Not a member yet? Register now and get started.

Just a few years later as the United States crashed into the Great Depression, people jumped to enter Dance Marathons to temporarily take them away from their miserable daily lives. As the ravages of the Depression began to wane, silliness became fashionable again as college students began Swallowing Goldfish.

Despite the turmoil of wars and social change the coming years saw fads that reflected a lightheartedness of the times. With time on their hands in the 1950's, college students sought to achieve notoriety by Stuffing themselves in Telephone Booths and shifted into a more traditional display of youth in the 1960's with new dance crazes like the Twist. The 1970's saw Streakers make their own personal statement while the coming of Disco seem to cause everyone to change their wardrobes, lifestyles and dance moves.

Event fads tend to define periods of time, but also to highlight the persistence of the general public to make the best of good times .... and bad.