# For the OLD Furts....remember?



## mikewint (Jun 8, 2016)

Getting nostalgic


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## mikewint (Jun 8, 2016)

Continued...

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## Gnomey (Jun 8, 2016)




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## fubar57 (Jun 8, 2016)

All true Mr. Wint. I was my dad's channel changer but we only had 2 channels. I remember the doctor smoking in the office when you went in for an exam. Also, smoking was allowed in theaters.


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## mikewint (Jun 8, 2016)

Our first TV was a 12inch round screen Zenith. I was very sick with a BAD case of measles and had to stay in a darkened room SOOO I got Dad's new TV. Not much for kids then and broadcasting did not start until afternoon but it was a marvel nonetheless. Then Dad got suckered into a "color" filter to turn our B&W TV into "Glorious Color TV" was a 3-color plastic filter. Top band was blue (sky) middle band a neutral amber, and a botton green band (grass). Then someone told Dad that a nylon Stocking taped over the screen would convert the light coming out of the screen into color as it passed through the little holes, BUT you had to be at the exact correct distance and slowly move your head from side to side. Can still see him trying and Mom lost a lot of stockings

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## Crimea_River (Jun 8, 2016)

I still use a reel mower today. No fuel, no oil, and I don't wake the neighbours on a Saturday morning. Pity I'm the only one in my neck of the woods that has one.


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## Airframes (Jun 8, 2016)

Ah, bliss !
I'm wondering if, today, anyone under the age of around 30 has ever seen the sky - they always seem to be walking around, head down, sending text messages to the person they just left ten minutes before !!

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## mikewint (Jun 8, 2016)

Pushed that reel mower several hundred miles. Dad would not allow HIS grass to be ripped by a power mower, it had to be Scissored Gently by the reel. Remember that back WOODEN roller?

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## pbehn (Jun 8, 2016)

Could I just point out that it was the invention of the grass mower was behind the development of almost all todays games football (all codes) tennis cricket/baseball would not be possible without that humble instrument.


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## Crimea_River (Jun 8, 2016)

mikewint said:


> Remember that back WOODEN roller?



No actually. When I was growing up, I earned my 25 cents a week allowance pushing my Dad's Pennsylvania reel mower. It had a hard rubber roller and weighed a ton. It's still in his garage - and still weighs a ton.

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## Airframes (Jun 9, 2016)

I remember riding on the cross bar of my Dad's mower as a small boy, and later, when I was a bit older, struggling to use the thing properly, to get nice, variated lines on the lawn. It was a large, heavy, chain-driven Ransomes, with the same type of rotating blades, but it had a large, and very heavy, steel roller on the rear.
I can still hear the sound of the blades, and smell the sweet perfume of the freshly cut grass, in the days when we had long, hot summers, ice cream could be had from a horse-drawn ice cream 'wagon', and telephones were found in red, cast-iron 'Phone Boxes' !


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## Capt. Vick (Jun 9, 2016)

Don't forget Jarts.


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## Wayne Little (Jun 9, 2016)

Good stuff Mike....the good ole' days bring them Back i say...when you could leave the front door unlocked ...


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## GrauGeist (Jun 9, 2016)

Yep...used to cover textbooks with grocery bags, but who all here recalls wrapping packages with grocery bags - and then tying string around it, too?

When Mom was preparing a package to send, she always called me to come help - I had the very important job of pressing my finger into the center of her knot so it would remain tight as she finished tying it!


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## mikewint (Jun 9, 2016)

You betcha Dave, using the whole bag most of the time AND carefully opening Xmas presents so the paper could be reused next year

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## GrauGeist (Jun 9, 2016)

And save the string!


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## Capt. Vick (Jun 9, 2016)

Wow! You guys ARE old! How many miles per hour could you get those Wolly Mammoths to go before you invented the wheel?


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## Lucky13 (Jun 9, 2016)

Aaaahh....the memories!


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## mikewint (Jun 9, 2016)

Jim it wasn't that easy...you know


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## GrauGeist (Jun 9, 2016)

Capt. Vick said:


> Wow! You guys ARE old! How many miles per hour could you get those Wolly Mammoths to go before you invented the wheel?


You little bastards would have never made it back in my day...nosir...not at all!!

By the way, we rode Veloceraptors to school...the mammoths came later...

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## fubar57 (Jun 9, 2016)




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## fubar57 (Jun 9, 2016)




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## mikewint (Jun 9, 2016)

Not me, the Velociraptors were too expensive, had me a Sports Sabre


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## Airframes (Jun 9, 2016)

Ah, nostalgia ain't what it used to be !


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## mikewint (Jun 9, 2016)

You can say that again

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## Torch (Jun 10, 2016)

Lol, remember a lot of those and my dad in Poland really walked to school barefooted so he could save his shoes for the winter time, all I had to deal was is no AC in my public schools. Whiney kids these days complain if it's a little to hot...


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## John Duffy (Jun 11, 2016)

My Mom used to call bologna Canadian Bacon. When McDonalds came out with egg mcmuffin back in the 79's , I wondered who wanted a egg sandwich with bologna.


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## bobbysocks (Jun 12, 2016)

remember all of those. only where I was it was Peterson writing system.,,,round, round, ready write. remember greenie sticke'm caps, silly putty, and fizzies??


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## mikewint (Jun 13, 2016)

Bobby, had two toy Colt Peacemakers that had cylinders into which the toy bullets could be loaded. The bullets were two pieces, the bullet and the cartridge. A round cap was placed on the back of the bullet and the was inserted into the cartridge. The "loaded" bullets were then placed into the gun, The hammer hitting the cartrige would slam it into the cap which would then go BANG sending smoke up and out the barrel. About as real as you could get.
Silly Putty - used to "Lift" color pictures from comic books and the Sunday Funnies.
Fizzies - do you mean the tablet you put in water to convert it into a Sodie Pop or the CO2 loaded candy rocks.
Remember the chocolate straws that converted milk into chocolate milk as it passed through the straw?


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## bobbysocks (Jun 13, 2016)

you got them all...yep fizzies ( for those who don't know about them) were like alka-seltzers but not medicine...they were flavored and would turn an ordinary glass of water into a tasty treat...well in theory...lol. mike I had an M1 garand that shot bullets like your peace makers. never got the chocolate straws but do remember when Tang first hit the scene...drink like an astronaut...just watch a lot of parents tried to hide cod liver oil or some other medicine in it...


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## Airframes (Jun 13, 2016)

Heck I remember those toy 'Peacemaker' pistols !
I had one, and a pistol similar to a S&W .38, break barrel, that had the same 'ammunition'. Very realistic, and would be banned today !


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## mikewint (Jun 15, 2016)

Terry, I was in 7th grade and for some odd reason the school decided we need a "craft making" period. They decided that "Leather craft" was the way to go so we had our choice between several small leather items. I made a leather key case. We had the floral patterns to trace and the various leather "engraving tools". Anyhow, to make a short story long. I got a two-gun holster kit for Xmas. After two months to tooling and lacing I had a pretty decent looking leather holster. THATS where the toy Peacemakers enter the picture. Had thr holster/guns hanging on my bedroom wall for the next 15yrs


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## bobbysocks (Jun 15, 2016)

crap I remember taking toy guns to school so we could play cops and robbers or war during recess. that wouldn't fly today...kid would get suspended.


