Boomers – Start Here
This is where we came from. The Baby Boomer generation was born between 1946 and 1964—nineteen remarkable years that witnessed enormous changes in America and around the world. The Journey Years take us back through the news and events, music, television, movies, fashions, fads, trends and movements that helped shape our generation. Along the way, we’ll remember the Trailblazers and Trendsetters who helped shape those years, revisit some of our own stories and, perhaps, be inspired to think about the difference we can still make today.
Because I was born in January 1946, my own life has traveled alongside the Baby Boomer generation from its very beginning. In creating this Journey, I did my best to make the timeline and its content as accurate as possible. Along the way, I discovered that some of the toys I remember so well—like cap guns, the kaleidoscope and View-Master—were actually created before the Baby Boomer era. I also wanted each of the 19 years to follow a consistent format, but as you will soon see, that wasn’t always possible. And although I hoped to include a personal memory in every year, memories don’t always fit neatly into a timeline. Some years simply brought back more memories than others.
The Baby Boomer timeline ends in 1964 but I will continue to add content because the Boomers went on to create movements that not only changed laws, but changed society. A good example is Candace Lightner, born in May 1946, who founded Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) after her 13-year-old daughter was killed by a repeat drunk driver on May 3, 1980. Between 1980 and 1985, Lightner led Mothers Against Drunk Driving from a small grassroots organization into an international organization with more than 400 chapters worldwide, over two million members, and an annual budget of over 12 million dollars.
If you could start a movement right now, or influence someone else who could, what would your pet project be? I have several in my head, which I will share with you in future articles of my blog, Inspiration & Timeless Wisdom, all with the hope that this website will inspire and encourage others to make a difference.
At the end of each year, you’ll find a link to Share Your Baby Boomer Memories, where you can tell us what you remember and respond to memories shared by other readers.