Think kids today waste their time by sharing pointless internet memes? Smoking wasn't just acceptable in the '70s—it was ubiquitous. 3 The generation before us even had Tupperware parties to sell these much sought-after storage containers. From bell-bottoms to Pong, these '70s flashbacks will have you feeling serious nostalgia. A blast from the past!. Decades after The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman were canceled, trying to imitate Steve Austin or Jaime Sommers still makes us feel powerful. In 1976, the government finally deemed the toy a "mechanical hazard," and they were taken off store shelves. Everybody in the '70s had just one phone in their house. And for the soundtrack to go with your trip down memory lane, check out these 20 One-Hit Wonders Every '70s Kid Remembers. ", 4 And for more '70s movie magic, rock out to these 17 Movie Soundtracks Every Kid from the '70s Loved. You'll be shocked to find that these bands busted after only one hit record. What was going on in Don McLean's 1971 hit? 7 National Archives and Records Administration, 30 Movie Quotes Every '70s Kid Knows by Heart, 25 Huge Bands from the '70s You Totally Forgot Existed, The Best '70s Shows to Rewatch in Quarantine, ​20 Funny Things People in the 1970s Were Totally Guilty of Doing, 17 Movie Soundtracks Every Kid from the '70s Loved. We weren't just scared of getting into the ocean—even lakes and ponds and wading pools seemed to disguise shark fins. The distinctive, Before there was the Macarena, there was the Hustle. That would've seemed inconceivable to a '70s kid, who proudly carried around a lunch box sturdy enough to protect bologna sandwiches from an air strike. including medical journals and scientific studies. Many of us weren't warned that every unfamiliar face might mean us harm. That was the only viewing option for the restless insomniac hoping for some pre-dawn distractions. Some stations even started posting color-coded flags: Green indicated they still had gas, while red alerted customers that they were out. 11 We felt like geniuses for discovering that Silly Putty could be rolled over the comic section in a newspaper and perfectly reproduce our favorite Garfield strip. All of us '70s kids would scan the water for signs of a shark fin, hearing da-dum, da-dum, da-dum in our heads as we did. That's because this two-dimensional video game, which was, version of table tennis, the game basically just involved a white dot slowly bouncing back and forth between two white lines (the paddles). The Fisher Price Collectors Club, which formed in the 1990s, focuses on preserving, buying, selling and trading these toys. You can immediately tell if somebody came of age during the decade by whether or not they reflexively spell out the letters "Y," "M," "C," and "A" with their arms whenever this Village People song is played. These educational animated shorts popped up amid our usual Saturday morning cartoon line-up. For $4 a pop, we "adopted" a rock of our own and took care of it like it was an actual pet. Sure, there wasn't as much barbed wire, but the equipment was just as unforgiving and brutal. Being afraid to go in the ocean after Jaws. We looked for sharks virtually everywhere, certain that their ferocious fangs were just waiting to bite down hard on our toes and pull us underwater. Sometimes it was to school, or to run away from home. Of course, people still use Tupperware today, but it's nothing like it was in the '70s. Young adults, hippies, and transients hitched long distances. Well, in the 1970s, we all collected rocks—rocks with googly eyes that we purchased with money. If you wanted to watch Bugs Bunny or Fred Flintstone or any of your favorite cartoon characters, you had only one chance to catch them—Saturday morning. We might all remember these parties fondly, but it's a miracle we didn't break any bones trying to dance along to a Bee Gees song while skating at frightening speeds. The Hustle was hardly the only iconic dance to come out of the '70s. These days, most health-conscious people won't even leave the house on a winter day without slathering their exposed skin in sun protection. Sinking our feet into shag carpeting. 12 All Things '70's. Seeing the disgraced Richard Nixon leave the White House forever and get into a helicopter was one of the most unforgettably surreal moments of TV viewing for just about everybody in the country in the '70s. But for '70s kids who got to experience the PBS show from the beginning, the program was a revelation. Cue up the Donna Summer—it's time for a trip down memory lane. Growing up, we watched his shows like we were going to be tested on them later. It wasn't quite as magical as it sounds, since you had to wait for what felt like forever for Wite-Out to dry, and sometimes you had to blow on the paper, which just made you feel ridiculous. Even today, long past the age when we're regularly taking baths with toys, we can recall Ernie's ode to his rubber duckie in its entirety. It's hard to overstate how big a deal this was in the late '70s, especially if you were a kid. At least we weren't alone, though. When a family piled into the station wagon for a long trek across the country in the '70s, kids didn't have the distractions they enjoy today. The Waterbed The 70's produced many icons , one of those being the modern waterbed created by Charles Hall in 1968, This was fueled by the sexual revolution of the Decade encompassing the Waterbed . The world was no less dangerous for kids in the 1970s than it is today—our parents just weren't as freaked out about it. Apparently, despite the warnings of his friends, he had consumed the deadly combo of Coca-Cola and Pop Rocks, and the carbon dioxide had caused his stomach to inflate to a lethal degree. 19 The 1973 oil crisis (and the second oil crisis a few years thereafter) caused a nationwide panic resulting in around-the-block gas station lines that never seemed to move. They did it to see the Fonz, the coolest character on TV. Where else could we see adults wearing short-shorts and making questionable life choices? 