What do Billie Jean King’s tennis match against Bobby Riggs, Pink Floyd’s legendary “Dark Side Of The Moon” album, and the opening of the London Bridge have in common? All of these—and many more—monumental things happened in 1973, a year that many still reminisce about to this day.
But life is not all about monumental events. It’s the little things, too – the picnics with friends, the self-expression through fashion, the fandom of up-and-coming artists, and so much more. That’s what we’re focusing on today – all sorts of moments from people’s lives back in 1973 that show just how different—or maybe similar?—life was back then. If you’re curious to compare the now and then, scroll down to find the pictures on the list below, and make sure to upvote your favorites.
Below, you will also find Bored Panda’s interview with Associate Professor of Art History at Western University in London, Ontario, Dr. John Hatch, who was kind enough to answer a few of our questions about life in the 70s and some of its influences at the time.
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Woman Cutting Her Birthday Cake In Tehran, Iran 1973
My Father Who Shipped His Bike Over To England And Rode All Over Europe On It - 1973
My Parents. Married For 46 Years Today! Zwolle, The Netherlands, 1973-Ish
With the help of the History Channel’s database and similar archives, people now can go back to nearly any day within the last several decades. Take January 14th of 1973, for instance, which was marked by the Miami Dolphins winning Super Bowl VII to cap off the NFL's only perfect season. Or, when the World Trade Center—the tallest building in the world back then—opened in New York City on April 4th of that same year.
Every day, there is something big happening, and that year was no exception. But what is considered a “big” thing differs from person to person—people who are not that interested in sports, for instance, would argue whether the Miami Dolphins’s win was that big of a deal.
Me When Long Was In, 1973
Scarborough, England - 1973
If you zoom the pic, you can almost see parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme...
For some people, the “big” things are the personal ones—like the birth of a child or a wedding, for instance. Well, can you guess how many people were born in 1973?
You are right if you guessed somewhere around 120,000,000. According to Database.Earth, 123,563,931 babies were born around the world in that year (25,032,563 males and 22,540,713 females).
The largest number of births was recorded in China, followed closely by India and Indonesia, respectively.
Greenland Tots, December 1973
My Parents On Their Honeymoon 1973
My Grandparent's Wedding In India (1973). I Just Visited My Grandma After A Long Time And She Shared This Picture With Me. It Would Make Her Very Happy If She Could See This Photo In Color. I Don't Have Any Money But I Would Appreciate It If Someone Could Colorize It. Thanks In Advance
As for weddings, according to Statista’s data, the number of couples who got married in 1973 was roughly 46 million. If the love birds who said “yes” back then are still together, they should be celebrating their 52nd anniversary right about now. Congratulations to them!
My Grandmother - After Six Kids! - In Manila, 1973
I think her hair needs to be taller, more hairspray please!
Me On Bass, Minnie On Sax. 1973
Forrest Hobbs, are you sure you have no inaccurate things to say about this? Really starting t think that "you" are a "BOT"!
Load More Replies...My Mother In 1973, At 3 Years Old, Waiting To Talk To My Grandfather Who Was Deployed In Guinea-Bissau, Fighting The Portuguese Colonial War
Hmm. "Fighting to maintain Portugeuse control over part of Africa it had stolen in the 16th century, which finally liberated itself from really rather vile European exploitation not long after that photo was taken". Turns out my lot, the UK, had a part in the European exploitation of that region. I've just looked up the history. The European involvement is decidedly ugly.
The year 1973 was also big for music lovers, not only for the aforementioned “Dark Side Of The Moon.” The same year saw the release of David Bowie’s “Aladdin Sane,” Stevie Wonder’s “Innervisions,” Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” Marvin Gaye’s “Let's Get It On,” and Billy Joel’s “Piano Man,” just to name a few.
As for popular songs, during the very first week of 1973, for instance, according to Billboard's archives, the most popular was Carly Simon’s “You're So Vain,” followed by Gilbert O' Sullivan’s “Clair.”
Old Farmer Drinking Wine After Sowing, Roccanolfi, Italy, 1973
Oi! That "old" farmer looks a lot younger than me! Middle aged, if that. Grr. 😁
Waiting For Gas...1973
The nose of a Datsun Z just peeking into the photo, bottom right ;) My favourite car line, they're absolutely beautiful.
My Mom And Dad In 1973
His hair. Her trousers. Good grief. Where is that, I wonder? I suspect I had a haircut like his once. But: it's the Netherlands.
