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Seven household items from the 60s and 70s that youngsters wouldn't know how to use today

People often say life was simpler in the past - yet, modern technology has undeniably made many tasks easier.

By Kirsty-Louise Card
Published

There are countless items that were everyday essentials in the 1960s and 70s—objects that many young people today might struggle to use.

Check out this list of 7 items that youngsters wouldn't know how to use today:

Typewriters

Person using an oldfashioned typewriter
Person using an oldfashioned typewriter

Before PCs and word processors, the typewriter ruled offices. The layout was similar to today’s keyboards, but you had to manually return the carriage after each line, accompanied by the familiar ding when you reached the end.

Rotary phones

An old rotary dial phone | Getty Images
An old rotary dial phone | Getty Images

Although push-button phones arrived in 1963, rotary phones remained common throughout the 60s and 70s. Dialling could take ages, especially with lots of 9s in the number.

Dial-operated TVs

Even couch potatoes had to get off the sofa to change the channel. In the early days of television, switching channels meant turning a dial, and if reception was poor, you had to adjust the set-top antenna manually. Remote controls weren’t common, and back then, there were only three channels before the 1980s—or just two before BBC2 launched in 1964.

35mm film cameras

Every photo mattered with analogue cameras. A roll typically had 24 exposures—you couldn’t delete mistakes, and after winding and rewinding the film, you had to take it to be developed. Then came the wait, hoping your roll hadn’t been mixed up with someone else’s.

Cheque books

Part of the staff of Kenrick & Jefferson, specialist printers of High Street, West Bromwich, pictured in July 1980. These ladies were responsible for checking parts of a cheque book before its final binding
Express and Star copyrightPart of the staff of Kenrick & Jefferson, specialist printers of High Street, West Bromwich, pictured in July 1980. These ladies were responsible for checking parts of a cheque book before its final binding. Loaded LETTERS 5 - 25%_2F4%_2F03 from Images/weslocal/scans/ on 24/04/2003 colour print

Once a staple of everyday life, cheque books have mostly disappeared thanks to credit cards and mobile banking. Many young people today only encounter them when grandparents send birthday or Christmas cheques—and they might struggle to know how to fill one in.

Slide projectors

Before social media, sharing holiday photos meant hosting a slide show at home. They weren’t difficult to operate, but you had to place the slides upside down for the image to appear correctly.

Manual car chokes

Most cars in the 60s and 70s had manual chokes to help start the engine on cold mornings. Many people remember pulling the choke out and even using a clothes peg to hold it open. While essential for starting the car, some also used it for hanging handbags!

How well do you remember the 60s and 70s? For those who grew up in that era, school and everyday life were a very different experience.