Alex Buscemi
It’s wild to think about how much everyday life has changed over the years.
Things that were once totally normal—like letting kids roam the neighborhood unsupervised until the streetlights came on—would probably raise a few eyebrows today.
Technology, safety standards, and just general societal norms have shifted so much that certain past experiences now seem completely unthinkable.
Some of them might make you nostalgic, while others will have you wondering how people ever thought they were a good idea in the first place.
From riding in the back of a truck without a seatbelt to schools having cigarette vending machines, the past had its fair share of moments that would never fly now.
Whether you grew up experiencing these things firsthand or you’re just here for the history lesson, these stories offer a fascinating look at how much things have changed.
Keep going to see which ones surprise you the most.
1.
In the ’70s, when people flew on airplanes, everyone spoke to the person next to or around them. Since there were no cellphones, computers, or movies on planes at the time, we entertained each other.
2.
I’d usually ride in the bed of our truck when I was a kid, even on highways and interstates. It wasn’t considered a big deal back then. I can’t remember the last time I saw anyone riding in a truck bed.
3.
Salesmen used to walk door-to-door selling encyclopedias. Also, movie theaters used to have intermissions, which are very much needed now for longer movies! You could run to the bathroom or refresh snacks and not miss any of the action.
4.
You had to wait until the newspaper was delivered the next day to know the outcome of non-televised sporting events.
5.
If you weren’t waiting at the corner for the bus, the school bus driver would come to the door and check if you were going to school that day.
6.
Back in the late ’40s and early ’50s, we still had a man delivering ice to homes with iceboxes. In the summer, he would chip off pieces of ice for us, and we’d wrap them in newspaper and suck on them to cool down.
7.
They taught a safety class for hunters at school, and students were required to bring a shotgun to practice with. I was in the archery club and regularly brought my bow and arrows on the bus. That would be unfathomable now.
8.
When my older brother misbehaved in school, he was made to hold up one of those old wooden desks for 15 minutes as punishment. His teacher was a retired marine, and the school accepted this type of reprimand.
9.
My elementary school closed at lunchtime, so all the kids had to go home for lunch. My friends and I would walk a mile to a pizza shop, have a slice, and then walk back to school…by ourselves…in first grade.
10.
The amount of public trust and freedom kids had in the ’60s and ’70s was so great. Now, kids have zero freedom, and this shows in their mental outlook.
11.
Girls didn’t wear pants or slacks to school until around the ’70s.
12.
Penny candy! In the ’70s, if you had a quarter, you could get a full-size candy bar for a dime and still have enough to get a full bag of candy. A lot of penny candy were two for a penny.
13.
In the ’60s and ’70s, our high school had a cigarette machine by the front entrance. Students could buy cigarettes for 35 cents, and teachers would hand them money to leave class and buy them cigarettes, too. The good ol’ days.
14.
Our junior high school gym class used to have a ‘jock check.’ We’d all line up, and our coach would have us drop our trunks to make sure we were wearing a jock!
15.
Our car was a big sedan with no seatbelts or booster seats. There were no headrests on the front seats, either. As little kids, we’d stand on the floor behind the front seats and look out the front windshield. It was so different back then.
16.
During the summertime in my neighborhood, the local movie theater had a special on Wednesday afternoons. You could get in for a dime and buy all the candy you wanted and watch cartoons and fun kid movies for hours during the hottest part of the day. EVERYONE went, and it was a blast.
17.
In the ’60s, a truck with fresh bread and donuts would come, and my mom always bought dinner rolls and donuts. The milkman also had eggs, cheese, and ice cream!
18.
Around March every year, a sweet, white-haired 60-something man would come to our house. He was Mr. Stiles, THE FULLER BRUSH MAN. My mom was always giddy because that’s when she would buy her yearly cleaning supplies. Once, she splurged and got a lampshade duster. She passed in 2001 at 76. I found the brush way back in the linen closet! Good times.
19.
My mom would send me, a 6-year-old, to the bank to withdraw money from her account. She just gave me a little handwritten note to give to the teller. That’d be unimaginable today!
20.
If you were a male and committed a misdemeanor, the judge would give you a choice: time in jail or join the army. Additionally, only girls were taught home economics in school because there was ‘no reason’ a male should learn any of those skills.
21.
When I was a young child in the 1970s, NO ONE knew where we were 90% of the time. There are memes about this, but it’s true. My mother would say, ‘Don’t come into this house until the streetlamps come on!’ and she’d be dead serious.
Read more: 38 Weird And Nasty Foods People Actually Ate In The ’50s And ’60s