Bored Panda works better on our iPhone app

Continue in app Continue in browser

“What’s One Thing Normal At Your Time But Is Now Bizarre To Even Think About?” (50 Answers)

ADVERTISEMENT

There used to be a TV series called "Beyond 2000". It aired in the 80s and 90s. People would watch it for a fascinating glimpse into the future. Sometimes it’d blow our minds. Imagine not needing a key to unlock a door, and using a card instead? A “lap” computer! Or a robot that could play chess? Just wow.

Now that we've moved two decades beyond 2000, we have biometric access systems, robotic surgery, 3D printed limbs, electric powered cars. Things certainly have progressed. Redditor u/Red_Baronnsfw found out just how much the world has changed when they asked older people: What's one thing normal at your time but is now bizarre to even think about?

From paper maps, dialing telephones, written letters from penpals, to having to flip through the Yellow Pages to find a phone number… Keep scrolling for an epic trip down memory lane. And find out what life was like for people born before 1980.

This post may include affiliate links.

#1

“What’s One Thing Normal At Your Time But Is Now Bizarre To Even Think About?” (50 Answers) Childhood autonomy.

Once you were a certain age you were free range.

You were expected to act right out in the world and be home when you were told.

Other then that nothing was expected.

No play dates, no cell phone.

And certainly no posting the f*****g stupid thing you just did so others could see it.

When you did stupid s**t you kept it to yourself!

fiblesmish , kevin laminto Report

Final score:

133points

Graham_Illegal 2 weeks ago

This is still common in countries with excellent public transportation, greater public safety, and much less paranoia.

30points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#2

“What’s One Thing Normal At Your Time But Is Now Bizarre To Even Think About?” (50 Answers) I used to have several pen pals in different countries. There was nothing better than coming home from school and finding a letter.

minsandmolls , molenira Report

Final score:

116points

Chonky Panda 2 weeks ago

This is still a very popular thing!!

15points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#3

“What’s One Thing Normal At Your Time But Is Now Bizarre To Even Think About?” (50 Answers) Arriving at the airport shortly before takeoff, checking your luggage with minimal to no hassle, and boarding your flight.

FaberGrad , Natã Romualdo Report

Final score:

97points

Ivona 2 weeks ago

Also, going to the gate with your family and having them send you off, or wait at the gate to meet someone.

62points

View More Replies...

View more comments

r/AskOldPeople is a cool spot online where you can ask older Redittors pretty much anything about life back in the day. It’s not a place to seek personal, health or mental health advice. It’s more for people to come together and reminisce about days gone by. Or for the curious, younger generation to find out how things worked for our forefathers. The community has built up an impressive 739 thousand members. Their main rule is that you can’t answer any of the questions unless you were born in or before 1980.

ADVERTISEMENT

Some of the previous gems that have appeared in the sub include what people were scared of as kids that seem ridiculous now, and what meals their parents constantly made that they refuse to eat as an adult. But it was a question about things that once seemed normal and are now totally bizarre, that got us at Bored Panda thinking. Not just about the past but about the present and future too.

#4

“What’s One Thing Normal At Your Time But Is Now Bizarre To Even Think About?” (50 Answers) The sounds younger people will never know of listening to your modem connect to the internet. It was such a specific, strange series of noises that is instantly recognizable to anyone who lived during the time of dial-up modems.

sittinginthesunshine , Pixabay Report

Final score:

85points

Richard Graham 2 weeks ago

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHW1ho8L7V8

5points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#5

“What’s One Thing Normal At Your Time But Is Now Bizarre To Even Think About?” (50 Answers) Paper maps. You had to figure out your own route to where you wanted to go and road trips seemed more of an adventure back then.

Dangerous_Arachnid99 , Leah Newhouse Report

Final score:

81points

Libstak 2 weeks ago

I love paper maps, it's true it makes travelling feel like a true adventure.

30points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#6

“What’s One Thing Normal At Your Time But Is Now Bizarre To Even Think About?” (50 Answers) Rampant sexism. I couldn't even open a bank account when I got married.

everyonesmom2:

Same. My husband had to sign so I could get a driver's license.

Gold__star , MART PRODUCTION Report

Final score:

80points

similarly 2 weeks ago

I cringe sometimes watching comedies from the 70s and 80s. Like, what were thinking?

39points

View More Replies...

View more comments

ADVERTISEMENT

Nowadays, smoking is frowned upon by some, and often strictly forbidden in public places. But there was a time when second hand smoke was everywhere. On planes, in restaurants, offices, cars carrying kids, and even hospitals. And before 1950, doctors would even appear in cigarette adverts. They had no clue that smoking causes cancer.

