Well i am giving away my age .....but i was born in the first trimester of this decade .....which i would say was the springboard for music /fashion/style/clothing.....etc......etc..............all i remember it was incredible ......then we propelled into the 70's......after that it went downhill ......but all i remember as being a 60's kid it was great and we were free .......really free .........i had great amazing parents .........but the 60's was just a time where you did not worry about things .....like now ......you cannot leave a child for a second ....gone ......people were real.....women were beautiful........everything was just amazing .......no technology........ and innocence was rampant .........but hey .....what ya going to do!!!!!!! ........so like me........... if you loved that decade .....here for you is a walk down memory lane..............enjoy !!!!!!!!.........and of course the greatest musical event ever staged and cannot be replicared .........WOODSTOCK ........
Photographs That Capture What Life Was Like In The ’60s
By Jacob Shelton | March 4, 2023
This couple met at Woodstock and they've been together ever since
As the first decade of the groovy era, the 1960s were a time full of radical change, great music, and amazing fashions. The same decade that gave us Woodstock also gave birth to Beatlemania, touch tone telephones, and the miniskirt… it was a seriously innovative time.
The ‘60s were a decade where people felt free. They could hop on Route 66 and drive to the ocean, or just barbecue with their neighbors because the suburbs were a place where everyone knew your name. Whether you were a hippie, a mod, or something in between, the ‘60s offered the freedom to be who you wanted to be. These photos are far out, and they’ll have you wishing you could go back to one of the most neato decades of the 20th century. Let’s rock and roll.
This article originally appeared on our sister site: groovyhistory.com
source: reddit
Ever since meeting on the traffic congested road to Woodstock Judy and Jerry Griffin have been inseparable. Judy told People Magazine that after her car broke down on the way to the music festival she thought she’d miss it. But when a car slowed down to help her it was one of the most important moments of her life. She said:
Jerry and his friends pulled up. I stuck my head in and I saw that there was a woman in the car. I’d never hitchhiked before, but I figured, ‘Well, since there was a woman, it was fairly safe, and I probably should just get in the car.’
The Woodstock music festival was a life changing event for so many people, but for this happy couple it was truly the beginning of a beautiful journey.
That's what New York City looked like in the 60s?
source: reddit
New York City is an ever changing landscape that’s never the same from decade to decade. In the ‘70s and ‘80s it was a dystopian wasteland, today its a playground for the super wealthy, but in the ‘60s New York was still coming off of the Art Deco high, the city was growing and changing but not too fast. Everything still resembled New York of the past, so much so that it has a kind of amusement park look to it, doesn’t it? The subway tunnels are the most magnificent thing about old New York, they don’t just look like they’re taking you to a train, but to another world completely.
The world of tomorrow... today at Disneyland, 1966
source: reddit
Imagine a world full of rocket ships and galaxies waiting to be explored, where the future was folding out in real time and nothing was impossible. That was Tomorrowland, Disney’s optimistic look at the far away future of 1986, a time when regular people would take rockets to the moon on a regular basis and the Atomic Age never ended. Walt Disney and his designers believed that soon Americans would be zipping around the country on mass transit, and watching 3D movies in the round. At the time of its design, Tomorrowland was meant to be “the factual and scientific exposition of things to come,” as Disney wanted his theme park to be both fun and educational. When dedicating Tomorrowland he said that the new area of the park would be a:
vista into a world of wondrous ideas, signifying man’s achievements … a step into the future, with predictions of constructive things to come. Tomorrow offers new frontiers in science, adventure and ideals: the Atomic Age … the challenges of outer space … and the hope for a peaceful and unified world.
Colors like this only existed in the 'burbs
source: reddit
Is there anything like loading up the car for a trip to the lake on a summer’s weekend? Before the advent of the minivan, the ‘60s gave us station wagons that were the go to car for piling up the whole family for a long drive. You can fit as many kids as you want in one of these behemoths and still have space for snacks, a cooler, and even a couple of inner-tubes if you want to float around and waste away the day. This kind of lifestyle brought along the picturesque views of pastel painted houses, perfect lawns, and candy apple red cars.
