Category: The Era

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The Era

Biorhythm Machines

In the 1970s, there were plenty of machines at the arcade that would offer you a few minutes of gameplay for your hard-earned quarters. Only one, however, offered you valuable pseudo-scientific advice, allowing you to dial into the natural cycles of life – the biorhythm machine. … read more

2

The Era

Mr. Microphone

Perhaps no gadget from the 1970s is as endearing as Mr. Microphone, a toy that let you broadcast your voice from any nearby radio. Of course, what we remember most is that goofy commercial featuring a tagline that just about every person in America can still quote decades later. Now, that’s some effective advertising. … read more

18

The Era

CB Radio

When the 1970s arrived, few people outside of the trucking industry had ever heard of a CB radio. Within a few years, however, just about everyone and their mother had joined in the fun, thanks in no small part to a popular song and a very successful movie, each of which promoted this early version of social networking that took the nation by storm. … read more

2

The Era

Summer of the Shark

Long Island beaches are notoriously busy when the summer season arrives. But back in 1975, fewer people were eager to take a dip in the Atlantic waters, thanks to a little film by Steven Spielberg about a menacing maneater off the coast of the fictional town of Amity. It was the summer of the shark. … read more

4

The Era

Drive-In Movies

Drive-In movies once dotted the landscape of Long Island, providing inexpensive summertime entertainment to millions of families. Today, they exist solely in our memories, a reminder of a simpler time before the birth of the megoplex concrete bunkers that began to infest the landscape. … read more

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The Era

Mood Rings

We’ve long used colors to describe our emotions. such as when we’re “feeling blue” or “seeing red.” Then, in the 1970s, mood rings came along and did the describing for us. One glance at a person’s finger offered an insight into their emotional state … or so they claimed. Truth be told, they were akin to a colorful thermometer, nothing more. … read more

1

The Era

Fireworks

The Fourth of July just wouldn’t be the same without fireworks, and there was no shortage on Long Island in the 1970s. For many families, the holidays were spent somewhere where they put on a safe, professional display. Others took more of a do-it-yourself, backyard approach. Either way, those illuminated skies of our childhood are hard to forget. … read more

2

The Era

Evel Knievel

In the 70s, a brave man named Evel Knievel became more than a daredevil; he became a legend. Kids idolized him for his bravery, his victories and his defeats, and more than a few tried their best to prove they were just as cool as Evel by performing some stupid stunt on their bicycle, usually with a cape attached. That’s how much we wanted to be Evel Knievel. … read more

1

The Era

Tupperware

Think back to the summers of your youth. You’re playing outside with your friends and you’ve worked up quite a thirst. Thankfully, there is a plastic pitcher in the fridge filled with Kool-Aid that you’ll proceed to pour into an indestructible plastic glass, both items courtesy of Tupperware, a parent’s favored choice throughout the decade. … read more

1

The Era

45 Records

Long before the arrival of iTunes and playlists, there was really only two ways to accumulate your favorite songs in the 70s. Either purchase the entire (read: expensive) album, or buy just the song you wanted on 45 records. Millions of 70s kids opted for the latter, and amassed a beloved collection that they can remember to this day. … read more