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In 1971, we didn't have answering machines or cell phones. If you called your girl friend and she wasn't at home, you might be able to leave a message with one of her family members. Otherwise, no answer...call back later. We sometimes went to movies on the weekend, or the drive-in movie. Gas cost 25 cents a gallon. We had one or two TV channels, no VHS or DVR, so we had to watch whatever was on TV at the time. During the Watergate hearings, in 1973, there was always BREAKING NEWS and that would interrupt whatever program you were watching. Lunch in high school cost 35 cents or you could walk to the A&W and get a baby burger (15 cents) and a root beer (10 cents). Everyone went to the high school football games because there wasn't any other kind of entertainment. A lot of extra activities occurred at the games too. One of the grocery stores in my hometown allowed you to carry credit if you didn't have the money for groceries. Lots of people carried credit with the store at the end of the month. The local bowling alley had regular league play and many people enjoyed that. Church activities were also popular. In the summer, many of us went to the river to swim, no one had a real swimming pool. We went to the clothing store to buy clothes and tried them on before purchasing. Or you could look through the Sears catalog, find a dress you liked, fill out the form enclosed with the catalog, and mail it to Sears with a check. Then wait 3 weeks to get it. If you were a girl still in school, you could not wear pants to school. Yep, that was the dress code. Fortunately, we had panty hose because our skirts were scandalously short. We had no video games until PONG came along in 1976. Beep....boop....beep....beep....boop. We thought that was awesome!
The word "Bulletin" would come across the screen and my parents would drop what ever they were doing and rush over to see what it was.
One thing to remember about the 1971-72 period was how much the quality and reliability of cars had declined from the middle of the previous decade. This was the beginning of the "malaise" era of cars, initially brought on by emissions control requirements that, in the time before catalytic converters, effectively made cars sluggish and fuel-inefficient. The golden era of "muscle cars" in the 1960s when safety, environmental concerns and fuel economy were disregarded had definitely ended, and the quality of the cars produced by the Big 3 (really Big 4 at the time if you count AMC) was declining. Once the oil crisis hit in 1973, this left the American manufacturers highly vulnerable to competition from imports, mainly Japanese.
One thing to remember about the 1971-72 period was how much the quality and reliability of cars had declined from the middle of the previous decade. This was the beginning of the "malaise" era of cars, initially brought on by emissions control requirements that, in the time before catalytic converters, effectively made cars sluggish and fuel-inefficient. The golden era of "muscle cars" in the 1960s when safety, environmental concerns and fuel economy were disregarded had definitely ended, and the quality of the cars produced by the Big 3 (really Big 4 at the time if you count AMC) was declining. Once the oil crisis hit in 1973, this left the American manufacturers highly vulnerable to competition from imports, mainly Japanese.
Weren't the 60's and the 70's when the US auto industry discovered "planned obsolescence", and made cars so the transmission would give out after a certain amount of time or mileage? When that was leaked to the public, Japanese cars soared in popularity.
Weren't the 60's and the 70's when the US auto industry discovered "planned obsolescence", and made cars so the transmission would give out after a certain amount of time or mileage? When that was leaked to the public, Japanese cars soared in popularity.
In 1971 I had my first teaching job in Miami and my parents had moved 120 miles north to Vero Beach. Their next door neighbors there wanted to surprise their daughter on her 16th birthday by giving her a car. To keep it a surprise, it was purchased in Miami and I was recruited to drive it up to Vero on the big day.
The car was a 1971 Chevy Vega and it was an absolute nightmare. For such a tiny car, it had the steering characteristics of an 18 wheeler. The gas pedal seemed to be backed by a powerful spring causing you to have to really stomp to get it depressed. Then it would snap back all the way the second you eased off.
When you stopped at a traffic light or sign and it was time to move out, you pressed the gas and the car would start rumbling and shaking but just barely inch along, like it needed more gas. Cars behind me would be blowing their horns and yelling. It would be like this for 10 or 15 seconds, and then suddenly something engaged and the car would go thundering across the line, fishtailing out of control. Now anyone who couldn't get safely ahead was lagging well behind. There were probably drivers who later called in reports of this obvious drunk out on the highway.
I made it to Vero and didn't ruin the gift by describing what a horror the car was, the daughter could find out for herself.
Weren't the 60's and the 70's when the US auto industry discovered "planned obsolescence", and made cars so the transmission would give out after a certain amount of time or mileage? When that was leaked to the public, Japanese cars soared in popularity.
That is probably true, though I don't specifically remember a leak. The problem with cars from that period was that in many cases, they were obsolete the day they were driven off the lot.
I'm curious about comic books. What did you read or what was popular at the time?
I remember the comic book machines in grocery stores, I think they were about 10 or 15 cents.
Superman, and Batman of course, Fantastic Four, Green Hornet and all the regulars. Archie, Baby Huey, Richie Rich.
I think elementary kids still carried the metal Lunch boxes in those days. Also they were starting to put cafeterias in the elementary schools.
I remember "A" and "B" sides to phonograph records. And the order of the songs on an LP was considered very important.On 45's some "hit" and "flipside" combos were dynamite; I remember "Old Man" backed with "Needle and the Damage Done" by Neil Young. And putting a dime into a campsite jukebox in early August 1972 to listen to "Needle and the Damage Done." And later that day visiting the Corning Glass Works and viewing the devastation wrought from the remnants of Hurricane and Tropical Storm Agnes.
Watergate barely made the news in 1972. It was from the second half of January 1973 on, when Sirica rejected the guilty pleas of the White House "plumbers." Then it was Katy bar the door.
I drew John Mitchell’s blood when he passed through the lab at Maxwell AFB as he was processed into the Federal Prison camp at Maxwell. To this 19 year old Airman, he was polite but looked worn out.
A lot of relatively famous people did time at Maxwell.
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