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## fubar57 (Jun 15, 2016)

.....or shot. I remember carrying my .410 shotgun around the neighborhood(lived in the sticks) looking for band-tail pigeons. One guy asked me if I wanted to shoot a buck out of his yard as it was stealing his apples. All this with about 15 houses in the near vicinity.


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## mikewint (Jun 15, 2016)

We had about 5 acres and most of the neighbors about the same or more. Only utility was electric. Got my Red Ryder BB Gun at about 8yrs, a single shot .22 at 10yrs and a Marlin Lever-Action .22 at 12yrs. Used to sit on the front porch and shoot at rabbits across the field. Was an old junk-yard dump about 10mi or so away so that was a day's trek to sit in an old car "blind" and shoot rats. Further was the old Sanitary & Ship Canal. An over-night campout would bring us to the hills above the canal where we'd shoot at "Red-Horses" (over-grown gold fish (carp)) as they fed along the banks. No one worried about us and no one was concerned about a pack of armed kids roaming the neighborhood


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## GrauGeist (Jun 16, 2016)

bobbysocks said:


> crap I remember taking toy guns to school so we could play cops and robbers or war during recess. that wouldn't fly today...kid would get suspended.


When I was a kid, I took the family's old Colt .41 to school (unloaded, of course) for a show and tell revolving around our studies of the old west.

As it happens, I wasn't the only kid, there were a few other wheel-guns for show and tell that day - all of which were authentic family heirlooms.

Can you imagine the pandemonium that would have caused in today's school environment?

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## at6 (Jun 16, 2016)

I remember many of the things posted. As for the push mower, I must have been "high classed". Mine had a grass catcher. As for the edger, it was "wheel of death" and I still have one of those today. For those who are unfamiliar with that, it is stick with a star wheel that you push along the curbing. That d*mn thing with work you to death.


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## bobbysocks (Jun 19, 2016)

we got to talking about candy from back then. many places had a mom and pop corner store. where I lived it was Melinks...an old couple who spoke enough English to get by but also had the patience of saints. as a kid if you saw a penny on the ground you swooped down on that like a hawk on a chipmunk before anyone else saw it. for a penny, if you were a wise candy buyer...which we all were...you could get several items. if you found a nickel or dime you had just hit paydirt....if you found a quarter you were one lucky stiff. for a dime...10 cents...you could get a bag of candy. most candy bars back then cost 5 cents. a penny got you 3 or 4 pieces of shoe string licorice or one to 2 small jawbreakers, 2 or 3 small taffy suckers, 1 or 2 candy necklaces....a couple mimi jaw breakers with a flat string of black licorice..several Pixi sticks...you get the idea. other little delights we had I were flavored wax lips.... mini wax pop ( soda ) bottles filled with flavored syrup...all manners of shapes and configurations of bubble gum. the one thing that seems to have disappeared is candy cigarettes...obviously in an attempt to keep children from picking up the habit when they get older. we had 2 different kinds. one came in a flip top box with actual ( or slightly mis-spelled ) brand names like Winston, Pall Mall, etc. a kid could go buy the same kind their old man smoked. these were a chalk like sugar straw...hollow with a red tip. the others were a bubble gum that was wrapped in a thin paper. coating the gum was a sugary powder so if you blew out it would appear like smoke. then of course not to disregard the stogy aficionados was gum cigars with a band around then which we would wear as rings. as I said Mr. and Mrs. Melinks would deal with a horde of kids asking prices for each item as they schemed like horse traders to get the most for their nickel or dime...all something young furts will never get to know...


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## at6 (Jun 19, 2016)

Ah yes. Candy cigarettes. So many memories of goodies past. Our local store which was owned by a Japanese family had a bin filled with "chocolate drops" for 29 cents a pound. A bag of those had me on a sugar high for days. As for guns, today's kids would rather take then to school loaded with ill intentions. I have no problem with not letting children carry fire arms to school, but do find it a little over the top when pictures or NRA type shirts are grounds for "corrective" action.


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## GrauGeist (Jun 19, 2016)

Remember finding a Coke or Pepsi bottle? It was like winning the lottery!

A millionaire didn't have as much joy...we'd carefully take our treasure to the local drug store, turn it in for the dime deposit and then immediately browse the candy aisle for careful examination of what all could be gotten for that wonderful dime.

This is where we learned basic economics:
We could get a single candybar...but that was just one. Or we could get two Bazooka bubblegums or two Chick-O-Stix or two Abba-Zabbas and so on.
On the otherhand, if we moved down to the penny section, it was like a bonanza...so many to choose from!!


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## Old Wizard (Jun 19, 2016)

Licorice cigars with red sprinkles on the end. Never pretended to smoke them, just chomped them down.


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## at6 (Jun 19, 2016)

Never saw candy cigars but do remember how if you happened to get a six pack of bottles, you had really scored.


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## GrauGeist (Jun 19, 2016)

There were two types of candy cigarettes:
The bubblegum type that was in a paper wrapper and you could blow on it and a puff of "smoke" (powdered sugar) would come out the end.






The hard candy type that had a bit of red dye on the end (to look like it was lit)

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## bobbysocks (Jun 21, 2016)

was talking to someone last night who said they are around....surprised the heck out of me in this PC save the child from all evils world...


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## GrauGeist (Jun 21, 2016)

The bubblegum "smokes" are fairly recent, as you can see the UPC code o hte bottom of the box...not sure about the others.

Personally, I haven't sen either...but then again, I live in California where just about everything is considered either offensive or evil.

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## fubar57 (Jun 22, 2016)

Finding a prize under a pop (soda for those south of the 49th) bottle cap. Had to be in the late 60's, opened a bottle of Orange Crush, removed the liner in the cap and saw $5 printed on the cap (about 1 million dollars to a pre-teen). The owner of the mom and pop store said they couldn't give me the money, that I had to find the pop truck and the driver would pay out. I chased that bloody truck around for half a day, always one stop behind him before I finally got my loot.

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## Night Fighter Nut (Jun 29, 2016)

I seem to remember when smoking was allowed on planes.

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## at6 (Jun 29, 2016)

I remember when smoking was allowed everywhere but at the gas pump.

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## GrauGeist (Jun 29, 2016)

Ashtrays were everywhere...

In the grocery stores, restaurants, Doctor's offices...even phone booths!


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## mikewint (Jun 29, 2016)

Well Shootsie Pie, you HAD to smoke to be a REAL man like John Wayne. Heck Doctors promoted smoking, athletes said it kept them in tip-top shape AND aided digestion. It kept women SLIM and babies WANTED mom to smoke and families wanted dad to smoke. EVEN cartoon characters smoked...

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## Old Wizard (Jun 29, 2016)

We were so innocent back then.