Cars lining Malibu Beach on a summer day
source: reddit
This picture really feels like a portal to another time. Can’t you hear the white noise of the ocean waves as they crash along the beach, the Beach Boys spilling out of car radios as they park along makeshift spots, and the sound of friends and families having a blast? In the ‘60s, Malibu Beach was filled with beachcombers, surfers, and bikini babes who wanted to worship the sun and take in the waves. Many people who moved to the area just for the beach worked jobs that allowed them to stay near the water; they were lifeguards, bartenders, or even surfing instructors. Back then, the beach was a lifestyle that you couldn’t just put down.
A young fan goes bananas for The Beatles in Seattle on Aug 21, 1964
source: pinterest
Cue up any live recording of The Beatles from their brief forays into America and the first thing you’ll hear are the screams. There was something chemical that the group did to their fans, especially the young women who couldn’t help but twist and shout whenever the group took the stage. On August 21, 1964, The Beatles stepped in front of 14,300 fans at the Seattle Center Coliseum, it was the first time they played in Washington state and their welcome was uproarious. During the show hundreds of teenage girls rushed the stage to try and grab ahold of their favorite Beatle, and things got so out of hand that after they finished their set the band had to wait an hour before leaving the venue in the back of Ambulance to keep from being beset by their loving public.
A high school teacher in Denver, Colorado, 1969
source: LIFE
This is one seriously groovy teacher; from the pattern of her dress, to her belt and her girl group styled hair she’s seriously got it all going on. Going to school in the 1960s was simple and humble, it meant learning the “three Rs,” and doing your best to stay out of trouble. In this groovy decade the education system underwent major reforms to be more inclusive to bilingual students and those who were moved into school after desegregation. It was a tough decade but the educators of the ‘60s helped start a whole new era of enlightenment.
Beating the heat with a fire hydrant
source: reddit
Summer time in the city, when the heat rises from the asphalt and and there’s nowhere to hide from the pervasive choke of the sun. In the ‘60s it was hard to find an apartment or a home with an air conditioner. At best they were likely to have a box fan, but when the city heats up to 100 degrees that’s not going to do anyone any good. With a lack of public pools for inner city youth the best bet was to pop open a fire hydrant and let the water spray you until you were properly cooled. This is still something that people do today, and even though it’s frowned upon it definitely looks fun.
Say cheese... a pre-prom photo from 1961
source: reddit
There’s so much to love about this photo from 1961, from the decor of the home to this girl’s gorgeous dress. She looks so excited to go to prom, a night of doing The Twist and slow dancing with your best fella. Take note of the TV, the couch, and even the walls - they’re all blue. It looks as if everything in this house was designed around the bright, fairy tale colors of her dress. In fact, they’re almost bright enough to make you forget how unexcited her date looks. We shouldn’t be too harsh, maybe he was doing the Watusi on the inside.
Drinking Japanese Coca-Cola in strange glasses, 1966
source: reddit
Coca-Cola had been imported into Japan as early as the 1910s, but at the onset of World War II all of that sugary goodness came to an end. The well dried up and wasn’t tapped again until 1945 when U.S. soldiers started ordering it by the truckload. Between 1946 and 1952, six bottling plants were established between Sapporo in the north and Kokura in the south, but even then Japanese citizens weren’t able to purchase bottles. It wasn’t until 1957 that a deal was struck that allowed Coca-Cola to be served to local consumers. By the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games the soda was on sale with guide maps printed to show people exactly where they could get the world’s favorite soda.
Women getting touch ups in a vintage salon
source: reddit
During the transition from the ‘50s to the ‘60s big hair and bouffants were the hairdos of the day, but even as those hairstyles went out of fashion became more casual and easy to maintain women still frequented hair salons. Not only were salons the best place for someone to get their hair set for a big day, but they were the place to hear local gossip and just get away from the house for a little while. People popped in for “drive-bys,” otherwise known as just getting a quick touch up, and people were showing up to get their hair combed at least twice a week.
Boys just want to have fun, especially with UFOs
source: reddit
The American public has been fascinated about flying saucers since the late 1940s when Kenneth Arnold saw a group of them flying over Mount Rainer, by the 1960s teenage boys were catching UFO fever after reading about aliens zooming around in disc shaped ships that resembled the things they read about in comic books like Weird Terror and The Beyond. These guys look like they’ve got quite the engineering talent, and while it seems like this UFO is more of an Unidentified Riding Object, notice the bicycle handles that the boy’s holding onto? Do you think we've got a chance of taking a ride?
