1958: The Affluent Society, by Harvard economics professor John Kenneth Galbraith, decries the overemphasis on consumer goods in the U.S. economy and the use of advertising to create artificial demand for such goods. More of the nation's wealth should be allocated to the public, says Galbraith.

1999: The Overspent American: Why We Want What We Don't Need by Juliet Schor shows how keeping up with the Joneses has evolved from keeping pace with one's neighbors and those in a similar social strata, to keeping up with coworkers who earn five times one's own salary, or television characters with a lifestyle unattainable for the average person.

1958: "The torrent of foreign oil robs Texas of her oil market" and costs the state $1 million per day, says the chairman of the Texas Railroad Commission which controls production in the state. The Commission reduces Texas oil wells to eight...