AS I SEE IT
It can be kind of amazing when we think back to how life was 40 to 50 years ago and then compare what was happening then to now.
I recently came across a little test that shouldn’t be too hard for those people 60-plus years of age or older. But for some of the younger generation, the questions could be a little tougher.
So this week, sit back and remember the good old days as you take the test. For those who don’t know, ask someone older. And for those who can’t find the answers, they are conveniently found at the bottom of the test.
1. In the 1940s, where were automobile headlight dimmer switches located?
a. On the floor shift knob; b. On the floor board, to the left of the clutch; c: Next to the horn.
2. The bottle top of a Royal Crown Cola bottle had holes in it. For what was it used?
a. Capture lightning bugs; b. To sprinkle clothes before ironing; c. Large salt shaker.
3. Why was having milk delivered a problem in northern winters?
a. Cows got cold and wouldn’t produce milk; b. Ice on highways forced delivery by dog sled; c. Milkmen left deliveries outside of front doors and milk would freeze, expanding and pushing up the cardboard bottle top.
4. What was the popular chewing gum named for a game of chance?
a. Blackjack; b. Gin; c. Craps
5. What method did women use to look as if they were wearing stockings when none were available due to rationing during WWII.
a. Suntan; b Leg painting; c. Wearing slacks
6. What postwar car turned automotive design on its ear when you couldn’t tell whether it was coming or going?
a. Studebaker; b. Nash Metro; c. Tucker
7. Which was a popular candy when you were a kid?
a . Strips of dried peanut butter; b. Chocolate licorice bars; c. Wax coke-shaped bottles with colored sugar water inside.
8. How was Butch wax used?
a. To stiffen a flat-top haircut so it stood up; b. To make floors shiny and prevent scuffing; c. On the wheels of roller skates to prevent rust.
9. Before inline skates, how did you keep your roller skates attached to your shoes?
a. With clamps, tightened by a skate key; b. Woven straps that crossed the foot; c. Long pieces of twine.
10. As a kid, what was considered the best way to reach a decision?
a. Consider all the facts; b. Ask Mom; c. Eeny-meeny-miney-mo.
11. What was the most dreaded disease in the 1940s and 1950s?
a. Smallpox; b. AIDS; c. Polio
12. ‘I’ll be down to get you in a ________, Honey’
a. SUV; b. Taxi; c. Streetcar
13. What was the name of Caroline Kennedy’s pony?
a. Old Blue; b. Paint; c. Macaroni
14. What was a Duck-and-Cover Drill?
a. Part of the game of hide and seek; b. What you did when your Mom called you in to do chores; c. Hiding under your desk, and covering your head with your arms in an A-bomb drill.
15. What was the name of the Indian Princess on the Howdy Doody show?
a. Princess Summerfallwinterspring; b. Princess Sacajawea; c. Princess Moonshadow
16. What did all the really savvy students do when mimeographed tests were handed out in school?
a. Immediately sniffed the purple ink, as this was believed to get you high; b. Made paper airplanes to see who could sail theirs out the window; c. Wrote another pupil’s name on the top, to avoid their failure.
17. Why did your Mom shop in stores that gave Green Stamps with purchases?
a. To keep you out of mischief by licking the backs, which tasted like bubble gum; b. They could be put in special books and redeemed for various household items; c. They were given to the kids to be used as stick-on tattoos.
18. Praise the Lord, & pass the _________?
a. Meatballs; b. Dames; c. Ammunition
19. What was the name of the singing group that made the song
‘Cabdriver’ a hit?
a. The Ink Spots; b. The Supremes; c. The Esquires
20. Who left his heart in San Francisco?
a. Tony Bennett; b. Xavier Cugat; c. George Gershwin
ANSWERS: 1. (b) On the floor, to the left of the clutch. 2. (b) To sprinkle clothes before ironing. 3. (c) Cold weather caused the milk to freeze and expand, popping the bottle top. 4 . (a) Blackjack Gum. 5. (b) Special makeup was applied drawing a seam down the back of the leg with eyebrow pencil. 6. (a) 1946 Studebaker. 7. (c) Wax coke bottles containing super-sweet colored water. 8. (a) Wax for your flat top (butch) haircut. 9 (a) With clamps, tightened by a skate key. 10. (c) Eeny-meeny-miney-mo. 11. (c) Polio. 12. (b) Taxi. 13. (c) Macaroni. 14. (c) Hiding under your desk and covering your head with your arms was an A-bomb drill. 15. (a) Princess Summerfallwinterspring. 16. (a) Immediately sniffed the purple ink to get a high. 17. (b) Put in a special stamp book, they could be traded for household items at the Green Stamp store. 18. (c) Ammunition 19. (a) The Inkspots. 20. (a) Tony Bennett.
SCORING: 17- 20 correct: You are older than dirt.12 -16 correct: Not quite dirt yet, but you’re getting there. 0 -11 correct: You are not old enough to share the wisdom of your experiences.
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Until next week, and remember - A gem is not polished without rubbing, nor an individual perfected without trials.