Back to the Future
April 17, 2008 2:07 PM Subscribe
50 years ago, it was the era of Sputnik, nuclear power, decolonisation, European vows of ever closer union, transistor radios, cars for the masses, and Hula Hoops.
What better time to hold a damn big party?
The Brussels World Fair of 1958 was inaugurated 50 years ago to the day. It left behind a quirky landmark, a changed city (not always for the best), and memories of more optimistic times.
The Brussels World Fair of 1958 was inaugurated 50 years ago to the day. It left behind a quirky landmark, a changed city (not always for the best), and memories of more optimistic times.
Just back from a long weekend in Ghent and Le Soir was running day-by-day 'fifty years ago' pieces.
I'm fond of Brussels - my wife's family are Swiss/Belgian - but given the political resources stacked up in it (Belgian national government, Flemish and Brussels regional governments, most bits of the EU, NATO) it feels a lot less political than somewhere like Paris or DC. Bureaucratic, yes, but not political.
I guess if your great edifice is the Berlaymont, you have work to do on impressive political monuments.
posted by athenian at 3:53 PM on April 17, 2008
I'm fond of Brussels - my wife's family are Swiss/Belgian - but given the political resources stacked up in it (Belgian national government, Flemish and Brussels regional governments, most bits of the EU, NATO) it feels a lot less political than somewhere like Paris or DC. Bureaucratic, yes, but not political.
I guess if your great edifice is the Berlaymont, you have work to do on impressive political monuments.
posted by athenian at 3:53 PM on April 17, 2008
I have a bunch of old Popular Science, Popular Mechanix, and Mechanix Illustrated magazines. I love the ads as much as the articles. Here is a scan of an ad for a transistor radio from 1956. The radio was claimed to run without batteries, so I can only assume it was powered by the energy of the radio waves themselves.
Sadly, the radio was promoted as "Tubeless"...
posted by Tube at 4:17 PM on April 17, 2008
Sadly, the radio was promoted as "Tubeless"...
posted by Tube at 4:17 PM on April 17, 2008
Tube, that isn't a transistor radio, it's a crystal set, being very disingenuously advertised to fool schmucks into thinking it was similar to transistor radios that were selling for $40-up in those days.
posted by localroger at 4:28 PM on April 17, 2008
posted by localroger at 4:28 PM on April 17, 2008
"Don't forget I G Y !"
I'm still waiting for my spandex jacket.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 4:41 PM on April 17, 2008
I'm still waiting for my spandex jacket.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 4:41 PM on April 17, 2008
> it's a crystal set, being very disingenuously advertised
Well. it did do everything they claim. Of course, with neither any tubes nor any transistors it didn't have any amplification at all--you listen with headphones, in a quiet room. But then, having spent some decades sharing busses and sidewalks with bloody great loud boobm boxes, I can't see that as a drawback.
> What better time to hold a damn big party?
They did. It was called the sixties.
posted by jfuller at 4:47 PM on April 17, 2008
Well. it did do everything they claim. Of course, with neither any tubes nor any transistors it didn't have any amplification at all--you listen with headphones, in a quiet room. But then, having spent some decades sharing busses and sidewalks with bloody great loud boo
> What better time to hold a damn big party?
They did. It was called the sixties.
posted by jfuller at 4:47 PM on April 17, 2008
OK, thanks for the heads-up. Obviously I assumed it was transistorized... I went ahead and changed the photo description.
I think they still sold kits for this sort of thing back in the early 1970's, as I have a vague memory of building one as a child.
posted by Tube at 4:55 PM on April 17, 2008
I think they still sold kits for this sort of thing back in the early 1970's, as I have a vague memory of building one as a child.
posted by Tube at 4:55 PM on April 17, 2008
I'm still waiting for my spandex jacket.
If you look around you will notice that all the guys from the 50s and 60s are wearing Members Only jackets.
posted by TedW at 6:38 PM on April 17, 2008
If you look around you will notice that all the guys from the 50s and 60s are wearing Members Only jackets.
posted by TedW at 6:38 PM on April 17, 2008
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You're the mayo on my frites!
Thank You!
posted by Dizzy at 2:29 PM on April 17, 2008