Some old Photos for your enjoyment
- Thread starter JWFilips
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richhodg66
Well-Known Member
George Reeves, TV's Superman, with school children. There are many times I wish I had been around in the 1950s. The world sure seemed better.
462
California's Central Coast Amid The Insanity
From a 1950's adult's perspective, I don't know if the world seemed better. As a kid, I'm glad I was able to watch Superman, The Lone Ranger, and Annette on a black-and-white television, play marbles and tag and on the monkey bars at school, and rainy day Monopoly marathons with my yucky sister, go to the movies for a dime, buy nickel candy bars and caps for my cap gun, rather than whatever it is that modern American society has to offer today's kids.
RicinYakima
High Steppes of Eastern Washington
But I strongly remember "Duck and Cover" under your desk when the nukes came down. Digging bomb shelters in 1957, Teamster and UAW and UMW strikes that were killing people. Unemployment for the Korean War vets coming home. It wasn't all Disney Land and Davy Crocket.
smokeywolf
Well-Known Member
My father supported the family, paid all the bills including medical. 3 bed/2 bath with added carport and workshop and still put money away, plus had 4 weeks paid vacation each year. He was an aerodynamics engineer for a subsidiary of Northrop.
I walked a half mile to school by myself while in first grade. Our doctor on occasion made house calls.
Because they didn't have the medical knowledge, technology, procedures and meds back then, Mrs. smokeywolf quite possibly would not have seen her 50th birthday, which is next month.
I'll trade all the good stuff we enjoyed back then for the medical advantages that have prolonged my wife's life.
I walked a half mile to school by myself while in first grade. Our doctor on occasion made house calls.
Because they didn't have the medical knowledge, technology, procedures and meds back then, Mrs. smokeywolf quite possibly would not have seen her 50th birthday, which is next month.
I'll trade all the good stuff we enjoyed back then for the medical advantages that have prolonged my wife's life.
Snakeoil
Well-Known Member
You must be much older than me (71) or were a very aware youngster back then. Yeah, we had duck and cover drills, but pretty much saw them as a break from school work. What was going on with union strikes was the furthest thing from our minds. But then again, we did live in Detroit and all our families were working class families where the Dad's had good jobs and Moms did not work.
I think the best part of the 50's and 60's was we had to play with others or by ourselves for entertainment. We had to self-entertain and thru that we learned how to live in society. The outside influences in our life like TV, radio, comics, etc., all portrayed a positive message. Good triumphs over evil, bullies should get their just desserts and we are all different and that's okay. Hell, we had a comic named "Tubby" and nobody went ballistic over the comic offending chubby kids. If anything, it showed that a chubby kid could be the hero of a comic. Remember "Our Gang". Porky was chubby, Spanky was chubby, the black kid, Stymie, Farina and Buckwheat were all equal members of the gang and nobody felt threatened. Amos and Andy was hysterical, but is now banned because it was based upon stereotypes. Comedy is all about laughing at ourselves. Nobody seems to be offended by Achmed the Dead Terrorist. And if I were pushed, I could make the argument that the character is insensitive to victims' families of 9/11. But you can find offense in pretty much anything if you look hard enough.
I tend to think that those times were more of an age of innocence. We were focused on family and friends. Our big picture view was WWII was over, we won and it was time to grow and prosper. And more importantly than probably any aspect, the family unit was alive and well in the USA.
smokeywolf
Well-Known Member
I remember "duck & cover" drills in school as late as the early '60s. They were frequent during the Cuban Missile Crisis and for the rest of the school year. Of course the grade school I was attending was only a few miles away from a Nike missile base.
RicinYakima
High Steppes of Eastern Washington
"You must be much older than me (71) or were a very aware youngster back then. Yeah, we had duck and cover drills, but pretty much saw them as a break from school work. What was going on with union strikes was the furthest thing from our minds. But then again, we did live in Detroit and all our families were working class families where the Dad's had good jobs and Moms did not work."
Nope, just 75 but grew up in the KY, WV and Ohio triangle area. Moved depending upon what months Dad wanted to work. Strike violence was all around us growing up, but no TV or plumbing or running water. What news we got was word of mouth or from the radio. School and the Carnegie Libraries were our entertainment.
Nope, just 75 but grew up in the KY, WV and Ohio triangle area. Moved depending upon what months Dad wanted to work. Strike violence was all around us growing up, but no TV or plumbing or running water. What news we got was word of mouth or from the radio. School and the Carnegie Libraries were our entertainment.
