With so many straight-laced teens in the 1950s, it was only natural that there would be a backlash. Welcome to the 1960s! Free love, flower power, hippies, psychedelic drugs, and political mayhem -- these were the trends of a decade that saw upheaval of social mores and cultural behaviors. As The Beatles rocked and Bob Dylan rolled, the world saw changes in the political climate (Vietnam War protests, the sexual revolution, civil rights), the fashion world ("It's called a 'mini-skirt,' Mom"), and even in the realm of food (the mighty processed cheese slice). Read on to learn about some of the most iconic fads of the decade that just wanted everyone to get along.

1. Hippies

U.S. troops were sent to Vietnam in 1954 and, by the 1960s, thousands of soldiers had died fighting a war that was growing more and more unpopular by the day. The cry "Make Love, Not War" was a mantra among the hippies -- the antiestablishment, counterculture of America. Hippies were easily spotted: both men and women grew their hair long, wore ethnic-inspired clothes accessorized with puka shells, dabbled in Eastern religions, used words like groovy, and referred to "the Man" when talking about the flawed government. They were known to experiment with mind-altering drugs (marijuana, mushrooms, LSD) and hang out in places such as Greenwich Village in New York City and the Haight-Ashbury section of San Francisco. The hippie movement sparked music, art, and cultural dialogue that continues well into the 21st century.

The lava lamp is one of several groovy fads born in the 1960s.
©2007 Melanie Tsoi/Stock.xchng
The lava lamp is one of several
groovy fads born in the 1960s.

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2. Go-go Boots and Minidresses

The postwar baby boom had produced 70 million teenagers by the time the 1960s came along. All of those hormones dictated some changes in the world of fashion. Long gone was the poodle skirt. Skirts in the '60s got shorter -- much, much shorter. Skirts and minidresses often came up four to five inches above the knee in the United States and an eye-popping seven to eight inches above the knee in the UK. While skirts got shorter, boots got taller. The most popular boot was the go-go boot, which was often white patent leather and went almost to the knee. Singer Nancy Sinatra and TV's The Avengers helped popularize the look.

3. Fallout Shelters

With the Cold War in full force, the Cuban Missile Crisis exposed, and the constant threat of nuclear attack, many people in the early 1960s decided that building a fallout shelter wasn't such a paranoid notion. Kits began at around $100 (flashlight, shortwave radio, can opener), but a family could spend thousands on special basements equipped with board games, gas masks, and escape hatches.

Make peace with more groovy fads of the 60s on the next page.