Do You Remember 1976?

Fashion 1976 (?)

Let's face it, the 1960's and 70's were a much simpler time to live in.  To the left you can see that I was a quite a snappy dresser. Those blue plaid pants and that shirt really don't go together now do they?  Notice the pack of Winston's in the left pocket? Man I was really thin (compared to now) back then. This picture was taken in July of 1976 when we celebrated the Bicentennial of the United States.  What do we know about the Bicentennial year?  By the end of August of this year I was living in a monastery in Loretto Pennsylvania, having given up my job at Continental Bank.  I packed all my belongings in a television box and for two years lived the life of a religious brother. More about that in a later post. But in this year we were living with inflation, although the prices from back then seem quaint now. For example: 

• The average price for a new home was 48K in 1976 and while that sounds low to our ears that is up from 26K in 1970.
• First Class postage was 13 cents in '76 up from 6 cents in '70
• Gas was selling for 59 cents a gallon - up from 36 cents a gallon back in the good old days of 1970. 
• I have to share one quaint price that I happened upon, a loaded new 1976 Cadillac El Dorado could be yours for 11K in 1976.

Here are some other things of note from 1976.

• World Series was won by the Cincinnati Reds
• Superbowl X was won by the Pittsburgh Steelers
• A Superbowl  X add cost only $110,000.00
• The Stanley Cup was won by the Montreal Canadians
• In the Olympics, Nadia Comanici was the first to receive a perfect 10 - she received seven of them.  Also that man's man, Bruce Jenner won the Decathlon in this Olympic year. 
• In business Apple Computer was founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.  Their first computer sold for $666.00. 
• In the war of Video Tapes, VHS won over Sony Beta Max. 
• Finally, one of my favorite songs of all times, "Oh What A Night" climbed to the top of the heap. 

The 1970's were a simpler time. When the phone rang we generally answered it. There were very few answering machines. Computers were still beyond the reach of most Americans and took up lots of space and did precious little compared to the devices we can carry around in our pockets today,

We talked to each other more and we listened to each other more. We were more polite, we obeyed the rules of the road, when driving and in life in general and we were shocked when a crime was committed. Dinner time was family time and we sat around the table and shared our day.  Parents were the only legal dictators in the world and how they disciplined their kids was their business. 

Share your memories of the fifties, sixties, or seventies. I would love to read about your experiences and hear your memories. 

My book, Glimpses of God, takes you through the fifties, sixties, and into the seventies. My life was nothing special as a matter of fact it was quite ordinary.  It is this ordinariness that we are missing in our modern age. I invite you to buy a copy of Glimpses and I am willing to send you a no obligation sample chapter from the book. All you have to do is ask for it. 

For a free sample sample click here:

(Free Sample) 

To purchase a copy at Amazon click here:

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To visit my publisher America Star Books click here.

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