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## mikewint (Jun 29, 2016)

The only innocents were the poor schmucks who actually believed (or wanted to believe) the ads. Lung cancer was once a very rare disease, so rare that doctors took special notice when confronted with a case, thinking it a once-in-a-lifetime oddity. Mechanisation and mass marketing towards the end of the 19th century popularised the cigarette habit, however, causing a global lung cancer epidemic. *Cigarettes were recognised as the cause of the epidemic in the 1940s and 1950s*, with the confluence of studies from epidemiology, animal experiments, cellular pathology and chemical analytics. Cigarette manufacturers disputed this evidence, as part of an orchestrated conspiracy to salvage cigarette sales. Propagandising the public proved successful, judging from secret tobacco industry measurements of the impact of denialist propaganda. As late as 1960 only one-third of all US doctors believed that the case against cigarettes had been established. The cigarette is the deadliest artefact in the history of human civilisation. Cigarettes cause about 1 lung cancer death per 3 or 4 million smoked, which explains why the scale of the epidemic is so large today. Cigarettes cause about 1.5 million deaths from lung cancer per year, a number that will rise to nearly 2 million per year by the 2020s or 2030s, even if consumption rates decline in the interim. Part of the ease of cigarette manufacturing stems from the ubiquity of high-speed cigarette making machines, which crank out 20 000 cigarettes per min. Cigarette makers make about a penny in profit for every cigarette sold, which means that the value of a life to a cigarette maker is about US$10 000.

*1912* --The Marine Hospital Service is reorganized as the U.S. Public Health Service

*1913* --R. J. Reynolds launches Camel, the first modern mass-produced cigarette made from blended tobacco

*1917* --Cigarettes are included in the field rations of American soldiers in World War I

*1928* --Herbert L. Lombard and Carl R. Doering offer the first detailed statistical data showing a higher proportion of heavy smokers among lung cancer patients than among controls

*1929* --U.S. Surgeon General Hugh S. Cumming (1920-1936) cautions that smoking causes nervousness and insomnia, particularly among women

*1938* --Raymond Pearl demonstrates statistically that smoking shortens life expectancy

*1941-45* --Tobacco is supplied to American servicemen in World War II

*1942* --In-vitro experiments establish that tars, solid particles of partially burnt tobacco, can act directly on cells to produce neoplasm, or new and abnormal growth

*1953* --Ernest Wynder, a researcher at Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, paints smoke condensate on the skin of mice, producing cancerous tumors in 44 percent of the animals

*1957* --Surgeon General Leroy E. Burney (1956-1961) declares it to be the official position of the U.S. Public Health Service that a causal relationship exists between smoking and lung cancer (June 12)

*1964* --Surgeon General Luther L. Terry (1961-1965) issues Smoking and Health, the first Surgeon General's report to receive widespread media and public attention (January 11)

*1965* --Congress mandates health warnings on cigarette packs

*1957* --Surgeon General Leroy E. Burney (1956-1961) declares it to be the official position of the U.S. Public Health Service that a causal relationship exists between smoking and lung cancer (June 12)

*1969* --The Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act passes Congress. It imposes a ban on cigarette advertising on television and radio after September 30, 1970, and requires that the Surgeon General produce an annual report on the latest scientific findings on the health effects of smoking

*1973* --Arizona passes the first state law designating separate smoking areas in public place

*1983* --Lung cancer surpasses breast cancer as the leading cause of death from cancer in women

*1987* --Congress bans smoking on all domestic flights of two hours or less; two years later smoking is banned on all domestic flights

*1992* --The Environmental Protection Agency places passive smoke on its list of major carcinogens, making it subject to federal workplace and other regulations

*2000* --California becomes the first state to ban smoking in bars and restaurants

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## parsifal (Jun 29, 2016)

I know a few people that still think that smoking keeps the weight off....idiots.

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## mikewint (Jun 29, 2016)

Michael, I beg to disagree:


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## meatloaf109 (Jul 9, 2016)

I remember....
My family Doctor with a cig in his mouth examining me.
Everyone smoking everywhere.
Hell, I smoked on airplanes. we just sat in the back half of the aircraft.
When I was a kid, we just told the clerk that we were sent to the store to get a pack for our parents, and there was no problem.
Getting a Coke and a pack of smokes and getting back 20 cents from a buck.
Bringing a .410/22. over and under to school so I could shoot rabbits or game birds on my walk to or from school.
Walking to school with friends when it was over a mile to the school. In the winter in Minnesota.
Blowing up stuff with serious fireworks, not some crap "sparklers"
Buying a model kit of a "109" for 59 cents.
Thinking that the summer lasted forever...

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## fubar57 (Jul 11, 2016)

Just cut my front and back lawns today trying to beat a thunderstorm(new record-45 min. and then the storm just missed-nice one God!!!) and came to the realization that no matter which direction I cut my back lawn, it's uphill

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## Thorlifter (Jul 12, 2016)

My dad's birthday is Dec 27th and his mom and dad, every year, would give him a left shoe for Christmas and the right shoe for his birthday. It wasn't out of necessity though and was more of a joke. But my grandmother used to always tell us for her Christmas as a child getting a new pair of shoes, a dress, and a couple pieces of fruit or bag of nuts.......and was excited to get them. Ha, I remember once my mom and dad gave me and my sister an apple and orange in our stocking and we looked at them like "what the hell is this"?

When my grandmother was about 20 (1936) she worked 2 jobs. Her boyfriend (later on my grandfather) was in the military. She made $28 a month and he made $26 a month. She always teased him that he married her for her money!

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## bobbysocks (Jul 17, 2016)

fubar57 said:


> Finding a prize under a pop (soda for those south of the 49th) bottle cap. Had to be in the late 60's, opened a bottle of Orange Crush, removed the liner in the cap and saw $5 printed on the cap (about 1 million dollars to a pre-teen). The owner of the mom and pop store said they couldn't give me the money, that I had to find the pop truck and the driver would pay out. I chased that bloody truck around for half a day, always one stop behind him before I finally got my loot.



in western Pennsylvania we call it pop too. I remember all the contests hidden under pop bottle caps. we had a pop machine in our store so I would rob the cap catcher. i would always end up with most of the collections that they had.....wish i had those all now. might be worth something.


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## GrauGeist (Jul 18, 2016)

Had a kid come up to me today and complimented Rosi's Mustang (It's a 2001), he said he wished he had a "classic" Mustang like that.

I stared at him for a moment while taking that "classic" bit in, and then replied to him: "I have a 1966 Mustang that's a little more of a classic...it even has "wind wings"!

He stared at me and said "what is a wind wing"?

I explained it to him and he actually said that "who needs a little window that opens like that? Those old cars were junk! These classics (pointing to Rosi's Stang) are much better!".

I weep for the future of our world...

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## Capt. Vick (Jul 18, 2016)

When I was young, Cracker Jack's had too many peanuts.

Now that I'm old, there aren't enough. 

The best analogy I can give for getting old.

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## Thorlifter (Jul 18, 2016)

Capt. Vick said:


> When I was young, Cracker Jack's had too many peanuts.
> 
> Now that I'm old, there aren't enough.
> 
> The best analogy I can give for getting old.



I couldn't tell you the last time I had cracker jacks, but I did get them as a kid. More for the prize than anything else.


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## Capt. Vick (Jul 18, 2016)

Back then the prize was worth having!


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## michaelmaltby (Jul 18, 2016)

Great thread ....


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## at6 (Jul 18, 2016)

There was a time when the gas station gave free air and water for tires and radiators.


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## GrauGeist (Jul 18, 2016)

at6 said:


> There was a time when the gas station gave free air and water for tires and radiators.


There was a time when the pump attendant at the Service Station not only put the gas in your car, but checked under the hood and cleaned the windshield, too.

And if that weren't good enough, you also got free stuff for getting a full tank, like:
S&H or Bluechip trading stamps
Free glassware or kitchen utensils
Toy trucks with the filling station's brand
Dolls of the World collection (one doll for each fill up)
First Aid kits or Travel accessories

And the list goes on...


