Stuff we used to do back then that you couldn't do now

Smith357 said:
Carrying a Buck 110 on my belt in school.
Building a long rifle in shop class.
Riding a bike without a helmet
Driving a car with no seatbelts, a metal dash, and no power steering.
Shooting rats at the town dump with pellet rifles
Leave the house in the morning and not getting home till dark
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I went to high school in a small town in the Texas Panhandle in the early to mid 80's, and every single country boy 'redneck' there carried a Buck knife on their belt in a leather holder, dang I'd forgotten all about that. They had those, and the ubiquitous wear-circle in their jeans back pocket from carrying a can of Copenhagen or Skoal...LOL!
 
Back in the 1960s, I routinely flew with a handgun in my briefcase. I never advertised that, but no one ever searched me, and there were no X-ray machines, baggage searches, or patdowns. You just walked into the airport, went to the waiting area, then boarded. I don't think there was much concern about carrying guns on-board until the wave of hijackings started in the late 1960s and early 1970s, lots of people wanting to go to Cuba and similar places, also the D. B. Cooper affair of 1971.
 
used to do

Chuck24 said:
Taking your rifle to school and leaving it in the principles office so you could go shooting after school.
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I lived in the boonies of western Ks and went to hi school in the 60s. I always had a gun or two in my car and often road hunted to and from school.
Shot lots of jack rabbits off the hood of a moving pick-up while brothers or friends were driving, at night.
Also tried unsuccessfully to shoot jack rabbits off a Honda trail 90 dirt bike with a 410 at night.

Not sure how I made it to 65 years old.
 
We used to fight as kids over who got to ride on the "hump" in the back seat (driveshaft hump) so we could see out the front window better.
We played pick up tackle football all the time up to high school in the 1960s and 70's without pad or helmets. We drove around in the back of pickups.
We always used gasoline as a solvent and we never had a problem discarding it or oil or batteries. We just chucked them. We carried our shotguns to school or left them in our cars later on at school so we could go hunting after school. It was not at all unusual to see teenage boys walking down the street with a shotgun in their hand. Lots and lots of stuff we did back then that is so phobic today. It's a wonder we have any real young men at all. I really believe if it weren't for good "competitive" organized ball teams, and the military, and those fathers that teach heir kids to be men regardless of the PC culture, this upcoming generation would be completely emasculated.
Edit: 1 last one I forgot we did as kids..catch carp at the local ponds...they were ice ponds in the way way way back days, then lay them on the track and watch the train squish them. Even though they were dead I am sure you couldn't get away with that these days.
 
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[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J35daifV3z0[/ame]

I quit drivin' in chuck wagon races after my first one.:eek:

My Momma raised some dummies, but they was my sister.:cool:

Besides that, you cain't trust them Canadian fellers, they drink warm beer!!
 
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What I've gotten from all of these wonderful responses is that, we lived a much better life back in "the ole days" than people do today. And I feel sad for that, back then it seemed we did what we wanted to do , stupid, dumb , idiotic , what ever but we were free to at least try. Today, everything is regulated, illegal, or racist or etc. Sad, sad, sad ! :(
 
Bastogne71 said:
At Virginia Tech in 1968, we kept our guns and ammo in our dorm rooms. Not unusual to see a bunch of guys walking to the student parking lot with several handguns or rifles each going shooting in the national forest on Saturday morning. No one had a problem with the guy down the hall with his (unregistered) Maxim P-08 water cooled machine gun either.
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I lived in the dorm at Auburn University in the early '70s. Not only did I keep my rifles, shotguns and handguns in my room, other friends would store their guns there as well, due to having roommates that liked to leave their rooms unlocked.

A friend and I built a small bench and I had an RCBS reloading press mounted on it. I would take my Coleman camp stove down to bathroom and cast bullets. Once we got a bunch of ammo loaded, we either went to the country range or out to the National forest.

I vaguely remember studying and going to class too. :rolleyes:
 
nodpete said:
What I've gotten from all of these wonderful responses is that, we lived a much better life back in "the ole days" than people do today. And I feel sad for that, back then it seemed we did what we wanted to do , stupid, dumb , idiotic , what ever but we were free to at least try. Today, everything is regulated, illegal, or racist or etc. Sad, sad, sad ! :(
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I agree, even the movies and music we had back then towered over the garbage that is puked out of the pop culture sewer pipe these days...my wife's grandkids have discovered Johnny Cash, at least. I feel bad for this generation, but worse for the future ones; they'll never know what it means to live in a free country and their music will probably even be worse than it is today, if that's even possible....
 