“The music tended to be more hedonistic due to the right-wing political backlash of the early 1970s and when disco came on board you were looking at an even more escapist musical scene,” said Dr. John Hatch, Associate Professor of Art History at Western University in London, Ontario, when discussing the role music played back in the 70s.
“I would make one exception, and that is the rise of African American pop music on the mainstream with bands like Sly and the Family Stone and Funkadelic, let alone singers such as Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder,” he added. “They tended to be more culturally meaningful and more critically engaged with issues of the time than their white counterparts.”
Young Lady Manning The Counter In A General Store, November, 1973
After The Market, Portobello, London C 1973
McDonald's Menu During 1973
Tripple ripple please! What's that? The ice cream machine is broken? Damnit.
Continuing his discussion on the role music plays in people’s lives—both then and now—Dr. Hatch noted that the music we tend to revere is usually that of our teenage years, as that seems to be the time music has the most impact on us.
“As my generation passes on, there’ll be less and less of an interest in the music of the 60s and 70s and it will shift to the 80s, then the 90s, and so on,” the expert noted. “There’s a bit of an echo in children as they tend to be initially exposed to music through their parents and their collections, but eventually they’ll turn by their teenage years to their own contemporary scene.”
The World Trade Center Twin Towers Helicopter 1400 Feet View, 1973
A 7-11 In 1973
The Day I Bought An Old Mercedes, 1973
Those who care for sports more than they do for music know that, back in 1973, there were way more attention-worthy events in the sports world than just the Miami Dolphins winning the Super Bowl.
In 1973, John Newcombe and Margaret Court won the Tennis Australia Open in men’s singles and women’s singles, respectively (and later the same year, won the US Open, too); the Spanish road racing cyclist Luis Ocaña was #1 in the iconic Tour de France; and the American golfer Jack Nicklaus took 1st place at the PGA Golf Championship (and was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame just a year later, in 1974).
My Mum And Dad - Brighton, England 1973
My Dad. South Africa 1973
Jp Tokyo Street Market And Kids - Found Photo, Taken Sometime In 1973
As they do every day of every year, many important things happened in 1973. Plenty of seemingly insignificant things did, too. But even the most mundane of moments could become important in their own ways, especially when looking at them in hindsight.
Talking about why some people romanticize the past, Dr. Hatch suggested that it might just be the way our memory works. “We tend to bury the negative aspects, and hold on to the more pleasurable experiences,” he said. “The simpler times of the past are in part a result of the fact that we simply can’t remember everything from our past, so our brain edits, simplifies, and holds on to what is worth holding on.”
My Dad In Ahvaz, Iran. He's Hanging Out With Some American Woman He Met After Fixing Her Car (He Was A Mechanic). 1973
My Japanese Uncle Out For A Hike Unknown Location, Japan (1973)
Anyone else wondering about the doll he had with him until they looked closer?
Found Pictures Of My First Car: 1973 Grande With A 351c And 3 Speed Auto. Drove It Every Day From Age 16 (Snuck It Out A Few Times Before That) Until Finishing College. Always Regretted Letting It Sit And Rot Afterwards. Parents Sold It When I Moved To China For A Few Years
Before people start saying "that's a Mustang not a Grande", Grande was a trim level. My third car was a 1973 Mustang Grande with a 351C 2V and a 3 speed auto.
Hiroshima, Japan 1973
That's a photo of the only building which survived close to the A-bomb explosion. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroshima_Peace_Memorial
The Common And, Behind It, The Landscaped Public Gardens Provide Rest And Recreation In Metropolitan Boston. The Young Lady Is Amplifying The Sun's Rays To Speed A Suntan, April 1973
Argh! Red hair, pale skin - adding more sunlight? That far south, as well? (never mind the US perspective - Boston, Mass. is a *long* way to the south of Boston, Lincs.)
Midsummer Siesta At City Hall Plaza, August 1973
I have never known the plaza to be other than a lifeless, windswept desert.
Jp Tokyo Street Shops And Lanterns - Found Photo, Taken Sometime In 1973
I think there might be quarters in Tokyo where it still looks like that today.
Note: this post originally had 99 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
Can we please see the other 69 pictures, please? The link to "99 images" just keeps redirecting back to the 30 pictures page....I'd really like to see the rest! (grew up in Boston in the '70s)
Can we please see the other 69 pictures, please? The link to "99 images" just keeps redirecting back to the 30 pictures page....I'd really like to see the rest! (grew up in Boston in the '70s)