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## javlin (Jul 18, 2016)

RC cola and a Hamburger plate $1.85 at the local drug store with the long counter/stools/milk shakes.Tree forts,underground forts with lids from a washing machine lid entrance,banana seat bikes/willie bars and were fighting with fist was allowed you won and you lost.

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## GrauGeist (Jul 18, 2016)

I had plenty of Grilled-Cheese sandwiches at the lunch counter when I was a kid!

Mom also used to bust me for spinning around on the stools! 

There were still a few drugstores that had a lunch counter, but the ones I remember most, was at Woolworth's.

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## Old Wizard (Jul 18, 2016)

The service station story reminds me of a summer job I had in High School. I went out to fill up a brand new 1956 Chevy and gave the driver a big smile as I tried to find the gas filler cap. It was under the rear tail light.

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## GrauGeist (Jul 18, 2016)

Reminds me of the time years ago, when I took my '66 Volkswagon to the station for a full-serve fillup (I was all dressed up for some sort of event - don't recall exactly) and the kid had no idea where to put the gas, so I got out and lifted the "hood" and the kid was speechless.

He asked very quietly: "but...where IS the engine??"

And I went around back and lifted the deck and he just stood there staring at it as if he'd just seen a UFO...


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## tyrodtom (Jul 18, 2016)

He was one of the more knowledgeable ones, at least he knew it needed a engine some where.

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## at6 (Jul 18, 2016)

While I wouldn't want to completely return to those years, I would like to see the better things from that era imported to the present.


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## Thorlifter (Jul 19, 2016)

This is before all of us, but during and after the depression, companies like Quaker Oats and others would put free dishes in their cereal or oatmeal to help people out. Movie theaters or grocery stores would hand out pieces for just coming in or making a large purchase. You never knew what you would get, a plate, a butter dish, creamer cup, tea glass, who knew. Of course, nowadays, those dishes are called Depression Glass, is VERY collectable, and worth a ton of money.

Funny side note, if you put them under a black light, they glow because they actually contain uranium.

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## parsifal (Jul 19, 2016)

GrauGeist said:


> Reminds me of the time years ago, when I took my '66 Volkswagon to the station for a full-serve fillup (I was all dressed up for some sort of event - don't recall exactly) and the kid had no idea where to put the gas, so I got out and lifted the "hood" and the kid was speechless.
> 
> He asked very quietly: "but...where IS the engine??"
> 
> And I went around back and lifted the deck and he just stood there staring at it as if he'd just seen a UFO




He had, its called VW. I only ever tried changing the starter motor in one of those things once. Mind you. there are those who swear by them and do weird and wonderful things with and to them.......


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## Wayne Little (Jul 19, 2016)

GrauGeist said:


> There was a time when the pump attendant at the Service Station not only put the gas in your car, but checked under the hood and cleaned the windshield, too.
> 
> And if that weren't good enough, you also got free stuff for getting a full tank, like:
> S&H or Bluechip trading stamps
> ...



Down here for some of that stuff too...


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## javlin (Jul 19, 2016)

Thorlifter said:


> . Movie theaters or grocery stores would hand out pieces for just coming in or making a large purchase. You never knew what you would get, a plate, a butter dish, creamer cup, tea glass, who knew. .



We use to get dishes like that from the local grocery in the 60's early 70's I think it was point system stamps and was it "Delchamps"


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## javlin (Jul 19, 2016)

Oh Halloween there could literally be a 50-100 kids trick or treating on a single block but back then a average family was 3-4 we had 7


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## bobbysocks (Jul 19, 2016)

so many to comment about:

i remember McDonald's first TV adds 47 cents for a 3 course meal...hamburger, fries and drink.

wish cars still had wing windows....they were handy when I smoked..

I gave a girl a ring in a box of cracker jacks. I carefully opened it and used an exacto knife to open the prize envelope. put the ring in there and glued it and the box back up. she thought it was a toy and didn't pay attention to it...

powdered laundry detergent used to put towels, wash clothes...and dishes in the boxes as a premium...to encourage you to buy it.

the saddest part of life is when I was a kid and walked down the cereal aisle it was virtually a toy store! every box of cereal had a small cheapo toy. some of the coolest things came from them...the little submarines and scuba divers you put backing powder in to make them go up and down in water...and the like. poor kids of today have no fun...I still buy cereal when it has a toy....I save them and use them for stocking stuffers at Christmas.

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## Peter Gunn (Jul 19, 2016)

GrauGeist said:


> There was a time when the pump attendant at the Service Station not only put the gas in your car, but checked under the hood and cleaned the windshield, too.
> 
> And if that weren't good enough, you also got free stuff for getting a full tank, like:
> S&H or Bluechip trading stamps
> ...




And when SERVICE stations, actually repaired your car and had a huge selection of very colorful road maps...FOR FREE!!!


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## bobbysocks (Jul 19, 2016)

road maps?? what are they..lol? I still keep a couple in my glove box incase the nav system goes on the fritz.

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## bobbysocks (Jul 19, 2016)

at work conversation went from one thing to another then to a place that reminded me of some of the old cool toys we had in the 60s. with James Bond being all the rage mattel came up with a line of spy toys called Zero M. I am sure the sonic blaster would not be sold in today's sue happy environment but cool toys nonetheless....wish I had kept some of my toys like these. oh...guess who the actor is in the commercials...this is where he got his start.












_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kb9_0N3g5bw_



_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=El6t8lcz0V4_


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## tyrodtom (Jul 19, 2016)

I had a cap shooting M3 grease gun replica. It shot roll caps. You wound it up, I think it shot faster than the real thing. 
A birthday present from my brother who was in the Army in the late 50's.

My dad got me a rocket than was powered by air pressure, on top of a water filler. You pumped it up with a tire pump, hit the release. It went up maybe 200 feet, then lowered itself on a small parachute. Modeled on a V2 rocket. I don't think it would be considered safe enough for kids now.


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## Airframes (Jul 20, 2016)

A friend of mine had one of those 'Grease Guns' around the same time, sent to him by a relative in the 'States. He also had a Thompson SMG, about 2/3rd the size of the real thing, I think made by Matel in the USA. Pull the bolt back, squeeze the trigger, and the 'action' went forward on a ratchet, making a firing sound.
The rest of us kids had 'Sten' guns made from a length of broom handle with a nail for the barrel, so boy, were we envious of his guns !!!


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## bobbysocks (Jul 20, 2016)

I had a Thompson like that! was the first gun I remember having. had a front pistol grip and a drum mag ( which was actually the speaker device ). you pulled the charging handle on the side back and when you pulled the trigger it made a "eh, eh, eh, eh" like sound.

I also had a water air rocket. you clipped it onto a small pump after filling the rocket to a certain point. you pumped it up and pulled the release...it went up maybe 10 or so feet.

we had those parachuters.....airborne solder you learned to wrap up the chute then tossed him in the air. its amazing how much time we spent with these...and them making chutes and attaching them to different stuff.


