1955 Price Tags
In 1955, this fuel averaged about 29 cents per gallon.
What is gasoline?
This chain founded by Frank W. Woolworth became America’s most famous five-and-dime.
What is Woolworth’s?
He delivered glass bottles of a dairy drink to the doorstep.
Who is the milkman?
Before electric refrigerators, families kept food cold in this insulated cabinet.
What is an icebox?
Children saved coins in this animal-shaped bank.
What is a piggy bank?
Families watched movies from their cars at this outdoor theater.
What is a drive-in movie?
A quart of this dairy drink averaged about 22 cents in 1955.
What is milk?
Customers sat on stools for sandwiches and milkshakes at this store feature.
What is a lunch counter?
This youngster tossed the daily newspaper onto neighborhood porches.
Who is the paperboy?
Clothes were scrubbed by hand against the ridged surface of this tool.
What is a washboard?
This payment plan let stores hold an item while the shopper paid over time.
What is layaway?
Several households shared the same telephone connection on this type of line.
What is a party line?
A pound of this sliced staple averaged about 18 cents in 1955.
What is white bread?
This fizzy store feature served ice cream sodas and sundaes.
What is a soda fountain?
She connected telephone calls by plugging cords into a large board.
Who is the switchboard operator?
Wet clothes passed between two rollers on this old washing machine.
What is a wringer washer?
People recorded paper payments in this small bank booklet.
What is a checkbook?
A coin let you choose a song on this glowing music machine.
What is a jukebox?
Adult admission to this form of big-screen entertainment averaged 73 cents in 1955.
What is a movie?
Needles, thread, buttons, and other small sewing goods were called these.
What are notions?
This worker operated the controls and announced each floor.
Who is the elevator operator?
Laundry dried outdoors on this rope stretched between posts.
What is a clothesline?
A clerk rang up purchases on this machine with a cash drawer.
What is a cash register?
Teenagers danced in stocking feet at this school-gym gathering.
What is a sock hop?
In 1955, one of these for a man averaged $1.42.
What is a haircut?
Before plastic became common, purchases often went home in one of these.
What is a paper bag?
This door-to-door salesman demonstrated brushes and household cleaners.
Who is the Fuller Brush man?
This quiet floor cleaner used brushes and wheels instead of electricity.
What is a carpet sweeper?
Shoppers clipped these money-saving offers from newspapers.
What are coupons?
Television stations once ended the broadcast day with this fixed picture.
What is a test pattern?
An office visit with this medical professional averaged about $3.41 in 1955.
What is a doctor?
This major retailer grew from S. S. Kresge’s five-and-dime business.
What is Kmart?
He delivered heavy frozen blocks used to keep food cold.
Who is the iceman?
This stovetop pot brewed coffee by repeatedly circulating hot water.
What is a percolator?
Shoppers pasted these green rewards into books and traded them for merchandise.
What are S&H Green Stamps?
This small record spun at 45 revolutions per minute and usually held one song per side.
What is a 45?
This men’s wardrobe item averaged $3.95 in 1955.
What is a business shirt?
This variety-store chain shared its name with an American founding father.
What is Ben Franklin?
This messenger delivered urgent written news sent over telegraph wires.
Who is the telegram messenger?
Callers spun a numbered wheel on this kind of telephone.
What is a rotary phone?
Bus and subway riders often paid with this special metal coin.
What is a transit token?
At this coin-operated restaurant, food waited behind rows of little glass doors.
What is an Automat?
A complete furniture set for this room averaged about $172 in 1955.
What is the living room?
The phrase five-and-ten referred to these two coin values.
What are nickels and dimes?
Before electric streetlights, this worker lit outdoor gas lamps.
Who is the lamplighter?
These V-shaped television antennas sat on top of many sets.
What are rabbit ears?
During World War II, families used this booklet to buy limited goods such as sugar or gasoline.
What is a ration book?
This early storefront movie theater took its name from a five-cent coin.
What is a nickelodeon?