Of the momentous inventions of thern20th century-television, the microchip, the Internet, to name a few-none affects us so intimately as the birth control pill, which was approved by the FDA 50 years ago, on May 9, i960. It was a medical breakthrough many years in the making, the most convenient and reliable form of birth control ever invented-but it quickly became much more. Arriving at a moment of social and political upheaval, the Pill became a handy proxy for wider trends: the rejection of tradition, the challenge to institutions, the redefinition of women's roles.
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