1. Duct Tape for Just About Everything In the ’70s, dads treated duct tape like a miracle cure. From sealing a leaky hose to patching up car upholstery, it was the first thing pulled from the toolbox. The silver strips […]
1. Metal Ice Cube Trays with Levers Before plastic trays and automatic ice makers, metal trays with crank levers were the standard. You had to tug and twist the handle to release the cubes, usually with a loud clatter. They
1. Green Bean Casserole The famous green bean casserole was invented in 1955 by Campbell’s Soup as a way to sell more cream of mushroom soup. With just a handful of ingredients—mostly canned—it quickly became a holiday staple. Families embraced
1. Never Go to Bed Angry One of the most common pieces of advice in the 1960s was to resolve disagreements before turning in for the night. Couples were encouraged to talk things through instead of letting resentment fester. It
1. Sewing on a Button Home Ec taught us how to thread a needle and fix a button in minutes. It was a tiny skill, but it saved countless shirts and jackets from the donation pile. Nowadays, many people toss
1. Pet Rocks In 1975, the Pet Rock craze took off when Gary Dahl marketed smooth stones in little boxes with breathing holes. They came with an instruction manual for “training” your rock. It was part gag gift, part cultural
1. Personal Jetpacks for Everyone In the mid-20th century, experts predicted that by the year 2000, every commuter would fly to work using a personal jetpack. Demonstrations at fairs made it seem just around the corner. Families imagined leaving traffic