By the late 40s, people started seeing a spike in lung cancer and even death. But it wasn’t until the late 1980s that smoking on planes became illegal. And even then, it was only banned on U.S. domestic flights of less than two hours. International flights were finally made smoke-free in the 90s. Really not too long ago if you think about it.

In sharing their comments, Redditors spoke of how their schools had smoking sections, how they could smoke on submarines in their Navy days, and how a hospital ward was once filled with smoke after they'd just had throat surgery.

#7

“What’s One Thing Normal At Your Time But Is Now Bizarre To Even Think About?” (50 Answers) The Yellow Pages.

not_falling_down:

And phone books in general. If you knew someone's name, you could find their address and phone number. And if you did not want you name and number in the book, you had to pay extra to have an "unlisted number."

Gomphos , Paul Sableman Report

Final score:

80points

similarly 2 weeks ago

And you could call information in another city and get them to tell you the number if you had the name.

25points

View more comments

#8

Having all the phone numbers of my family, friends and work memorized because there were no cell phones.

Ineffable7980x Report

Final score:

80points

Gavin Johnson 2 weeks ago

485 2509, I left that house 32 years ago, 485 7503 the girl who dumped me 34 years ago, 486 7703 Grandma & Grandad now sadly deceased. Area code deliberately left off obviously.

25points

View More Replies...

View more comments

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

#9

Making ashtrays as a craft project in elementary school.

WhatHmmHuh Report

Final score:

79points

Michael Largey 2 weeks ago

Any craft project I ever attempted ended up as an ash tray.

33points

View More Replies...

View more comments

Just as cigarette smoke was considered sexy, safety wasn’t taken too seriously. Seatbelts were there for show. Some cars didn’t even have them. In the 1950s it became mandatory for racing drivers to wear seatbelts. And in the 60s, American passenger vehicles had to have them. But still, people didn’t really have to use them. That included babies and children. Believe it or not.

As Defensive Driving reports, “The National Ad Council ran countless ads for 25 plus years encouraging drivers to ‘Buckle Up’. States slowly starting implementing laws and by 1995, every state except New Hampshire had “Click it or ticket” laws. Currently, all states have a seat belt enforcing law.” And just as well, because the National Safety Council says seatbelts saved almost 375 thousands lives in the country between 1975 and 2017.

#10

“What’s One Thing Normal At Your Time But Is Now Bizarre To Even Think About?” (50 Answers) World Book Encyclopedia.

If you were rich, you'd have the Encyclopedia Britannica.

woodwerker76 , World Book Report

Final score:

77points

Don Adams 2 weeks ago

Not rich. A local grocery store (around 1968 or so) sold the Columbia Encyclopedia at around $3.99 per volume (22 volumes in the complete set). Decent enough encyclopedias, but it took like 5 months to collect all the volumes (in alphabetical order). Luckily I did not have to do a report on the Yangtze River early in the school year...

22points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#11

“What’s One Thing Normal At Your Time But Is Now Bizarre To Even Think About?” (50 Answers) Sitting on my dad's lap while he was driving. He let me steer, too.

Also--cramming ten kids into a VW beetle (aged 10-14, birthday parties or picking up friends to play for the day), no seat belt, of course.

LouisePoet , LightFieldStudios Report

Final score:

77points

similarly 2 weeks ago

Riding in the back of the pickup, the wind in your hair.

50points

View More Replies...

View more comments

ADVERTISEMENT

#12

Parents whacking kids with things. Belts, sticks, hangers, wooden spoons, rulers. It’s what parents did. Nobody even blinked when it happened.

My dad wasn’t the spanker in the family and one day my mom got mad and said he had to do it. I was scared because Dad was really strong. I put a book down the back of my pants. When I came and bent over his knee he saw my square butt and started laughing. My mom got so mad but Dad just couldn’t hit me and couldn’t stop laughing.

He never hit me once ever.

Gen-Jinjur Report

Final score:

71points

similarly 2 weeks ago

Good Dad.

46points

View more comments

Secondhand smoke and a lack of safety precautions might not be sorely missed. But there are some things a few older Redditors want returned. Like pen pals and posted letters. “I used to have several pen pals in different countries,” wrote u/minsandmolls “There was nothing better than coming home from school and finding a letter.”

If you don’t know what a pen pal is, the Oxford Dictionary defines it like this: “a person that you make friends with by writing letters or emails, often somebody you have never met.” Almost like how we chat to strangers on social media. But it took a lot longer back then. Both to send a letter, and to receive a reply. Here is a really sweet story about two pen pals who finally met for the first time after 43 years.