The way back was the best place to be on a road trip
source: vintag.es
Before there were seatbelt laws that were more strict that your fourth grade teacher kids were pretty much left to their own devices when it came to long drives and road trips. In the right kind of vehicle, usually a station wagon, kids sat in the way back (or the way, way back if the car was super long) and kept themselves busy while their dad drove the family to the lake or down Route 66. As long as you were quiet it was a pretty cushy ride. You could read comics, sleep, or even play a board game if you didn’t mind the pieces going all over the place. Talk about something that we could never do today.
A tale of men and their ladders at NASA in 1961
source: reddit
Before computers were available to perform complicated calculations at the push of a button, entire teams had to put their heads together to solve extremely complicated problems, and that goes doubly for the folks at NASA. Bolstered by a plan to send a man to the moon, researchers worked around the clock to figure out exactly how they were going to get someone from Earth all the way up to space and back. Keep in mind that this just shows one blackboard in a facility that was full of these things. Who’s job was it to copy these information? What happened if something was accidentally erased? These guys weren't just geniuses, they had nerves of steel.
The higher the hair the faster the runner, the Abilene, Texas track team, 1967
Source: reddit
The crunch of the track beneath your shoes, the smell of fresh cut grass on the breeze, the taste of hairspray as the sweat glides down your face? Running track, or taking part in any athletic pursuit isn’t something that requires the athlete to look like a model. This photo showing Abilene’s 1967 track team is amazing for so many reasons. Obviously the hair, it’s so perfect that it’s a shame that it’s going to be ruined by a sprint, but also the look of determination on the first runner’s face. She doesn’t just look like she’s ready to run a race, she’s ready to win it.
Flower power is in full bloom with this groovy family
source pinterest
Is there anything better than seeing a family posing together, happy and smiling? This photo just goes to show that no matter what kind of lifestyle someone prescribes to that family always comes first. Imagine the adventures this cute hippie family must of have had while the traveled the country in their painted bus with their shaggy dogs; maybe they were an actual Partridge Family. It was easier to just get up and go back in the ‘60s. People weren’t tethered to their phones, and the news cycle only lasted as long as the nightly news. People had more time for their family, and they had more time to smile.
Pretty in pink, a beauty poses in Seattle, 1967
source: reddit
In the 1960s Seattle was in the middle of its own kind of evolution. No longer was the city’s economy simply built around the fishing, importing, and exporting that happened at the wharf, but there was a dramatic shift to shop owners opening cafes and curio shops that dotted the piers by 1965. Much of this new business was brought in after the 1962 World’s Fair picked up its stakes and left town. There were suddenly spaces that needed to be filled, and young people who were ready to go out. By the end of 1965 Ted Griffin’s Seattle Public Aquarium was up and running on the bay, and the city hasn’t looked back since.
Route 66 along Albuquerque, 1969
source: reddit
As the song says, “get your kicks on Route 66.” In the 1960s travelers from both coasts took the iconic road on many a cross country trip between California and Illinois, which earned it the name “America's Highway.” In its heyday, Route 66 snaked through so many small towns that it created its own kind of industry built up of motels, convenience stores, and tourist traps all dedicated to serving the people who were just passing through. As a living piece of Americana, Route 66 represented modern manifest destiny, and showed Americans from across the country that they could get and go wherever they pleased, from small town to the big city.
Views from a swinging London pub
source: vintag.es
The pub scene has been a thing in England for as long as people have been crowding around a bar and telling stories while they drink. There may be bars in other countries, but pubs are an entirely different animal and there are many different kinds. Throughout the ‘60s there were arty and posh pubs where young people could get decent food and a good pint of lager while turning a look for the hipsters of the day. This shot shows a group of friends drinking a pint during the day, likely before a night of clubbing, which honestly sounds pretty good.
