The 20th Century: What's Worth Saving?

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Chrysler Building
It was the world's tallest building for about nine months, between its completion in 1930 and the topping-off of the taller (and duller) Empire State Building in 1931. No matter; the Chrysler, de-signed by William Van Alen, remains the unsurpassed symbol of New York sass, an Art Deco jazz baby whose gleaming spire radiates American confidence and optimism.

Coke Bottle
The heavy, green-glass six-and-a-half-ouncer--solid, sensuous, resembling the Gibson girls' hobble skirts--is still the only "classic" way to drink the brown stuff, now consumed one billion times daily around the world. In 1916, designer Raymond Loewy produced a bottle that could instantly be recognized, even in the dark or in pieces. It not only connotes Loewy's "most advanced, yet acceptable" design philosophy for future generations, but also evokes Co'cola's summery South-ern origins.

Crossword Puzzles
Although word puzzles have been discovered in Egyptian tombs, The New York World published the first crossword, created by journalist Arthur Wynne, in 1913. Its popularity took off in 1924 when Simon and Schuster brought out the first crossword puzzle book. Never again would any bit of knowledge (two-letter river in northern Italy: Po) be considered useless.

Domestic-Violence Shelters
Once considered a character flaw rather than a crime, wife-beating has finally been recognized as a serious social problem that hurts 2 to 4 million U.S. women each year. Many victims endured abuse because they had nowhere to go, but in 1964 members of Al-Anon (the AA-inspired organization for relatives of alcoholics) established the first shelter for battered women in Pasadena, California. More than 1,200 shelters now exist across the country, and the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 includes federal measures to aid victims.

Dr. Seuss
After rejection by 27 publishers, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street appeared in 1937, inaugurating our long-term love affair with Theodore Geisel's improbably charming characters, such as the Grinch and the Cat in the Hat (both 1957). The good doctor not only inspires TV-era kids to open books, his wacky wisdom sheds light on major issues (ecology, consumerism) and reminds young and old what's really important in life. Oh, the Places You'll Go!, his 1990 book, stayed on the New York Times best-seller list for three years.

Earth Day
Conceived by Wisconsin senator Gaylord Nelson and environmental activist Denis Hayes, the first Earth Day, on April 22, 1970, galvanized public support for cleaning up the environment. The results were almost immediate: The Nixon administration soon founded the Environmental Protection Agency, and Congress passed landmark legislation to clean up America's air and water. Now celebrated in 140 nations with rallies, street fairs, and television specials, Earth Day is an annual reminder that environmental quality depends upon all of us doing our part.

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