ADVERTISEMENT

#13

“What’s One Thing Normal At Your Time But Is Now Bizarre To Even Think About?” (50 Answers) Photos were expensive, more rare, and took time to even see how they turned out.

You too pictures, dropped your film off (e.g. at a photo booth/stand with a person in a grocery store parking lot or at a film processing shop) then waited for the film to be developed and printed (roughly a week), extra cost to expedite.

DangerousMusic14 , Glenn Carstens-Peters Report

Final score:

69points

Gavin Johnson 2 weeks ago

I remember one hour photo production coming to our local chemist, thinking it was amazing and we’d never get faster. Now I can take a photo and send it straight to my photo quality printer in 30 seconds, no need to even leave the house. Even better I can email it to my cousin in Australia (I’m in the U.K.) and HE can print it in under 30 seconds. The world’s gone mad!

31points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#14

When I started working, women were required to wear nylons/pantyhose. And dresses/skirts were preferred. "Pant suits" were considered "casual".

The year I graduated from high school, I would not have been able to secure a mortgage from a bank as a single woman, salary notwithstanding. Even purchasing a car was iffy, banks did not lend to women without some sort of male guardian co-signing the loan. In the US.

It was routine to be passed over for positions as a female. There were no repercussions, it was normal. It was not considered discrimination; men needed the jobs more.

...and so very, very much more. And no, I'm not 80 years old.

Walu_lolo Report

Final score:

67points

Limey 2 weeks ago

Same OP. I am not 80 either and I remember ALL this. It’s much closer in time than young people imagine now. The time that woman have been free to do/work/dress as they please is SO MUCH shorter than the time we weren’t. That’s why we must not let certain people take us backwards to that, here in the US

41points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#15

“What’s One Thing Normal At Your Time But Is Now Bizarre To Even Think About?” (50 Answers) Smoking in hospitals and on airplanes.

Disastrous-Variety15:

Or even better: in restaurants.

frank-sarno:

There was a smoking section in my high school. I remember a girl who I had a massive crush on coming back from the smoking area and thinking, "She's smokes. She's so TOUGH."

WoodsColt , Zamaie Chinye Report

Final score:

64points

similarly 2 weeks ago

My high school not only had a sanctioned smoking area for students, there was an unsanctioned area for smoking pot out by the tennis courts and EVERYBODY knew it. You could see the kids smoking pot over there. I think the teachers just thought "Well, we know where they are ..."

29points

View More Replies...

View more comments

In an age of instant communication, it could seem strange having to wait days, weeks, or months to receive correspondence from a friend, family member or even lover. But that’s exactly how it was. u/Airplade said they remember “Running to my mailbox hoping to get a letter from my girlfriend away at college. Or finally getting that cool thing I mail ordered eight weeks ago.”

A type of email was invented in the 1970s, before the internet existed. But it wasn’t until the 90s that email, as we know it, became publicly popular. And today, we have text messaging, and even video calls. Folks back then could never imagine the instant gratification of greeting someone face to face. While using a mobile phone. And sitting, standing or walking on opposite sides of the world.

#16

Always carrying dimes, later quarters, when on a date, in case things went sideways.
allflour:

Phone booths. Dude every now and again I need one still and they are gone!

StayedBcauseYnot Report

Final score:

62points

Subaru645 2 weeks ago

Where the phrase drop a dime came from…

11points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#17

“What’s One Thing Normal At Your Time But Is Now Bizarre To Even Think About?” (50 Answers) Calling the movie theater to see what was playing and what the showtimes were.

Appropriate_Canary26 , Jake Hills Report

Final score:

62points

Francois 2 weeks ago

Nah you could find the times in the local newspaper.

39points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#18

No seatbelts and having 2car keys. One ignition key and one trunk key.

onnorthshore Report

Final score:

60points

Shark Lady 2 weeks ago

I can remember going with my dad to get seatbelts fitted into our car.

11points

View More Replies...

View more comments

In the 70s and 80s, people thought there was a real possibility of living on the moon. It was thought that by the year 2000, we’d have colonies in space and we’d be “driving” flying cars. The "Space Race" had blasted off years earlier. Russia and America were going head to head to explore the great unknown. In 1975, Nasa even hired an artist, to illustrate their futuristic view of life on Mars and the moon. But as we now know, it was not meant to be.

#19

“What’s One Thing Normal At Your Time But Is Now Bizarre To Even Think About?” (50 Answers) As soon as I turned 13, it was assumed by the entire neighborhood that I would babysit. It was common for me to have three kids under the age of seven for hours at a time. This was considered normal for all my friends, too.

