A lot has changed since the 70s, and not all of it for the better. Everything used to be a lot groovier, and we used to have all sorts of cool and carefree things that aren’t around today.
Of course, there are some other things we’re more than happy to be done with. Take a walk through history today and check out these things from the 1970s that we’ve left behind, for better or for worse.
1
Cigarette vending machines
The perfect invention for teenagers who wanted to start smoking without anybody finding out. Smokers probably miss this convenient contraption, but the rest of us are happy to leave it behind.
2
Red Dye No. 2
Red Dye No. 2 was a synthetic food coloring that was eventually banned in the late 70s due to concerns about it possibly causing cancer. This is one thing we’re glad we left in the 70s.
3
Mercury thermometers
Where better to put a poisonous metal than a thermometer you stick in your mouth? Well, luckily the mercury would stay inside the thermometer. At least until you broke it open and rolled the mercury around your palms to play with it.
4
The mosquito truck
The mosquito man would drive through the neighborhood, spraying DDT from his truck. And all the kids would run and play in the big cloud of toxic vapor. Ah, the 70s.
5
Slide projectors
If your neighbor went on a vacation, it was pretty much a given you’d have to sit through their personal slideshow of pictures they snapped.
6
Candy cigarettes
While many kids in the 1970s were already smoking, those who weren’t were enticed to start by candy cigarettes. This type of candy is still hanging on a little bit today, but can’t legally use the word ‘cigarette’. They’re now usually just called candy sticks.
7
Alarm clocks
Today, you can pretty much only find alarm clocks in hotels. But back in the 70s, you couldn’t just set an alarm on your iPhone.
8
Lawn darts
Back when being a kid was a war zone. Lawn darts have since been banned in multiple countries for being a major hazard, but back in the 70s they were all the rage.
9
Metal lunch boxes
Sure, the lunch boxes of today might keep food colder/warmer for longer, but food just doesn’t taste the same out of a plastic or vinyl lunch box.
10
Pet rocks
Before Tamagotchis or Pokémon, children wasted their time with pet rocks. Despite their pets having no mouth, eyes, arms, legs, or features whatsoever, 70s kids took very good care of them.
11
Wood textured cars
Cars used to have stylish wood-textured panels. Though most of them weren’t even real wood, it had such a classic feel. In the words of The Barracudas, I want my woody back.
12
Clackers
70s kids were obsessed with these loud balls on strings. You don’t see them much anymore, and it’s probably for the best– clackers were more like medieval weapons than toys.
13
Ditto machines
These early copy machines were used in school to copy out assignment papers. Nobody who used one can forget the smell or the messy ink.
14
Smallpox vaccinations
Smallpox has long since been eradicated, but in the 70s, you had to get the shot. Many still have their scars from the smallpox vaccination!
15
Soda can pull tabs
Remember when the tabs used to pull all the way off of aluminum cans. Many a bare foot on the beach is grateful that these fell out of style.
16
Live TV programs
Before on demand or streaming services, you had to watch whatever was on television, when it was on television. If you wanted to watch cartoons, you had to wait until Saturday morning.
17
Roller disco parties
Roller rinks and disco parties are both pretty much a thing of the past at this point, and combining the two? Just forget it.
18
Pong
Video games have come a long way since the 1970s. You might be able to find a way to play Pong nowadays, but do you really want to?
19
8-track tapes
Though some young people of today may remember cassette tapes, most have forgotten the 8-track. A staple of 1970s media, these are mostly long-gone.
20
Drive-ins
In the 1970s, you could watch a movie from the comfort of your car. Some drive-in theaters still exist today, but they are a dying breed.
21
Transistor radios
Before iPods or even Walkmen, we had radios. You’d better hope they’re playing the song you like on a station in range, because you didn’t have much choice.
22
Typewriters
Before computers, you’d have to click-clack away on a typewriter at your office job. There’s no undo function on these! Typewriters may still exist today, but they’re solely the domain of hipsters.
23
Landline phones
You used to have to wait to talk on the phone if somebody else was using it. And if you were out of the house and needed to reach someone, you were just out of luck.
24
Telephone booths
… unless you could find a telephone booth and had some spare change. Now, in our cell phone dominated culture, there’s nowhere for Superman to change into his costume.
25
Cathode Ray Tubes
Gone are the blocky cathode ray tube (CRT) TVs of the 1970s. Everything nowadays is sleek, skinny, and won’t implode with heavy impact.
