1. Mowing the Lawn For a lot of kids, mowing the lawn was practically a rite of passage. Once you were tall enough to push the mower and trusted not to run over the garden hose, the job was yours. […]

1. Saying a Prayer Before Dinner For many families, saying a short prayer before dinner was simply something everyone did without much thought. It might have been a quick blessing recited from memory or a moment where someone around the

1. Riverview Park (Chicago, Illinois) For much of the 20th century, Riverview Park was practically a Chicago weekend ritual. Families rode streetcars to the North Side to spend the day on roller coasters, shooting galleries, and the famous Bobs wooden

1. Johnny Appleseed Most people picture Johnny Appleseed wandering the frontier barefoot with a pot on his head, scattering apple seeds wherever he went. The truth is a little less cartoonish but arguably more interesting. The legend is widely believed

1. Lutefisk Lutefisk is one of those foods that people either grow up with or react to with complete confusion. Popular in parts of the Upper Midwest like Minnesota and Wisconsin, it comes from a Scandinavian tradition that dates back

1. Elevator Operator For much of the early and mid 20th century, riding an elevator meant stepping inside and handing control over to a uniformed operator. These workers stood by a panel of levers and switches, carefully guiding the elevator

1. Riding Bikes Miles from Home A lot of kids in earlier decades hopped on their bikes after breakfast and simply disappeared for the afternoon. No phone, no GPS, and definitely no parent tracking their every move. The rule was