Late 1950s—Early 1960s: The counterculture movements of the 1960s and 1970s, a major component of which will be devoted to ecological concerns, are getting their start.

Today: Global warming, pollution, dwindling marine life and fossil fuel supplies, and use of pesticides and hormones in food husbandry are of concern to many.

Late 1950s—Early 1960s: Betty Freidan's The Feminine Mystique, one of the first books of a new feminist movement that will flourish in the 1970s, is published in 1963.

Today: Statistically, women continue to receive lower wages than men for the same work, but they are able to enter any profession they please.

Late 1950s—Early 1960s: A number of Britain's former colonies shake off imperial rule and gain their independence from Britain in wars of independence.

Today: Britain retains some scattered territories dating from the imperial era, such as...