Vintage Things That Have Disappeared In Your Lifetime?

[Miss Moonlight]

The Bell system was a legalized monopoly until 1984. The idea was that if the system was a monopoly, it could provide better service and reach more people than competing formats and companies. A few companies controlled the entire system- everything from telephone wires, phones, and service. (Some local companies existed, but most people were on Ma Bell.) It was decided in the late 1970s there was no need for a legal monopoly by the US government, but it took until 84 to break up the system.

Ahh, okay. Thanks for the explanation!

I remember those phone stores. Practically every mall had them. Among the phones the one I remember was the Snoopy phone.

Oh us kids always wanted that or the Mickey Mouse, but noooo my mom always wanted something practical.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Mexican/Chinese/Italian restaurants with heavy Mexican/Chinese/Italian decor. There's still some but not as many as in the past.

 

[RadioWave]

The discontinuation of the Oldsmobile and Mercury lines.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

I am very aware of both, but it just hit me funny as I realized that my brother drives an Olds and I drive a Merc.

The discontinuation of the Oldsmobile and Mercury lines.

 

[juup]

how about comfortable bench seats in cars. I hate the gadget box in between the two front seats. makes it hard to canoodle that loved one on the off chance you find a real drive-in movie theater, of which i only know of the Saco Drive-in in Saco Maine.

 

[juup]

movies... popcorn with real butter and ushers/usherettes selling candy during intermission (as those disappeared with multiprojector cineplexes... "lets all go to the lobby lets all go to lobby lets all go to the lobby and by ourselves a treat"

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

"lets all go to the lobby lets all go to lobby lets all go to the lobby and by ourselves a treat"

[video=youtube;SHYgjyGoV9s]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHYgjyGoV9s[/video]

 

[John in Covina]

I think its a bit more rare these days but does anyone remember when A/C i cars was a big deal? You could order a car from the factory with A/C but the dealers often had non A/C cars on the loft and they would install A/C there at the dealership. Some of the early units bore no resemblance to what the factory unit looked like and some had these weird under dash portions that looked terrible.

 

[150719541]

The toys, all boys play computer games ¡¡¡¡

 

[John in Covina]

The toys, all boys play computer games ¡¡¡¡

One change is that because kids have so much home work in some areas, are playing computer games and have helicopter parents that won't allow them out with out constant supervision you don't hardly see kids playing outside anymore.

 

[sheeplady]

One change is that because kids have so much home work in some areas, are playing computer games and have helicopter parents that won't allow them out with out constant supervision you don't hardly see kids playing outside anymore.

I really think that it has to do with who the parents are, who the kids are, and what the neighborhood is like. My neighbor (who has a child about high school age, but we've known him for over 6 years) rarely plays outside, and didn't even when he was young. Now he is only out if a friend is over, and that is for a half an hour or less.

When we moved in (the day we moved in), the neighbors' kids across the street came over and asked if we had any kids who could come out and play. They have a double lot, so a huge yard for here.

A couple streets over (a less busy street) the kids play "road hockey" and "road basketball" right in the street. About 12-15 kids do this, from aboout 7 or 8 until high school age, and they will be out there all times of the day, until the street lights come on. They move the goals and the net and get out of the street when cars come (which is rare, as it is a side street and very little traffic). So they seem to have a little micro-neighborhood where this is accepted. (On our street, we have too much traffic).

 

[Stray Cat]

Paper dolls.

I remember my first doll made out of paper. She had SO MUCH dresses.. my mom and I used to make the dresses for them. These on picture are not ones from my collection, but I had similar. Oh, those were the days: my friends and I were fashion designers, and we didn't even know that. All we knew is that we drew dresses, cut them out (with those little "hooks" to hang the clothes on a doll), and then we would parade our models in my room.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I had a tour group of junior-high aged kids come thru the theatre today and I was explaining film projection to them. "Our film is just like the film in a 35mm camera you'd use to take pictures," I started to say, and every one of them looked at me blankly. They had no idea what *film* -- a transparent strip of celluloid covered with photographic emulsion -- is, no frame of reference for it whatsoever. They've never seen film, handled film, or even thought about film. Which was a terribly startling thought to me.

When I was showing the screen up close, they were astounded that it was a big reflective sheet of fabric punched with thousands of little holes, because they'd never seen an actual projection screen. The only awareness they have for large images is a big-screen flat-panel TV.

 

[Effingham]

Lizzie, you're going to make me cry.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

One change is that because kids have so much home work in some areas, are playing computer games and have helicopter parents that won't allow them out with out constant supervision you don't hardly see kids playing outside anymore.

There's an elementary school in my neighborhood. Around the corner from the school on either side are "C" and "S" Streets. At around 2:00 PM when school lets out the traffic in my neighborhood is insane, especially on the two aforementioned streets because there's an overflow of parents waiting to pick up their kids and they're parked halfway down both streets!

 

[AtomicEraTom]

Fans on peoples dashboards in lieu of A/C.

 

[St.Ignatz]

The cent sign on a keyboard.

 

[St.Ignatz]

I think its a bit more rare these days but does anyone remember when A/C i cars was a big deal? You could order a car from the factory with A/C but the dealers often had non A/C cars on the loft and they would install A/C there at the dealership. Some of the early units bore no resemblance to what the factory unit looked like and some had these weird under dash portions that looked terrible.

My '95 YJ Jeep has an after market under dash AC. It also has vent windows, a blessing for a cigar smoker like myself.
Tom D.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

Oh how I miss vent windows. Loved them, even though I never smoke in my vehicles!

My '95 YJ Jeep has an after market under dash AC. It also has vent windows, a blessing for a cigar smoker like myself.
Tom D.

 

[rue]

Oh how I miss vent windows. Loved them, even though I never smoke in my vehicles!

Henry has them