If you grew up in the ’70s, you probably wouldn’t think of what’s to come as ironic, quirky, or fantastic eBay finds.
These objects from everyday life were just part of, well, everyday life. They were the things that made life easier, more fun, and in some weird way, more accessible than it might even feel today.
The 1970s: When Everyday Life Required Effort
Cigarette Machine
As a companion piece to our “A Photo Journey Through 1970s Family Life,” here we are highlighting the things that were simply around us — and that today may make later generations scratch their heads.
Back then, we did things a little differently, and we didn’t think twice about it. Opening a soda required you to literally tear a piece of metal off the can. Watching television meant you had to “tune” the signal like you were a Russian spy. Even changing the channel required clunky mechanical equipment that, at the time, was seen as space-age.
Transistor Radios
READ MORE: Classic 1970s Fashion Looks We Can’t Forget
Today, many of these everyday objects would leave Gen Z — and even some millennials — staring at them like artifacts in a museum (granted, some are). But for those who lived it, they weren’t relics at all. They were what made our summer afternoons, our family room rituals, and our road trips groovy.
LOOK: Can You Recognize These Iconic ’70s Objects
Step back into the 1970s and explore the everyday objects that defined daily life — and might leave younger generations scratching their heads.
Gallery Credit: Stephen Lenz