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## Airframes (Jul 20, 2016)

Yep, I remember those. There was an American show on British TV, called 'Skydivers', or something similar, around the same time that 'Whirleybirds" was also showing (with Bell 47 choppers). This would be around 1962 to '63 I think.
About four of five of us kids were mad keen on the parachuting bit, and we made a cage attached to balloons, with a long, thin cord attached to a trap door in the bottom, above which was a doll, with one of our home made, static line parachutes attached (made from the fabric from a golf umbrella).
When the (tethered) balloon got to the right height, one of us would pull the cord, the trap door would open, and out tumbled the doll, with the parachute streaming behind it, to land sometimes a quarter mile away !
We also got a hold of what was probably a drogue 'chute, and we'd take it in turns to run along the flat roof of a sports changing room building in the local park, inflating the 'chute, then jump off, to land ten feet below, after a slight drift !
The experience must have stuck, as not many years later, I ended up doing it for real, and continued with sport parachuting, after the military stuff, until the mid 1990s !

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## bobbysocks (Jul 26, 2016)

i remember the tv show Ripcord....


_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFOMk5agXoU


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsLv6d00T3o


a real life expensive Blooper from the show...


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJ5EKD_GBUc
_


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## Airframes (Jul 26, 2016)

That's the one ! Brought back memories watching those.


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## fubar57 (Jul 27, 2016)

I remember in the 60s when the doctors made house calls


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## Crimea_River (Jul 27, 2016)

And when I couldn't watch Ripcord because the TV was on the fritz, we had the TV repair man stop by to install a new vacuum tube.


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## GrauGeist (Jul 27, 2016)

You could always test your TV and Stereo tubes at the local grocery store or drug store, too.

If the tube was bad, they had replacements for sale.


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## at6 (Jul 28, 2016)

Back then there were electronics supply outlets for the DIY set and Radio Shack was actually some place you'd want to go to.


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## GrauGeist (Jul 28, 2016)

I had several Heathkit projects, like the digital alarm clock, the AM radio (with Delco can-type transistors) and we even built a console television set.

The RadioShack kits were good, too - one of my most memorable projects, was the FM transmitter...I even did my own "radio station" during my 8th and 9th grade years and it had a pretty good broadcast radius, quite a few friends used to tune into it in the evenings for the "radio show".


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## at6 (Jul 29, 2016)

I never did anything with transistors. I was hand wiring vacuum tube circuits. Built an amplifier and radio in high school.

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## Wayne Little (Jul 29, 2016)

Crimea_River said:


> And when I couldn't watch Ripcord because the TV was on the fritz, we had the TV repair man stop by to install a new vacuum tube.



What about the wire coat hanger...was this in the correct place for best reception?


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## Capt. Vick (Jul 29, 2016)

That reminds me, remember roof top house antenna?


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## fubar57 (Jul 29, 2016)

Rabbit ears and industrial sized antenna in the back yard. Dad used to send us out to slowly turn the antenna to get the best reception for Hockey Night in Canada. and the best reception was when we were holding it.

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## tyrodtom (Jul 29, 2016)

In the mountains you didn't just mount the antenna on the roof or the closest high tree.
Our antenna was about 1/4 mile away, on a mountain top, in a tree behind the house. Had the railroad track type of wire to the antenna.
If a branch blew off a tree, and laid across those wires, it'd weakened the signal, or break the wire. So after a storm, me or dad would be walking the wire.

Then if a strong wind blew the antenna around, it'd take the whole family to set up a shouting relay to fine tune the antenna.
And this was all for 1 channel.


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## Elmas (Jul 29, 2016)

GrauGeist said:


> Reminds me of the time years ago, when I took my '66 Volkswagon to the station for a full-serve fillup (I was all dressed up for some sort of event - don't recall exactly) and the kid had no idea where to put the gas, so I got out and lifted the "hood" and the kid was speechless.
> 
> 
> He asked very quietly: "but...where IS the engine??"
> ...





I would have been delighted to see the gaze of the boy staring at one of these, just identical to my Father's one… and still seen on our roads.

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## tyrodtom (Jul 29, 2016)

Didn't they make some racing/rally Fiats, with engines on both ends.


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## GrauGeist (Jul 29, 2016)

Elmas said:


> I would have been delighted to see the gaze of the boy staring at one of these, just identical to my Father's one… and still seen on our roads.


Those certainly seemed to be popular little cars - they could be spotted everywhere in the background of a movie or TV show like "The Saint" or "I Spy"!

I recall our neighbor across the street had a red Dauphine and was perhaps my first experience with a French word. I was mystified when Mom explained to me that the word Renault was pronounced "Ray-No". I'm also sure that many American service atation attendants were just as mystified about the engine location in it, too! 

Here's a photo of a 1964 Dauphine that is identical to the one he owned:


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## Elmas (Jul 29, 2016)

tyrodtom said:


> Didn't they make some racing/rally Fiats, with engines on both ends.








The engine was only on one side, but the engine received a "make up" that almost doubled the HPs...


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## tyrodtom (Jul 29, 2016)

When you double the HP in a Fiat 500, you still only had about 40 hp. But it was a light car.

I , and two other guys was in a wreck in one of those Renault Dauphines in the early 60s. I remember us upside down in a ditch, and then the windshield popped out in one piece. Nobody injured beyond bruises and cuts. We turned it right side up, wedged the windshield back in and drove it home. The driver had to think up some fantastic lie to explain to his brother how it all was not his fault.

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## Airframes (Jul 31, 2016)

I remember the FIAT 500 very well, and saw a couple of the FIAT Arbarths racing.
Back in about 1971, my then girl friend had a '500, but she hadn't, at that time, passed her driving test. I used to take her out in it now and then, in the summer. It had a full 'Webasto' sun roof, which rolled back, and was a great help, as I could sit on a cushion, with the top of my head out of the roof - a darned sight more comfortable than being hunched over when driving !
There was also one in my neighbourhood which was used for delivering small vegetables to local businesses. It was painted silver overall, with screw heads painted at corners and panel joints. There was a large key, made from plywood, protruding from the rear engine cover, which turned as it drove along - hilarious !

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## bobbysocks (Jul 31, 2016)

speaking of radios...anyone remember building a crystal set? didn't need batteries..you had to use ear phones and the once piece was a toilet paper roll wrapped with thin copper wire...

I remember drs making house calls...and getting a vaccination where he would stab your shoulder with a needle laced with a virus. it left a scar. also remember standing in line at the high school to get a sugar cube with a pink dab of something for either TB or polo...


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## Thorlifter (Aug 1, 2016)

I remember all that stuff Bobbysocks. Still have my scar from "the shot". Ha, I had forgotten about the sugar cube with the pink dab on it until you mentioned it. And of course, we blindly took it. It could have been horse pee laced small pox for all we knew, but it was on a sugar cube so it had to be good for us. Besides, the government and school officials would never deceive us about anything.


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## GrauGeist (Aug 1, 2016)

I had a teacher in 6th grade who was a great person. She was one of those people you never forget because of their character: bright, intelligent, patient - a phenomenal educator.

She also hid her devastating pain well, even though her leg braces gave away the fact that she had been ravaged by Polio as a child.


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## Wayne Little (Aug 1, 2016)

Vaguely remember the crystal set radio....


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## fubar57 (Aug 1, 2016)

Electrical teacher....Grade 10, 1972. Buddy was lipping him off before Home Room, Teacher had a hammer in his hand. He proceeded to turn the hammer around and nailed buddy right between the eyes with the handle, hard enough that you could hear it hit the skull. Home Room attendance was then taken. Nothing was said and we all laughed about it after school

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## tyrodtom (Aug 1, 2016)

I graduated in 1965, the paddle as a instrument of punishment was still used in the lower grades at that time.
I remember some of the custom made paddles the teachers had.
One teacher had a paddle that appeared to be made from a whittled down 2x4. Tape over the handle and shallow holes drilled in the business end. The holes were supposed to raise blisters on your butt. Mr Meade, a WW2 Army veteran had that , he called it the "board of education ".

