there's already a thread like this in the 70's, so I decided to do one for before the 70's  :)


YKYOWYR... .the tire bell     you never had to pump your own gas, all the stations were full service gas stations and when you rolled in, they had that "tire bell" that would alert the attendant that they had a customer. they'd check your oil, wash your windows, & check the air in your tires too  :o

there's already a thread like this in the 70's, so I decided to do one for before the 70's  :)


YKYOWYR... .the tire bell     you never had to pump your own gas, all the stations were full service gas stations and when you rolled in, they had that "tire bell" that would alert the attendant that they had a customer. they'd check your oil, wash your windows, & check the air in your tires too  :o


Wow Mike, you are really old :P

Wow Mike, you are really old :P
I'll have you know that I'm old enough to know the score ,& young enough to play the game

...wow, that's an old cliche'  ;D 

How about YKYOWYR party lines.



Cat

How about YKYOWYR party lines.



Cat


That makes my husband old then! 

How about YKYOWYR party lines.



Cat
oh yeah, you could eavesdrop on other peoples telephone conversation


YKYOWYR...getting Polio vaccines via sugar cubes.  In my town, they held a vaccination day at the High School auditorium

YKYOWYR...getting Polio vaccines via sugar cubes.  In my town, they held a vaccination day at the High School auditorium


Don't say this - I'm not old!  I can still recall getting my preschool Polio booster this way.  Or rather not getting the sugar cube because they'd run out by the time they got round to my appointment :\'(  First time I can recall eating a Cadbury's Creme Egg as well, my mum bought me one for a treat afterwards.

Mike, you're not that old, unless you were around when they invented the tire bell.  :D

I remember them from the early 80s... one gas station here still has them.

YKYOWYR a time when cable TV didn't exist, and every TV got its signal via rabbit ears or house-mounted antenna.

YKYOWYR rotary dial phones, and used them. You're extra old if you've ever had a 5 digit phone number.

signature banned as well

Mike, you're not that old, unless you were around when they invented the tire bell.  :D

I remember them from the early 80s... one gas station here still has them.

Yeah, I think I might actually remember some from that time as well...which would be my early childhood days.




YKYOWYR rotary dial phones, and used them. You're extra old if you've ever had a 5 digit phone number.


We still had one of those until retiring it in '90 or so. And by "5 digit phone number", does that refer to numbers that began with two letters followed by 5 digits, such as KL 5-3229?

YKYOWYR a time when cable TV didn't exist, and every TV got its signal via rabbit ears or house-mounted antenna.




Still does in this house!




YKYOWYR rotary dial phones, and used them. You're extra old if you've ever had a 5 digit phone number.




Rotary dial phones aren't before the 70s things.  Our first phone was a rotary dial and we didn't get it installed until 1981/82.

Rotary dial phones have been around for over 100 years. Even push button phones aren't new technology, but didn't become mainstream until the mid 80s. Touch tone service has been around for nearly 50 years as well.

Karen, you've probably more knowledge of this than I do: will rabbit ears/antenna work once everything goes digital? I know there is a converter box for TVs, but my understanding of that that is it only covers older model TVs, not the signal source. If you still get TV on rabbit ears, more power to you. Cable TV isn't worth the cost anyway.

Jeff, yeah, back before area codes there were local exchanges, and you had two letters plus a 5 digit number. Some places required dialing all 7, some only as few as four for local calls. Our "exchange" was CApital-9, so my first three numbers are 229.

I'll have to ask my aunt about phones in the 40s: my mother (6 years younger) seems to remember when ALL calls were operated assisted and the phone "number" was a letter and two digits.

Back to Karen: I know rotary phones aren't that old, but it does make me feel old when many kids of today have no clue that phones were ever anything but small touch tone models. Or that TVs were once huge, heavy CRTs with no color. "High Def" back in the day meant a well-adjusted set of rabbit ears.

signature banned as well

How about YKYOWYR party lines.



Cat


My mom was talking about those as well. She only had a two party line, with the next-door neighbors, who had a daughter her age. If my mom wanted to call her, she'd have to hang up as soon as she got a busy signal... unless the neighbors were on the phone, then she'd blurt out "have your daughter call me!" and hang up. lol

signature banned as well

Karen, you've probably more knowledge of this than I do: will rabbit ears/antenna work once everything goes digital? I know there is a converter box for TVs, but my understanding of that that is it only covers older model TVs, not the signal source. If you still get TV on rabbit ears, more power to you. Cable TV isn't worth the cost anyway.




