Remembering Cutting Edge Products from the 1960s That Have Faded Away
By Jack Ripley | May 9, 2024
ATMs Made Banking Much Easier
Amidst the tumult of the 1960s, it's easy to overlook the revolutionary strides made in what may now seem mundane. From the sleek lines of the first domestic satellite dishes to the advent of contraceptive pills that revolutionized reproductive health, the 1960s were a time of profound transformation. In hindsight, it's astonishing to consider that what we now take for granted as everyday conveniences were once the vanguard of progress. Indeed, technologies like AstroTurf, birth control pills, weather satellites, and cassette tapes may seem antiquated in our age of virtual reality and artificial intelligence. However, it is precisely these innovations from the 1960s that laid the foundation for the technological landscape we inhabit today.
Before the invention of the ATM, getting money was a chore. You had to go to the bank and wait in line to speak with a teller, and you had to make sure you made time to visit the bank when it was open. Luther Simjian thought there had to be a better option. He came up with a machine in 1960 that let users deposit money.
Working off this idea, Adrian Ashfield developed and received a UK patent for a new machine, which allowed users to deposit and get money by using an ID card in his machine. In the mid-60s, Barclays became the first bank to offer this machine to its customers. The next time you grab some cash for a night out or deposit a check on the go, say a silent thanks to the early inventors of the ATM.
Birth Control Launched a Revolution
Women have many choices when it comes to birth control today, but their only option for many years was the simple condom. As early as the 1930s, researchers worked on creating a pill that women could take by mouth to prevent pregnancy. Work continued for years before the FDA approved the first oral contraceptive in 1957. Though the agency only approved it as a medication to treat menstrual issues, this led to the same medication gaining approval for birth control by the beginning of the 1960s.
The release of the birth control pill led to a revolution in the United States. Not only were women free to use the pill to prevent pregnancy, but it also gave them the confidence to make other decisions that impacted them. Some of the early research into birth control exists today as scientists look for new medications for both men and women.
AstroTurf Was the Surface of the Future
Can you imagine how long it took to take care of a lawn in the 1960s or earlier? It was almost a full-time job between the push mowers and the lack of chemical products available then. When you multiply that by 10 or even 100, you get an idea of how much work it took to maintain an athletic field.
That all changed when two people working at Monsanto came up with AstroTurf. Robert T. Wright and James M. Faria created a type of artificial grass that didn't require water and was easy to maintain. Monsanto released ChemGrsss in 1965 and changed its name to AstroTurf the following year. A small college in Rhode Island was the first to use AstroTurf, but within years, it was a common sight at schools and professional athletic fields.
Thank Transistor Radios for Taking Music on the Go
Between phones and music players, you have dozens of ways to take music with you today. People in past generations weren't as lucky until transistor radios hit the market. Bell Laboratories and Sony both released early versions in the 1940s and 1950s, but it was the later versions that made this type of radio a must-have.
Transistor radios use transistor circuits that allow them to pick up radio signals. A built-in speaker releases the music, sometimes offering the same sound quality as a stereo. Selling around 100,000 units in its first year, the Sony TR-63 was one of the most popular. It led to the invention of portable stereos and, later, CD players. These inventions eventually led to the Sony Walkman and dozens of other devices that let users listen to music anywhere they go.
MRIs Made Diagnosing Patients Easier
Magnetic imaging was just an idea when scientists began working on the concept back in the 1940s. They believed the process could help doctors diagnose patients more easily because they would get images they couldn't otherwise see.
By the 1960s, scientists were close to a breakthrough. They used early machines to take images inside the human body, allowing them to view water in living subjects. Though scientists initially used MRI machines on rats and other animals, it didn't take long for them to expand to human subjects. An MRI now lets your doctor view your entire body, and medical professionals can get a detailed look at specific body parts. This helps them diagnose patients quicker and save more lives.
For Fun and Packing, Nothing Beats Bubble Wrap
When you get a box in the mail from a seller on eBay or a major company like Amazon, you can thank bubble wrap for the items getting there safely. Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes came up with bubble wrap while working on a different idea. At the time they hoped to create a 3D type of wallpaper that would bring about a new trend in home decor. While the idea failed, they thought the finished product might have other uses.
It didn't take long before they built an entire business called Sealed Air around their bubble wrap. The name came from the wrap itself, which had pockets of air trapped inside. While millions of people use bubble wrap for packing and moving, nearly as many use it for fun. Who can resist grabbing a fresh sheet and popping a few of the bubbles?
Cassette Tapes Changed the Way We Heard Music
The next time you open Spotify to listen to your favorite tunes, make sure you thank the inventors of cassette tapes. Soldiers used the tapes during World War II and brought home the technology. Within a few years, more than a million homes had cassette tapes and players.
That number only grew in the 1960s when brands like Phillips released mono tapes that were smaller and thinner and cost less. Phillips was the first manufacturer to release devices that also allowed people to record tapes. By the end of the decade, more than 80 brands had tapes and tape players on the market. While record albums had fans through the '60s and '70s, cassettes didn't take long to take over the world, becoming the top choice for audiophiles.
Kevlar Protected the Military and More
From law enforcement to military soldiers, anyone who wants to stay safe knows that they need to wear Kevlar. Stephanie Kwolek was a chemist leading a group for DuPont in the 1960s. She was tasked with finding a new type of fiber that would make lighter tires, so she created a fiber that didn't break the way others did.
Though the material was similar to nylon, it was much stronger. DuPont quickly set about looking for ways to capitalize on the material. The company continued working with Kevlar for several years before a law enforcement professional suggested using it to make bulletproof vests and other pieces of clothing. DuPont now makes multiple types of Kevlar designed for different applications, including a colored version. It's hard to imagine that something so many people use today was pretty much an accident.
Weather Satellites Began Saving Lives
Imagine a world where you had only minutes to prepare for a deadly incoming weather event. One of the reasons why "The Wizard of Oz" was so scary to people when it hit theaters is that viewers lived through similar events. In some cases, they only got advanced warnings 60 seconds or less before a disaster struck.
Weather satellites changed the world because they allowed scientists to track weather conditions as they moved around the world. While satellites first appeared in the late 1940s, weather satellites became better and more advanced in the '60s. They can track growing hurricanes to see when they'll hit land or follow storms as they develop. Scientists now use weather satellites to track climate change and how it affects different parts of the world.
