August 17 marks Baby Boomers Recognition Day, celebrating one of the most influential generations in American history.
Baby Boomers are generally defined as people born between 1946 and 1964, during the dramatic increase in births following World War II. About 76 million babies were born in the United States during those years, and in 2026, the oldest members of the generation are turning 80.
Older Baby Boomers came of age during a period of enormous cultural and social change that included the Civil Rights Movement, the Summer of Love, the Vietnam era and Woodstock.
The generation has also had a major impact on American politics. Four people who have served as president were born during the Baby Boom years: Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Donald Trump and Barack Obama. Clinton, Bush and Trump were all born within a matter of months in 1946, while Obama was born in 1961.
Baby Boomers also helped shape decades of popular culture, from rock and roll and television to major changes in fashion, entertainment and social attitudes.
So today we salute the Boomers. And if you were born between 1946 and 1964, what is one thing about your generation that younger people will never understand?