20 If you asked a '70s kid to name the most terrifying film villain of his childhood, he wouldn't pick Darth Vader or the shark from Jaws. When you had a new favorite song but there wasn't enough in your piggy bank to buy the album or 45 rpm single, you would sit next to the radio with your portable cassette recorder and wait… and wait… and wait… until finally that song you loved so much started playing, and you immediately pressed down on the record button, capturing those beautiful sounds for free. But the Schoolhouse Rock! A recent survey found that 70-year-old men and women were much more likely to be sexually active, to report being in a happy relationship and to have a positive attitude toward sex than … If you ask anyone who saw the original Star Wars in theaters about their experience, they'll be able to tell you every little detail, right down to how long they waited in line. DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images. From government scandals to musical breakthroughs, there were so many things that happened that it was quite hard to keep track of them. Everyone from Farrah Fawcett to Kareem-Abdul Jabbar made a very convincing case that tube socks were cool. He discovers that Buddy is gay when Buddy tries to kiss him. dance, Worshiping Aaron Spelling as the king of TV. The Good News: Sex in your 70s and beyond?You bet! By the time it was ready to put back in the typewriter, you'd have completely lost your train of thought. The 1970s were arguably the best decade in living history.. And while that may be a fairly accurate snapshot—especially the bell-bottoms—it's by no means the complete picture. In the 1970s, you'd have an easier time walking into somebody's house and stealing a lamp than leaving with their Tupperware. See more ideas about My childhood memories, Childhood memories, Childhood. No problem! They were incredibly complicated, with four "programs" instead of sides. Learning math and grammar from Schoolhouse Rock. 15 Monkey bars were made of cold steel that could break bones without mercy. Why so many people were drawn to cars that looked as if they were made at least partly out of wood is anybody's guess. 5 Saturday morning is supposed to be about eating sugary cereals and vegging out in front of the TV, watching animated shows with no educational content whatsoever. Laughing at Saturday Night Live. It was an essential school supply back in the '70s, the epitome of high-tech pencil gadgetry. There were no iPads or smartphones to keep us occupied. 14 But that didn't stop you from going on road trips! One 1976 New York Times report remarked that a large percentage of beach injuries "were due to cuts inflicted by discarded pop tabs," Slate noted. You could pay the machine for four more chances, but even then you might not be satisfied. Nov 24, 2016 - Wow!!! There was limited sun protection in the '70s, just lotion to help you get some color. Oct 25, 2015 - Explore Julie Waters's board "All things from the 70's", followed by 157 people on Pinterest. From School House Rock to Pet Rocks, here are 20 things that only '70s kids remember. If you truly are a '70s kid, we don't need to explain what's involved in pretending you're bionic. Worshiping Aaron Spelling as the king of TV. Pulling one of these out of your backpack meant you were serious about learning—or at least looking like the coolest student in your class. get sound advice to make the smartest, health-based choices. Sometimes in the 1970s, you were out with friends and wanted to take a quick photo but nobody in your group was carrying around a camera. Lusting over Tiger Beat magazine. That's because this two-dimensional video game, which was released by Atari in 1972, was one of the first of its kind. And the fact that we all had the same scars almost felt like a badge of honor. felt like the most brilliant bit in the world. Although those of us who had the privilege of living through it might be a bit biased. 14 Things You Owned in the '70s That are Worth a Fortune Now. Consisting of two heavy acrylic balls attached to a string, you basically knocked the two balls together as fast as you could… and that was it. Shag carpets looked hideous, almost like the hair on the head of a gigantic Muppet. These '70s slang terms are as memorable as they are embarrassing. The creatures didn't look anything like tiny humans at all, because they were actually a type of brine shrimp, the most boring aquarium pet a kid could ever ask for. were so darn catchy that we didn't even mind that they were tricking us into learning. It was only the real Olympics that mattered. You were out of luck until at least 6 a.m. Those kids lucky enough to convince their parents to take them talked about Space Mountain with hushed reverence, and the rest of us plotted ways to trick our parents into making the journey south. The material felt so soft to the touch that it made an entire generation overlook its heinous appearance. Every '70s kid had heard that terrible rumor about Mikey, the picky eater in the Life cereal commercial. This daily activity could put you in danger. Some great songs came about from anti-war protest movements and inspired great things like Woodstock in 1969. Bestlifeonline.com is part of the Meredith Health Group, Annoying (or being annoyed by) your sibling on road trips, Having the Oscar Mayer commercial stuck in your head, School assignments printed on ditto machines, Using Silly Putty to preserve newspaper comics, Pencil cases with attached slide rulers and sharpeners, Never consuming Pop Rocks and soda at the same time, Moving the TV antenna for better reception, Debating what "American Pie" was all about, Shaking "instant" Polaroid photos to help them develop faster. Growing up, we watched his shows like we were going to be tested on them later. 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