Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Explain Which Things Are Normal Today That Weren't 50 Years Ago

People Explain Which Things Are Normal Today That Weren't 50 Years Ago
person typing on silver MacBook
Photo by Burst on Unsplash
Make us preferred on Google

The world is an ever changing place.

In addition to continuing advancements in technology, human behavior also continues to evolve.

As a result, what might have seemed "normal" 50 years ago might seem far-fetched today, while things which we today consider "normal" might never have even crossed the mind of anyone back then.

Making everything we consider "normal" among the many things in this world that continues to evolve at a rapid pace.

Redditor Primary_Berry_3560 was curious to hear what "normal" everyday things were anything but normal fifty years ago, leading them to ask:

"What is normal now but wasn’t normal 50 years ago (1972)?"


We could just leave whenever we wanted to!

"Knowing where your kids are 100% of the time."- bradland

We're all wired up today!

"No one had a computer in their house in 1972."- tcharp01

Buckle up!

"Car seats for children."

"And most of the time we sat in the back seat with no seat belts available."- Rosemoorstreet

"Wearing seatbelts."

"There were no sensors- seatbelt were just shoved out of the way."

"Carding for cigarettes."

"Machines were everywhere for anyone to use."- factchecker8515

buckle up crash test dummies GIF by ADWEEKGiphy

In the old days, we had one chance!

"Watching an entire TV series at a time that's convenient for you."

"VCR's weren't even a thing 50 years ago, so if your favorite show was on Wednesday at 8PM, you were either at home to watch it or you missed out on it forever."- DeathSpiral321

Music on demand!

"Listening to the song you want to where you want to, rather than whatever is playing wherever you are."- jfincher42

Giphy

Being beholden to a landline!

"I am amazed to think about how disconnected we were."

"I could wake up on a Saturday morning and start calling friends."

"It was possible that not a single one picked up the phone and that was that."

"I would be on my own unless I waited a few hours and tried again."

"Also, in my area, the adults in the house almost always answered the phone so you had to get through them to your friends."

“'Hello, is Johnny home?'”

"'Hi this is his mother, what do you want?'”

“'I was wooooondering if he could come out to play'.”

“'Well he’s doing homework right now but I’ll tell him you called'.”

"As a kid, our times were divided between when we were 100% under adult control, which was when we were physically in their presence, and when we were free which was all other time."- Mrmidhoratio

"Asking 'Where are you?' when someone answers their phone."- brontosproximo

Shocked Phone Call GIFGiphy

No wonder they were all so tan...

"Regularly wearing sunscreen."- dixius99

It's amazing to see how much the world has changed in such a relatively short amount of time.

Leaving us to wonder what things will be "normal" 50 years from now, which today the very thought of would make us burst out laughing.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Ted Cruz; Dolly Parton
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; David Becker/Getty Images

Ted Cruz Forced To Delete Retweeted Tribute To Dolly Parton After Account Mocks Him With Hilariously NSFW Name Change

Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz reposted and later deleted a tribute on X to legendary performer Dolly Parton after the X user changed the account name to troll Cruz.

The X user, @lebatardshowfan, had shared their "favorite clip" of Parton, who died Tuesday following a brief battle with cancer. Cruz reshared the clip some time later. Parton is shown during one of her many appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.

Keep ReadingShow less
Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton
Kevin Mazur/The Recording Academy/Getty Images

Miley Cyrus Shares Heartbreaking Tribute To Godmother 'Aunt Dolly' Parton: 'I Have An Angel By My Side'

Dolly Parton left this world behind on August 25 at the age of 80 after a brief battle with illness, and tributes to her continue to flow across social media.

Among the latest was a tribute from Dolly Parton's goddaughter, Miley Cyrus.

Keep ReadingShow less
Carol Burnett; Tim Curry; Luke Evans
Araya Doheny/TCM/Getty Images; Dimitrios Kambouris/Tony Awards Productions/WireImage/Getty Images; Roy Rochlin/Empire State Realty Trust/Getty Images

Carol Burnett And Luke Evans Lead Poignant Tributes To Tim Curry After His Death At 80

It's been a terrible week for the entertainment industry, for performers and viewers alike. Right after the world lost Dolly Parton, we lost the great Tim Curry, also at the age of 80.

The British star got his acting start on stage in the West End, starring in the original London production of Hair in 1968. He was a phenomenal performer and went on to become everyone's favorite love-to-hate villain, from Frank-N-Furter in Rocky Horror Picture Show to Rooster Hannigan in Annie to Pennywise the Dancing Clown in It to Long John Silver in Muppet Treasure Island.

Keep ReadingShow less
Bill Gates
Kent Nishimura/AFP via Getty Images

Bill Gates Warns Rise Of AI Will Be One Of The 'Most Turbulent Times In Human History' In Alarming New Essay

On Wednesday, billionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates sounded the alarm on artificial intelligence with an essay published on his website titled "The turbulent AI era is here. The choices we make now are critical."

The essay began by stating:

Keep ReadingShow less
Ukrainian Refugee Shares How She Was Bullied By Her Teacher And Classmates At A U.S. High School—And People Are Outraged

Ukrainian Refugee Shares How She Was Bullied By Her Teacher And Classmates At A U.S. High School—And People Are Outraged

Even though it's 2026, racism is alive and well, and so are xenophobia, Islamophobia, antisemitism, and other microaggressions.

TikToker @shape_shifter01 is sharing her experiences as a high school student and a Ukrainian refugee. She moved to the United States four years ago in response to the war between her home country and Russia.

Keep ReadingShow less