I remember my sister and I making mud pies and catching horn toads and keeping them in cigar boxes.

My cousin and I would walk along the highway and pick up soda bottles. We'd take them to the little country store and sell them to buy BBs.

Back then, I guess you could actually buy mercury in a drug store cause a lot of kids, including me, would take the mercury and rub it on a penny for a while until the penny shined like a dime. Mercury poisoning? What's that?
 
TexasRaider said:
I agree, even the movies and music we had back then towered over the garbage that is puked out of the pop culture sewer pipe these days...my wife's grandkids have discovered Johnny Cash, at least. I feel bad for this generation, but worse for the future ones; they'll never know what it means to live in a free country and their music will probably even be worse than it is today, if that's even possible....
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Was listening to Roy Orbison the other day when my niece was over and she loved it. She said if he ever comes in concert to the area she wanted to go. Told her sure no problem, my treat.:D
 
These are all great stories. I'm not as "wise" as some of you. I just turned 40, but still remember things you can't do anymore.

I also sat on my dad's lap and "drived". Never wore a helmet on bikes or skates. Had a chemistry set and I remember setting a small portion of the carpet in my bedroom on fire. I played with mercury too. Remember my uncle jack giving me the book, "Young Boy Electrician". Had so many neat experiments from stuff I could buy at radio shack. I carried a pocket knife (Swiss Army) from elementary to high school. Now I carry a buck knife every day.

Somebody mentioned it earlier, flattening pennies on train tracks. I guess I am still a kid. Not only do I remember doing that with my dad, I recently moved to a new house that backs up to the metro line. I have wanted to go out and do that again... Not sure if it is illegal or not... Doubt it would derail a train, but may just have to see....

I was up skiing this winter, and think I am about the only one that doesn't wear a helmet. Never have, don't want to. I hope they don't make it mandatory.

Keep the stories coming. They entertain me.
 
Are you SURE??????

hexnut said:
This is my 1st grade picture taken at school. Do you think this could happen today. Not on your life.
scan0007.jpg
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Are you sure that's a TOY gun???:D
 
Bad_Andy said:
These are all great stories. I'm not as "wise" as some of you. I just turned 40, but still remember things you can't do anymore.

I also sat on my dad's lap and "drived". Never wore a helmet on bikes or skates. Had a chemistry set and I remember setting a small portion of the carpet in my bedroom on fire. I played with mercury too. Remember my uncle jack giving me the book, "Young Boy Electrician". Had so many neat experiments from stuff I could buy at radio shack. I carried a pocket knife (Swiss Army) from elementary to high school. Now I carry a buck knife every day.

Somebody mentioned it earlier, flattening pennies on train tracks. I guess I am still a kid. Not only do I remember doing that with my dad, I recently moved to a new house that backs up to the metro line. I have wanted to go out and do that again... Not sure if it is illegal or not... Doubt it would derail a train, but may just have to see....

I was up skiing this winter, and think I am about the only one that doesn't wear a helmet. Never have, don't want to. I hope they don't make it mandatory.

Keep the stories coming. They entertain me.
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Don't worry - that train is safe! Go for it! :D
 
One thing my wife mentioned. With all the overprotective parents today that are worried their kid might get a scratch, they still don't have seat belts on school buses.
I got into an argument with a guy on another forum cause I said I ignored the law and rode my quad 5-10 mph on the ice, ice fishing without a helmet. He thought I was going to get thrown off and get a severe concussion.
 
Wrapped tin foil around a pencil, made a hollow rocket with a pointed end. Filled it with match book heads, held a match under it until it went off and flew wherever it felt like flying.

Made my own gun powder when I was in like the 4th grade, bought items at local drug store.

I was taught to use my head - spearing - in football.

Eat lots of salt when you worked out - it is good for you! No water.

Every school had one of those hand generators you lined people up to shock the person at the end. Someone would call the police now days.

