OK boomers: The oldest of you are turning 80 in 2026, the vanguard of a “rock n’ roll” and “TV age” generation that left an imprint on popular culture like no other.
During the 18 years of the “baby boom” from 1946 to 1964, about 76 million Americans were born. The spike in births was magnified by couples reuniting after World War Two and the postwar prosperity that followed. Better educated and wealthier than previous generations, boomers made popular culture more inclusive and helped grow a consumer-driven economy.
Here are 20 questions to see how well you know — or remember — the indelible imprint made on pop culture by baby boomers and those who catered to their tastes. No Google or ChatGPT allowed. You don’t have to be a boomer to get them right, but it doesn’t hurt.
(Keep scrolling for answers.)
1. What was in the first Swanson TV dinner?
2. What two other “junk food” favorites were created by the inventor of the orange, powdered drink Tang?
Apollo 11 astronauts
3. Name all three astronauts who were part of the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969?
4. Who is “the cat who won’t cop out when there’s danger all about?”
5. What did Simon and Garfunkel call themselves before adopting their eponymous name?
6. What TV show teased, “The thrill of victory … and the agony of defeat?”
7. What was the name of the feminist magazine activist Gloria Steinem helped found?
Gloria Steinem
8. Actor and martial artist Bruce Lee died just before the release of which of his films?
9. Which girl group did Darlene Love sing for?
10. What was comedian Freddie Prinze’s catchphrase from the 1970s TV show, “Chico and the Man?”
11. In which country did the “Rumble in the Jungle” take place?
12. How many castaways can you name from the TV show “Gilligan’s Island?”
13. What TV sitcom star from the 1970s once washed dishes at a Harlem eatery with Malcolm X?
14. In what city was baby boomer singer Gloria Estefan born?
15. What was the last Beatles album to be released?
16. What legendary TV shows were mainstays on Saturday nights for CBS in 1973 in what some call the greatest network TV lineup ever?
Boxer Muhammad Ali, formerly Cassius Clay
17. In what year did boxer Cassius Clay change his name?
18. What toy became a worldwide sensation when it was popularized by Wham-O in 1957?
19. Who was tennis player Billie Jean King’s opponent in the “Battle of the Sexes?”
20. What was the real name of “Dr. Seuss?”
Answers:
A package with a picture of a TV set with knobs is pictured in 1994.
1. Turkey, dressing, potatoes and peas.
2. William A. Mitchell also invented Pop Rocks and Cool Whip.
3. Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins.
4. John Shaft.
5. Tom and Jerry.
6. ABC’s “Wide World of Sports.”
7. Ms.
8. “Enter the Dragon.”
9. Trick question: She was lead singer of The Blossoms, but she also sang songs that were credited to The Crystals.
10. “Looking good!”
11. Zaire.
The cast of “Gilligan’s Island”
12. Gilligan, The Skipper, Ginger, The Professor, Mary Ann, Thurston Howell III and Eunice “Lovey” Howell.
13. “Sanford and Son” star Redd Foxx.
14. Havana, Cuba.
15. “Let It Be,” though “Abbey Road” was the last they recorded together.
16. “All in the Family,” “MASH,” “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “The Bob Newhart Show” and “The Carol Burnett Show.”
17. 1964.
18. The Hula Hoop.
19. Bobby Riggs.
20. Theodor Geisel.
17 baby boomer phrases that kids these days just don’t understand
OK, boomers
Updated
Before millennials were busy staying on fleek and Gen-Zers were clapping back with “OK boomer,” baby boomers had their own way of communicating.
Although there’s no official definition, baby boomers are generally considered to be those born between 1946-1964 (but some definitions start and end a little earlier). According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are some 76 million boomers in the U.S., which means there are a lot of people going around having a gas and getting hacked off. But what does it mean?
Here’s a look at some popular words and phrases that are mostly no longer in use. Definitions are from language site Babbel.com Merriam-Webster, and Dictionary.com.
Threads
Updated
Meaning: Another name for clothes.
A gas (having a gas, it’s a gas)
Updated
Meaning: Someone or something that’s fun or fine.
Flip a wig
Updated
Meaning: To get very angry (or really hacked off?).
Groovy
Updated
Meaning: Cool.
This one’s fairly obvious, but it’s likely that no one under 55 has ever used it seriously.
Lay a patch
Updated
Meaning: Burnouts, black marks with tires.
Square
Updated
Meaning: Uncool.
What’s your bag?
Updated
Meaning: What’s your problem?
“Bag” can also simply refer to something a person is interested in. Example: “Using baby boomer slang isn’t really my bag.”
Padiddle
Updated
Meaning: Game counting burned out headlights.
Dropped a dime
Updated
Meaning: Made a phone call.
Boob tube
Updated
Meaning: TV.
Kicks
Updated
Meaning: Something done for pleasure.
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