“I remember going to the neighborhood corner store in the ’70s and buying cigarettes for my parents.
And as a Gen Z’er myself, I’m completely fascinated.
“Nobody bothered to leash or clean up after theirdogs.
All the kids knew all of the dogs and which ones to avoid, and dog fights happened regularly.
It was all normal in the ’60s.”
Merry, 70, Canada
3.
“My dad was a surgeon at a major innercity hospital in the early 1980s.
Even my father, who was a vascular specialist, smoked like a chimney.
So did my mom.
Now, smoking is one of the most vilified of activities, especially by healthcare professionals.
It feels almost unreal in hindsight.”
“The soda fountain shop had penny candy tables all lined up across from the counter stools.
My favorites were variously-colored sugar dots on paper strips that I scraped off with my teeth.
I ate them in class when the teacher’s back was turned!”
Anonymous
5.
“There were vocational classes in school.
“‘Helping Hand’ signs in windows.
Sue, 57
7.
“Before tampons, we wore little garter belts.
They had clips on either end, and we hooked up our maxi pads to them.
When I told my daughters about this, they swore I was making it up.”
Debbi, 66, Washington
9.
Without cell phones, you had to figure things out rather than call someone.
I think it made for more independent and self-reliant kids.”
“I remember when my father built our first bathroom in our home.
Before that, we used the outhouse down the path from our house.
We took our baths in a round galvanized metal wash tub brought into the kitchen on Saturdays.
We would just wash up in a wash basin on the other days of the week.
I also remember my mom cooking on a coal and wood-burning stove all year round.
She was extremely happy when she got her electric stove!
I used to help by cranking the wringer handle to squeeze the water out of the clothes.
We are very spoiled people now in 2024, and I love it!
But those times are in my memory forever!”
Linda, 73, United States
11.
“Back in the early ’90s, you had to purchase music at a music store.
People would wait in line all night to get their favorite artist’s new album.
It was perfectly normal in the ’50s.”
Maria, 86
13.
“I remember going to the neighborhood corner store in the ’70s and buying cigarettes for my parents.
I was, like, 10 years old at the time.
“In the late ’50s, a nearby Air Force base had open houses.
We would wander through fighter jets, bombers, and hangars without guides.
Most places even allowed cameras!”
Richard, 77, Montana
15.
“In my grade school years (1960s), a fifth-grade teacher supervised the after-school activity rifle club.
Whenever the person I was waiting for came back, we’d greet each other and go play.
Nobody ever thought of stealing or doing anything bad.”
Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
