From the American Beat Generation in the 1950s, the "hipster" community arose in the free thinking Haight-Asbury neighborhood in San Francisco in the early 1960s.
Hippies who questioned authority and traditional values eventually made inroads into the mainstream, and spawned a cultural revolution that still resonates worldwide.
While the popular anthem of Sex, Drugs and Rock n' Roll sent shock waves across middle America throughout the 1960s, the politically-charged message of peace, love and brotherhood also spoke directly to the newly-formed Civil Rights Movement, as well as the unpopular war raging in Vietnam.
In retrospect, the hippie generation had direct global influences on music, television and film. It also made its mark on politics, fashion, hairstyles, the arts, and religion, including an emerging interest in Eastern philosophies and meditation.
Today, small groups of aging hippies continue to maintain the lifestyle, while in the Internet Age a fledging band of neo-hippies have emerged in online Web communities.
The movement as a whole is generally thought to have peaked near the end of the 1960s with Woodstock, but the hippie legacy and its influence can still be seen and felt in everything from the popularity of free summer music festivals to a sustained interest in organic foods.
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