Baby Boomers: 60 things that have disappeared in the last 60 years | Life & Knowledge


Sixty years of baby boomers! Sixty years in which the lives of the approximately 1.4 million people born in 1964 have changed dramatically.

Things used to be different somehow: instead of smartphones there were phone booths, instead of satnavs there were road atlases and instead of the euro there were German marks. Want a bit of nostalgia? These sixty things have now disappeared from the lives of baby boomers*.

1. Chewing gum machines – the ball cost 10 pfennigs.

2. Otto Catalog – the printed department store.

Claudia Schiffer smiled at the Germans from the Otto catalogue 1995

Claudia Schiffer smiled at the Germans from the Otto catalogue 1995

Photo: *

3. CD player – the music on the disc.

4. Telephone booths – due to lack Mobile the connection to the world!

5. dial – spin the correct number.

Don't dial the wrong number! You could enter the number using the dial

Don't dial the wrong number! You could enter the number using the dial

Photo: *

6. “Bet that, …” – the last campfire on TV.

Cult presenter Thomas Gottschalk at his first “Wetten, dass...” broadcast in Hof on 26.09.1987

Cult presenter Thomas Gottschalk at his first “Wetten, dass…” broadcast in Hof on 26.09.1987

Photo: babiradpicture – abp

7. Live – the German MTV music offshoot.

8. Music show “Formula 1” – the best hits from the 80s.

9. Video cassettes – Love, adventure, crime and family happiness.

10. Smoking on the plane – above the clouds in the cloud.

Cigarette butts were smoking in the last rows of the plane – today there is a strict smoking ban on airplanes

Cigarette butts were smoking in the last rows of the plane – today there is a strict smoking ban on airplanes

Photo: picture alliance / ASSOCIATED PRESS

11. Punica – far too sweet to be healthy.

12. Juke box – hot music for a few pennies.

Rolling Stones, Elvis or Nena? You could dance in front of the jukebox

Rolling Stones, Elvis or Nena? You could dance in front of the jukebox

Photo: Christian Heeb/laif

13. typewriter – tapping, turning, black fingers.

14. Phonebook – all numbers of a city.

15. Intershop – cheap shopping in transit.

In the Intershops you could not pay with the DDR mark

In the Intershops you could not pay with the East German mark

Photo: ullstein – Schneider

16. Telegrams – quick message for birthday or death.

17. Wrigley Spearmint – the freshest stick of chewing gum.

18. YPS booklet – the Comic with the best gimmicks.

19. Test image – we'll continue tomorrow morning.

At some point the TV program was simply over and the viewers could only stare at the test image

At some point the TV program was simply over and the viewers could only stare at the test image

Photo: imago stock&people

20. Matrix printer – smells of spirit and prints purple.

21. Slideshow – Memories that click.

22. slide rule – move to the correct result.

23. cassette – Tape tangle, nothing worked anymore.

Whether music or radio plays: If the tape got tangled, you had to rewind the cassettes with a pencil

Whether music or radio plays: If the tape got tangled, you had to use a pencil to rewind the cassette

Photo: picture alliance / ZB

24. Car phone – always reachable with 10 kilos.

25. Prilblume – makes the tiles more beautiful.

The kitchen decoration of the 70s: The tiled backsplash was embellished with the colorful flowers

The kitchen decoration of the 70s: The tiled backsplash was embellished with the colorful flowers

Photo: Henkel KGaA

26. Swimming caps required – so that the hairstyle stays in place.

27. Phone card – call until the Money was gone.

28. “Super 8” films – Dad as a cameraman.

Actor Willy Millowitsch films his wife Gerda with the “Super 8” camera in 1965

Actor Willy Millowitsch films his wife Gerda with the “Super 8” camera in 1965

Photo: picture alliance/United Archives

29. Walkman – jogging with your favorite music.

30. Paper driving license – first grey, then pink, now plastic.

31. parking meter – the swallowing penny grave.

