1

The Roaring Twenties

Image: Carrie Borden

We’ll begin with one of the first fads invented right here in America. The 1920s in America were characterized by a period of prosperity and well-being that resulted in a dynamic and distinct cultural rise in major American metropolises. There’s a reason why this period was known as "The Roaring 20s": It signified an upheaval in American music, arts, and fashion.

The 20s saw the birth of avant-garde art forms like jazz music, as well as groundbreaking novels by authors like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway. This era is also remembered for the surge of the "Flapper" subculture: Modern, young women with a more carefree attitude toward entertainment.

2

Pin-up models

Image: Florida Memory

Who do you think about whenever you think of the word "pin-up model"? Chances are your answer is Marilyn Monroe or Betty Grable : After all, they both got their start as pin-up models, portrayed in thousands of mass-produced photographs. However, these actresses helped cement the notion of what defines a pin-up model, now considered to be an essential icon in American pop culture history.

Pin-ups defined the aesthetic of an entire period, present in everything from movies to advertisements. Not only that, pin-up models were often depicted on the side of American fighter planes during World War 2, helping raise the morale of our troops.

3

Greasers

Image: Sümeyye Candan

Although the word "greaser" definitively got its start as a derogatory term for this subculture, it ended up being the name of one of America’s most beloved periods. The 1950s are still revered as a golden age by millions of Americans, particularly because of the surge of many icons that make our country so wonderful: Things like Cadillacs, Rock N’ Roll music, and soda fountains were all born in this era.

In that sense, the "Greaser" look was heavily influenced by musicians and actors like Elvis Presley and James Dean . Greasers would showcase their fast motorcycles, stylish hairstyles, and leather jackets wherever they went. By the 1970s, this style was so well-known that it provided the basis of one of America’s favorite TV characters: Fonzie, perhaps now considered the quintessential greaser.

4

The Hippie movement

Image: Jamie Street

The Hippie movement is synonymous with 1960s America: This subculture influenced almost every art form during this period, from music to television, film, and literature. While it is nowadays mostly looked at as an aesthetic or cultural movement, the influence of hippies in American politics and society shouldn’t be overlooked.

Perhaps the biggest representatives of the hippie movement are those groundbreaking bands and musicians aligned with this movement, like Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, or Jefferson Airplane. Hippies were also characterized by their groundbreaking fashion, which featured bell-bottom jeans, sunglasses, and colorful shirts.

5

Beatnik movement

Image: Pereanu Sebastian

Speaking of hippies, let’s take a little detour and focus on an American artistic movement that laid the foundation from which the hippie movement emerged. Much like with "greaser," the term "beatnik" was first coined as an insult, aimed at followers of the "Beat Generation," a literary movement that included names like Jack Kerouac or William S. Burroughs.

The beatnik subculture had a defining image, often exaggerated by detractors: Think about the caricature of a modern poet, complete with a black turtleneck, beret, and bongos, and you’ll be thinking about a stereotypical beatnik. Regardless, historians believe that the term "hippie" comes from "hipsters," which is a term first used to describe the beatnik subculture.

6

The 80s

Image: Eric Nopanen

Fashion during the 1980s can be best summed up by this phrase from Charles Dickens's "A Tale of Two Cities": "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." While it can’t be denied that this decade brought forward groundbreaking styles to music, films, and culture, it should also be noted that some of these changes were extreme, to say the least. At the end of the day, whether the 80s were good or bad will ultimately depend on who you are asking.

Personally, we would like to focus on those 80s things that we absolutely love: Things like synthesizer music, mullet hairstyles, and neon-bright clothing. This decade was also the birthplace of several subcultures, including the post-punk, preppy, and new-wave movements.

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The 90s

Image: Panos Sakalakis

If the 70s and 80s were characterized by their loud and flamboyant styles, the 90s were defined by a more minimalist approach: Bands like Nirvana or Pearl Jam helped promote the "grunge" aesthetic, which featured simple items of clothing like jeans, flannel shirts or hoodies.

Although definitively minimalist, the 90s were also the birthplace of subcultures like the goth movement. During this era, numerous extreme sports like skateboarding gained popularity, in line with this decade’s alternative outlook on culture.

