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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Mike Schneider

From hula hoops to hearing aids: Oldest baby boomers turn 80 in 2026, contributing to an aging US

Boomers Turn 80 - (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

The oldest baby boomers — once the vanguard of an American youth that revolutionized U.S. culture and politics — turn 80 in 2026.

The generation that twirled the first plastic hula hoops and dressed up the first Barbie dolls, embraced the TV age, blissed out at Woodstock and protested the Vietnam War — the cohort that didn't trust anyone over age 30 — now is contributing to the overall aging of America.

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