18941978

18941978 is a compact numeric string that is sometimes used in bibliographic and archival contexts to indicate a lifespan or a year-range from 1894 to 1978. In standard biographical writing, the same period is usually represented with an en dash as 1894–1978; the four-digit concatenation appears in file names, catalog identifiers, and database keys where punctuation is restricted or omitted.

Interpretation of 18941978 depends on context. Without accompanying name or descriptor, the string does not identify a specific person or event. It commonly signals that the subject was born in 1894 and died in 1978, but it can also serve as a shorthand for a historical period or for objects and collections produced within those years. Disambiguation typically requires additional context such as a surname, occupation, or title.

Historical context for the span 1894–1978 includes significant social, political, and technological transformations. The period encompasses the late industrial age, both World Wars, the interwar years, postwar reconstruction, decolonization, and the early stages of the digital era. Advances in transportation, communication, medicine, and science, along with shifts in art, culture, and governance, helped shape the modern world across multiple regions.

See also: Lifespan notation, date formats, archival identifiers.