Things we used to have to do
Today we play solitaire on the computer, but back in the day, we played it with these.
What are cards? The game is said to have originated in the 18th century in the Baltic region of Europe, where it is called patience. Many younger players don’t know how to lay out the cards because they’ve played it only on their electronic devices.
The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Avengers
What is The Avengers? The Avengers is a 1960s-era TV spy drama; the other two are rock ’n’ roll bands.
A collie is the star of this long-running TV show, which began in 1954.
What is Lassie? June Lockhart plays the mother.
In 1955, she was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger.
Who is Rosa Parks? While this act was performed by a number of people around the same time, Parks’ age and reputation as an upstanding citizen garnered the most attention. She was instrumental in desegregating the South.
Today, we touch numbers on our phones or use our contact lists to make a phone call, but we used to do this to connect to the other party.
What is dial the phone? We also used to memorize phone numbers.
In the 1970s and 1980s, parents and grandparents relied on their children and grandchildren to program this device that recorded TV shows
What is VCR? Most people never figured out how to set the VCR to record one show while watching another show. In 2014, The Atlantic reported, “58% of Americans still have a VCR in their homes. And they probably still can’t program them.”
Monopoly, Pac-Man, and Clue
What is Pac-Man? It is an electronic (video) game; the other two are much older board games.
This war comedy-drama featuring characters Hawkeye, Hot Lips, Klinger, and Radar had the largest audience ever recorded for its series finale.
What is M*A*S*H? The series finale had an audience of 106 million people.
Her coronation took place in 1953.
Who is Queen Elizabeth II? She’s held the crown for almost 70 years.
Today, when we’re driving and a tire deflates, we call a roadside service, but we used to do this ourselves.
What is change a flat tire?
In the 1960s and 1970s, we drove without these restraining devices.
What are seatbelts? Mandatory seatbelt laws did not appear until the mid-1980s. New Hampshire still has no seat belt law for those 18 years and older.
John Travolta, John “Cougar” Mellencamp, and John Goodman
Who is John “Cougar” Mellencamp? He’s a singer, and the other two are actors.
This show has a stellar ensemble cast—Judd Hirsch, Danny DeVito, Marilu Henner, Tony Danza, and Andy Kaufman, among others—and chronicles the life of New York City cab drivers.
What is Taxi?
In 1952, this vaccine was released by Dr. Jonas Salk.
What is polio? Polio was first detected in 1894 in Vermont.
In the days before text messages, we used to write notes in longhand, sometimes using this type of pen with a nib and refillable ink source.
What is fountain pen?
When our white tennis shoes got dirty, we used to put this on them to hide the dirt.
What is shoe polish? Some people still use it, but others use a shoe cleaner.
Watergate, Woodstock, and Altamont
What is Watergate? The other two places were the scenes of famous rock concerts; the Watergate Hotel was the scene of the Democratic headquarters break-in. The Altamont Speedway concert was supposed to be the Woodstock of the West, but it turned violent, and four attendees were killed. Rolling Stone magazine called it “rock and roll’s all-time worst day.”
Lyrics to the theme song of this 1970s Saturday-night show include:
Love, exciting and new
Come aboard. We’re expecting you.
And love, life’s sweetest reward.
Let it flow, it floats back to you.
What is The Love Boat?
In 1957, the Soviets launched this satellite as well as the Space Age.
What is Sputnik? It was the first artificial satellite in space.
When we needed new clothes, we consulted huge McCall’s, Vogue, and Butterick books to find these.
What are patterns? We sewed expensive-looking clothes for a fraction of what we would pay in a store. People took basic sewing classes as well as tailoring classes, which taught advanced topics to make clothes look professionally made. Do you remember when most everyone had a black Singer sewing machine?
Today with online banking, there is no need to use this paper item to keep track of checking account balances.
What is check register (or similar)? In addition to online banking, some people use a spreadsheet such as Excel to keep track of their bank accounts.
Triangle, Pentagon, Rectangle
What is Pentagon? The other two are just shapes. The Pentagon is a shape AND a government building.
Bea Arthur first plays this character on the 1970s Show that was named for her character
Who is Maude? Bea Arthur went on to have even more success as part of the ensemble cast of The Golden Girls.
In 1952, this British monarch died.
Who is King George VI? He died in his sleep.
When we went to the library, we looked up books using this.
What is card catalog? Today, we use computers and mobile devices to find books.