

1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
A. was born in 1896, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
The biggest hits of 1896
The world at every milestone
First modern Olympic Games held in Athens
Queen Victoria dies, ending the Victorian era
Robert Peary claims to reach the North Pole
Titanic sinks on its maiden voyage
World War I begins
Russian Revolution overthrows the tsar; US enters WWI
Robert Goddard launches the first liquid-fueled rocket
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Star Trek premieres on television
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
“Chant Hare Krishna and your life will be sublime.”