More babies were born in 1946 than ever before: 3.4 million, 20 percent more than in 1945. This was the beginning of the so-called “baby boom.” In 1947, another 3.8 million babies were born; 3.9 million were born in 1952; and more than 4 million were born every year from 1954 until 1964, when the boom finally tapered off. By then, there were 76.4 million “baby boomers” in the United States. They made up almost 40 percent of the nation’s population. (From https://www.history.com/topics/1960s/baby-boomers-1)

Now, 75 years later, what do we see in hospitalizations and deaths? Is there a discernible bump in the statistical curve? Are hospitals being overwhelmed by the needs of aging baby boomers? As there was in the birth rate 75 years ago, is there a noticeable spike in the death rate now? If 75 years after the end of World War II, there seemed to be a spike in hospitalizations and deaths, would we realize that, of course, this is the beginning of the end of the baby boom generation, or would we theorize some kind of an epidemic to explain the numbers?