Our TV is a new one with an integrated digital tuner so it will accept the digital signal through the rabbit ears.  If you have an older analogue set you will need a converter box.

http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/dtvantennas.html

I am considering getting a new antenna but will wait till after the switch over to see if our situation improves any.

Paul/Phil will know this.  When is the signal switiching in the UK?  I know it's sometime soon.  We bought our set top box a few years back now.

We still had one of those until retiring it in '90 or so. And by "5 digit phone number", does that refer to numbers that began with two letters followed by 5 digits, such as KL 5-3229?


My grandma used to tell everyone her number was Eldorado 9-**** until the day she died. ;D

Similar things happened with phone numbers over the years in the UK.  Sometime in the early 70s 4 figure numbers in town I lived in were made 6 figure by adding  21 at the front.  My brother could only ever remember the last four numbers of my grandparents phone number I always had to remind him of the 21 at the beginning!

And Dai's mum until very recently used to answer the phone with the old exchange name and the last three numbers of her phone number.

there's already a thread like this in the 70's, so I decided to do one for before the 70's  :)


YKYOWYR... .the tire bell     you never had to pump your own gas, all the stations were full service gas stations and when you rolled in, they had that "tire bell" that would alert the attendant that they had a customer. they'd check your oil, wash your windows, & check the air in your tires too  :o


man.... I remember those... I was going to say the Pep Boys.....remember them?

How about old state abbreviations? I was thinking about this at Christmas time....






Old Style Abbreviation  (I didn't list all the states..... )


Alabama Ala.

Arkansas         Ark.


Arizona Ariz.


California Calif.

Colorado Colo.

Connecticut  Conn.


Delaware Del.


Florida Fla.


Illinois Ill.


Indiana Ind.


Kansas Kan.


Massachusetts Mass.


Michigan            Mich.


Minnesota          Minn.


Mississippi                 Miss.


Montana Mont.


Nebraska Neb.


Nevada Nev.

]
Oklahoma Okla.


Oregon Ore.


Pennsylvania Pa.


Tennessee Tenn.


Virginia Va.


Washington Wash.


Wisconsin Wis.


West Virginia W.Va.


Wyoming Wyo

YKYOWYR...getting Polio vaccines via sugar cubes.  In my town, they held a vaccination day at the High School auditorium



I remember going to the local Catholic school to get a German Measles (Rubella) shot. Standing in line with a lot of other kids & getting shot by a nun!  :o :o :o I think this was after my grandfather passed away because he was a doctor and gave us all of our shots-except that one.



Mike, you're not that old, unless you were around when they invented the tire bell.  :D

I remember them from the early 80s... one gas station here still has them.

YKYOWYR a time when cable TV didn't exist, and every TV got its signal via rabbit ears or house-mounted antenna.

YKYOWYR rotary dial phones, and used them. You're extra old if you've ever had a 5 digit phone number.

signature banned as well



Yup-remember the rabbit ears and the rotary dial.





We still had one of those until retiring it in '90 or so. And by "5 digit phone number", does that refer to numbers that began with two letters followed by 5 digits, such as KL 5-3229?



I also remember the 2 letters followed by the numbers. Ours was AX7-7235-or 297. (It is strange that this was a number I had until I was 8 years old and I STILL remember it.)



Cat

I remember going to the local Catholic school to get a German Measles (Rubella) shot. Standing in line with a lot of other kids & getting shot by a nun!  :o :o :o I think this was after my grandfather passed away because he was a doctor and gave us all of our shots-except that one.



Yup-remember the rabbit ears and the rotary dial.



I also remember the 2 letters followed by the numbers. Ours was AX7-7235-or 297. (It is strange that this was a number I had until I was 8 years old and I STILL remember it.)



Cat


I remember getting the newly discovered polio vaccine and TV commerials promoting the vaccine, they would show kids in "Iron Lungs" scaring parents into getting the shots for their kids. 

My brother making me wear a big "I like Ike" button on my hat in kintergarden...but I am a Democrat!

My brother making me wear a big "I like Ike" button on my hat in kintergarden...but I am a Democrat!




you were a democrat in kindergarten? I didn't even know what a democrat was when I was 5  ;D

A horse drawn vegetable vendor used to ride into the neigborhood and sell his stuff, he would have bells on his cart and would jingle them to let the housewives know he was here. He'd put a feed bag over the horse's mouth while he took care of his customers and us kids would pet the horse and the old man would give us a piece of fruit. Sometimes the horse would take a dump and the old man would clean it up and then the neigborhood dogs would roll around on the dump spot, I guess it killed their fleas.