TXteachr2018 , hwilson8 Report

Final score:

60points

PeepPeep the duck 2 weeks ago

I was so lucky I was the naughty girl kid growing up so no one in their right minds would have ever trusted me and I wouldn’t have wanted it 😂

23points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#20

Children going off to friends' houses all day, without their parents knowing where they are. Kids traveling around like feral animals in packs, riding bikes, chasing the ice cream truck.

Lopsided_Panic_1148 Report

Final score:

56points

Aussiegirl 2 weeks ago

Not a water bottle in sight

36points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#21

“What’s One Thing Normal At Your Time But Is Now Bizarre To Even Think About?” (50 Answers) Having to actually, get up off my butt, to change the TV channel or to answer the phone, hanging on the wall.

GCKrazy , jijieforsythe Report

Final score:

54points

John Nelson 2 weeks ago

When I was a kid, I was the TV remote! :)

37points

View More Replies...

View more comments

On New Year's eve 1999, parts of the world held their collective breath. The masses waited for planes to fall from the sky, computers to stop working, bank vaults to burst open, and the world to end. Billions were spent preparing for the worst. The Y2K bug was about to bite as the clock struck 12. Or so some thought...

As Forbes reported, "computers around the world weren’t equipped to deal with the fact of the year 2000. Their software thought of years as two digits. When the year 99 gave way to the year 00, data would behave as if it were about the year 1900, a century before, and system upon system in an almost infinite chain of dominoes would fail. Billions were spent trying to prepare for what seemed almost inevitable."

#22

“What’s One Thing Normal At Your Time But Is Now Bizarre To Even Think About?” (50 Answers) Just not knowing. If you were meeting up with a friend at a certain place and time, and they didn't show up, there was no way to follow up. If you didn't know whether a certain celebrity was alive or dead, you asked a friend and hoped they were right. Where is the closest veterinarian? What does it mean when my car makes a beeping sound? What year did the Hundred Years War end? What should you do if you break a toe?

Pre-internet, all of these things were mysteries and you had to hope you had smart friends or a very well-stocked library nearby.

Editing to add that applying for jobs was the worst. You'd have to submit your resume in paper, then go home and wait for a call that might never come, meanwhile you could be out looking for other jobs.

nakedonmygoat , Eren Li Report

Final score:

53points

Ava Lemar 2 weeks ago (edited)

Without cell phones, my parents would leave the telephone number of the restaurant they would be dining at for the evening for us on a piece of paper. And in an event of emergency, you could call the restaurant and ask them to find your group or parent and have one of them come to the phone.

26points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#23

Small corner stores, “I’m buying beer/cigarettes for my mom/dad/grandpa” and coming home with exactly that.

Final score:

52points

Mike F 2 weeks ago

The owners of the stores where I grew up knew our parents, and us, before we could talk. You knew what was in the area behind the check-stand because you saw it from the time you were a toddler. They knew your name and let you slide if you were a nickel short and would sell you smokes with a note, but never alcohol. Perhaps it was different before the 60's, but certainly not in our neighborhood.

11points

View more comments

#24

The dewey decimal system was the only way to find a book.

Li_3303:

And Librarians! (I’m a retired librarian).

Final score:

50points

Hassel Davidhoff 2 weeks ago

I'm a librarian and I love the dewey decimal system!

12points

View more comments

In a bizarre "twist of fate", on 1 January 2000, we entered the 21st century. A whole new millenium. Much ado about nothing. Babies were born. Life went on. Not a single plane fell from the sky. The masses breathed a collective sigh of relief and continued partying like it was 1999.

Just as we find some things super strange about the past, it’s quite likely that the kids of the future will look back on the 2020s and wonder what the hell we were thinking. Afterall, with every new era comes a new normal. What do you think seems normal now but will seem oddly peculiar in a couple of years? Let us know in the comments.

#25

“What’s One Thing Normal At Your Time But Is Now Bizarre To Even Think About?” (50 Answers) Running to my mailbox hoping to get a letter from my girlfriend away at college. Or finally getting that cool thing I mail ordered eight weeks ago.

Airplade , Abstrakt Xxcellence Studios Report

Final score:

50points

similarly 2 weeks ago

My wife and I still have the letters we wrote to each other over 30 years ago. Some of those letters have crossed the ocean with us on various moves 3-4 times.

24points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#26

The milk man. Milk, eggs, cheese and other dairy-adjacent items delivered to the house weekly. And the milk and OJ was in glass, returnable bottles.

not_falling_down Report

Final score:

49points

Bernd Herbert 2 weeks ago

Well, the reusable bottles were definitely better for the environment.

24points

View More Replies...