There was a legend that the principal had a "electric paddle". We all dreaded that, nobody who you could believe had ever actually seen it.


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## bobbysocks (Aug 1, 2016)

remember those paddings all too well. we had a gym teacher, Mr Snidker...the lady teachers knew they didn't have the arm strength ( or the deep desire ) to sufficiently give a grown boy a good whack with a paddle so they would send them to see Mr Snidker. the degree of your crime legislated the degree of the swat and since he was also the baseball coach you got a single, double, triple, or the words you NEVER wanted to hear...a home run. the toughest guys in the school would be sobbing like crazy...and that is BEFORE he even picked up the paddle.

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## Old Wizard (Aug 1, 2016)

In my grade school days the rubber strap was used on the palms of your hands. The number of whacks depended on the misdemeanor and your sex. The worst was being sent to the principal who alternated between hands and spoke a few words between each whack. He also pulled your sleeve down before each hit.


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## Thorlifter (Aug 2, 2016)

We called getting a whipping "getting licks". In middle school there were two teachers you did NOT want to get licks from. Coach Epperson and Mrs. Wynne. Mrs. Wynne was an older lady and new kids to the school were not scared of her in the least, but what they soon found out was she played tennis and racket ball daily and had a hell of a swing. So who were the two people I got licks from? Yep, Coach Epperson and Mrs. Wynne.

You can bet your butt I didn't cross them again. But truth be told, I think they really took it easy on me because in middle school I was very small. I mean all the girls were bigger than me. I didn't hit the growth spurt until 10th grade.

Principle Brown also had a scary looking paddle hanging on his wall. It was also called board of education. It had holes in it and jagged notched cut out of the sides to make it look like a hand saw. But it was only for fear and he never used it. He just used a simple paddle.


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## Wayne Little (Aug 2, 2016)

we had the Yard Stick a 3 foot long 3 inch wide Black board Ruler...a whack across the Butt when you crossed the line.....did that one day and then got in more trouble when it broke in half after getting whacked on my backside...


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## Crimea_River (Aug 2, 2016)

I remember we used to get milk delivered to the house in glass quarts. You would leave the empties at the door with the money for the next delivery inside. Try that now-a-days without getting your money stolen.

Once you got the fresh milk, there was a foil top holding on a paper lid. When you took the lid off, it was a fight who got to lick off the butter that formed there.

The milk truck driver, if you asked nicely, would give you a block of ice from the truck on hot days that you would lick to keep cool.


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## bobbysocks (Aug 2, 2016)

Wayne Little said:


> we had the Yard Stick a 3 foot long 3 inch wide Black board Ruler...a whack across the Butt when you crossed the line.....did that one day and then got in more trouble when it broke in half after getting whacked on my backside...



I always knew you were a hard ass...

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## tyrodtom (Aug 2, 2016)

I remember one of the boys thought of a swell idea to spread the impact. 
He stuffed a notebook down the back of his pants.
But the teacher noticed something didn't look quite right about the target area., he made him pull it out.
And added a few more to the total of hits, plus they might have had a little more muscle in them than normal too.


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## Capt. Vick (Aug 2, 2016)

When I was young my parents used to get Charles Chips delivered! They came in a truck and left a metal can on your doorstep. Those must have been some chips!


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## bobbysocks (Aug 2, 2016)

I remember those! they had chips, pretzels and cookies later on...I bet there is still an old tin down in my parents basement ( minus the chip of course ). but you saying that reminded me on what I was going to post but forgot... we had a lot of "to your door" salesmen. there was the Fuller Brush man....but also Jewel Tea company used to come by. it was like walmart in the back of a truck. he would stop by once a week and deliver the stuff the following. I still have a set of cups from them....

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## Thorlifter (Aug 3, 2016)

.

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## Wayne Little (Aug 3, 2016)

bobbysocks said:


> I always knew you were a hard ass...



Well I had me moments....


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## at6 (Aug 3, 2016)

We had a coach in high school with a paddle which had holes drilled all of the way through to cut wind resistance. If you were caught "horsing around", it would come out. The command was bend over, grab your ankles, and wham!!!!!!!!!!!!! One or two swats to bare a$$ cheeks.Red butt with white polka dots. Never got that because of the example set by those who did catch it.


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## fubar57 (Aug 3, 2016)

Our drafting teacher, Mr. Kannigan, had a paddle he used on those who never got 100% on the daily test. If you got less than 90% he put a chalk circle on the paddle and smacked you with it. He then put an "X" on the other side of the paddle and then tried to get the X inside the circle that was on your backside. It was all in great fun and provided lots of laughs. Do that now................?


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## at6 (Aug 3, 2016)

That is what one could call discipline. That would get you arrested today, which why kids today are little animals.


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## Old Wizard (Aug 3, 2016)

We're creating a bunch of wussy brats.

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## Thorlifter (Aug 4, 2016)

Bare a$$ and bent over? Make me wonder about that coach.


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## at6 (Aug 4, 2016)

Thorlifter said:


> Bare a$$ and bent over? Make me wonder about that coach.


Well it was the locker room of the shower area and he was a Lt. Col. in the Marine Corps. You stood at attention during roll call, said "Yes sir and No sir" and we were expected to be highly disciplined. I can truly say he was one of the people I respected and admired the most of my Phys Ed instructors.


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## fubar57 (Aug 4, 2016)

Hitch-hiking in the 70-80s. Though not 100% safe I used to do it a lot. Two memorable rides involved a van full of hippies who kept trying to offer me drinks of Mexican cough syrup and getting a ride the Malcolm "Killer" Kirk, a British wrestler. Nowadays there's a good chance of being picked up by Psycho Ronnie and his pet axe Wanda


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## tyrodtom (Aug 4, 2016)

In 1968 when I got shipped out of Thailand, I spent most of my travel money on a few days binge in Bangkok. When I got to Travis AFB I had less than $50.00, not even enough to buy a bus ticket from California to Virginia.

I didn't want to call and ask my parents for the money, because I didn't want to admit what I had done.
So I hit the road with my thumb.

I found out right quick it wasn't wise to try to thumb a ride in California, in 1968, in your uniform.

It took me 11 days to zig-zag across the USA. I even worked at a construction site in Colorado cleaning up old bricks for extra money. Finally I made it to Memphis Tenn., and from there I bought a bus ticket the rest of the way home to SW Va.

At the time I didn't look on it as very much fun, but now I look on it as a adventure. I learned a lot about my country, and it's people in those 11 days.


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## XBe02Drvr (Aug 17, 2016)

[QUOTE="mikewint, post:]

*1987* --Congress bans smoking on all domestic flights of two hours or less; two years later smoking is banned on all domestic flights.
[/QUOTE]


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## XBe02Drvr (Aug 17, 2016)

Mikewint said:

*1987* --Congress bans smoking on all domestic flights of two hours or less; two years later smoking is banned on all domestic flights. 



