Kennedy’s in 1963, and Martin Luther King’s in 1968. For instance, Boomers identified two assassinations on their list-John F. Many of the historical experiences cited by Baby Boomers were related to war and violent acts. Most Notable Historical Events: Baby Boomers And interestingly, some of these impressionable moments occurred later on in life.įor example, the youngest members of The Silent Generation were already in their mid-t0-late forties when cellphones became common in the ‘90s-yet, 27% identified the tech revolution as one of the top 10 most impactful events that happened in their lifetime.Ĭlearly, life never stops throwing you curve balls-no matter how far along you might be. Of course, other not-so-violent events made the list as well. For context, Boomers identified three conflicts (including the Cold War), while Millennials only referenced one (Iraq/Afghanistan). In fact, the Silent Generation cited four different wars on their list, more than any other cohort. Most Impactful Historic Events, Silent Gen (Survey Results) In other words, their formative years fell smack dab in the middle of one of the biggest international conflicts in modern history.īecause of this, it makes sense that World War II ranks as the second most impactful event in their lifetimes, trailing only the far more recent Sept. The oldest members of the Silent Generation were 11 years old at the start of World War II, and were teenagers by the time it ended. It’s also worth noting that these generational definitions are somewhat specific to North America. sources including the Pew Research and the U.S. These generational categories aren’t universal, but we went with the most widely cited definitions from reputable U.S. Quick Context on Generational Definitionsīefore diving in, it’s important to clarify which generations we’ve included in our research, along with their age and birth year ranges. Using insights from our Generational Power Index 2021 report, along with survey data from Pew Research in 2016, we identified some key milestones for each cohort, to understand how these events helped shape each generation’s unique perspectives. Looking back at history is a necessity when trying to understand what the future may hold.