In Grandpa's time

BoatBuoy

Rear Admiral
Joined
May 29, 2004
Messages
4,856
How old is Grandpa???

Stay with this -- the answer is at the end. It will blow you away.

One evening a grandson was talking to his grandfather about current events.
The grandson asked his grandfather what he thought about the shootings at
schools, the computer age, and just things in general.

The Grandfather replied, 'Well, let me think a minute, I was born before:

'
  • television
  • penicillin
  • polio shots
  • frozen foods
  • Xerox
  • contact lenses
  • Frisbees and
  • the pill
There were no:

  • credit cards
  • laser beams or
  • ball-point pens
Man had not invented:

  • pantyhose
  • air conditioners
  • dishwashers
  • clothes dryers
  • and the clothes were hung out to dry in the fresh air and
  • man hadn't yet walked on the moon

Your Grandmother and I got married first, . . . And then lived together.

Every family had a father and a mother.

Until I was 25, I called every man older than me, 'Sir'.
And after I turned 25, I still called policemen and every man with a title, 'Sir.'

We were before gay-rights, computer- dating, dual careers, daycare centers, and group therapy.

Our lives were governed by the Ten Commandments, good judgment, and common sense.

We were taught to know the difference between right and wrong and to stand up and
take responsibility for our actions.

Serving your country was a privilege; living in this country was a bigger privilege.

We thought fast food was what people ate during Lent.

Having a meaningful relationship meant getting along with your cousins.

Draft dodgers were those who closed front doors as the evening breeze started.

Time-sharing meant time the family spent together in the evenings and
weekends-not purchasing condominiums.

We never heard of FM radios, tape decks, CDs, electric typewriters, yogurt, or guys wearing earrings.

We listened to Big Bands, Jack Benny, and the President's speeches on our radios.

And I don't ever remember any kid blowing his brains out listening to Tommy Dorsey.

If you saw anything with 'Made in Japan ' on it, it was junk

The term 'making out' referred to how you did on your school exam.

Pizza Hut, McDonald's, and instant coffee were unheard of.

We had 5 &10-cent stores where you could actually buy things for 5 and 10 cents..

Ice-cream cones, phone calls, rides on a streetcar, and a Pepsi were all a nickel.

And if you didn't want to splurge, you could spend your nickel on enough
stamps to mail 1 letter and 2 postcards.

You could buy a new Chevy Coupe for $600, . . But who could afford one?
Too bad, because gas was 11 cents a gallon.

In my day:

  • grass was mowed,
  • coke was a cold drink,
  • pot was something your mother cooked in and
  • rock music was your grandmother' s lullaby..
  • Aids were helpers in the Principal's office,
  • chip meant a piece of wood,
  • hardware was found in a hardware store and
  • software wasn't even a word.

And we were the last generation to actually believe that a lady needed a husband to have a baby.
No wonder people call us 'old and confused' and say there is a generation gap.
And how old do you think I am?

I bet you have this old man in mind...you are in for a shock!

Read on to see -- pretty scary if you think about it and pretty sad at the same time.

Are you ready ?????









This man would be only 59 years old.
 

mphy98

Lieutenant
Joined
Oct 20, 2008
Messages
1,422
Re: In Grandpa's time

Hey I am only 55 and this all pertains to me
 

eaglejim

Lieutenant Junior Grade
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Feb 2, 2008
Messages
1,006
Re: In Grandpa's time

I am 50 and most of I remember,some of it was invented some was a dream in somebody head--- McDonald's was around but they were only serving thousands and thousands on the sign
 

Bob_VT

Moderator & Unofficial iBoats Historian
Staff member
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May 19, 2001
Messages
26,022
Re: In Grandpa's time

McD's was in 1955 and I used to tease my first wife that she was 13 days older than the McD franchise ;)
 

45Auto

Commander
Joined
May 31, 2002
Messages
2,842
Re: In Grandpa's time

Grandpa must have a little touch of Alzheimers. The initial "boom" in television sales occurred in the late 40's. "Howdy Doody" started broadcasting in 1947. The US was producing penicillin for the Normandy invasion in 1944.
 

JB

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
Joined
Mar 25, 2001
Messages
45,907
Re: In Grandpa's time

.45Auto is correct. Granpa is at least 70.

I remember listening to the Jack Benny Show when news of Pearl Harbor interrupted.
 

tashasdaddy

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
Joined
Nov 11, 2005
Messages
51,019
Re: In Grandpa's time

i remember going to the local grocery for Mom, and just signing the back of the cash register reciept, same at the gas station just signing a page on one of the order pads like a waiter uses. Dad would go by and just pay the bill periodically. and a the savings account book, the entries were hand written.
 

captsteve25

Cadet
Joined
Aug 19, 2009
Messages
11
Re: In Grandpa's time

As I listen to the (expensive) stories from my kids reference buying school supplies for the grandkids I remember thanking God that I was the oldest of four kids in our family. As such I got to pick out the three identical shirts and three pairs of slacks (except for different colors) from the Sears Roebuck catalog. My old clothes were then passed down.
 

