When the Park Bandstand Filled the Evening
An outdoor band concert let music reach people on the grass and along the paths. The bandstand shaped how a community used its park.
Read the storyThe 1970s
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Explore everyday places, objects, and rituals remembered from the 1970s in the WistMem memory archive. Search for something you remember ↗
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The 1970s stories
138 stories · Page 2 of 12
The Overhead Projector in the Classroom
The overhead projector let a teacher write, reveal, and rearrange material while facing the class. Its light turned a small sheet into a shared page.
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The Skipping Rope Rhymes at Lunchtime
Skipping rhymes passed from child to child along with the rope. Library of Congress folklore recordings show how changeable and durable those playground traditions could be.
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What a Rotary Egg Beater Mixed
The rotary beater was used for more than eggs. Historic kitchen objects and a 1927 frozen-dessert recipe show how it helped create light textures before electric mixers were ordinary.
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Borrowing a Book at the Chemist
A visit to the chemist could include choosing a book, not only buying medicine. Boots’ subscription library made borrowing part of an ordinary shopping route.
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The Autumn Festival Hayride After Dark
A hayride changed the pace and vantage point of an autumn festival. Who rode together, and what did the route look like after sunset?
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The Road Map in the Glove Box
A printed road map made a driver and navigator share a route. Its folds held alternate roads, stopping places, and the marks left by previous trips.
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The Library Summer Reading Programme
A summer reading programme gave the library a place in the school holidays: books to choose, a record to fill, and a reason to return next week.
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Sharing a Party Line: Courtesy and Privacy
Party-line customers shared access and could sometimes hear another conversation. A Southern Bell guide asked callers to keep calls short, leave time between them, and replace the receiver properly.
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The Sunday Drive with No Destination
A Sunday drive could have no fixed destination and still produce a whole afternoon of shared observations, roadside stops, and arguments over the route.
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How Black-and-White TV Brought Variety Home
Early television variety drew on vaudeville skills and live production. A family watched singers, comedians, and sketches within one program.
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The Betamax vs VHS War at Home
Sony's own history says Beta and VHS tapes could not play in each other's machines. A two-hour VHS cassette and the growing rental market helped determine which system households encountered.
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