Barefoot biking in the late 60s was a great way to lose a toe
source: reddit
As cool as this barefoot biker looks - and he looks very cool - has no one told him about the dangers of biking barefoot? Not to sound like a worried mother hen or anything but this guy needs to put on some shoes. Admittedly that would go against the spirit of everything he’s trying to do. The ‘60s were all about living your life to the fullest, no matter if that meant going to the lake on the weekends with your family, or riding through the back country on a motorcycle without any shoes. It’s clear that this guy is the epitome of cool, and there’s no way he’s going to let something like the loss of a minor appendage keep him from running down a dream.
Grabbing a soda from the corner store
source: reddit
Do you remember how far a dollar could take you in the 1960s? You could get s soda for you and all of your friends down at the corner store for a dollar and still have change left over. And those were the days when there was real sugar in sodas, not the nasty stuff that manufacturers use today. Was there any better treat on a hot summer’s day than cracking open an ice cold soda and guzzling it down before riding your bike home for dinner? Did you ruin your appetite? Or was the soda just an appetizer to the main course?
What do you think, does she like The Beatles? A superfan in 1968
source: flickr
If there’s any group that exemplifies the ‘60s it’s The Beatles. They grew along with the grooviest decade and inspired their fans into piques of fit that could only be known as Beatlemania. Fans didn’t just buy the band’s records, they cut out pictures of the group and their favorite members of the group. Aside from collecting bits and bobbles relating to the band, they sent in things to the group, especially Ringo who received ring after ring after ring. Supposedly by the end of ‘60s he had 2,761 rings. The whole band was a true obsession for their fans, and Beatlemania still lives to this day.
Brigitte Bardot waiting to film a scene in 1963
source: pinterest
There’s something that’s just so cool about Brigitte Bardot. Is the the way she looks like she doesn't want to talk to anyone? Or is it because she has the vibe that she's going to pull a knife on you at any moment? This behind the scenes shot from Le Mépris was taken on what must have been a light day for the actress. According to reporting around the film at the time she was was constantly being hounded by the press who were happy to interrupt filming in order to get a shot of this French beauty. The film isn't Godart's best, but with the stress he was under at the time it's a wonder that he finished the film at all.
Stunning photo of a civil rights protest in Washington DC, 1963
source: reddit
On August 28, 1963, 250,000 people made their way to the Lincoln Memorial where they protested for civil rights and desegregation before listening to speeches by NAACP president Roy Wilkins, as well as civil rights veteran Daisy Lee Bates and actors Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee. The march culminated with Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, a phrase that wasn’t even in his planned remarks for that day. Leaving his notes behind he said the words that still ring true today:
…We will be able to speed up that day when all God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, ‘Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!’
Three young women showing off their miniskirts in groovy London
source: vintag.es
When it comes to ‘60s fashion one of the coolest looks that ever came out of the decade was that of the Mod. Thanks to fashion designer Mary Quaint, the miniskirt became a fashion must have. Girls loves the minimized hemline and guys loved what that hemline did for their view. Wearing a miniskirt in the ‘60s was a way of letting people that you did what you wanted with your body and no one could tell you otherwise. It was a piece of clothing for the youth of the world, and throughout the ‘60s it was both a political statement and a way of showing that you had style. When these skirts first hit the streets of London they turned heads and made a mark on history.
The lucky bird working quality control at EMI before the release of "Rubber Soul"
source: reddit
Sure, this wasn’t an experience that many people had in the ‘60s but can you imagine how excited you’d be if it was your job to listen to the newest Beatles record over and over to make sure everything sounded correct? How hard would it have been to not tell everyone what you were doing at work? And talk about ear worms, it would have been impossible to get “Day Tripper” out of your head - at least until it was time to do a QC check on the new Keith Locke & The Quests record. It would be really interesting to take a look at the notes from these sessions. How do you even let someone know that your Beatles record sounds weird? Oh to be a fly on the wall.
Kids at an Illinois drive-in, 1960
source: reddit
The small town drive-in on Saturday nights was the one place where you could expect to see everyone you knew. No matter if the theater was showing a creature feature or something a little more classy, it was the place to be. Jim Kopp of the United Drive-in Theatre Owners Association explained that drive-in theaters were a way for friends and families to go out together regardless of what their ages, shapes, or sizes. He said:
They offered family entertainment. People could sit in their cars, they could bring their babies, they could smoke. Drive-ins offered more flexibility than indoor theaters.
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