This series depicts worldwide events of the twentieth century in a novel way. Fascinating black-and-white photographs from the Getty Images collection put images of the power of an event or the zaniness of new trends right before the viewers eyes. The force of wars and political conflicts is just as important a theme in these comprehensive volumes as world-shaking innovations in science and technology. These are accompanied by portraits of great personalities in art, politics, and society. The lives of everyday people with their (at the time) common and not-so-common curiosities also comprise an extensive part of each book: sailing on roller skates in 1929, painted-on nylon stockings in 1947, or a dry cleaner's where the charge for miniskirts varies according to their length.