The 1950s decade refers to the years of 1950 to 1959 inclusive. The Fifties in the developed western world are generally considered socially conservative and highly materialistic in nature. The Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States played out through the entire decade. The beginning of decolonization in Africa and Asia occurs in this decade and accelerates in the following decade of the 1960s.

Roaring Twenties is a phrase used to describe the 1920s, principally in North America, that emphasizes the period's social, artistic, and cultural dynamism. 'Normalcy' returned to politics in the wake of World War I, jazz music blossomed, the flapper redefined modern womanhood, Art Deco peaked, and finally the Wall Street Crash of 1929 served to punctuate the end of the era, as The Great Depression set in. The era was further distinguished by several inventions and discoveries of far-reaching importance, unprecedented industrial growth and accelerated consumer demand and aspirations, and significant changes in lifestyle.

As it is in the late 1990s, so it was in the early 1930s. The same clamor, with different causes and results. Back then, the social eruptions came not from random acts of carnage but from an economic collapse that whacked the country. The films of the early '30s are full of clues to America's mood in the first long ache of the Great Depression: frantic, feisty, obsessed with getting a job, a buck and ahead by any means necessary. Today's typical film is a fairy tale; the '30s pictures played like tabloid journalism--the March of Crime. Gangsters, gold diggers, ruthless businessmen, wage slaves and the not-working class all jumped out of the headlines and onto the screen.

The 1980s or the Eighties, was the decade spanning from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 1989. The decade saw social, economic and general upheaval as wealth, production and western culture migrated to new industrializing economies. As economic liberalization increased in the western world, multiple multinational corporations associated with the manufacturing industry relocated into Mexico, Korea, Taiwan, China and new market economies in eastern Europe following the collapse of communism in eastern Europe.

The hippie culture, which started in the 1960s, continued in the early 1970s and faded towards the middle part of the decade, which involved opposition to the Vietnam War, opposition to nuclear weapons, the advocacy of world peace, and hostility to the authority of government. The environmentalist movement began to increase dramatically in this period. Western countries experienced an economic recession due to oil crisis caused by oil embargoes by Arab countries in the Middle East, while Japan's economy boomed. The crisis saw the first instance of stagflation which began a political and economic trend of the replacement of Keynesian economic theory with neoliberal economic theory, with the first neoliberal government being created in the United Kingdom with election of the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher in 1979.

The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969. The term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends in the west, particularly United States, Britain, France, Canada, Brazil, Australia, Spain, Italy, and West Germany. Social and political upheaval was not limited to these countries, but included such nations as Japan, Mexico, and others.

The 1940's were dominated by World War II. European artists and intellectuals fled Hitler and the Holocaust, bringing new ideas created in disillusionment. War production pulled us out of the Great Depression. Women were needed to replace men who had gone off to war, and so the first great exodus of women from the home to the workplace began. Rationing affected the food we ate, the clothes we wore, the toys with which children played.

The 1990s was truly the electronic age. We would not have been able to publish our decades web site if it weren't for the Internet. The World Wide Web was born in 1992, changing the way we communicate (email), spend our money (online gambling, stores), and do business (e-commerce). By 1994, 3 million people were online. And by 1998, this figure increased to 100 million people. It is estimated that by 2001, some 1 billion people will be connected. Internet lingo like plug-ins, BTW (by the way), GOK (God only knows), IMHO (in my humble opinion), FAQS, SPAM, FTP, ISP, and phrases like "See you online" or "The server's down" or "Bill Gates" became part of our everyday vocabulary. We signed our mail with a :-) smile, a ;-) wink, or a :-* kiss. And - everyone has a cell phone (even Jason at right!)

The 1910s was a decade of great change for America. It was during this decade that the United States was first considered a world leader. Many of the issues of 1910 are ones we face today: including the escalation of immigration and poverty, labor and monopoly battles, work safety and child labor problems. World War I - the first 'war to end all wars' raged. The 1910s were the decade America came of age.

The early twentieth century marked an era of beginnings and endings. Americans had yet to make their mark on the art scene. Many American artists went to Europe to paint. Realism and Impressionism artists of this period included Eakins, Prendergast, and the famous portraitist Sargent [self-portrait to the left]. Painters like Winslow Homer, Charles Russell, and Frederic Remington painted America's life and landscape.