View more comments

See Also on Bored Panda

Dutch Swimmer Goes Viral For Super Revealing Trunks During 2024 Olympics: “Is This Legal?”

Dutch Swimmer Goes Viral For Super Revealing Trunks During 2024 Olympics: “Is This Legal?”

Dutch Swimmer Goes Viral For Super Revealing Trunks During 2024 Olympics: “Is This Legal?”

Thrill-Seeking Diver Jumps Down Extreme Waterslide, Ignoring The Strict Ban For Women

Thrill-Seeking Diver Jumps Down Extreme Waterslide, Ignoring The Strict Ban For Women

Thrill-Seeking Diver Jumps Down Extreme Waterslide, Ignoring The Strict Ban For Women

#27

“What’s One Thing Normal At Your Time But Is Now Bizarre To Even Think About?” (50 Answers) Anytime you answered a phone you had no idea who was calling you.

Not knowing 1 single person's phone number - except my vet's office of of 30 years. For some reason it is the only number I still remember. Not including Jenny's number of course.

gametime-2001 , Engin Akyurt Report

Final score:

48points

LaserBrain 2 weeks ago (edited)

867-5309!!

38points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#28

The last day of school before Christmas in 1975, in my small town in California, the school bus broke down and the principal gave us a ride in the back of his Chevy pick up truck.

Technical_Air6660 Report

Final score:

46points

PeepPeep the duck 2 weeks ago

I once had a late detention where my mums wife wouldn’t let my mum pick me up from school and made me walk home, my vice proncipal saw me half way and said ‘get in but don’t tell anyone’. I was so lucky he gave me a lift home, I’d be walking for 2 hours and had 2 more to go and it was already getting dark 😂

15points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#29

“What’s One Thing Normal At Your Time But Is Now Bizarre To Even Think About?” (50 Answers) How utterly unsupervised we were as tiny children. I remember taking care of my brother by myself for the full summer while my parents worked starting at 8, he was 4.

alwayssoupy:

Yes, and my parents would leave us 4 kids in the car while they stopped for groceries. It seemed like they were gone for a while, but I'm not sure now. At least long enough for everyone to be dared to honk the horn, run the windshield wipers, and if we were really brave, get out and run in a circle around the car.

Shapoopadoopie , Chayene Rafaela Report

Final score:

45points

similarly 2 weeks ago

I remember walking down the road, kids all under age 10, to the gas station to buy snacks with the loose change we'd gathered together.

27points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#30

“What’s One Thing Normal At Your Time But Is Now Bizarre To Even Think About?” (50 Answers) Dogs pooping everywhere. NOBODY picked up dog poop.

Free roaming pets, especially dogs which is far more rare now except in rural areas. It was common to have one or two neighborhood dogs that everybody knew by name, just wandering around.

ethottly , RDNE Stock project Report

Final score:

45points

Mabelbabel 2 weeks ago

And dog poop was mostly a different colour-it was a clay/pale grey-white colour, not poop brown. It was something to do with the ingredients in commercially available pet food at the time I think.

18points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#31

Gas stations where they pumped your gas, checked your oil and washed your windows for that dollar or two you were spending. In the early 70s we would get 50c worth of gas to run around on all night.

Final score:

44points

Joshua David 2 weeks ago

Happys in Spring Valley IL still pumps the gas for you.

7points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#32

Also hand me downs. Most kids lived in had downs. Even me the only girl got my brother clothes. People would b*****k you if you got a mess on you because ‘that jumper goes to your cousin Samantha next. It had already been through Debbie and Lyndsey now me. You have to look after your stuff especially clothes and we were taught to fix clothes too

Toys. You got one or two. Not a full room. By time your 10 it’s full but took time to build up a collection. I had a pink car. Brother 1 helicopter and brother 2 train so one toy each till we were like 4 and 5. We could play with toilet roll tubes. Coat hangers. Make up our own toys. We got hand me down toys aswell. But it was never just buy a toy. It was earned. Birthday present or Christmas or earned by doing good work or a job

Crunchie2020 Report

Final score:

43points

ynyrhydref56 2 weeks ago

Veteran of the 'girl child wearing older brothers' hand-me-downs' here

13points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#33

“What’s One Thing Normal At Your Time But Is Now Bizarre To Even Think About?” (50 Answers) The father of my children was 21 when I met him, I was 15. No one batted an eye. This was 50 years ago.

Vtfla , Rachael Crowe Report

Final score:

42points

Mary Hiers 2 weeks ago

My parents met in school when they were 15. They married after high school and remained married for 67 years before dying within weeks of each other. I think they were both exceptionally lucky for one, and were both good, strong people willing to build a real partnership. (I've been divorced twice and refuse to ever marry again, so I know their commitment level isn't hereditary, lol.)