-Mail without zip codes.
-Mimeograph copies/machines in schools.
-There were only 4 t.v. stations (ABC-7, CBS-2, NBC-4, & PBS-13)-unless you lived in the NYC area and then we also had WNEW (Channel 5), WOR (Channel 9), & WPIX (Channel 11).
-Weekly t.v. shows were live.
-T.V. stations went off the air at midnight and came on the air at 6 a.m.
-"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!"
 


Cat

-Mail without zip codes.
-Mimeograph copies/machines in schools.
-There were only 4 t.v. stations (ABC-7, CBS-2, NBC-4, & PBS-13)-unless you lived in the NYC area and then we also had WNEW (Channel 5), WOR (Channel 9), & WPIX (Channel 11).
-Weekly t.v. shows were live.
-T.V. stations went off the air at midnight and came on the air at 6 a.m.
-"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!"
 


Cat


Hi Cat, your TV shows brought back old memories how the radio was still the main stream entertaiment for the masses in the early 50's. My mom had the radio on all day long for music and the evening serial shows which one of those you mentioned. Yes, most were radio shows before they were adapted to TV. We had a TV since 1950 but not to many shows where broardcasted then and the radio was still the main sorce of everyday intertainment. 
   

-Mimeograph copies/machines in schools.

Cat




oh they smelled so good and were such a lovely shade of  purple  :)

oh they smelled so good and were such a lovely shade of  purple  :)



Either purple or blue.



Cat

Either purple or blue.



Cat


semantics...it was a purplish blue  ;)

semantics...it was a purplish blue  ;)


blurplish??

blurplish??


exactly!

not only did I have singles (45's) I also had records at 78 speed as a kid.
Then a friend of mine got this 8 track tape stuff, what amazing technology that was!

YKYAOWYR February having TWO holidays-Lincoln's Birthday on the 12th & Washington's Birthday on the 22nd (and it didn't matter what day it fell on-THAT was the day we had off-not the Monday closest to it).



Cat

YKYAOWYR February having TWO holidays-Lincoln's Birthday on the 12th & Washington's Birthday on the 22nd (and it didn't matter what day it fell on-THAT was the day we had off-not the Monday closest to it).



Cat
I remember that. those were the good ol' days.


YKYAOWYR...air raid sirens going off during the 60's just to test them. I think the one in our town sounded off at 5pm and i can't remember what year they stopped running it.

I remember that. those were the good ol' days.


YKYAOWYR...air raid sirens going off during the 60's just to test them. I think the one in our town sounded off at 5pm and i can't remember what year they stopped running it.


Our sirens were at 6PM sharp, it went on until the mid 70's.

On the same note, though it was real popular before my time, I remember watching the the Duck And Cover film with the
turtle. Tou had to sing the Duck and Cover song.  ;D

There was a turtle by the name of Bert
and Bert the turtle was very alert;
when danger threatened him he never got hurt
he knew just what to do...
He ducked!
And covered!
Ducked!
And covered! He did what we all must learn to do
You, And you, And you And you!
Duck, and cover!'

Our sirens were at 6PM sharp, it went on until the mid 70's.

On the same note, though it was real popular before my time, I remember watching the the Duck And Cover film with the
turtle. Tou had to sing the Duck and Cover song.  ;D

There was a turtle by the name of Bert
and Bert the turtle was very alert;
when danger threatened him he never got hurt
he knew just what to do...
He ducked!
And covered!
Ducked!
And covered! He did what we all must learn to do
You, And you, And you And you!
Duck, and cover!'
funny how they thought the duck and cover would protect us from an atomic explosion

funny how they thought the duck and cover would protect us from an atomic explosion



Yup-you put your head between your knees and kiss your ass good-bye.



Cat

Yup-you put your head between your knees and kiss your ass good-bye.



Cat


HA! HA! HA! HA!

When the Sunday Blue Laws were enforced with fines.

I should have thought of this yesterday, like I said it was a bit before my time but in grade school in the 60's
I did see this video more than once.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixy5FBLnh7o


We also held a drill once a year where we all lined up and went to the fallout shelter,
which was nothing more than the basement of the public school.

I should have thought of this yesterday, like I said it was a bit before my time but in grade school in the 60's
I did see this video more than once.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixy5FBLnh7o


We also held a drill once a year where we all lined up and went to the fallout shelter,
which was nothing more than the basement of the public school.


