04/03/2023
A Glimpse of The Past Generations
Ever wonder what our descendants have been through? How did they manage their way of life? What great discoveries and inventions have they savored?
Over a century ago, people who were born between 1883 and 1900, were classified as the Lost Generations. And, by “lost” meaning people of this generation were misguided, distracted, and lacked direction.
During the First World War, most of the young men were sent to the battlefields and many of them were killed. The scarcity of men broadened the employment opportunities for many women even those male-dominated jobs in hefty industries. As well as establishing political rights.
This cohort marked the transition into the industrial revolution and the introduction of electricity for some Western countries such as Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States. Leisurely items such as dolls, soldiers, and teddy bears were introduced to children. Magazines of various sorts came into circulation, as did the development of cinema into a mass media option.
The Great Influenza epidemic which began in 1918 was comparable to the Covid-19 virus outbreak of 2019, which claimed millions of lives worldwide. These tragedies were caused by the same H1N1 influenza A virus. Despite this dreadful event, the average life expectancy remained around seventy years.
Then came the Greatest Generation, otherwise known as the World War II Generation. Born between 1901 and 1927.
Despite the turmoil faced by this generation, the liberal arts, film, and music industries flourished; even witnessing the dawn of iconic comic book characters such as Superman and Batman. Society also saw a rise in several innovations: to name a few, the radio, the telephone, and the automobile.
On the cognitive aspect, adults of this time had a much greater capacity to decide and solve problems on their own, due to the hardships they have endured.
Next, the Silent Generation, known as the Traditionalists are those people born from 1928 to 1945.
Having suffered greatly during the Great Depression, this generation inevitably remained small as compared to past generations. As a consequence, they were prone to marrying and bearing children young. And, as such, arose the cons and pros of these circumstances; one of the cons being the reformation of current marriage laws to allow for divorce in the United States.
Some of their characteristics were financial prudence, a sense of equality and social justice, and flexibility.
Speaking of innovations, monochrome televisions became common, as did various household labor-saving devices.
From the Silents came the Baby Boomers, who were born from 1946 to 1964, so named for the spike in births during the said period.
Governments of many developing countries across the world began focusing their attention on universal literacy, which ushered in significant transformations in education throughout. One reason for such change was the preparation for the conceptual confrontation during the interwar period.
Sociologist Hui Zheng conducted a study in 2020 about the cognitive capabilities of this era. Compared to earlier generations, boomers scored lower at the age of 50 and above due to a variety of factors. Yet, wealthy and highly educated baby boomers managed to do better than those with lower levels of income and/or education. Furthermore, the youth culture of this period had a remarkable characteristic of being internationalistic.
In their post-age, they still managed to work and delay retirement, and claim all the more benefits as a result.
Some of the many technological advances made were in plastics, television, and a multitude of electronic devices. Private washing machines, refrigerators, and telephones, to name a few, were deemed luxurious.
The above-mentioned fueled the transformations of our present time.
These are just a few of the significant events and stories of the past. I dare you to comment down those histories left unsaid.
