When I spend a lot of time with someone older or younger than I am, I realize how fast times change. How we talk, what we remember, use or even name our children often shouts the generation we grew up in.
My list could be a lot longer, I welcome you to add to it. I have listed some things that came quickly to mind as I made notes-sometimes with a comment. See what you remember and ask yourself if it tells your age!
Things we rarely see or use today:
Hand operated food mixers
Clothes hanging on a clothes line
CB radios
Phones with receivers attached-or phones with cords attached to hand held unit
Dot matrix printers
Wood stoves used for cooking
Knees socks-except knee high hose
Women wear dressy hats
Manual or electric typewriters
8 track tapes
NEW black and white TV’s
Shorthand
Portable electric radios (except on alarm clocks)
Fountain pens with ink cartridges
Push mowers
Clip on earrings
Pogs (the little milk-lid cardboard collectables)
NEW single wide mobile homes
Paper dolls
Match books with advertisements in a bowl by the cash register
Paper tax returns coming in the mail
Mercury thermometers or alcohol thermometers
Cigarette machines or advertisements (or any tobacco products)
Encyclopedias in bound book form
NEW comic books
Ric-rac used to decorate clothing, linens, crafts etc.
Soap Operas on TV-still around but loosing ground
Games shows on TV-still around but loosing ground
New cameras that use film (except disposables)
TV’s or computer that aren’t truly “flat”(not just the screen-the whole thing)
Gas stations with attendants
Restaurants that take personal checks
Shoe or watch repair shops
Snack bars in drug stores
Girdles
Lace on women’s outer wear
Drapery/curtains with metal hooks on top
Lounge chairs made with woven, wide plastic ribbon
Ice trays
Aprons
Mimeograph machines
Carbon paper
Milk trucks/milk delivery
Floppy disks
Old record players still in use-new records and record players with c/d and cassette decks
Are making a comeback
Polaroid cameras
Parachute pants
Traditional Zoos
Bib overalls
Skating rinks
Traditional girl and boy scout uniforms-especially worn to school
Polyester or wool suits
Outdated slang-
60’s &70’s– groovy, cool, far-out. Bread (money),out of sight, hip. bookin'(leaving) a gas (funny), bummed out (frustrated, in a bad mood), cat (a man), chick (a woman), crash (go to sleep or stay somewhere a night or more), pad(house or apartment), freak out (scared, excited), haul ass (to leave)
30’s to 50’s– cat, dame, gal, spiffy, yarn (a story or tale), grub (food), gourd (head), to bum something(borrow without intent to repay),square (old fashioned) wise guy (smart-elic), broad (woman), kisser (mouth), old geezer(older man),jalopy (old car)
Names from the past– (when we see these names for babies today, the child is usually named after an older relative)
Boys-Abraham, George, Henry, Herbert, Herman, Raymond Archibald, Hugh, Theodore, Edgar, Robert/Bobby, Warren, Emmett, Arthur, Gerald, Harold
Girls-Helen, Louise, Bessie, Betty, Clara. Ruby, Elaine, Susan, Virginia, Margaret, Cora, Jane, Evelyn, Estelle, Harriet, Opal, Elsie
Ok, enough is enough, I bet you have though of a hundred more! Comment to my article and tell me what they are! Time sure flies, doesn’t it?