Bret4207
At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
I'm 63 and we did duck and cover drills until at least 4th grade. We had the local Civil Defense guys in school all the time and they had maps showing every business/local guy with a mess of stuff that could help in an emergency. Everyone remembered the depression and WW2/Korea very well and they took CD seriously. I wish we still did. Then maybe crap like Hawaii wouldn't have happened.
Snakeoil
Well-Known Member
Back then the Civil Defense published a poster that was put up in schools, businesses, plants, etc.. It basically provided a list of standard instructions, and the heading across the top was, "IN THE EVENT OF A NUCLEAR ATTACK..."
In the 80's somebody started making a spoof of that old poster. They even produced them in Spanish and a friend of mine picked one up in Spain and gave it to me. It lists the same instructions like, "keep away from window, take cover under solid objects, etc. At the end there is one extra instruction.
"Get down, put your head between your legs and kiss your ass good-bye."
It was the first time that poster actually gave appropriate instructions.
In the 80's somebody started making a spoof of that old poster. They even produced them in Spanish and a friend of mine picked one up in Spain and gave it to me. It lists the same instructions like, "keep away from window, take cover under solid objects, etc. At the end there is one extra instruction.
"Get down, put your head between your legs and kiss your ass good-bye."
It was the first time that poster actually gave appropriate instructions.
JWFilips
Well-Known Member
From Shorpy.com:
January 5, 1938. Westmoreland Hills, Maryland. "Mrs. Albert F. Walker of this town has been declared 1937 women's skeet shooting champion of the country by the National Skeet Shooting Association. The Association has released the averages on which the ratings were based, but one day last year at the Kenwood skeet club, Mrs. Walker set the women's record fall with 99x100 (skeet for 99 birds out of a possible 100). In addition to her national title, she outranks both men and women shooters in the District of Columbia and Maryland." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative
January 5, 1938. Westmoreland Hills, Maryland. "Mrs. Albert F. Walker of this town has been declared 1937 women's skeet shooting champion of the country by the National Skeet Shooting Association. The Association has released the averages on which the ratings were based, but one day last year at the Kenwood skeet club, Mrs. Walker set the women's record fall with 99x100 (skeet for 99 birds out of a possible 100). In addition to her national title, she outranks both men and women shooters in the District of Columbia and Maryland." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative
462
California's Central Coast Amid The Insanity
The only evidence of where some Hiroshima and Nagasaki people were, when the bombs detonated, are their shadows on the sidewalks.
My earliest memory of The Bomb and duck and cover was when I was in the 4th grade. My family was too poor to even think of provisioning a bomb shelter, never mind building one.
Another 4th grade memory is being shown the principal's ventilated paddle, and his stern warning that went along with it. My memory is not as clear whether or not I felt my father's hand, when he got home from work, but it's more likely that I did than I didn't.
Still and all, the 50's was a great era in which to be a kid.
My earliest memory of The Bomb and duck and cover was when I was in the 4th grade. My family was too poor to even think of provisioning a bomb shelter, never mind building one.
Another 4th grade memory is being shown the principal's ventilated paddle, and his stern warning that went along with it. My memory is not as clear whether or not I felt my father's hand, when he got home from work, but it's more likely that I did than I didn't.
Still and all, the 50's was a great era in which to be a kid.
oscarflytyer
Well-Known Member
I Am 60. Distinctly remember duck and cover drills. so does the wife (60). I lived ~30 miles from Grissom AFB (IN) at the time. Wife a Huntsville, AL native (FIL a 2x NASA retiree).
Mitty38
Well-Known Member
I am 56 and can remember doing those in grade school. Don't remember any once I graduated 5th grade. That would be sometime round 78 when we stopped having them in our state.
Man @oscarflytyer I thought you were the fellow in your old rocking chair avatar and we're in your 90's. No offense ment but by your posts and respectful attitude I thought you were much older.
glassparman
"OK, OK, I'm going as fast as I don't want to go!"
I recently turned 60 but the drills we had in SOCAL were for bombs and earthquakes. The best of both worlds!
oscarflytyer
Well-Known Member
THANX Mitty! I REALLY needed that right now! and I diligently try to be as respectful as possible. Nice to know that it is noticed at times and appreciated.
PS: I can be a snake if required or pushed!