Took by barreled 223 to the college I taught at around 1990 or so and showed it to the welding instructor who had a student who was working at the Bell & Carlson plant - got a nice synthetic stock and we had it at school for several days.

Made a billy club in shop class when I was senior - nice walnut one complete with leather strap. Used it once and later the authorities wanted it more than me.

I never did this but it was popular to make acetylene bombs in a balloon and set them on fire. A guy I worked with broke his arm clean in two with one of these.

Dove off of cliffs and jumped off ropes without knowing what was down there.
 
Take your pocket knife to school.

Drink out of the garden hose.

Grab a machete, bb gun or 20 Ga and walk down the street to the good part of the woods, not realizing we were trespassing with loaded firearms at times.

Build a fish basket, (trap). By the way, what's a "limit"?

Having a bonfire just because.

Going in a buying a pack of cigarettes for one of your parents over the counter.

Seeing a cigarette machine.

Thumbing thru the barrel of used rifles in the aisle at the local hardware store and looking at boxes of ammo on the shelf next to them.

Using a whisk broom or an ice pick.

Filling ice trays and spilling half on the way to the freezer.

Watching my grandfather plow his fields with a mule. His feet were so tough he could put hand rolled cigarette out on his heel. Not sure about the mule, I don't think he smoked.
 
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Never forget Mad Magazine with Alfred E. Neumann on the cover. Remember swiping a Playboy magazine from the corner store when they cost .50 cents an issue? And yes I agree that Fanner Fifty the kid is holding could be worth some cash today. I had a few myself like the Mare' Leg, Bat Masterson cane you could put caps in one end and bang on ground and limitless cheap pocket knives for .79 cents. Not much money in our youthful pockets back then but a quarter went a long way.
 
I can relate to every response made, as a big cup of coffee has awakened some brain cells I just thought of something else. In the fifth grade, this would be 1965, there was a kid that had a perfect attendance record at school. The principal and the fifth grade teachers got together and bought him a pretty darn nice hunting knife, I remember every boy in the class envied him, nice knife, scabbard and all, wow. The teachers made a fuss about it too, it was given to him in front of the whole class, in the auditorium. The next day he showed up wearing it, cool!!!

Today the kid's award would be what????? Priority one today is that the award not offend anyone at the school. What could they give him???

I've just taken five minutes to ponder on what they would give him and realized, there would be no award, it might offend the people that called in sick a bunch. :confused:
 
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Hmm...........let me think.
BB gun wars.
Bottle Rocket wars.
Roman Candle wars.
Riding in the back of a pickup.
Riding a motorcycle with no helmet.
IIRC bicycle helmets didn't even exist back then.
Jumping off the roof.
Making pipe bombs out of empty CO2 cartridges and blowing up all sorts of things.
Making HUGE scratch built model rockets........they had "F" size engines back then and you had to use a "fuse" to ignite them.
Blowing up said model rockets by inserting a small container of gasoline in the top and gluing the nose cone on.
Tennis ball cannons!
I could go on all day folks but, this at least gives you a taste of my childhood. :D

Oooh.......almost forgot. Does anybody remember REAL M-80 firecrackers? Blew up a few things with those too!
 
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Comrad said:
I'm pretty sure we were all cowboy gun slingers at that age and that's how we all ended up here today. Still got that cap gun? It's probably worth as much as a real Colt these days. :eek:
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I think I had that same outfit at some point but, mom wouldn't let me wear it to school.
 
sheepdawg said:
I can relate to every response made, as a big cup of coffee has awakened some brain cells I just thought of something else. In the fifth grade, this would be 1965, there was a kid that had a perfect attendance record at school. The principal and the fifth grade teachers got together and bought him a pretty darn nice hunting knife, I remember every boy in the class envied him, nice knife, scabbard and all, wow. The teachers made a fuss abought it too, it was given to him in front of the whole class, in the auditorium. The next day he showed up wearing it, cool!!!

Today the kid's award would be what????? Priority one today is that the award not offend anyone at the school. What could they give him???

I've just taken five minutes to ponder on what they would give him and realized, there would be no award, it might offend the people that called in sick a bunch. :confused:
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Ha! A sheath knife as a reward! Yeah that would go over like a you know what in church today. Yep days like that are definitely gone. Hope that knife was a Puma and the kid still has it.
 
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