8

Disco

Image: Dustin Tramel

Ready to dance "The Hustle"? The late 60s and early 70s were determined by the emergence of one of America’s most remembered subcultures. While disco music first appeared in New York City and Philadelphia, it quickly swept over the nation: Think of a tornado filled with disco balls, roller skates, and nightclubs, and you might be able to paint a picture of how influential this subculture was.

Although disco got its start in iconic nightclubs like Studio 54, it soon expanded to other mediums like movies and television. Most notably, shows like "Soul Train" helped promote this genre’s appeal, while films like "Saturday Night Fever" cemented the ultimate aesthetic of the disco subculture.

9

Digital age

Image: Xiong Yan

We have now arrived at our modern times ! The advent of the internet represented such a groundbreaking innovation in our everyday lives that it stands to reason that the digital age also influenced many of our fads and movements. The late 2000s and early 2010s were determined by this new massive access to information, which completely changed the way we consume culture and entertainment.

In that sense, this new, instant way to share information immediately meant that culture was now not only limited to geographical locations: Your favorite band or fashion icon could easily live on the other side of the world. This cultural exchange resulted in a rich and diverse movement, which is still developing to this very day.

10

All those wonderful memories…

Image: COSMOH LOVE

We have reserved the final entry on this list for the many objects that defined each of these decades. It is sometimes easier to picture an era through a specific item: Think about the 50s and their timeless jukeboxes, or the 90s and the above-mentioned flannel shirts.

In that sense, we have selected a few of our top picks. Some, like the Hula Hoop or the Frisbee, have truly transcended time: Although they were created decades ago, they are still thoroughly enjoyed by children and adults alike. Time hasn’t been that kind with others, though, like with the now practically extinct Tamagotchi. This digital pet was all the rage during the late 90s and early 2000s, but it ultimately fell into obscurity thanks to other digital mediums.

1

87 steps

In case you haven't counted them, there are exactly 87 steps leading up to the Lincoln Memorial. But why does that number matter? Although the National Park Service says it wasn’t intentional, many people connect it to the opening line of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address: "Four score and seven years ago...", a coincidence that's hard to ignore.

2

Hidden underground chamber

The Lincoln Memorial is more than what you see at first glance; there’s an entire hidden world beneath it. That’s right! Underground lies a large chamber built as part of the monument’s foundation. Giant concrete columns support the structure above, and there are also narrow corridors where workers once walked. You can even find graffiti and markings left by those builders in the early 1900s. Although the public can’t visit this space yet, the National Park Service has said it hopes to open it in the future.

3

A pyramid?

Can you imagine a giant pyramid rising over the landscape of Washington, DC? It’s hard to picture, but it could have happened. Among the many design proposals for the Lincoln Memorial were some extravagant ideas, including a huge pyramid. In the end, the Greek temple design we know today won out.

4

The typo

To err is human, and the Lincoln Memorial is no exception. As you may know, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and his Second Inaugural Address are engraved on the interior walls. But the carver made a small mistake when transcribing the Second Inaugural Address, writing "euture" instead of "future" in the line "high hopes for the future." Although the error was corrected, people say that if you look closely enough, you can still see it.

5

Lincoln's friends made it happen

For years, several proposals to build a memorial to Abraham Lincoln failed in Congress. Fortunately, Senator Shelby Collum and Speaker of the House Joseph Cannon joined forces to get the final bill approved. These men had known Lincoln and felt that a memorial to Honest Abe was both fitting and necessary.

6

Who is Thomas Jefferson looking at?

It’s well known that the statue of Thomas Jefferson inside his memorial faces north toward the White House and the Washington Monument. But there’s another interesting interpretation. Also to the north is the statue of Alexander Hamilton on the south side of the US Treasury Building. Since Jefferson and Hamilton were once colleagues who later became political rivals, some like to imagine that Jefferson’s bronze likeness is keeping a cautious, almost "watchful eye" on Hamilton.

