Popular everyday stuff that didn't exist when you were a kid!

Jonny69 · 06-08-2010, 18:55

Just got out the shower and had an odd thought - people didn't have showers when I was a kid. People only had baths! But that means shower gel didn't really exist then either!

So what other stuff didn't exist when you were a kid?

Other things for me are computers. People started having them in their homes when I was a teenager and the internet only really became common after I had moved out. Mobile phones. No-one really had them until I was in my 20's, you used to go and use a phone box. I remember when someone I knew had a mobile that could receive text messages but not compose or send them, she received one in error and we were way excited to see one for the first time

Haly · 06-08-2010, 19:01

Showers still don't exist in this house

Think I must have been a young teenager when I had my first shower! And didn't 'own' one till I was living at Uni and that was only for a year.

Mobile phones weren't really on the scene till I was at college and then only a few people I knew had them as there wasn't really much point when you were 16-17 and saw your friends every day anyway.

Edit: To answer your question, I'm most amused by my young cousins seeing ciabatta and sun dried tomatoes (to name just two) as every day items. I've no memory of being a young child and knowing anything about either! My 10 year old cousin a few weeks ago was disappointed that they'd run out of smoked salmon and ciabatta

Knipples · 06-08-2010, 19:16

MP3's - Being able to listen to loads of albums, without having to lug hundreds of tapes and/or CD's about with you.

Pausing live tv when you need to pop to the loo, 10 years ago people would have laughed at that.

Desmo · 06-08-2010, 19:28

CD's. It were all tapes when I were a lad. Sticking two "wogboxes" face to face to copy tapes

I remember when CD's first came out, my sisters boyfriend had one and I thought it was awesome. I can still remember asking him if you could leave the disc in the player or if you had to take it out and put it back in it's case each time.

Mark · 06-08-2010, 19:45

The personal computer.

Someone talked about them in 1968, but excluding self-build kits, the first commercial computer that might be called personal came in 1972.

Belmit · 06-08-2010, 20:08

I remember having one of the first commercially available 17" CRTs when I borrowed money off my dad and paid him back over a number of months for the computer system I wanted from my job at Sainsburys. The entire cost of the system was £1600. I remember going to a couple of friends houses for some network gaming (BNC, natch) and being the only one with a 17". I was awesome.

Mobile phones are definitely the biggest thing that have just exploded in the shortest space of time. Didn't get one until my first year of uni in 1999 and thinking back it's just amazing how I went everywhere and met up with people without one.

Stan_Lite · 06-08-2010, 20:19

All of the above and a bit more besides

It's not so much things that didn't exist when I was a kid but things that may as well not have existed living in a remote place like Shetland. When I was a kid, we only had 2 boats a week to bring foodstuffs etc so most of our food was local. Until a few years ago, when we started getting a boat every day and freight boats 4 times a week, I thought things like lemons and limes or asparagus and runner beans were exotic fruits and vegetables. Pineapples and peaches came in a tin - you simply didn't get fresh ones in the shops.

Also, colour telly. We only got colour telly in 1975 - along with ITV. Up until then, we had only BBC1 and BBC2 in black and white. We didn't own a telly until I was about 7 years old.

Fayshun · 06-08-2010, 20:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stan_Lite

Also, colour telly. We only got colour telly in 1975 - along with ITV. Up until then, we had only BBC1 and BBC2 in black and white. We didn't own a telly until I was about 7 years old.

More than 3 TV channels, and ones which go on for 24 hrs. When I was a nipper, TV was on in the moring for the news, "Schools" programmes on during the morning, then "Pages from ceefax", lunchtime news and "Pebble Mill at one", childrens TV, news, "Nationwide" grown up stuff and then the National Anthem followed by a beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.

I remember C4 starting (1982?) and ITV doing through the night TV, and the Sky vs BSB squarial satellite battle.

Kitten · 06-08-2010, 21:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fayshun

ITV doing through the night TV.

'Night-time' with the deep blue sky & the cat prowling along the wall. Did stuff like 'Formula Eins' at 3am (europop type thing with a young John Leslie fronting it) and a mock chat show thing ...called Frontline or something like that. It was awful.

BBC2 used to only come on at around 10, show school progs until 1 and then go off and start again at 4/5ish. Unless the snooker was on, which went on all day.