Thad

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Jun 8, 2009
Messages
1,028
Re: In Grandpa's time

My first VCR cost me 350 dollars and I had to finance it..lol.

Is that the BETA that had the remote that you had to "plug in" to the unit?

We had one of those. And three channels, and one TV, and mom cooked dinner every night. McD's or a pizza was something we got on Sunday evening if we were good all week, going home from grandma & grandpa's house to watch Disney.

And I am only 37
 

IVAZ

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jan 6, 2009
Messages
816
Re: In Grandpa's time

Is that the BETA that had the remote that you had to "plug in" to the unit?

We had one of those. And three channels, and one TV, and mom cooked dinner every night. McD's or a pizza was something we got on Sunday evening if we were good all week, going home from grandma & grandpa's house to watch Disney.

And I am only 37

Oh man, I hated Beta. I would ask my dad to bring me a specific movie from the rental place only to have him tell me it was only available on VHS. After a while all the good movies were only on VHS.
I never purchased a VHS of my own, I bought a DVD player when they were fairly new. I paid $650 for it. I laugh now when I see them at walmart for 30 bucks. The new electronics go down in price pretty fast I guess.
 

tallcanadian

Captain
Joined
Sep 7, 2006
Messages
3,245
Re: In Grandpa's time

When Mcdonalds first came to town, regular hamburgers were 35 cents each. I use to order 6 burgers, large fries and chocolate milkshake. Cost me around 5 bucks. I remember penny candy. Use to get 4 or 5 for a cent. Bottle of soda was a dime. Damn, I feel old. Only 48.
 

Navy Jr.

Senior Chief Petty Officer
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Messages
738
Re: In Grandpa's time

How many remember those soda machines that were big rectangular boxes? You put your money in, open the large lid, find the bottle you want, then slide it horizontally along rails and pull it thru the gate that only opens when you pay.
 

Thad

Lieutenant Junior Grade
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Messages
1,028
Re: In Grandpa's time

How many remember those soda machines that were big rectangular boxes? You put your money in, open the large lid, find the bottle you want, then slide it horizontally along rails and pull it thru the gate that only opens when you pay.

OOH, OOH, I do. And I remeber when it went up to 25 cents...and then 30. That cut me down on my soda intake.
 

adamjr

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Messages
272
Re: In Grandpa's time

How many remember those soda machines that were big rectangular boxes? You put your money in, open the large lid, find the bottle you want, then slide it horizontally along rails and pull it thru the gate that only opens when you pay.

I collect Coca Cola memorabilia. I remember and I want one to put in my rec room. Even a reproduction of one of those machines costs more then I spent on my first car. I'm only 41 plus 2 weeks.
 

Numlaar

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Joined
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Messages
633
Re: In Grandpa's time

It is funny how much has changed in just a generation or two...

Im 39, and was around for the first PC, Atari, the birth of video games, beta to VHS, to DVD... Records, to 8-tracks, to cassete, to CD and now MP3's... all that stuff...

But sadly with all the new tech, it just seems to make the world a larger place rather than smaller... we are now an "electronic" society, and actually getting involved with people face to face seems to happen less and less.

I remember growing up, and knowing ALL the kids on the block, and most of them in the whole neighborhood. Where playing outside was THE thing to do, and you were forced to be couped up inside only on rainy days...

Nowadays, you barely know your neighbors, and even in good neighborhoods, you're still leary of letting your kid(s) go outside unsupervised... its really terrible. I used to bicycle everywhere, sometimes 25miles one way to clearwater beach, but these days with traffic and 6-8 lane roads all over, I wouldn't dare let my son do that on his own.

As for the games and the like, I force my son to go outside and play for at least an hour a day, and one of the two days on the weekend... if I didn't, he would probably sit inside and play games till the cows came home.

Overall, you have to wonder about the morals in today's society, and if some things weren't actually a lot better back then, before all of this technology. :(
 

puddle jumper

Captain
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Jul 5, 2006
Messages
3,830
Re: In Grandpa's time

Grandpa must have a little touch of Alzheimers. The initial "boom" in television sales occurred in the late 40's. "Howdy Doody" started broadcasting in 1947. The US was producing penicillin for the Normandy invasion in 1944.


I don't know about the states but in Canada a lot of the remote towns never got TV on till the 70,s. so it could be possible hes only 59.

One thing i like to listen to on my XM radio, is the old time radio when we go on road trips.
 

BWR1953

Vice Admiral
Joined
Jan 23, 2009
Messages
5,852
Re: In Grandpa's time

Grandpa must have a little touch of Alzheimers. The initial "boom" in television sales occurred in the late 40's. "Howdy Doody" started broadcasting in 1947. The US was producing penicillin for the Normandy invasion in 1944.

The real reason the info is off is because of newbies to the internet. I remember seeing this very same "joke" back in 1992 when I was on AOL. Ugh.

Once on the internet, this stuff doesn't die, it just gets recycled by folks who haven't seen it before.
 

drrpm

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Oct 24, 2008
Messages
707
Re: In Grandpa's time

Airconditioning was invented in 1902, so he would be over 107.
 
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