The Colgate Scene
January 2005
Generational contrasts* by birth year
| Traditionalists (1900-45) | Baby Boomers (1946-64) | Generation X (1965-81) | Millennials (1982-) | |
| Significant historical events | Two world wars, Great Depression | Vietnam, Kennedy and Martin Luther King assassinations, lunar landing | Reagan/Lennon shootings, | Challenger, fall of the Soviet Union |
| Growing up/everyday life | Sunday dinner, Mom at home, chores without pay, saving money for special things | Meals together, church, two-parent family, discipline | Family dinner, balance of strict and free | Takeout, busy schedules, two income or divorced parents |
| Influential entertainment | Books, storytelling, church, radio shows, bands and Westerns | Disney, Elvis, Beatles, Bonanza, Lassie, rock-n-roll | FM, Little House on the Prairie, Brat Pack, Michael Jackson, E.T., Star Wars, Atari | Nintendo/XBox, Hip-hop/ ap/R&B, Jurassic Park, teen magazines, Simpsons |
| Cutting-edge technology | Indoor plumbing, farm technology, radio, washing machine, icebox, telephone | Transistor radio, TV, Polaroid camera, 8-track, pantyhose, microwaves | Dishwasher, cable TV, PCs, contact lenses, answering machine, remote control | Cell phone, laptops, Instant Messenger, hybrid cars |
*Compiled from a brainstorming session at a Millennial Generation workshop for staff members in fall 2004.
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