1984--AirNorth, a commuter airline out of Burlington, VT, becomes the first airline to totally ban smoking aboard its aircraft, and everywhere on its property. I was working in the maintenance shop then, and we kept finding butts and charred paper towels in the lavatory trashbins. This wasn't setting off the baggage compartment smoke detectors, so the DoM had the purchasing folks order a case of plain old First Alert household smoke detectors, which we mounted on the lavatory wall right behind where the head of a hapless victim would be if he were sitting on the john. (Hidden behind a grille, of course!) Miscreants usually tumbled out the lav door with their hands over their ears and their trousers around their ankles! Flight Attendants had trouble keeping a straight face.
Cleaning the goop off cabin outflow valve filter screens went from a weekly to a quarterly procedure.


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## Elmas (Aug 22, 2016)




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## bobbysocks (Aug 22, 2016)

back in the 60s and early 70s instead of the flashing highway barrier lights they used smudge pots like the one below. although they were not chrome plated but the standard highway yellow. you would see hundreds of them lined up belching black smoke. at night the sight was kind of cool with the flames. back then too guardrails ( guiderails) were wooden poles ( almost same size as telephone/electrical poles ) and pretty heavy duty cable. those were replaced by the steel I beams and W rails. in the past couple years they have started going back to the use of cables where I live. lastly, the berms of the road were almost never paved. around where I am they used what we called Red Dog...a limestone like rock that was deep red in color.


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## Old Wizard (Aug 22, 2016)

Gad! I remember smudge pots too.


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## Airframes (Aug 22, 2016)

And whatever happened to the old oil lamps, with a red lens, marking the edges of excavations in roads ?
And Night Watchmen. Old blokes who sat in front of a brazier, made from an old 50 gal oil drum, burning scrap wood and whatever else could be found, 'keeping watch' over construction sites at night.
Even the Romanies have changed. You no longer hear 'Buy some lucky heather Dearie ?'. It's now "So, this i-phone will only cost you fifty quid mate" !


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## at6 (Aug 22, 2016)

Rumor has it that they still steal babies and tell your fortune though.


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## bobbysocks (Aug 23, 2016)

I have an oil lamp with a red lens...it was a railroad lantern my grandfather had...since he worked on the railroad. I still use it sometimes.


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## Airframes (Aug 23, 2016)

Yep, that's the type I meant, I had a couple too, from my Grandfather who also worked on the railways, in the time of steam.
One had a red lens, for the rear of the train, and the other a clear lens, for the front of the train.


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## Old Wizard (Aug 23, 2016)

My Uncle Bert was an engineer on steam engines and on into the early diesel engines.


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## Old Wizard (Aug 29, 2016)

How many of you remember older house with stucco with embedded chunks of colored glass?


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## Thorlifter (Aug 29, 2016)

I have my grandpa's lantern he used to signal the trains when he worked at BN in Minnesota. I also have his morse code key still in the wooden box he made to carry it around. I was told in his office there would be 25-30 different keys all just clicking away and his ear was so tuned to "his" call code, he could pick it out when someone was signaling for him over all the other keys clicking away. I can't even imagine! 

This isn't his, but for you young'uns, this is how people used to talk to each other.


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## Airframes (Aug 29, 2016)

*- . - . --- --- .-..* !

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## Thorlifter (Aug 29, 2016)

Watch your language sir!!!!!! LOL


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## bobbysocks (Aug 30, 2016)

I have my dad's original key pad. back in 30s kids used to buy heath kits and talk much like ham radio operators today. they didn't have the range so they would only be able to talk to other people in the Pittsburgh area. he was still a young teen when ww2 started and use of such radio was deeply frowned upon....of course the kids didn't care they talked on. he later on in life after he retired did get into ham radio...N3GTT

I also have my uncles original 2 way radio from the forest service. he served in the 20s and 30s around here and worked with the CCCs in the national forest where I have my camp. it is the crudest looking thing. the antenna was a 20some foot wire that he would have to throw in a tree branch. it didn't have much range either iirc......hmmm wonder if the thing would still work?? ( will post a pic of it when I get a chance )

anyone remember "clackers"??? back then our toys served a dual purpose...they were fun to play with and could be used for self defense...lol. they were soon deemed too dangerous...like lawn darts. I suppose its amazing some of us survived huh?


_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLHftISLNHE_


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## bobbysocks (Aug 30, 2016)

saw these and thought they were funny...or not

10 banned toys...of which I had half....jarts ( lawn darts ) and creepy crawlers....and..


_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDiuX80Ldr8_


then there are these...20 most shocking children's toys...I never bought any of these for my kids


_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4_w9TOQLYs_


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## Crimea_River (Aug 30, 2016)

When I was a kid there was a knife sharpener guy who would walk through our neighbourhood every few weeks. He had a small cart with a treadle operated grind stone that he pulled with his right hand whilst ringing a hand bell in his left. 

Yesterday while visiting my parents home where I grew up , I heard the same type of bell and it brought back those memories. Turns out it was also from a knife sharpener but this time he had his shop in the back of a truck and he rang the bell by pulling a string while he drove. I guess the standard of living has increased over the years.


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## tyrodtom (Aug 30, 2016)

I surprised no ones mentioned to old BB guns. A source of occasional trouble for me.

When I was about 10 or so I had built a little one room shack in the woods behind my house, it had a board roof that I later covered with some old tin sheeting. 
One of my friends was sitting on the roof, when I thought i'd give him a thump in the butt by shooting the board he was sitting on from underneath with my BB gun. I didn't notice I put it at a knot hole in the board.

In effect, I shot my friend in the butt from 1/2 inch away. I don't know whose butt ended up being in the worse shape, and I didn't see that BB gun again for a month.

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## GrauGeist (Aug 31, 2016)

That sure brings back memories! 

When I was a kid, neighborhood guys and I would get together for "BB gun wars" - which pretty much entailed putting on our Dad's or Uncle's combat gear (or war prizes) like helmets and such and going out to the oil fields for "war".

Understand, that in North Orange county, there were old oil fields that covered the landscape, with derricks, pumps, pipes and trenches criss-crossing the landscape, with the occasional abandoned homesteads or ranch houses here and there among the Sycamores and Oaks.

The weapons of choice were, of course, BB guns, but in my case, I had my Dad's hand-me-down Benjamin "pop gun", which was just a lever action air gun that made a considerable "pop" when the trigger was pulled. Being creative, I discovered this "pop gun" was best suited as a trench warfare weapon, because I would cock it, ram the barrel down into the mud/sand then the let fly like a shotgun - often with very gratifying results.

Needless to say, there was plenty of us getting hurt (not seriously and one ever lost an eye, thank God) and I shudder to think what some of those German and Japanese helmets and tunics would be worth today...

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## Thorlifter (Aug 31, 2016)

BB gun? I don't remember ever having one. I guess I was into the high powered stuff and had a pump pellet rifle! LOL Actually a fairly powerful gun after 20 pumps.


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## GrauGeist (Aug 31, 2016)

I had a Crossman BB/Pellet rifle in my mid/late teens but I rarely used it - actually, I think I might still have it hiding in a back closet somewhere. It's probably the least used BB gun on the planet...

By the time I was 16, I had an Armalite AR-7, Marlin 989 .22 and both an Iver-Johnson .410 top-break and .32 5-shot hammerless revolver - both of which were vintage hand-me-downs.


