8 Normal Things From the 1950s That Are Banned in Tennessee Today

In the 1950s, leaded gas was what came out of the pump.

A lot of what Tennesseans did without a second thought back then isn’t allowed anymore.

Here are the normal things from the 1950s that are banned in Tennessee today, and when the rules changed.

Note: This is general information, not legal advice. Laws and regulations are subject to change.

1. Riding Without a Child Seat

Riding without a child seat was normal for kids in the 1950s because no state required child seats.

Tennessee went first.

The law took effect January 1, 1978.

Every state had a child seat law by 1985.

Today, Tennessee’s child passenger law requires you to restrain every child under 16 who rides in your car.

Which restraint you need depends on your child’s age and size.

2. Age Limits in Job Openings

If you were job hunting in the 1950s, age limits on job openings were routine.

A Labor Department report cites a 1956 study of job orders in seven cities, which found that 40 percent set age 45 as the upper limit.

A 1965 survey, which included Memphis, found over half of the employers surveyed applying age limits, typically between 45 and 55.

That’s illegal now.

Federal law now makes it unlawful for a covered employer to print or publish a job ad that states a preference or limit based on age.

That includes Tennessee employers with 20 or more employees.

The law protects workers 40 and older.

If you’re 40 or older, a covered employer can’t post an age cutoff like that in a job ad.

3. Leaded Gas at the Pump

Leaded gasoline was ordinary at the pump in the 1950s.

Refiners have blended lead into gasoline since the early 1920s to raise octane.

Federal standards to cut lead in gasoline began in 1973.

The ban took longer.

A federal ban on selling leaded gasoline for on-road vehicles took effect January 1, 1996.

That ban applies to Tennessee gas stations, so you can’t buy leaded gasoline for your car or truck today.

4. Cyclamate in Diet Soda

In 1958, you could pick up Diet Rite, a calorie-free cola sweetened with a mix of cyclamate and saccharin.

That followed Abbott Laboratories’ launch of the cyclamate sweetener Sucaryl in 1950.

By the late 1960s, soda was cyclamate’s biggest use.

Then came the ban.

In October 1969, the federal government announced that cyclamate would be withdrawn from the market.

Federal food rules, which apply in Tennessee, now treat any food with added or detectable cyclamate as adulterated.

5. Lead-Based Paint on the Walls

The federal government banned lead-based paint for consumer use in 1978.

That covers Tennessee homes.

Before then, lead-based paint was a routine choice for 1950s homes.

About 69% of homes built between 1940 and 1959 are likely to have lead-based paint.

If your house dates from that era, the paint under the newer coats may still be lead-based.

6. New Drugs Sold Without Proof

New drugs sold in the 1950s didn't have to be proven effective.

Before 1962, federal law made drug makers show a new drug was safe, but not that it worked.

The 1962 amendments changed that.

The law is partly named for Tennessee Senator Estes Kefauver.

Federal law, which applies in Tennessee, now requires drug makers to show substantial evidence that a new drug works for its intended use.

A new drug generally can't reach your pharmacy until the Food and Drug Administration approves it.

7. DDT Around the House

In the 1950s, you could use the pesticide DDT around your home and garden.

U.S. use peaked at about 80 million pounds in 1959.

DDT was initially sprayed in Tennessee to kill mosquitoes, in hopes of ending malaria once and for all.

DDT killed other insects, too.

General use of DDT stopped being legal across the country, Tennessee included, after December 31, 1972.

8. Lead Shot in Waterfowl Hunting

Lead shot was legal for waterfowl hunting in the 1950s.

Efforts to phase out lead shot began in the 1970s.

A 1959 study estimated that lead poisoning killed 2 to 3 percent of North America's waterfowl each year between 1938 and 1954.

The ban came in 1991.

That nationwide ban applies at Reelfoot Lake in West Tennessee, where up to 750,000 waterfowl may use the lake at one time in winter.

When you hunt waterfowl in Tennessee, the shot you load has to be an approved nontoxic type.

Still Allowed in Schools

Corporal punishment is still allowed in Tennessee public schools.

Corporal punishment has been part of American schooling since colonial times.

As late as 1977, the Supreme Court said the practice still played a role in public schools in most parts of the country.

Under state law, a teacher or school principal may use corporal punishment in a reasonable manner, for good cause to maintain discipline and order.