BOOM! The moment the first atom was split, the Atomic Age was begun. Hooray! The period, usually defined as the 1950s, was defined by the belief that technology would lead us (read Americans) into a perfect world where everything would be automated. Technophilia ruled supreme, and brought science-fiction into its own. In the end, a lot of people felt gyped because we don't have flying cars or cool beeping robots yet. Cry.