Loki 13, I don't remember that exact duck and cover film, there were many very similar ones like that, the one that scared that crap out of me was the one that melted the faces off of dummy kids playing in there back yard and then their house was blown away in a second, right then and there I knew if we were that close to see that flash we wouldn't live 3 seconds after it, and living only 20 miles from New York City we'd have the same chance as a snow ball in hell that we'd live long enough to hit the floor to duck and cover...only a pile of ashes with on top of my PF Flyer's.

cigarette commercials on tv like The Flintstones cartoon, here's Fred & Barney enjoying a smoke  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZvHiiWFbBU

cigarette commercials on tv like The Flintstones cartoon, here's Fred & Barney enjoying a smoke  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZvHiiWFbBU



good one!

School milk  8-P

cigarette commercials on tv like The Flintstones cartoon, here's Fred & Barney enjoying a smoke  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZvHiiWFbBU


Those cigarette companies were really priming the pump to get a new generation of cancer victims by advertising an cigarettes on a kids tv program, and we accepted this as common stuff...they succeeded to get me to smoke at 13. If not anything else, President Nixon did a great thing to ban cigarette advertising on TV in the early 70's. My kids never smoked maybe because they didn't see cigarettes advertised on their cartoon shows like we did as kids.

Nash Ramblers
Studebakers
DeSotos
Hudsons
Buicks with real holes

Those cigarette companies were really priming the pump to get a new generation of cancer victims by advertising an cigarettes on a kids tv program, and we accepted this as common stuff...they succeeded to get me to smoke at 13. If not anything else, President Nixon did a great thing to ban cigarette advertising on TV in the early 70's. My kids never smoked maybe because they didn't see cigarettes advertised on their cartoon shows like we did as kids.
tried my first smoke at 8, and like you, at 13 started smoking & smoked Marlboros.  but I'm not sure the commercials & ads influenced me as much as it was that I hung out guys a few years older who smoked and they were cool and I wanted to be cool too  8) 

tried my first smoke at 8, and like you, at 13 started smoking & smoked Marlboros.  but I'm not sure the commercials & ads influenced me as much as it was that I hung out guys a few years older who smoked and they were cool and I wanted to be cool too   8)  


yeah! you know that's why we did it..to be cool, mine were Lucky's.

yeah! you know that's why we did it..to be cool, mine were Lucky's.
yikes, the non-filtered one's  :o  those were heavy duty. I smoked all those too. and Pall Mall and I remember stealing my dad's nasty cigs, Salem's ughh  8-P    I quit smoking back in 1979

tried my first smoke at 8, and like you, at 13 started smoking & smoked Marlboros.  but I'm not sure the commercials & ads influenced me as much as it was that I hung out guys a few years older who smoked and they were cool and I wanted to be cool too   8)   



I had my first cig at 12.  (Yeah, yeah, I know. I know  :-[ ) Quit at the age of 19 for 2 & 1/2 years-until I got drunk one night.  :-[  Now I have been cigarette-free for more than 16 months.  ;D ;D ;D  (Yeah, I'm bragging.  ;D ;D)



Cat

yikes, the non-filtered one's  :o  those were heavy duty. I smoked all those too. and Pall Mall and I remember stealing my dad's nasty cigs, Salem's ughh  8-P    I quit smoking back in 1979


You brought back a forgotten memory, my mom smoked Taringtons and I would ask her if I can put out her cigarettes under the kitchen sink faucet and she would give me her lite cigarette butts and told me to drown them, I'd carry them to the sink, but before I would drown it I would sneak a puff or two and feel really cool and grown up doing it and I was only around 5 years old at the time. She soon got wise and followed me to the sink and saw me trying to give my 3 year old sister a puff... oh! she whacked my ass pretty good with her wooden spoon that day, that was my last but it was also my first time I'd tried smoking.
My old man smoked Italian stogies, talk about ughh!

I had my first cig at 12.  (Yeah, yeah, I know. I know  :-[ ) Quit at the age of 19 for 2 & 1/2 years-until I got drunk one night.  :-[  Now I have been cigarette-free for more than 16 months.  ;D ;D ;D  (Yeah, I'm bragging.  ;D ;D)



Cat


Good for you!! Cat, it's never to late to stop. I finally got my wife to stop this new years day since she was a teenager, excluding her pregnancy days when she stopped for the nine months but slowly went back to them afterwards. I stopped when I was 26 after having pneumonia, at the time it was half my life I'd been smoking a pack a day, that was 35 years ago, but I do have my occasional cigar and Jack Daniel today.