Today’s newly built homes still have medicine cabinets. But what those medicine cabinets don’t have is that tiny slot built into the back wall that was meant for used razor blades.
Telephone cubbies were built into many residences. The desktop variation, which was so much better than the traditional candlestick style that 1940s and 1950s residences included it.
This small door that opened to a tunnel that led to the basement was a boon for Mom, who didn’t have to lug hampers full of dirty clothes from the upper floors to the laundry room.
Remember when most backyards had two iron T-shaped support poles with rope between them? Some didn't have automatic dryers and preferred the “outdoor, sun-dried” freshness of “naturally” dried bedsheets, pillow cases, and bath towels.
During the Baby Boom, many moms were unable to run to the store on a moment’s notice for household staples such as milk, bread and eggs. There were no SUVs back then, much less baby car seats.
Remember Dad balancing precariously up on the roof while lashing the metal aerial to the chimney of the house and calling down to whomever was inside the house monitoring the TV screen.
Formica, a high-pressure laminate developed in 1913, became popular for restaurant tabletops after minor formula modifications in 1938 made it durable and cigarette-burn-resistant.