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FDR specifically requested the Jefferson Memorial

Since the early 20th century, there had been talk of building a memorial to honor Thomas Jefferson. But nothing moved forward until Franklin D. Roosevelt took office in 1933. An admirer of Jefferson, FDR pushed tirelessly for the project until Congress approved it. But he was not only the one who requested it; he even delivered the dedication speech when the memorial was completed in 1943.

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10,000 pounds

We all know Jefferson was a great man, but do you know how big his statue is? It stands around 19 feet tall and weighs an astonishing 10,000 pounds; that’s a lot of bronze! Originally, the statue was a painted plaster model because, when it was dedicated in 1943, metal shortages from World War II made bronze unavailable. Four years later, in 1947, the bronze statue we see today was installed.

9

Once a popular beach

Before becoming the site of the Jefferson Memorial, the Tidal Basin Beach was a popular beach in Washington. That's right; at the beginning of the 20th century, the area was used for swimming, boating, and picnics. This, coupled with the need to cut down some cherry blossom trees for construction, sparked controversy and turned some people against the project.

10

Created by a landfill

Before the Jefferson Memorial could be built, the area had to be transformed. The Tidal Basin was originally shallow and surrounded by marshland, so workers filled it with material dredged from the Potomac River to create a stable foundation. Definitely a big effort.

1

A 13-year-old designed Alaska’s flag

In 1927, while Alaska was still a U.S. territory, officials launched a contest inviting school kids to design territorial flags. Among the 140 entries that arrived in Juneau containing polar bears, mining scenes, or territorial seals, was the design of 13-year-old Benny Benson , an Alaskan Native Aleut.

The design featured eight gold stars against a deep blue field. Seven stars formed the Big Dipper, symbolizing strength through the Great Bear constellation, while the North Star represented Alaska’s future as the northernmost state in the Union. Benson also explained that the blue background honored both the sky and the state flower, the forget-me-not. His design was unanimously selected and officially adopted by the territorial legislature in May 1927, and Benson received a gold watch engraved with the flag and a $1,000 scholarship award.

2

Washington went green and presidential

When Washington officially adopted its state flag in 1923, the Legislature made a choice unlike any other state in the country. Instead of following the usual red, white, and blue pattern, they chose a deep green background to reflect the state’s nickname , "The Evergreen State," a reference to its dense forests and year-round greenery. At the center, they placed the state seal featuring George Washington, the first president of the U.S.

The portrait itself was based on a famous painting by Gilbert Stuart, an American artist known for some of the best images of Washington. The portrait represents patriotism and identity. To this day, Washington remains the only U.S. state flag with a green field and the only one to feature an American president’s face.

3

Ohio ditched the rectangle

Ohio may have joined the Union in 1803, but for nearly a century, the state had no official flag of its own. But it began turning heads the moment it was introduced in 1902.

Designed by architect John Eisenmann for the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, the flag broke one of the oldest traditions in vexillology. Instead of a rectangle, Eisenmann created a burgee, a swallowtail pennant shape more commonly used by naval organizations and cavalry units. Its red and white stripes represent roads and waterways, while the blue triangular field symbolizes Ohio’s hills and valleys. The white "O" stands for both Ohio and the buckeye nut, and the 17 stars honor Ohio as the seventeenth state admitted to the Union.

4

Maryland flew in from the Middle Ages

The story behind Maryland’s flag reaches back to English nobility, long before the U.S. existed. Its design comes from the coats of arms of the Calvert and Crossland families , connected to George Calvert, the first Lord Baltimore, whose family founded the Maryland colony in 1632 under a charter granted by King Charles I. The black and gold pattern belonged to the Calvert family, while the red and white cross belonged to the Crossland family through Calvert’s mother, Alicia Crossland.

During the Civil War, the colors gained powerful political meaning. Union supporters in Maryland often displayed the Calvert colors, while Confederate sympathizers adopted the Crossland pattern. Following the war, state leaders sought unity during Reconstruction, and by the 1880s, the two designs were combined into one banner. Maryland officially adopted the flag in 1904, turning former symbols of division into a lasting emblem of reconciliation.