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## bobbysocks (Aug 31, 2016)

I was going to mention the air gun ( and the dirt slug projectile ) after reading Tom's post but GG got it covered. the first BB gun I got was from my sister's boy friend. it was a single shot pistol that looked like a browning hi-power that you pulled back the slide to cock. i then saved up and bot a CO2 powered one. i still have both but the CO2 one doesn't work. i kept it with the intention of seeing if i could fix it. i got all my kids BB/Pellet guns and they all learned how to shoot and about gun safety. my son was about as old as Ralphie when the movie Christmas story came out....so you know he did get a red rider...

the story about the knife sharpener reminded me about the ice cream trucks that used to come by. dairy queen used to have a 3 wheeled Cushman with refrigerated box to sell dilly bars, pop up and IC sandwiches....

back in the 60s slot cars were a big thing around here. hobby shops used to have huge 10 or 12 lane tracks and hold races on the weekends. i wanted to get into doing that but to be competitive cost big bucks so i had to settle for my 1/32 Eldon race set with two 67 dodge chargers...which i still have along with my HO Aurora track. both will go to the grandkids when they are old enough..and after i clean and fix them up a little


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## fubar57 (Aug 31, 2016)

I had/have(somewhere) a 1/32 Strombecker European Rallye with 65' of track. We never had room to set it all up. One thing I learned is that if you reversed the power wires, you could create a drag strip using just the straight pieces.


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## tyrodtom (Aug 31, 2016)

Slot car racing was still popular when I got in the Air Force in 65.
There was a slot car track at the USO club at SJ AFB in N.C., seems like there was even one at NKP.


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## GrauGeist (Aug 31, 2016)

Some of my friends had Aurora slotcar setups, I had a basic Tyco set.


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## bobbysocks (Aug 31, 2016)

holy crap that strombecker track is awesome. hope you still have that laying around somewhere....


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## at6 (Aug 31, 2016)

Oh the memories of when we were young!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Thorlifter (Sep 1, 2016)

I remember the Christmas my parents got me this. Total Control Racing. It was slotless and with a flip of a thumb button you could change lanes.








 bobbysocks
, if we are talking about the same air pistol, I think I had the same one. Did yours look similar to a 1911 and you loaded the BB up close to the front site?


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## bobbysocks (Sep 6, 2016)

yes...the front 3 inched were on a hinge. I think the front site may have unlocked it but not certain about that. once open you put the BB in the center of a rubber donut looking thing and closed it back up. I will see if I can get a pic of it tonight if I remember.


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## bobbysocks (Sep 6, 2016)

cars....since I grew up in an auto parts store I remember a lot about the changes over the years.

dimmer switches used to be a button on the floor long before they were on the column. it was located all the way to the left under the parking/emergency brake pedal. Cal Custom ( hot rod aftermarket co ) in the "surfer days" made a chrome footprint gas pedal cover....and also a smaller version of the same for the dimmer switch.

radios. back in the early 60s it was all AM radio. as FM came out and people like the sound of it REVERB units became available. basically they were a steel box with about a 5 or 6 inch spring inside. not sure how it was wired up but it did give the am radio a lower mellower sound similar to FM stereo. only down side was if you hit a pot hole or jarred the car in any way the spring would wobble and you would hear a loud CRASH. as more and more FM stations came out FM converters came out. I sold a ton of them and they worked well. we sold aftermarket radios but this was the cheap quick fix.

windshield washers. they weren't always standard equipment. I remember a couple add on kits. one had a bellows ball that you mounted on the floor and had to keep stomping on the ball to make it squirt. the other one was a lever you mounted under the dash. same deal you pulled it for each squirt.

seat belts started being made standard in the mid 60s? we sold kits for people to upgrade. there were no shoulder harness so the driver ate the steering wheel and the passenger slammed their head into the dashboard. child seats??? surely you jest. no such thing for older children for kids old enough to sit upright you there was a snazzy seat that hung from the top of the front bench seat and had a steering wheel..shifter..and a bellows horn ( which the parent usually poked a hole in so it wouldn't work, babys were held.

window tint. pre-mylar there were green sheets of plastic that stuck to the windows via static. for a more permanent solution there was a spray...think 2 shades green and gray.

tire chains were a must back then. hardly anyone used salt. the trucks spread cinders and ash. most everyone who lived where snow was prevalent during the winter months carried chains ( and the monkey links and tools to fix them ). some of the older cars had sandbags built into the cars..located in front of the rear wheels. if you got stuck you could pull a lever and spread some sand in front of your tire. GM came out with a high-tech version of this in the late 60s early 80 with an aerosol spray can called of course Liquid Tire Chain. it didn't last too long. studded tires were introduced late 60s and there was a DIY kit....which was soon taken off of the market as those studs not properly seated could shoot from the tire ( especially if the tire was spinning on ice ) at a high rate of speed.

I am sure there are a ton more I will remember later on...


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## fubar57 (Sep 6, 2016)

Child car seats? We sat in the back of the pickup truck, no canopy. I miss the floor dimmer switch, my new '76 GMC still had it along with the Craig Powerplay 8-track


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## Wayne Little (Sep 7, 2016)

Cool stuff fellas...


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## at6 (Sep 7, 2016)

I remember Cal Custom well. There was also Hollywood Accessories which was absorbed by Cal Custom later on. Then there were the Kraco stereo radio/speaker sets. I must say though I didn't think the speakers were half bad.


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## Old Wizard (Sep 7, 2016)

I remember when winter tires only went on the rear wheels.


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## tyrodtom (Sep 7, 2016)

I remember when most people only put snow tires on the driving wheels. But then I was stationed in Colorado in 1965 and a lot of drivers there put them on all tires. I drove a car with all 4 snow tires, noticed how much better it handled, snow or not, and from then on did it that way on my own cars.


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## bobbysocks (Sep 7, 2016)

Front wheel drive was an oddity back then. Think only the Eldorado and Toranodo had it


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## tyrodtom (Sep 7, 2016)

when I was first getting into cars in the early 60's I was very conscious of the oddball cars. I went thru 2 Ramblers real quick. Then had a choice between a 55 Ford, a 52 Henry J, and a early 60's Isetta . I chose the Ford, and always regretted it.

Even in the sticks where I grew up you'd see VWs or a occasional Renault, and plenty of brand X American cars ( Hudsons, Kaisers, Frazers, Crosleys,, etc)
Then once I got into the Air Force I really began to see cars i'd never seen before. A lot of guys in the service would buy a foreign car when they were overseas and shipped it home at the end of their tour. The shipping was paid for by Uncle Sam if they had 4 years or more service.

My older brother was staioned in Germany in about 1960, had a 54 Ford Tanus shipped back when he returned.


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## XBe02Drvr (Sep 12, 2016)

tyrodtom said:


> I was very conscious of the oddball cars.



Almost bought a '65 Alfa Romeo Spyder for $125, but it was missing the camshaft cover and gasket, and there didn't seem to be any around to be had, so I invested my $125 in a '63 SAAB 750. It had 3 cylinders, 3 speeds, 2 strokes, and a tendency to beat Corvettes and Shelby GTs in ice trials, and occasionally embarrass them in parking lot autocrosses. The perfect Walter Mitty race car. "Run what ya brung."


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## bobbysocks (Sep 12, 2016)

there was a sunbean alpine that kicked around the county during the early 70s. it needed a tie red end or a ball joint and a couple other parts. I was in the parts business but neither I nor anyone else could find the stuff. the car went from owner to owner...and each one would come in looking for those same parts. wonder what ever happened to that thing...


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