When they said 'Yes', we'd say, 'Isn't she heavy? If we called a store, we'd say, 'Is your refrigerator running? He can't breathe! Eventually, business owners caught on to us, and Hollywood made a movie titled, 'I Know Who You Are, and I Saw What You Did', a cautionary tale of two girls who made prank calls, and almost got murdered, because they pranked the wrong person. If someone wasn't home when you telephoned them, that was it.
They would have to call back until you were there. When answering machines were invented in the Lighter Ages of the 70's, people didn't like them, except to make annoying, outgoing announcements. Now, people don't like talking to people. If you answer your phone, callers will hang up and keep trying until they get your voice mail. Or, they'll text, which I think is one of the most irritating things I've ever had to do. As for driving, there was a lot less traffic.
I hate traffic. If there's more than one car on the road, I feel like turning around and going home. This makes life difficult for me. When I was a kid in the 50's, we had different cars, but only one at a time. One of the first cars I was in was a big, black Plymouth. Me and our poodle, Fifi, looked very similar to each other when I wore my coonskin cap and rode shotgun. Even our names were similar.
Later, we had a Volkswagen bug, and my spot was in the very back, in the little trunk space. I didn't fit there for very long, but I could look out the back and make a pulling motion to the big rig truck drivers, so they'd pull the levers to their horns.
I never wore a seat belt, because there weren't any. Later, there were only lap belts and big, bench seats. When my brother started dating, we'd know if he and his date had been sitting next to each other in the front seat, because the lap belt was stretched to its full length, to fit across both of them. I miss bench seats and getting to sit next to someone while they drive. Now, instead of fooling around on the front seat, and having accidents, young people are texting and having accidents.
We have not progressed by installing bucket seats, except that it's more difficult to make out in cars. Since our generation invented most of the things we take for granted now, 'people from the 50's' are on the fence as to what we think about 'today'.
We like the wonderful convenience of the internet and how easy it is to shop. Without it, my son, who wears a size 17 shoe, would have to go barefoot. Stores don't carry his size. You have a zillion choices in what to buy, but customer service sucks, things break practically as you un-box them, and American jobs have disappeared. Medical advances can extend your life, but many people can't afford them. Thank You notes are practically unheard of, and families rarely eat meals together.
They're out trying to lose weight, instead. On the other hand, if people aren't more contented, they should remember how hard it was to be 'unconventional' in any way, back then. News U. Politics Joe Biden Congress Extremism. Special Projects Highline. HuffPost Personal Video Horoscopes. Follow Us.
Terms Privacy Policy. This is why kids had to put on a burglar mask to raid the cookie jar. As you can see from the picture below, it took many seconds to call someone. Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present.
The Red Scare was hysteria over the perceived threat posed by Communists in the U. House of Representatives, investigated allegations of communist activity in the U. Established in , the committee wielded its subpoena power as a After World War II drew to a close in the midth century, a new conflict began. Beginning in the late s, space More babies were born in than ever before: 3.
This was the beginning of the The drama series, in its first season on For many people in the United States, the late s were a troubled and troubling time. The radical and countercultural movements of the s and early s, the Watergate scandal, the Vietnam War, uncertainty in the Middle East and economic crisis at home had undermined The s were a tumultuous time.
In some ways, the decade was a continuation of the s. Women, African Americans, Native Americans, gays and lesbians and other marginalized people continued their fight for equality, and many Americans joined the protest against the ongoing However, the relationship between the two nations was a tense one. Live TV. This Day In History. History Vault. Moving to the Suburbs The baby boom and the suburban boom went hand in hand. The Civil Rights Movement A growing group of Americans spoke out against inequality and injustice during the s.
Recommended for you. The s. Preparing for s Family Tea. Ordinary families had little spare money for treats like cinema trips and holidays. Before most homes had televisions, people spent their spare time listening to the radio or reading the newspaper; they played board games rather than computer games; and in place of the selection of fast food outlets we have to choose from, they had a takeaway from the local fish and chip shop. Tuning a Family Radio, Circa The s family home was also very different from our own.
Housework was much more difficult, as for example people did their washing by hand, instead of in a machine, and with refrigerators being a luxury item for most people, food had to be bought daily. It was less common for married women to work and many took on the childcare and housework, while their husbands went to work. The film clip below from the Yorkshire Film Archive shows the Watkins family having tea at home in Yorkshire in the early s.
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