I have one of the early Microwaves, a Montgomery Wards model that I use every day... bought brand new.
If you are 30, or older, you might think this is hilarious!
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Yes - orginally from the Raytheon folks whose business is (in part) radar. The microwave oven was invented by a guy at Raytheon who noticed how well a magnetron cooked popcorn and the rest is, as we say, history! Raytheon patented the design and acquired Amana, which sold the first consumer Radaranges.
I have a 1979 Sears (made by Litton, also a player in radar) microwave oven that we bought in part to warm my daughter's bottles. (Risky practice as we found out; make sure to shake well before temp. testing!) I have fixed that oven 3 times with the most notable repair being a magnetron transplant. But that unit is still reliably used multiple times every day! Ill really miss it when it craps out altogether, but so far I have managed to keep it running. A great example of "They don't make them like they used to!" Kinda like me...!
I have a 1979 Sears (made by Litton, also a player in radar) microwave oven that we bought in part to warm my daughter's bottles. (Risky practice as we found out; make sure to shake well before temp. testing!) I have fixed that oven 3 times with the most notable repair being a magnetron transplant. But that unit is still reliably used multiple times every day! Ill really miss it when it craps out altogether, but so far I have managed to keep it running. A great example of "They don't make them like they used to!" Kinda like me...!
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Yep! I have really enjoyed the posts in this thread as I have experienced most all of what has been described. It sure was a simpler time. I don't think the quality of life has improved all that much relying on all this new technology. Even though we didn't have a car for every member of the family, cell phones in our pockets, computers and the internet. We relied on each other. We had more quality time with friends and family. Half the fun of going somewhere was the trip itself. Instead of I will meet you there, we either walked or rode together. I remember when my mom got her first microwave oven. The whole family gathered around to see it heat a glass of water. Dad put a raw egg in it shortly after that. What a mess it made, but it was funny and everybody was there to see it happen. Yes I am an old coot and wear the title proudly.Frank, I checked your profile, you aren't that far behind us old "coots"... maybe a jr old coot?
I would not trade those memories for the world. Thanks Rey for a great thread. 
:up. I believe that older times were better times even without all the technology we have today. and when i listen to folks that are older than i am like some of you, i realize how much better times were before i was around. seems to me that the quality of life was better. this life style that many live today isn't very healthy. i was around when even neighbors still talked and actually knew each other. now you can have a neighbor for ten years and never even know who they are. i saw two youngsters the other day texting each other. the funny thing is they were sitting next to each other.Yep! I have really enjoyed the posts in this thread as I have experienced most all of what has been described. It sure was a simpler time. I don't think the quality of life has improved all that much relying on all this new technology. Even though we didn't have a car for every member of the family, cell phones in our pockets, computers and the internet. We relied on each other. We had more quality time with friends and family. Half the fun of going somewhere was the trip itself. Instead of I will meet you there, we either walked or rode together. I remember when my mom got her first microwave oven. The whole family gathered around to see it heat a glass of water. Dad put a raw egg in it shortly after that. What a mess it made, but it was funny and everybody was there to see it happen. Yes I am an old coot and wear the title proudly.
i couldn't believe it lol.We use to have a big old console TV that had a "vertical hold" issue...remember that?
You had to take the screwdriver and tweak the TV just right or it would continue to roll
And yeah I was the remote. 5 channels on TV until early 80's when this thing called UHF took off. Then we had new shows
But Saturday night it was AWA wrestling and later it was Church at 10AM and then we'd run home (since church was just up the road...we loved in the country) and get AWA wrestling back on the TV for dad.
You had to take the screwdriver and tweak the TV just right or it would continue to roll
And yeah I was the remote. 5 channels on TV until early 80's when this thing called UHF took off. Then we had new shows
But Saturday night it was AWA wrestling and later it was Church at 10AM and then we'd run home (since church was just up the road...we loved in the country) and get AWA wrestling back on the TV for dad.
Hey what about spell check?? You had to know how to spell or were out of luck. No word processing no grammar check no nothing. You either turned in a "god" paper or you got that f f f
Man these kids have it easy; no lap tops; just paper to write notes. No recording devices to record lectures I mean school was tough
Gosh no wonder I did not lurn any thng.
Man these kids have it easy; no lap tops; just paper to write notes. No recording devices to record lectures I mean school was tough
Gosh no wonder I did not lurn any thng.
although calculators did exist when i was a teen, i am very grateful to all those teachers that cared enough not to allow the use of calculators by their students. thank you :up. math, i will always love math. my best subject. back in the days when most teachers actually cared for their students. can't really say that today. and for you older folks when teachers were like having a second set of parents,better times imo
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Back about 1990, when my son was in Jr. High, calculators were OK for the students but not to be used for homework. I gave my son a calculator with the rule of not using it for homework. I caught him using it for homework one day. That calculator still sits in my dresser to this day. Yes, he can do math in his head today and I believe I had something to do with that.
I carried a slide rule. Later, I discovered the advantages of a circular slide rule. Then one day I saw an ad in Scientific. American for the HP35 but could only dream. When they announced the HP45 I drove to the Princeton university bookstore and bought one! I still have it today.
If you wanted affordable electronics or appliances, you went to the Heathkit or Allied catalog and bought a kit of parts and I don't mean completed circuit boards and build it yourself. Bags of resistors, transistors and capacitors. I built over three dozen items including color TVs, radios, trash compactor, test instruments, calculators, stereos and ham radios. My dad built his Jeep and a Cris Craft 24' all wood boat from a kit.
Hmmm, my memory says the Heathkit TVs were no bargain. They sold for about the same $$ as an assembled RCA or Zenith, but they were considered somewhat better in quality, and you had the satisfaction.
I never had the money to build anything from Heath that sold for more than $300. The TVs were like $2100.
Yes, kiddies, the going rate for a 21" color television in the mid-1960s was around $2000. That's in 1960s dollars too.
Now Jay, I bought a 21" Emerson Color TV-Stereo console in 1966 for $1000. It was my first color TV....
I really did have to walk uphill to my very first school. Sometimes even in the snow. That was at PS91 in The Bronx in 1949......
I didn't have to walk uphill going home though....
Bronx - PS 69 in 1952 Bobby; had to wear ties, shoes, and the girls had to wear skirts (no Jeans). :tux:
Don, I used a Arithma addiator with a metal stylus, before I went up in technology to a sliding rule! :tux:
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