16points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#34

Chicken pox parties.

Scottybt50:

My wife recalls as a kid being sent over to visit a friend who had chicken pox.

FaxCelestis Report

Final score:

40points

Ava Lemar 2 weeks ago

My mom had my brother and I play together when I was experiencing chicken pox to ensure hed get it too. The thought was that it would be better for the household to get it all at once and be done with it.

16points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#35

If you wanted to watch your TV show you had to be in front of the television at the time it came on. If you missed it, you had to wait ages for it to show up and reruns. And you had to time your bathroom breaks with the commercials.

Final score:

40points

Ava Lemar 2 weeks ago

And t.v. programming schedules were printed in your local newspaper.

18points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#36

I remember getting up extra early on Winter mornings to go across town before elementary school to add water and shovel coal into my grandmother’s boiler, stopping after school go shovel more, running over after supper to keep it going and again before bed. Had to keep granny warm if I wanted her brownies. .

PashaNobody Report

Final score:

39points

Judy Reynolds 2 weeks ago

Sounds like a good arrangement - your muscles in exchange for her brownies!

12points

View More Replies...

View more comments

See Also on Bored Panda

Woman Put A Water Fountain With A Camera In Her Yard, Here Are 24 Photos Of Regular Visitors (New Pics)

Woman Put A Water Fountain With A Camera In Her Yard, Here Are 24 Photos Of Regular Visitors (New Pics)

Woman Put A Water Fountain With A Camera In Her Yard, Here Are 24 Photos Of Regular Visitors (New Pics)

“Ma’am I Live Here”: Woman Refuses To Back Out Of Driveway, Learns A Lesson The Hard Way

“Ma’am I Live Here”: Woman Refuses To Back Out Of Driveway, Learns A Lesson The Hard Way

“Ma’am I Live Here”: Woman Refuses To Back Out Of Driveway, Learns A Lesson The Hard Way

#37

“What’s One Thing Normal At Your Time But Is Now Bizarre To Even Think About?” (50 Answers) Someone dropping in for an unexpected visit. We always had neighbors or friends just stopping by when I was younger.

These days I don’t even think I’d answer the door for my sister if she dropped in unexpectedly.

Peachy33 , RDNE Stock project Report

Final score:

37points

leendadll 2 weeks ago

My neighbor constantly drops by unexpectedly and I play deaf/dead.

12points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#38

Rushing to the bank on Friday to cash my paycheck.

typhoidmarry Report

Final score:

37points

nottheactualphoto 2 weeks ago

One place I worked had frequent trouble making payroll. So yes, we would all race to the owner's bank to cash our paychecks.

11points

View more comments

#39

Putting my oldest child on the floor boards in car. This was before car seats. She was a newborn so it was clean, I couldn’t just put her on the seat otherwise when I stopped at lights she’d roll off😂.

Elephant-Bright Report

Final score:

36points

similarly 2 weeks ago

I remember being really small and riding on the little shelf space between the back seat and the read window, looking at the stars on long trips. That would be SO illegal now with car seat laws.

27points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#40

Riding bikes and skateboards without helmets and pads. Also building ramps to see how many kids you could jump your bike over. (Thank you Evil Knievel and the Wide World of Sports).

Proud_Western3736 Report

Final score:

35points

similarly 2 weeks ago

I didn't even see a bicycle helmet until I was an adult.

15points

View more comments

#41

Girls couldn't wear pants in elementary school. Lots of pictures of snow days and we're wearing knee socks!

splattermatters Report

Final score:

34points

Little Wonder 2 weeks ago

At one of our school assemblies in the early 90s, the Vice Principal stood up to say he was disappointed that so many of the girls were wearing jeans instead of the Winter Uniform and said firmly "Tights are just as warm as jeans" which to 300 teenagers was the funniest thing, and we started asking how he knew.

32points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#42

“What’s One Thing Normal At Your Time But Is Now Bizarre To Even Think About?” (50 Answers) I was talking with a young person yesterday and asked her if she knew what a "mother's little helper" was. In the 60s, suburban housewives were taking valium. It was legal, and commonly referred to as "diet pills." You could easily get a prescription. So many pill poppers back then.

jefuchs , JESHOOTS.com Report

Final score:

34points

nottheactualphoto 2 weeks ago

In all fairness, Valium is pretty awesome stuff.

