We are probably only at the beginning of our understanding of a period of time that gave us a new name for an old language, "ASL," a new consciousness called "Deaf culture," a national uprising called "DPN," and a science fiction-like new technology called "VP." The two halves of the twentieth century might be viewed as two separate units of analysis. The intent is to examine the second half of the twentieth century, or the period from 1945 to 2000. Key revelations and five critical changes during this period are discussed and contextualized in the article.