The "Back in my day" Thread

What’s hilarious is putting a rotary phone in front of a 25 year old.

And even higher for the Amoco premium 'white gas' that we burned in our race bikes.
Dad used to buy a gallon of white gas to use in the Colman camping stove. Worked fine and no one died.

Do people use toll free 800 numbers anymore?
 
Back in my day, no one wore headsets. You used a handheld microphone to talk with and there was a crackly speaker to listen over.
Same here.
On a related note, I recently had a cochlear implant on my left side. I plan to get the right side implanted asap.

Young or old: Use hearing protection while you can still hear.
 
Do the math. He saved 2 cents per gallon. 10 gallons means he saved 20 cents.

20 cents was 0.873 gallons.

I don't think he burned that much in starting and crossing the street. :D
Don't forget to calculate that any vehicle back then that got 8 MPG was considered a gas miser...:lol:

Also back then there were some luxury cars with giant cubic inch engines that were required to be shut off when filling with gas otherwise the tank would never get full...

(Ok not really)
 
How many of us as kids thought we would drown if we got in the pool less than 30 minutes after eating? That doesn't even make a bit of sense.

And for goodness sake's put on clean underwear before you go out in case you are in an accident.!!

I grew up believing the doctors would decide to treat a person or not depending on their underwear...
 
“Eat everything I put on your plate, because there are people starving in China.”

As a 7 year old, I did the right thing and said “In that case then I’ll stop eating and send them this food”. Mom was not impressed.
 
And for goodness sake's put on clean underwear before you go out in case you are in an accident.!!

I grew up believing the doctors would decide to treat a person or not depending on their underwear...
If your doctor is actually doing that, you need to shop around.
 
Back in my day, no one wore headsets. You used a handheld microphone to talk with and there was a crackly speaker to listen over.

When I got back into flying after a long hiatus, the young Embry Riddle CFI checking me out asked where my headsets were. Huh? Headsets, what's that?
That's the upside to vacuum-tube radios. They have a working voltage of 100V, vs. 12v in your modern radio. Could get a LOT more volume fed to the earphones....

Ron Wanttaja
 
TVs with no remote.
Heck, check out the early remotes. Had tuned bars in them like a doorbell (only ultrasonic). That's where the remote got the nickname "clicker," back then, when you pressed the "Channel Change" button, it actually clicked as it struck the bar,

Sometimes, you could get the channel to change by rattling your keys.....

Ron Wanttaja
 
I've flown IFR with no transponder. After takeoff I would contact center and the controller would have me do a couple of turns, then identify me and off I would go.

That was flying behind a couple of Narco Mk 12's 360 channel radios (tubes). No headsets, just a cabin speaker and a microphone.

Oh, and the DG was a barrel type that turned opposite the airplane. Fun times.
 
The original loyalty/rewards programs: a piece of dinnerware or glassware with a fill up; for decades we used dishes and glasses acquired at the gas station. Also S&H green stamps.
 
Heck, check out the early remotes. Had tuned bars in them like a doorbell (only ultrasonic). That's where the remote got the nickname "clicker," back then, when you pressed the "Channel Change" button, it actually clicked as it struck the bar,

Sometimes, you could get the channel to change by rattling your keys.....

Ron Wanttaja
Channeling our old Zenith console TV/radio/turntable.... and clicker!
 
“Eat everything I put on your plate, because there are people starving in China.”

As a 7 year old, I did the right thing and said “In that case then I’ll stop eating and send them this food”. Mom was not impressed.

It was Africa back when, and a smart comeback was “For as long as they’ve been starving now, aren’t they dead already? So they won’t miss the food anymore.”
 
Never. We had rotary phones and dealt with the operator for collect calls.
We had the rotary phone, but it was a party line. I think I was senior in high school before we got a private line. Was always fun to listen in on the neighbors phone calls:)
had to listen to the ring I think ours was a long ring and the neighbors was two short rings.

Just read Walboy's post, where he had the same.

I had friend the lived in an even more rural area and dry land farmed wheat. No electricity other than the Cat Generator. Water was hauled in with a truck. I think he did have a phone. Is also the same friend that took me for a ride in his T-Craft and got interested in Aviation.
They did get electricity after a few years, and drilled a well.

Brian
 
Party line, gun rack in trucks at school, no headsets, flying airplanes without electrical systems, ADF and VLF/Omega. Having to call FSS on the radio to get wx updates enroute, instead of pressing buttons. No cell phone, internet, or GPS.
 
TVs with no remote.

Was only alive for 6 months in the 80's. But I vividly remember being the remote in the early 90s. A physical dial I'd have to turn. We also had a rotary phone in my parents bedroom that we thought was awesome. I also remember learning about cars WITH window cranks instead of power windows. I thought those were wicked cool.
 
A friend and I were just talking about this the other day. I remember describing the starting procedure for any carbureted vehicle, or asking for the procedure if I hadn't driven that vehicle. My dad's truck, which I learned to drive in, was choke out, one full pump of the gas, turn the key, push the choke half way in when it fired and pat the gas to keep it running. My Chevelle was key on, 2 full pumps, key to start and pump it until it fired. It seemed like every carbureted vehicle had it's own unique starting procedure; kinda like piston airplanes.
 
Cable TV with 36 channels! The cable box on top of the TV with 12 click push buttons and a 3 way selector.

Scrambled HBO and Showrime.

And when parents weren’t home, trying to catch a glimpse of a body part on the scrambled porn channel. LMAO! Horny teens…

How about the VHS vs Beta quandary? Laser vision disks?
 
"Is your refrigerator running? Better go catch it! "
"Do you have Prince Albert in a can? Better let him out. "

The good old days of prank calls. Caller ID took the fun out of that.

"In Concert " simulcast. Watch on TV and listen in actual stereo whist sippin' the Boone's Farm.
 
Back in my day we wondered what Jerks world do. Also thought reverse high speed turn offs were totes cool. Oh, and staff would out members identities. Good times.
 
I also remember learning about cars WITH window cranks instead of power windows. I thought those were wicked cool.
Hah! Just a year ago I bought a brand new Jeep with hand cranked windows, didn't know that was even possible.

Toy guns without orange plastic tipped barrels... greenie stickum caps... or roll caps (perforated or not?)... plastic army men to shoot at with your BB gun... bicycles converted to a motorbike with a B&S lawnmower engine... Cox models with gas engines... Estes model rockets... TV Guide magazine with a special "C" symbol to indicate a color program (which later became a special symbol to indicate a B&W program)... TV, period.
 
Beers and backgammon tournaments. Or was it backgammon and beer tournaments, it's a little hazy.
 
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