Close your eyes and think about the 1960s. Now come back from your bad trip and tell us what you saw. Revolution? Love-ins? Rock & roll? Woodstock? Hippies?

Okay, get that all out of your system, and think of the '60s as a time of great invention: we're talking breast implants, the audio cassette and the compact disc, Kevlar, and Astroturf… just to name a few of the most useful.

Why did people feel so free to break the rules and cross boundaries in this decade? Maybe because over seventy million kids (from the post-World War II baby-boom) who were born and bred on Dr. Seuss were finally coming of age. Just maybe. After all, the decade started off with Green Eggs and Ham—a tale of wackiness, invention, adventure, excitement, and fun.

One quick warning before we dive in: take everything you read about Dr. Seuss with a grain of ham. He tends to be one of those larger-than-life characters we are majorly prone to mythologize. (Kind of like we just did. Yeah, we're guilty.) The more you read about Seuss, the more conflicting information you will find. We say enjoy this ambiguity and mystery, just like you enjoy it in Seuss's work.