But while the British real ale movement of the same era harked back to a bygone age, American brewers of the same era were associated from its outset with the west coast counterculture, according to Maureen Ogle, author of Ambitious Brew: The Story of American Beer.

BBC: US craft beer: How it inspired British brewers

Europe, at this time, would merit the attentions of the US Depression-era author John Steinbeck.

BBC: Little sign of Europe's depression lifting

Thus, the dawn of a new era, one that makes many, including this author, uncomfortable.

FORBES: Political Advertising and Corporate Responsibility: A Call for Shareholder Action

Author Don Tapscott has opened the TEDGlobal conference in Edinburgh predicting a new era of "networked intelligence".

BBC: TEDGlobal: Net opens up era of radical openness