16points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#43

Vehicle gas cap located behind the license plate.

bdbdbokbuck Report

Final score:

33points

Richard Graham 2 weeks ago

1950s GM cars (Chevrolet, Pontiac, Cadillac, Oldsmobile) had the gas cap behind a tail light. 26eb0a51b4...075273.jpg

12points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#44

“What’s One Thing Normal At Your Time But Is Now Bizarre To Even Think About?” (50 Answers) The sissy test. My sibling’s peer group required you erase a patch of your skin to prove you weren’t a sissy. I am female but I was no sissy! I was an idiot, however.

Short-Writing956 , Pixabay Report

Final score:

33points

KillerKiwi 2 weeks ago

I have never heard of this wow

19points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#45

"Airing out water"

I grew up with my grandmother in an inpoverished area. The wealthier people (middle class) had the good water. Everyone else had water that was extremely sulfuric smelling/tasting. Think like strong eggs smell. We had to set out water overnight in open containers so the sulfur would evaporate. After a night of this then the water would taste/smell fine.

Nevilles_Remembrall_ Report

Final score:

33points

Ava Lemar 2 weeks ago (edited)

My grandfather lived in a smelly water area like that. He would visit us regularly, as we lived a few towns away and had a different water source, and he would bring a big plastic water canteen with him and fill it in our bathtub to take home with him.

11points

View more comments

#46

As a child in grade school we had nuclear bomb drills. Yup. We’d all hide under our desks. Seriously! It’s kinda like TSA now - as if, what we doing, would somehow make everything alright.

UserJH4202 Report

Final score:

33points

Ace 2 weeks ago

Nowadays they just have active shooter drills instead.

21points

View More Replies...

View more comments

See Also on Bored Panda

30 Of The Funniest Halloween Fails That People Couldn’t Resist Sharing

30 Of The Funniest Halloween Fails That People Couldn’t Resist Sharing

30 Of The Funniest Halloween Fails That People Couldn’t Resist Sharing

50 Of The Most Incredible Shots That Were Submitted To The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

50 Of The Most Incredible Shots That Were Submitted To The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

50 Of The Most Incredible Shots That Were Submitted To The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

#47

Boredom leading to creation.

Chalkarts Report

Final score:

32points

Jeremy James 2 weeks ago

I think that's how the Big Bang started.

12points

View more comments

#48

When I was around 14-15 years old, there was a famous pop singer/guitar player in the neighborhood who would seduce all the 13-year-old girls we wanted to kiss. He was around 30-35 at the time, according to his Wikipedia bio. We obviously hated him with a passion, but that was because he was a much more successful competitor; it never crossed our minds that there would be something morally wrong with what he did ("grooming" was what poodle owners did to their dogs, back then). After all, all he did was what we wanted to do!, or so we thought.

I still hate that guy, and his songs, and the horse he rode in.

Final score:

29points

Apatheist Account2 2 weeks ago

We never heard the word "paedophile" back then either. My mum cautioned us to be aware of "funny men" (not meaning comedians or clowns - but looking back...).

17points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#49

Hitchhiking.

I never did it bc I was too young (in the 70s) when it was popular, and it had pretty much faded out by the time I was a teenager, but I remember hitchhikers were EVERYWHERE in the 70s.

Tiegra_Summerstar Report

Final score:

28points

Donna Peluda 2 weeks ago

I did it all the time. From 11 or 12 years old.

7points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#50

Typing homework. And keeping citations on index cards. God help you if you dropped the cards.

twomississippi Report

Final score:

28points

Ava Lemar 2 weeks ago

Typing class in high school was a very noisy place.

11points

View More Replies...

View more comments

Note: this post originally had 75 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.

Greta Jaruševičiūtė

Greta is a Photo Editor-in-Chief at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication.In 2016, she graduated from Digital Advertising courses where she had an opportunity to meet and learn from industry professionals. In the same year, she started working at Bored Panda as a photo editor.Greta is a coffeeholic and cannot survive a day without 5 cups of coffee... and her cute, big-eared dog.Her biggest open secret: she is a gamer with a giant gaming backlog.

Greta is a Photo Editor-in-Chief at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication.In 2016, she graduated from Digital Advertising courses where she had an opportunity to meet and learn from industry professionals. In the same year, she started working at Bored Panda as a photo editor.Greta is a coffeeholic and cannot survive a day without 5 cups of coffee... and her cute, big-eared dog.Her biggest open secret: she is a gamer with a giant gaming backlog.

Rugilė Žemaitytė

As a Visual Editor at Bored Panda, my favorite part of the job involves browsing the web for the cutest cat pics, the funniest memes and eye-catching illustrations to brighten up your day!

As a Visual Editor at Bored Panda, my favorite part of the job involves browsing the web for the cutest cat pics, the funniest memes and eye-catching illustrations to brighten up your day!

