The ‘50s and ‘60s were a wild time for art, music, technology, and fashion. Today, many of the things that happened in these decades have been forgotten, despite having a major influence on how we live. In this article, we look at 17 things from the ‘50s and ‘60s that we’ve all forgotten.
Jukeboxes
Jukeboxes were the heart of music entertainment in public spaces during the ‘50s and ‘60s. They became really popular in diners and bars. However, as these establishments are not as hot as they once were, jukeboxes have also fallen out of fashion. Besides, everyone can play their own music now.
Rotary Phones
Rotary phones were once a staple in every household and were even the main means of communication for people and businesses. Now that we have touchscreen phones, it’s hard to imagine the hustle of needing to spin the dial for each number when calling someone.
Milk Delivery Service
Milk delivery might not seem like the best approach, but it worked to ensure fresh dairy was at the doorstep every morning. The Daily Meal says that the trend is dead for good but there could be a possibility of it coming back as more people want to shop from farmers directly.
Drive-In Theaters
Drive-in theaters offered a unique movie-watching experience, blending entertainment with the comfort of one’s car. According to a Statista report, there were only 549 drive-in theaters in the U.S. in 2020, a number significantly lower than the 848 in 1995, just 30 years ago.
Soda Fountains
Soda fountains were the go-to places for young people to gather and enjoy custom-made drinks. Before kids spent all day on their phones, these fountains were the hot social hubs in drugstores and malls. They offered a variety of drinks and the concoctions you could make were endless.
Vacuum Tube Technology
Vacuum tubes were the backbone of electronic devices, powering everything from radios to early computers. These tubes helped these devices work by controlling electric current. But they were replaced by something called transistors, which are part of solid-state electronics. According to Engineering.com, these are smaller, last longer, and work better than vacuum tubes.
Doo-Wop Music
Doo-wop music is a type of singing that was very popular in the 1950s and 1960s. It has lovely vocal sounds and was performed by groups like The Platters and The Drifters. This music style greatly influenced other kinds of music that came after it. Even though its popularity went down, many people still love doo-wop music today because it brings back good memories.
Full-Service Gas Stations
Full-service gas stations were places where you could do more than just fill up your car with gas. You would drive in, and attendants would come to serve you. They would pump your gas, check your oil, and clean your windshield. Over time, these stations changed, and now most of us serve ourselves at the gas pump, making full-service stations rare.
Typewriters
Typewriters worked by pressing keys that made letters appear on paper. They were very important in offices and for publishing books and newspapers. However, computers and word processors came along and replaced typewriters. These new tools made writing and editing much easier and faster.
Slide Rules
Slide rules were the main tool used for doing math calculations before advanced calculators were invented. They look like rulers and were used by people like engineers and scientists to solve complicated problems. When electronic calculators came out, they became the preferred tool because they were easier and faster to use for calculations.
Cigarette Advertising on TV
Cigarette ads were everywhere on TV, showing how cool and glamorous smoking could be. These ads, with their catchy slogans and famous campaigns, really influenced people to smoke more. In the middle of the 20th century, governments banned these ads to protect people’s health, forcing the cigarette industry to find new ways to advertise and sell their products.
Manual Lawn Mowers
Manual lawn mowers were simple machines that people pushed around to cut grass. They were popular because they were quiet and didn’t pollute the air. But over time, riding lawn mowers that ran on engines became more popular because they were easier to use, especially for big lawns.
Petticoats
Petticoats were a fashion staple used to add volume and flair to women’s skirts in the ‘50s and ‘60s. They came in many styles and were an essential part of dressing up for a very long time. As fashion changed, petticoats became less popular. Today, they are mostly worn for special costumes or in fashion shows that bring back old styles.
Cold War Bomb Shelters
During the Cold War, bomb shelters were built by many in fear of a nuclear war. According to History.com, there were over 200,000 bomb shelters in the U.S. in 1965. These shelters were meant to be safe places to hide in case of an attack. Some are still around, showing us a piece of history from that tense time.
Party Lines in Telecommunication
Party lines were shared telephone lines where different families used the same phone line. This setup definitely caused privacy problems because others could listen in on your calls. As time went by, these shared lines changed to private ones, where each home had its own line.
8-Track Tapes
8-track tapes were revolutionary for music due to their portability and ease of use. With Spotify around, these seem like simple things, but at the time, they were very new. Before that, to listen to music, people had to hope it would get played on a radio station.
Mimeograph Machines
Mimeograph machines were vital in offices and schools before printers came around. According to Britannica, the process of using a mimeograph involved feeding paper into a stencil attached to a screen. Ink would then be distributed to the surface of the rotating cylinders by two rollers. The ink would be pressed through small openings in the screen and through the stencil openings.
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