satellite, and other fast food franchises popping up all over the landscape, and suddenly Coca Cola and other soda pop was rivaling coffee as American’s number one drink.
The car gave Boomer families a mobility that no generation had ever seen before. Cross-country vacations became a part of all our lives. Dating and romantic relations were revolutionized, and family dynamics were changed forever. By the 1960s the drive-in movie theater and other automobile related destinations were the most popular date night activities. Gone were the days of sitting in the living room talking to your date’s parents. The car was a symbol of maturity, independence, and personal status among peers. It was also a drag on income. A job became a necessity.
The first Boomer president was John Kennedy and his assassination was the first universally shared national tragedy that Boomers experienced. It affected how we felt about the institutions of society, the government and the people who lead us. It was an emotional punch in the gut and many of us have never gotten over it. A lot of this is due to the advances in communication and the availability of immediate information that the Boomers have at their disposal. When Princess Diana was killed in the car wreck, the whole world knew of it in a matter of hours. Before World War II it would have been days for the news to travel and before World Ware I, it would have taken weeks.
Being part of the Baby Boomer generation is like most any other societal designation, a state of mind. Sociologists even split Boomers in half by calling the boomers born from 1955 to 64 Generation Jones because they were generally the second or third child born in the family, not the pioneering first born. The Boomers are really the first to look at society in terms of generations. As the Boomers entered adult society and took their place in the world, they labeled things as older or younger with the Boomer generation always the place to be. The first Boomers 1946-50 have entered retirement age and the rest are soon to follow, so what this means is anyone’s guess. The predictions that as the Boomers retired the financial structure of the United States would collapse is a another urban myth. It’s not going to happen. All I can say is if you have an old Hula Hoop or Zorro play set, hold on to them. They may just pay for your funeral.