The last century has been on of the most eventful periods in American and global history. Between huge advances in technology, communication, and science it's hard to imagine what it would be like to live when our parents were young, never mind 100 years ago. Due to the fast paced community we've become, things tend to come in and out of popular culture quickly, and maybe we've passed over some things a little too fast. Here are 10 things we really need to bring back from the last 10 decades.
1910s.
The Model-T is the car of choice, the unthinkable happens when Titanicsinks, and Hollywood becomes the hub for the American movie industry. The Oreo cookie is invented, baseball and boxing are huge, the world plunges into its first global conflict, and you would have heard all of this on newly popular radio programming.
It's sometimes referred to as the ballroom decade and maybe it's just me, but I'd love to see the Foxtrot, Tango and Waltz make their way back into mainstream culture. Realistic? Probably not, but it would be totally awesome.
1920s
The prosperous American Jazz Age, Art Deco and surrealism are king, F.Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway are busy at work, and women shock social norms with flapper style. Babe Ruth is playing for the Yankees, the Harlem Renaissance flourishes, Charles Lindbergh flies across the Atlantic, Albert Einstein wins the Nobel Prize, women finally get to vote, and prohibition is in full force.
Of all the things the twenties had to offer, the slang might have been the best ever. You could go to a swanky speakeasy and drink giggle water in your glad rags, you weren't drunk but spifflicated, zozzled or ossified, and instead of "going good" things could be "just ducky."
1930s
In the Golden Age of Hollywood the first full-length technicolor talkie movies are released, Disney's first full-length feature, 'Snow White," comes out, and Superman is in comics for the first time. The Empire State building opens as the world's tallest, Amelia Earhart crosses the Atlantic, Jessie Owens wins four gold medals breaking racial stereotypes at the Olympics in Nazi Germany, and the Great Depression sweeps over the American Economy.
Although the 30s isn't remembered as the greatest time to live through, movie theater attendance was at record highs and swing music encouraged people to go out, dance and enjoy themselves when money was tight. Trying to make the best of the worst situations is a lesson we can take away from the decade.
1940s
The world is at war once again, there are huge advances in nuclear physics, swing music and Frank Sinatra are all the rage, and the minimum wage is $0.43. "Casablanca" wins Best Picture at the Oscars, the two-piece bathing suit becomes popular largely due to wartime fabric rations, the United Nations is established, and Gandhi leads India to independence.
Because of World War II, bringing the whole country into the war effort was of the utmost importance, and nationalism was at an all time high. What if we saw everyone so involved in the country's politics and current events again. That would be awesome.
1950s
The cold war conflict escalates in Korea, the European Union is established, under President Eisenhower the United States is the strongest global power, for the first time most American households own a television set and kitchen appliances, and Barbie hits shelves. Jackie Robinson plays third base for the Dodgers, Rachel Carson opens the door for environmental concerns, Elvis and rock music become popular, and Marilyn Monroe is in the height of her career.
I don't think we should cling to the American family life stereotypes from the fifties, but I do think that we should bring back the emphasis on family time; Everyone crowding around their new color TV, spending time together, and making an effort to eat dinner as a family every night.
1960s
The height of the Vietnam War, the civil rights movement and passage of the Civil Rights Act, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gives his "I Have A Dream" speech and is assassinated, so are President John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert Kennedy, and the Cuban Missile Crisis brings the threat of nuclear war closer than ever. Hippies protest a society of conformity from the fifties, Woodstock is the place to be, the women's liberation movement picks up steam, the Beatles come to America, and Apollo 11 brings the first man to the moon.
Counterculture and breaking conformity defined the culture in the sixties. I'd love to see the individual spirit of the sixties come back. Who cares what other people think, anyway?
1970s
"Star Wars" hits theaters, Disney World opens, the World Trade Center buildings are the tallest ever until the Sears tower is completed, and President Nixon resigns. The oil crisis forces rations on gas, the U.S. celebrates its first Earth Day, disco, Stevie Wonder, The Jackson 5, and Led Zeppelin dominate the music industry, and the Atari is released.
1980s
The Reagans are in the white house, Pope John Paul II visits and forgives his attempted assassinator, and the US grieves after news of the Challenger. Michael Jackson is the most popular musical artist, MTV is launched, 64 countries boycott the Olympics, personal computers gain popularity, and the Berlin wall comes down.
1990s
The human genome project begins and Hubble Space Telescope launches, the World Wide Web changes communication forever, 'Titanic" is the highest-grossing film, and Mariah Carey and Boyz II men top the music charts. Starbucks is founded, The Oklahoma City Bombing and Columbine Shooting shake the nation, "Harry Potter" becomes a best seller, and President Clinton is nearly impeached.
Recently the nineties have gained a reputation for being one of the best decades, and it was pretty awesome, largely due to Light-up sneakers, jelly shoes, and Tamagotchis. Sitcoms like "Friends," "Seinfeld," "Full House," "Cheers," and "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," and the premieres of "Law and Order," and "ER" make the nineties the golden age of TV.
2000s
After the September 11 terrorist attacks President George W. Bush declares a War on Terror, the International Space Station is inhabited, Facebook becomes the largest social media site, Apple launches the iPod, and digital cameras gain popularity along with texting and GPS. Avatar is the highest grossing film, Usain Bolt becomes the fist man to break three sprinting records at one Olympics, and Billboard names Beyoncé female artist of the decade.
Most things from the 2000s are still a big part of pop culture right now, But I'm not going to say I don't miss "Lizzie McGuire," The Backstreet Boys, and the first seasons of "American Idol."
