Some people are bothered by their ages. The number of years they have been walking around on the planet. Others simply see it as that — a number.
Mostly, for me, age has never been a thing. Maybe it is because I’ve always been the youngest. I’m the youngest of my siblings. All of my friends are older, for some reason. And when my birthday rolls around, as my 60th did just a week ago, I merely see it as another day.
But every so often, I get a glimpse of someone on TV, and for whatever reason, their age is mentioned. And I’ll say, “Oh my god. Judy Johanssenburg is 62 years old? You’re kidding me.” And then I realize that is my age too.
And then there are “eras.” People talk about the 1980s. Or 1970s. As eras. To me, these feel like just yesterday. My primo years. When in fact, the 1970s were a half century ago.
And now they are calling that decade “iconic.” The time that gave us bell bottoms, boogie-down Disco music, and loads of groovy products.
Several items, like the Rubik’s Cube and Dungeons & Dragons, celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2024. So, let’s look at some of them and wish them a crusty, old birthday.
1. Post-It Notes
In 1968, a scientist named Spencer Silver accidentally developed an adhesive. What made this glue different is that it had the “balance” of being weak enough to separate papers without tearing them. But it was also strong enough to stick to an additional surface. But Silver and his company couldn’t think of a practical way to market the adhesive. For a time, it remained a fruitless idea.
Everything changed when a guy named Art Fry came along in 1974. He was a church-going kind of dude. And, while singing in church, he wondered if there was a way to leave a stick-on bookmark in his hymnal. Fry and Silver worked together to develop prototypes, and eventually, the modern-day Post-It Note was born. Hallelujah.
2. The Rubik’s Cube
Oh, that good old colorful Rubik’s Cube. It was developed in 1974 by a Hungarian man named Ernó Rubik. Erno loved a puzzle. And he came up with this fun little game that he initially called a “Magic Cube.” Ernó was genuinely fascinated by geometry and invented the cube to challenge himself. And with it, he created a cube-turning frenzy.
3. The UPC Bar Code
An inventor named Joe Woodland came up with the idea for the bar while relaxing on the beach. He scratched out a design in the sand and knew that it had the potential to revolutionize shopping.
After going through a series of trials, prototypes, and designs, the first UPC Bar Code was scanned in our own little Troy, Ohio, in 1974. The first one appeared on none other than an average pack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit gum. Now, the barcode is everywhere. Keeping track of everything. I think new babies might even have little barcodes on their butts.
4. Bailey’s Irish Cream
Believe it or not, I’ve never tasted Bailey’s Irish Creme. I’ve always been a black coffee kind of gal. And when I used to drink alcohol, it was never, ever the sweet stuff, as I don’t eat sugar. Regardless, this combination of rich, sweet cream and stern whiskey was born in 1974.
5. The Heimlich Maneuver
Hopefully, none of us will ever need it. However, it used to be that when someone was choking, the common response was repeated strikes to the back.
Then, a man named Henry Heimlich came along; he developed and popularized his namesake abdominal thrust maneuver. The Heimlich Maneuver started as a theory based on the doctor’s observations in dogs and turned out to have a high success rate in preventing fatal choking episodes.
6. Stephen King’s First Novel, Carrie
The King of Horror. It is hard to believe, but King’s first novel, Carrie, came along in 1974. That scary story about a young girl who is relentlessly bullied and retaliates with telekinetic powers. King has had quite the career since.
7. Skittles
There was a time when I loved a good Skittle. They were originally invented in the United Kingdom in 1974, though the confection didn’t enter the U.S. candy scene in North America until 1979. There isn’t a lot of confirmed information about the origins of fruity, delicious Skittles. However, on their website, the Skittles Company tells a wild tale about how the rainbow treats came from space.
There are many more from 1974.
Connect Four Game
Modern Liposuction
DayQuil
The Meow Mix Jingle
Kinder Surprise Eggs
Dungeons & Dragons
Bold Laundry Detergent
People Magazine
And many more.
So. Embrace the age of the 1970s. It seems like only yesterday.
When we crunched on Skittles while reading Carrie and marking our favorite pages with Post-It Notes.
Hip-Hip. Hooray.
But not too hard. You might hurt a hip.
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“The longer I live, the more beautiful life becomes.”
– Frank Lloyd Wright
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Aging as Growth: “Aging is just another word for living.”
– George Burns
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“You don’t stop laughing when you grow old, you grow old when you stop laughing.”
– George Bernard Shaw
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Wait. It is an “era” now? Holy Skittles.
