The 1970s were full of big headlines: Watergate, disco, and streaking. But inside the walls of Florida’s high schools, the juiciest headlines came from teenage imaginations. Every class had its own tabloid-worthy stories. Teachers were secretly dating cousins, cafeteria food was possibly horse meat, and a student might be moonlighting as an FBI informant. The…
Humans are funny creatures. We’ll laugh to ourselves at Target or check the time three times in a row, and then wonder why people are giving us suspicious looks. It’s not that we’re up to anything. It’s just that our innocent little quirks read like “villain energy” in the wrong context. Here are the everyday…
There was something special about being a kid in 1970s Nevada. You didn’t need an app to play. All it took was a classic toy and a little free time. And once a new toy showed up on the block, everyone wanted to try it. The Big Wheel Made You the Coolest Kid on the…
Idahoans who remember grocery trips in the 1960s often talk about how personal the experience felt. Clerks knew customers by name, and small-town stores carried items chosen for local families rather than endless aisles of global brands. These are things Americans miss most about grocery shopping in the 1960s. Handwritten Price Tags Before scanners, every…
Grabbing your smartphone and scrolling through social media on a park bench feels like one of the most normal things in the world. But a century ago, everyday behaviors you don’t think twice about today could have landed you in trouble with the law. From clothing choices to simple freedoms we now take for granted,…
In the 1950s, a drive-in wasn’t just a place to eat. It was the Friday night hangout. New York teenagers showed up to show off their cars, order greasy burgers, and blast Elvis from the jukebox. Today’s teens, used to Netflix and Wi-Fi, wouldn’t know what to do in that world. Here are the things…
Hobbies aren’t just about knitting or stamp collecting anymore. The internet has helped people discover interests that sound downright bizarre at first, yet they’ve attracted loyal fan bases. What seems strange to many New Hampshirites often feels perfectly normal once you dive in. Competitive Duck Herding It sounds like a joke, but there are real…
Every era had its “must-have” gadgets. Those of the past weren’t sleek or Wi-Fi enabled, but they ruled the kitchen counters and living rooms of their time. Some came from the back of Sears catalogs, some were wedding gifts no one really asked for, and others showed up at Tupperware parties alongside lime Jell-O molds….
Kansans didn’t need much to enjoy themselves in the 1960s. A sunny afternoon, a good meal, or a favorite song on the radio could turn an ordinary day into something special. Back then, a porch screen was the kind of screen kids touched the most, and there was more face-to-face time, not FaceTime. These are…
Many of us know someone who constantly talks about the “good old days.” The problem? From an objective, societal viewpoint, past decades weren’t always better. Nostalgia plays a huge role in why Floridians—and Americans as a whole—think the good old days were better. Psychologists describe nostalgia as a natural process and something that can help…
