Young males returning to the United States, Canada, and Australia following tours of duty overseas during World War II began families, which brought about a significant number of new children into the world. This dramatic increase in the number of births from 1946 to 1964 (1947 to 1966 in Canada and 1946-1961 in Australia) is called the Baby Boom.
In the United States, approximately 79 million babies were born during the Baby Boom. Much of this cohort of nineteen years (1946-1964) grew up with Woodstock, the Vietnam War, and John F. Kennedy as president; thus they had major implications on the social and cultural developments during those decades. Baby Boomers are now middle age and entering senior years. In the economy, many are now retiring and leaving the labor force.
(US birth rate (births per 1000 population) <U.S.BirthRate.1909.2003.png>