Robyn Smith

Robyn is an award-winning journalist who has produced work for several international media outlets. Made in Africa and exported to the world, she is obsessed with travel and the allure of new places. A lover of words and visuals, Robyn is part of the Bored Panda writing team. This Panda has two bamboo tattoos: A map of Africa & the words "Be Like The Bamboo... Bend Never Break."

Robyn is an award-winning journalist who has produced work for several international media outlets. Made in Africa and exported to the world, she is obsessed with travel and the allure of new places. A lover of words and visuals, Robyn is part of the Bored Panda writing team. This Panda has two bamboo tattoos: A map of Africa & the words "Be Like The Bamboo... Bend Never Break."

What do you think ?

Hassel Davidhoff 2 weeks ago

The thing I miss from my youth is that I could go somewhere and it wouldn't be farking crowded. Everywhere I go now there are people. Like, I used to spend a lot of time outdoors; hiking kayaking, all that. Now everyone is into it, destroying the peace and isolation that made it nice in the first place. Part of this is that there are 3 billion+ more people on the planet. The other part is that, during the pandemic, people who previously weren't part of the outdoors/hiking/kayaking community suddenly realized they could do that to get out of the house. I'm happy y'all discovered nature but it used to be so much more peaceful without EVERYONE and their dog on the trails and rivers, taking selfies and making noise.

11points

John Harrison 2 weeks ago

1. Agreed. 2. A counter example: The movie theater sure is less crowded, nowadays.

2points

Load More Replies...

E2U&U2 2 weeks ago

Hose water. We were expected to entertain ourselves for hours outside in the summer when school was not in session. Parents didn't want us inside where we might mess up the clean house. The only rule was that we had to be home when the street lights came on. We neighborhood kids would roam for miles like free-range chickens, making up adventures. When thirsty, entering anybody's yard to get a drink from their hose was okay. The water was always deliciously cold and refreshing. We'd drink, spray ourselves down on hot days and be on our way. That was the life!

10points

Breadcrumb. 2 weeks ago

Teenage pregnancy. It used to be 50% of all births where from teen moms. My highschool had a daycare for the students children Now we have given young girls a better education and start in life, which is something to be celebrated but instead this is something American politicians want to bring back because low birth rates effect lining there pockets from low income earners.

6points

Wielder of Yielder 2 weeks ago

YOUR HIGH SCHOOL HAD TO HAVE A DAYCARE FOR STUDENTS' CHILDREN?!?!? What the everlasting f***??? To a Dane like me, that sounds like some sort of bizarre dystopia.

3points

Load More Replies...

Load More Comments

Hassel Davidhoff 2 weeks ago

The thing I miss from my youth is that I could go somewhere and it wouldn't be farking crowded. Everywhere I go now there are people. Like, I used to spend a lot of time outdoors; hiking kayaking, all that. Now everyone is into it, destroying the peace and isolation that made it nice in the first place. Part of this is that there are 3 billion+ more people on the planet. The other part is that, during the pandemic, people who previously weren't part of the outdoors/hiking/kayaking community suddenly realized they could do that to get out of the house. I'm happy y'all discovered nature but it used to be so much more peaceful without EVERYONE and their dog on the trails and rivers, taking selfies and making noise.

11points

John Harrison 2 weeks ago

1. Agreed. 2. A counter example: The movie theater sure is less crowded, nowadays.

2points

Load More Replies...

E2U&U2 2 weeks ago

Hose water. We were expected to entertain ourselves for hours outside in the summer when school was not in session. Parents didn't want us inside where we might mess up the clean house. The only rule was that we had to be home when the street lights came on. We neighborhood kids would roam for miles like free-range chickens, making up adventures. When thirsty, entering anybody's yard to get a drink from their hose was okay. The water was always deliciously cold and refreshing. We'd drink, spray ourselves down on hot days and be on our way. That was the life!

10points

Breadcrumb. 2 weeks ago

Teenage pregnancy. It used to be 50% of all births where from teen moms. My highschool had a daycare for the students children Now we have given young girls a better education and start in life, which is something to be celebrated but instead this is something American politicians want to bring back because low birth rates effect lining there pockets from low income earners.

6points

Wielder of Yielder 2 weeks ago

YOUR HIGH SCHOOL HAD TO HAVE A DAYCARE FOR STUDENTS' CHILDREN?!?!? What the everlasting f***??? To a Dane like me, that sounds like some sort of bizarre dystopia.

3points

Load More Replies...

Load More Comments

Back to Homepage

More about Curiosities

Next in Curiosities

Related on Bored Panda

Related on Bored Panda

Editor's Choice

Trending on Bored Panda

Also on Bored Panda