3/7/2023 0 Comments The 50s iphiIt was the perfect accessory for any bedroom. In 1959, the Bell System’s “Princess,” brilliantly targeting women, featured a low-profile design, a light-up dial that functioned as a night light, and a remarkable range of colors. Of course, conversations with a boyfriend or girlfriend often had to be conducted in the privacy of a closet! Telephone technology kept up with our communication needs. A prized birthday gift for a Boomer kid was getting his or her own phone (a land line phone with a physical cord was the only option back then). Not to be sexist, but it was largely adolescent and teenage girls who burned up the telephone lines, spending hours chatting with their friends. Here are just two hi-tech examples of the times – one “winner” and one “loser.”īoomer kids (and their moms) sure liked talking on the telephone. The Boomer era brought with it technological changes of great significance, even if the Information Age was still in its infancy. The first computer mouse was invented in 1964 and the earliest version of video games appeared in 1966. The early ’60s saw the introduction of the IBM Selectric typewriter, the invention of the laser, and the first use of a factory robot. satellite ended in failure, but it would foreshadow future space successes, including astronauts landing on the moon in 1969.Ĭommercial computers appeared in the ’50s, but the first personal computer did not come along until 1975 – and even then, it was in the form of a kit. Jet airliners began to fly domestically and internationally in the ’50s. Also in 1959, two patents were granted for tiny electronic circuits known as “microchips,” the core of just about every technology device we use today. In 1959, the first commercial plain paper copier introduced by Xerox revolutionized the duplication process. Technology was changing in the world around Boomer kids as well. That was followed by the equally unreliable cassette tape. On the audio side, the 8-track tape made it possible for teens to play their favorite albums in their cars (even if the tape jammed every now and then). Magnetic tape came into its own, affecting Boomers in two ways: On the video side, television shows could be recorded on tape instead of film by 1963, “instant replay” became a feature of sports events. The microwave helped mom create almost-instant meals. The Polaroid Land camera amazed Boomer kids by producing instantly developed photographs. For example, the push button (“Touch-Tone”) telephone replaced the rotary dial in 1963, heralding a new era of easier teen talk. Other technologies would become important in the Boomer era. However, there were other thrilling innovations, such as the 45 rpm records that created a market for “single” hits, and transistor radios, which made it possible for kids to carry around radio stations that played their favorite rock ’n’ roll tunes. The most enticing technological advancement was television (and eventually color television). Technology was very much a part of the lives of Boomer kids – it was just different kinds of technology. The innovations of the current Digital Age are remarkable, but we sometimes forget that we enjoyed technological marvels growing up in the ’50s and ’60s.
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