[rramadass]

>Or was this a unique, one-time period?

Yes! The post WWII generation is what built the USA into the powerhouse it is today. There were two critical factors; 1) WWII left all of the competition in ruins 2) The "Cold War" forced the policymakers to focus on STEM education.

With success came hubris; the US has forgotten the factors which made it great and has lost itself in a miasma of Entertainment/Corruption/Finance/Management. It seems the "immigrants" are who are keeping the US flag flying high. I sincerely hope the US education system reforms itself and rediscovers its "lost" glory.