“Bonanza” was one of the very first TV programs that came on color TV, and that was a big deal. Color TV sets, on the other hand, weren’t so common at first. But, those who didn’t have one at home could always make friends with someone who had one!
The show first came out in 1959 and became NBC’s longest-running western, as well as the second-longest-running western series on U.S TV, spanning more than 430 episodes into 1973, meaning many boomers grew up watching it!
Tobacco Billboards
Before we knew how terrible smoking was for us, it was seen as “the cool thing” to do. If you didn’t do it, you were the weirdo. Now, it’s the opposite, and smokers are sort of shunned in modern society. But when boomers were younger, tobacco was everywhere – on TV, in the movies, in magazines, newspapers, and billboards along the side of the road.
Today, if someone saw a tobacco billboard on the side of the road, there would be outrage! Outdoor advertising of cigarettes was banned in 1997 through The Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement.
Talking to the Operator
Can you believe that there actually used to be a human at the other end of a telephone line who would help you find and connect with a phone number you were looking for?
The number for getting in touch with them varied occasionally, but “0” was always a good bet. Some people probably still press 0 on occasion, old habits and all.
Watching Evel Knievel & The Wide World of Sports
Who could forget watching legendary stuntman Evel Knievel make his first jump on Wide World of Sports on ABC in 1967?
The infamous entertainer appeared on the program a number of times, including in 1975 when he jumped 14 Greyhound buses at Ohio’s King’s Island amusement park. Five of his seven appearances on the show rank in the program’s top 20 of all time.
Loving v. Virginia
It may seem shocking, as someone living in the modern world in 2021, that there was a time when there were bans on interracial marriages – but that time, unfortunately, and actually existed.
But in 1967, a couple named Richard and Mildred Loving had enough of the band and took their case straight to the supreme court in what would become Loving v. Virginia. Now, Loving Day is celebrated every year on June 12 to mark the momentous occasion.