Imagine for a moment you were born in 1900. At age 14, World War I breaks out—it ends when you’re 18, leaving 22 million dead.
Shortly after, the Spanish flu pandemic strikes, killing 50 million people. You survive, now 20 years old.
At 29, you endure the global economic crisis triggered by the New York Stock Exchange crash, bringing inflation, unemployment, and hunger.
By 33, Nazism rises to power.
At 39, World War II begins and ends when you’re 45, with 60 million dead.
At 52, the Korean War starts.
At 64, the Vietnam War begins, lasting until you’re 75.
Then someone born in 1985 thinks their grandparents don’t understand how hard life is—not realizing they lived through several wars and disasters.
