1. THE BABY BOOM During the late 1940s and through the early 1960s the birthrate in the U.S. soared At its height in 1957, a baby was born in America every 7 seconds (over 4.3 million babies in ’57 alone) Baby boomers represent the largest generation in the nation’s history

2. What are the official years of the Baby Boom Generation? 1946 - 1964 saw a marked increase in the number of births in North America. How did the birthrate rise and fall during the baby boom years in the US? 19402,559,000 births per year 19463,311,000 births per year 19554,097,000 births per year 19574,300,000 births per year 19644,027,000 births per year 1974 3,160,000 births per year

3. WHY SO MANY BABIES? Why did the baby boom occur when it did? Husbands returning from war Decreasing marriage age Desirability of large families Confidence in economy Advances in medicine

4. WHAT IT WILL MEAN TO YOU Your generation will be supporting an increasingly aging American population

5. ADVANCES IN MEDICINE AND CHILDCARE Advances in the treatment of childhood diseases included drugs to combat typhoid fever and polio (Jonas Salk) Dr. Salk was instrumental in the eradication of polio

6. DR. SPOCK ADVISES PARENTS Many parents raised their children according to the guidelines of pediatrician Dr. Benjamin Spock He thought children should be allowed to express themselves and parents should never physically punish their kids Dr. Spock’s book sold 10 million copies in the 1950s

7. IMPACT OF BABY BOOM As a result of the baby boom 10 million students entered elementary schools in the 1950s California built a new school every 7 days in the late ’50s Toy sales reached an all-time high in 1958 when $1.25 billion in toys were sold

8. Symbols of the Baby Boom in Suburbia 19501960 Hot Dog Production (millions of lbs)7501050 Potato Chip Production (millions of lbs)320532 Sales of lawn and porch furniture (millions of dollars)53.6145.2 Sales of power mowers (millions of dollars)1.03.8 Sales of floor polishers (millions of dollars)0.241.0 Sales of Encyclopaedia (millions of dollars)72300 Number of Children age 5-1424.335.5 Number of baseball Little Leagues7765,700

9. Fads of the Baby Boomers Hula Hoops Frozen Foods Poodle Skirts and Saddle Shoes Panty Raids Barbie and GI Joe Dolls Bikinis Frisbees Yo-yos Ouija Boards Dune Buggies What celebrity deaths have most affected the Baby Boomers? John F. Kennedy Marilyn Monroe Martin Luther King John Lennon