It Was Believed That A Woman’s Voice Was Linked To Their Attractiveness
Back in the 60s, speaking softly and gently was seen as a feminine quality. To help young girls develop this, they were told to hold a matchstick between their teeth while talking on the phone. If the person on the other end could tell it was there, they needed more practice.
A Guide For Housewives Told Women That “Husbands Should Always Be Given the Opportunity To Speak First”
Hard to believe there was ever a time when women were basically taught to put their husband’s opinions above their own, stay quiet, and just listen.
The Wife’s Responsibility Was To Maintain A Well-Organized Household
Women were expected to keep the house clean and organized at all times, making sure everything was in place and ready for when their husband got home from work.
ATMs Were Believed To Be Ineffective
When ATMs first came out, people weren’t really sure they needed them and mostly avoided using them. Now it’s hard to imagine life without one.
Laser Erasers Hailed As A Groundbreaking Technological Innovation
Back in the day, lasers were actually used to correct typewriter errors. You’d line up this big laser gun with the mistake on the paper and fire it, which usually took around 15 to 20 seconds to do the job. Now they’re used for things like eye surgery and tattoo removal.
Talking On A Date Wasn’t Believed To Be Important
In the 1960s, a lot of people tried to avoid talking during dates altogether. The thinking was that women weren’t good at conversation, so the advice was to plan activities where no one had to say much of anything the whole time.
Many Believed Nighttime Baby Feeding Fostered Socialist Tendencies
If your baby cried at night, you were told to leave them alone, because picking them up might teach them that they’d always get what they want. Basically, comforting your child was compared to “sowing the seeds of socialism.”
Teens Were Told To Prioritize Active Dates To Maintain A Healthy And Non-Physical Relationship
Back in the 60s, teens were basically told to stay busy so they wouldn’t get too comfortable with each other. The idea was to pack dates full of activities to avoid any physical intimacy, which at the time was seen as completely inappropriate and shameful.
It Was Expected That Infants Should Quickly Adapt to the Family’s Regular Eating Routines
By nine weeks old, a baby was expected to eat the same food as everyone else in the family. Apparently, people actually believed this would help keep the child from growing up to be a communist.
It Was Instructed That Weight Gain Should Be Avoided By Pregnant Women
During pregnancy, doctors usually recommend gaining around 20 pounds. To manage this, some suggest skipping lunch and sticking to non-fat dairy products.
The Recommended Retirement Age For Flight Attendants Was 32
Before 1972, being a flight attendant came with a pretty strict expiration date. Airlines required stewardesses to retire the moment they turned 32, on top of already having to meet tight physical standards just to keep the job.
People Believed We’d Have A Shorter Work Week By Now
Back in the 1960s, people made a lot of predictions about what life would look like decades later, and most of them never came true. One of the more appealing ones was that by the 21st century, Americans would be working 30-hour weeks and taking month-long vacations. Would have been nice.
State-Organized Lotteries Were Deemed Morally Offensive
Back in the 1960s, lotteries run by the government were illegal. New Hampshire was the first state to legalize one, using it to raise money for schools. Even so, a lot of people weren’t happy about the idea of funding government programs through gambling.
People Believed Sharks Could Help Cure Cancer
Shark cartilage used to be believed to have cancer-fighting properties, partly because people thought sharks couldn’t get cancer. That idea fell apart in the 90s when 42 tumor cases were actually documented in sharks.
It Was Expected That Detroit’s Future Would Always Shine Brightly
The city was supposed to be this thriving, exciting place to live, at least according to predictions made back in the 60s. Instead, it turned into something pretty much the opposite, a hotspot for crime filled with abandoned buildings.
Banks Could Deny Credit Cards To Women
In the 1960s, banks flat out didn’t trust single women with credit cards. If a woman wanted one, she had to be married and get her husband to co-sign, meaning she needed both a husband and his approval just to have a card in her name.
People Thought Future Humans Would Travel Like Moles Underground
The idea that everyone would get around by traveling through underground tunnel networks and popping out wherever they wanted was completely off base.
Some Believed Rock Music Was A Negative Influence On Kids
Kids growing up in the 50s and 60s got swept up in rock ‘n roll, which came with a whole new culture and way of thinking. The older generations weren’t fans though, and a lot of establishments ended up banning it altogether.
Lobotomy With An Ice-Pick Was An Option For Mental Illness
Sticking a long metal rod through someone’s eye socket and into their brain used to be considered a legitimate way to treat mental illness. It did often calm patients down, but it also left a lot of them paralyzed or with serious brain damage.
Some Even Believed Sugar Was Not Harmful To Your Health
People didn’t really understand how bad eating too much sugar actually was. Instead, fat got unfairly blamed, and people were told to avoid it.
Experts Advised To Avoid Cutting Your Hair While Pregnant
Back in the day, people actually believed pregnancy hormones had such a strong effect on a woman’s behavior that she couldn’t be trusted to make basic decisions, like whether to get a haircut. There was even concern that losing those hormones during a haircut could somehow harm the baby.
The Domino Effect Of Communism
About 60 years ago, people were genuinely scared of communism spreading across the globe. The Domino Theory basically said that if one country went communist, the rest would follow like falling dominos until communism took over everywhere. That fear was a big part of why the United States got involved in the Vietnam War.