The parking meters in the shopping streets were intended to deter long-term parkers, today it is done in many places via app

The parking meters in the shopping streets were intended to deter long-term parkers, today it is done in many places via app

Photo: picture alliance / imageBROKER/Siegfried Kuttig

32. Photo film canister – when people still made an effort to take a snapshot.

33. Deutsche Mark – a piggy bank full of 5-mark coins.

34. VW Beetle – those eyes, those curves.

With the Beetle to the South of France: Back then, summer holidays were full of adventure

With the Beetle to the South of France: Back then, summer holidays were full of adventure

Photo: akg-images/Bernhard Wübbel

35. modem – the squeaky way to the Internet.

36. Isetta – the cult, cuddly, huggable ball.

37. Monchhichi – the cuddly monkey with the pacifier.

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Photo: *

38. Nodding Dachshund – the highlight on every rear shelf in the 70s.

39. Alf – the fluffy alien from the eponymous TV series.

40. lux – strong or light. Cigarettes with and without filters.

The production of “Lux” cigarettes by the manufacturer British American Tobacco was discontinued in 2015

The production of “Lux” cigarettes by the manufacturer British American Tobacco was discontinued in 2015

Photo: ullstein bild

41. Quick-out car radio – Technology to take with you.

42. Furby – the electric stuffed animal that the children wanted.

43. diskette – save on a disk.

44. Ass antlers – the Tattoo-Trend from the 90s.

The 90s trend around the butt antlers is long gone, many women have had their youthful sins lasered away or now hide them under high-cut pants and long tops

The 90s trend around the butt antlers is long gone, many women have had their youthful sins lasered away or now hide them under high-cut pants and long tops

Photo: Fleischhauer

45. Typecase figures – Kitsch to collect.

46. Dream wedding – when people still got married on TV.

The warm Dutchwoman Linda de Mol (in blue) married couples on television between 1992 and 2000

The warm Dutchwoman Linda de Mol (in blue) married couples on television between 1992 and 2000

Photo: RTL

47. “80s driving license” 1b – jet off to freedom on a light motorcycle.

48. Cloth handkerchiefs – Blow your nose with cotton.

49. Crocheted toilet paper hat – Bourgeoisie on the parcel shelf.

German culture in one photo: The wobbly dachshund with the crocheted toilet paper hat on the tailgate

German culture in one photo: The wobbly dachshund with the crocheted toilet paper hat on the tailgate

Photo: dapd

50. Quick Cola – special herbal mixture from the GDR.

51. Bonanza bike –first for children, then a cult.

The really cool young people in the 70s were riding the Bonanza bike. Special features: the small wheels, the low handlebars, the long “banana saddle” and the backrest

The really cool young people in the 70s were riding the Bonanza bike. Special features: the small wheels, the low handlebars, the long “banana saddle” and the backrest

Photo: Manufacturer

52. Removable radio antenna – quickly jump out of the car before the car wash.

53. Program announcer – the broadcasters’ business cards.

Karin Tietze-Ludwig announced the TV program and also appeared as the lottery fairy in front of the camera

Karin Tietze-Ludwig announced the TV program and also appeared as the lottery fairy in front of the camera

Photo: DAVIDS

54. Road Atlas – Read maps and never get lost.

55. Brockhaus Lexicon – search, browse, look up.

56. Flash cube for the camera – a plug-in revolution.

The attachable flash turned every amateur photographer into a professional

The attachable flash turned every amateur photographer into a professional

Photo: Wikipedia

57. Snacks – first famous for its awards, then bankrupt.

58. Mud punch – the party hit with vanilla ice cream.

Vodka, sparkling wine, fruit, juice and lots of vanilla ice cream: with this punch you could shine at any party in the 80s

Vodka, sparkling wine, fruit, juice and lots of vanilla ice cream: with this punch you could shine at any party in the 80s

Photo: private

59. Marlboro Man – the cowboy from the billboard.

60. Click-clack balls – best training for your fingers.

With the “clickers” you were the king or queen of the schoolyard

With the “clickers” you were the king or queen of the schoolyard

Photo: Wikipedia

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