Kids today probably can’t even imagine taking notes by hand, especially if they’re in cursive. In many cases, writing in cursive isn’t even taught in school anymore, and why would it be when everything has gone digital?
But when boomers were in school, they didn’t have laptops or phones to help them record notes. Rather, they had a good old pencil and notebook and a tired wrist at the end of the day.
Talking to the Operator
Can you believe that there actually used to be a human at the other end of a telephone line who would help you find and connect with a phone number you were looking for?
The number for getting in touch with them varied occasionally, but “0” was always a good bet. Some people probably still press 0 on occasion, old habits and all.
Tobacco Billboards
Before we knew how terrible smoking was for us, it was seen as “the cool thing” to do. If you didn’t do it, you were the weirdo. Now, it’s the opposite, and smokers are sort of shunned in modern society. But when boomers were younger, tobacco was everywhere – on TV, in the movies, in magazines, newspapers, and billboards along the side of the road.
Today, if someone saw a tobacco billboard on the side of the road, there would be outrage! Outdoor advertising of cigarettes was banned in 1997 through The Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement.
Smoking on Airplanes
These days, you can’t even step foot onto an airplane with the wrong type of nail file and forget about smoking. But things were much more relaxed in the past, and the industry was working out its kinks.
Smoking on airplanes first started being banned in the 1980s, and by 1990, it was barred from any and all domestic flights. However, if you’ll notice, planes still have ashtrays in the bathrooms, as it’s required by law – even where smoking is banned.
Using Encyclopedias
Can you believe there was a time when we had to pull out thick, physical books every time we wanted to know more about something?
Today, information is just a few clicks away and can be accessed from almost anywhere in the world. But before the days of Google, there were volumes of encyclopedias. These days, carrying around information is a lot lighter, that’s for sure!