Fayshun · 06-08-2010, 22:33

^^ That. I remember "Mr Midnight", the smooth talking host of Night time, with his blonde, Lego hair.

I told Josh about the distinct lack of telly when I was a kid, he just couldn't grasp that fact there were only 3 channels. And they weren't on all the time.

06-08-2010, 18:55	#1
Jonny69 Noob Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Socialist Republik of Kent Posts: 5,032	Popular everyday stuff that didn't exist when you were a kid! Just got out the shower and had an odd thought - people didn't have showers when I was a kid. People only had baths! But that means shower gel didn't really exist then either! So what other stuff didn't exist when you were a kid? Other things for me are computers. People started having them in their homes when I was a teenager and the internet only really became common after I had moved out. Mobile phones. No-one really had them until I was in my 20's, you used to go and use a phone box. I remember when someone I knew had a mobile that could receive text messages but not compose or send them, she received one in error and we were way excited to see one for the first time __________________

06-08-2010, 19:01	#2
Haly Do you want to hide in my box? Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 14,941	Showers still don't exist in this house Think I must have been a young teenager when I had my first shower! And didn't 'own' one till I was living at Uni and that was only for a year. Mobile phones weren't really on the scene till I was at college and then only a few people I knew had them as there wasn't really much point when you were 16-17 and saw your friends every day anyway. Edit: To answer your question, I'm most amused by my young cousins seeing ciabatta and sun dried tomatoes (to name just two) as every day items. I've no memory of being a young child and knowing anything about either! My 10 year old cousin a few weeks ago was disappointed that they'd run out of smoked salmon and ciabatta __________________ Halycopter Last edited by Haly; 06-08-2010 at 19:04.

06-08-2010, 19:28	#4
Desmo The Last Airbender Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Pigmopad Posts: 11,915	CD's. It were all tapes when I were a lad. Sticking two "wogboxes" face to face to copy tapes I remember when CD's first came out, my sisters boyfriend had one and I thought it was awesome. I can still remember asking him if you could leave the disc in the player or if you had to take it out and put it back in it's case each time. __________________

06-08-2010, 20:08	#6
Belmit The Mouse King of Denmark Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: The Winchester Posts: 6,476	I remember having one of the first commercially available 17" CRTs when I borrowed money off my dad and paid him back over a number of months for the computer system I wanted from my job at Sainsburys. The entire cost of the system was £1600. I remember going to a couple of friends houses for some network gaming (BNC, natch) and being the only one with a 17". I was awesome. Mobile phones are definitely the biggest thing that have just exploded in the shortest space of time. Didn't get one until my first year of uni in 1999 and thinking back it's just amazing how I went everywhere and met up with people without one. __________________

06-08-2010, 20:19	#7
Stan_Lite Stan, Stan the FLASHER MAN! Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: In bed with your sister Posts: 5,483	All of the above and a bit more besides It's not so much things that didn't exist when I was a kid but things that may as well not have existed living in a remote place like Shetland. When I was a kid, we only had 2 boats a week to bring foodstuffs etc so most of our food was local. Until a few years ago, when we started getting a boat every day and freight boats 4 times a week, I thought things like lemons and limes or asparagus and runner beans were exotic fruits and vegetables. Pineapples and peaches came in a tin - you simply didn't get fresh ones in the shops. Also, colour telly. We only got colour telly in 1975 - along with ITV. Up until then, we had only BBC1 and BBC2 in black and white. We didn't own a telly until I was about 7 years old. __________________ Just because I have a short attention span doesn't mean I...

06-08-2010, 19:45	#5
Mark Screaming Orgasm Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newbury Posts: 15,194	The personal computer. Someone talked about them in 1968, but excluding self-build kits, the first commercial computer that might be called personal came in 1972.

06-08-2010, 22:33	#10
Fayshun Rocket Fuel Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Adrift in the Orca Posts: 6,845	^^ That. I remember "Mr Midnight", the smooth talking host of Night time, with his blonde, Lego hair. I told Josh about the distinct lack of telly when I was a kid, he just couldn't grasp that fact there were only 3 channels. And they weren't on all the time. __________________ We must move forward not backward, upwards not forward, and always twirling, twirling, twirling...

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