5

California’s bear has a revolutionary past

California’s famous Bear Flag began during the Bear Flag Revolt of 1846, when American settlers in Sonoma rebelled against Mexican rule and declared California an independent republic. Their handmade banner featured a grizzly bear, a red star, and the words "California Republic."

The rebellion ended in less than a month after the U.S. forces took control during the American-Mexican War between 1846 and 1848, but the image remained a symbol of independence. The original flag was later destroyed in 1906 in the San Francisco earthquake, though copies had been preserved. It wasn’t until 1911 that lobbying from the historical society, Native Sons of the Golden West, made the legislature adopt the design as the official state flag.

6

Oregon’s two sides

When Oregon adopted its official state flag in 1925, it quietly created one of the rarest flags in the world. Unlike nearly every other state banner, Oregon’s flag features two completely different designs, one on each side.

The front displays the state seal in gold against a navy-blue background, surrounded by 33 stars representing Oregon’s admission as the thirty-third state in 1859. Beneath the shield appears the year of statehood, while symbols such as a covered wagon and an eagle reflect Oregon’s frontier history and connection to the United States. The reverse side tells a simpler story. There, a single gold beaver appears alone on the blue field. The beaver became Oregon’s state animal because the fur trade played a major role in the region’s early economy during the 1800s.

7

Hawaii still nods to the British

Hawaii’s state flag tells the story of a kingdom caught between powerful nations during the early 1800s. The British Union Jack placed in the corner dates back to the reign of King Kamehameha I, the ruler who united the Hawaiian Islands into a single kingdom.

Ever since the first British flag was raised in that territory in 1794, Hawaii used several variations of flags that blended British and American influences , partly to maintain good relations with both nations during the War of 1812. A combined design was created using the Union Jack alongside horizontal stripes inspired by the American flag. By 1845, the current design with eight stripes, representing the major islands, had been established. When Hawaii became a state in 1959, the historic flag remained unchanged.

8

Louisiana’s bleeding pelican

At first sight, Louisiana's choice of flag might seem a bit odd, but the meaning of its symbols carries centuries of meaning. The flag was adopted in 1912 and, at the center, stands a mother pelican feeding her chicks with drops of her own blood, an image taken from Christian traditions. According to legend, pelicans wound themselves during times of famine to keep their young alive. And even though the story is not scientifically accurate, the symbol stands for sacrifice, compassion, and protection. It also represents the bird-filled wetlands and Gulf Coast landscape that shaped the state’s identity.

Over time, different versions of the flag softened the dramatic image and even removed the drops of blood completely, but in 2010, Louisiana officially restored the traditional design and brought it back.

9

South Carolina’s flag is not standardized

South Carolina’s flag shows a white crescent shape above a palmetto tree, and its design was born during the first days of the American Revolution. In 1775, Colonel William Moultrie designed a simple blue banner with a white crescent based on the uniforms worn by local patriot soldiers defending Charleston Harbor. A year later, the fort’s walls of palmetto logs absorbed British cannon fire instead of shattering. The Unexpected victory turned the palmetto tree into a symbol of South Carolina’s resistance, and it was added to the flag.

As the years passed, different versions appeared across the state, especially during the Civil War, when many were painted by hand. South Carolina officially adopted the familiar flag in 1861, but there were never defined exact shapes or proportions. That is why even today, no two South Carolina flags look exactly alike.

10

New Mexico went bold and beautiful

New Mexico’s first flag looked much like many others of the time. Designed by historian Ralph Emerson Twitchell, it included the American flag, the state seal, and the words "New Mexico" stitched across a blue field. But in 1920, the Daughters of the American Revolution began pushing for a design that truly represented the Southwestern identity.

After winning a statewide contest, Dr. Harry Mera, a Santa Fe physician and archaeologist, and his wife, Reba Mera, presented a design that replaced crowded symbols with something simpler : a red Zia sun symbol centered on a yellow field inspired by the colors carried by Spanish explorers centuries earlier. The sacred Zia symbol represented harmony through the number four, reflected in the seasons, directions, stages of life, and times of day. Adopted in 1925, the design became one of the boldest and most admired flags in America.