Would today’s children survive if transported back to the ’70s or ’80s, before the digital revolution? In those days, public pay phones were common, unlike the ubiquitous smartphones of today. How many kids today know how to use a pay phone, or a Thomas Guide map for directions? Could they handle putting a Led Zeppelin album on a record player?
Smoking was widespread back then, even in schools, planes, and hospitals. Today, only 12.5% of Americans smoke, down from 42.4% in 1965. How would modern kids react to their teacher smoking in class?
Dan Wuori from the Hunt Institute shared on Twitter about his high school’s smoking area for students, sparking memories from others about the prevalence of smoking and the general dangers of childhood in that era. Here are some stories illustrating the wild differences between then and now.
