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Life in the Early Eighties

Page history last edited by Michael 5 months, 1 week ago

back to the Index

 


     This is largely a resource for character creation, and getting the feel for the period.

 

Credit Rating and Assets

 

     A character's Credit Rating determines their economic status:

 

  • Poverty or homeless:  5% or less ... annual income $5,000 or less

  • Lower Class:  14% or less ... annual income of $5,000 to $10,000.

  • Lower Middle Class:  15% to 29% ... annual income of $10,000 to $15,000. Professional blue-collar workers.

  • Middle Class:  30% to 39% ... annual income of $15,000 to $35,000. College-educated white-collar workers.

  • Upper-Middle Class:  40% to 59% ... annual income $35,000 to $80,000. Highly-educated professionals.

  • Upper Class:  60% to 89% ... annual income of $80,000

  • Rich:  90% to 99%

  • Super Rich:  100% or more

 

     This of course doesn't take family size, regional differences, different taxation levels, etc. into account. The median family income in 1980 was $21,023; for people living in cities, it was $22,590, and for people living outside of cities it was $18,069. Median household income was $17,710 (household income includes 1-person households).

     The 1980 poverty level was an annual income of $3400 for one person, or $5600 for a three-person family (as used in the above examples). By 1986 this had grown to $5250 for one person, or $8850 for the family of three.

     The median home value in the United States in 1980 was $47,200. Mortgate rates were high in the early Eighties ... the average was 17% in October of 1981. With a 15% mortgage rate over 30 years, and 10% down payment, total annual payments for that median home were $6450.

     As Credit Rating increases, the amount of discretionary, disposable income increases as a fraction (or multiple) of income. For a very rough approximation, divide your Credit Rating by 2, and use the result for the amount of money you might raise on short notice (in thousands of dollars).

 

Example:  Roger Ramses Garthwaite III has a Credit Rating of 60%, and a nominal annual income of $100,000

(he's the beneficiary of a $2 million trust fund with an interest rate around 5%).

He can come up with (at most) $30,000 for an impulse buy.

A new Ferrari Testarossa cost $87,000 in 1985.

A new Countach 5000 Quattrovalvole cost about $118,000 that same year.

In 1982, a DeLorean DMC-12 cost $30,000 (including import and shipping charges).

In 1986, a Porsche 944 Turbo cost $30,000.

 

     South African Krugerrands make up about 90% of the gold coin supply in North America at the time of the Atomic War; Canadian Maple Leaf coins are probably at least half of the remainder. The price you would pay in U.S. dollars for one ounce of gold before the Atomic War:

 

Year

Yearly
High 

Yearly
Low

1970

$39.19

$34.78

1971

$43.90

$37.33

1972

$70.00

$43.73

1973

$127.00

$64.10

1974

$195.00

$117.00

1975

$185.00

$135.00

1976

$142.00

$102.00

1977

$168.00

$127.00

1978

$243.65

$165.70

1979

$524.00

$216.55

1980

$850.00

$474.00

1981

$599.25

$391.25

1982

$488.50

$296.75

1983

$511.50

$374.25

1984

$406.85

$303.25

1985

$340.90

$284.25

1986

$442.75

$326.00

1987

$502.75

$390.00

1988

$485.30

$389.05

1989

$417.15

$358.50

The price paid for actual gold coins will typically be 1% higher than the price of gold.

The U.S. began selling gold reserves in 1975, and officially and for good left the gold standard in 1978.

The high price of gold in 1980 was reached on January 14th

Popular Culture

 

1983

 

  • notable music:   Menudomania very sweeps America as the Puerto Rican boy band Menudo makes it big. Compact discs first go on sale in the United States. David Bowie releases his album "Let's Dance."

  • notable television programs and events:  the first "Very Special" episode of Diff'rent Strokes; the last episode of M*A*S*H;

    • regarding nuclear war:  the TV movie The Day After (20 November) dramatizes the start of a nuclear war, and Special Bulletin (20 March) shows the effects of a nuclear terrorist attack on Charleston.

  • Ghandi wins the Oscar for Best Picture of 1982.

  • The most popular films are Scarface, Return of the Jedi, National Lampoon's Vacation, and Trading Places.

    • regarding nuclear war:  War Games (3 June), and Testament (4 November)

  • Commercials and advertising of note include the "Just Say No To Drugs" campaign;

 

1984

 

  • notable music: Michael Jackson releases his Thriller album. Prince releases his Purple Rain album. Iron Maiden performs in various Eastern European nations -- the first concerts behind the Iron Curtain by a Western band.

  • notable television programs and events:  the last episode of Happy Days; Alex Trebek becomes the new host of Jeopardy!

    • the BBC documentary series Natural World airs an episode about nuclear war and nuclear winter:  "On the Eighth Day" (24 September in Britain, 14 January 1985 in the U.S.). The episode was inspired by Carl Sagan's work on a nuclear winter scenario.

  • Terms of Endearment wins the Oscar for Best Picture of 1983. The most popular films are ...

    • regarding nuclear war:   The Terminator, Threads, and Red Dawn.

  • Commercials and advertising of note include the famous "1984" ad by Apple during the Super Bowl. If you're from San Diego:  "See Pearson Ford, they stand alone -- at Fairmont and El Cajon."

 

1985

  • notable music:  "We Are The World", "Walk Like An Egyptian", "Rock Me Amadeus", "Addicted To Love", "Danger Zone", "Walk This Way", "Money For Nothing", "We Built This City", "Sussudio", "Raspberry Beret", "Miami Vice Theme", "Like A Virgin" ... Queen, Yes, Iron Maiden, Whitesnake and Rod Stewart are among the performers at the Rock in Rio festival, touted as the biggest rock concert of all time.  And for those not in the mainstream: Simple Minds "Don't You (Forget About Me)", Tears for Fears "Shout", Aha "Take On Me", 'Til Tuesday "Voices Carry", Frankie Goes to Hollywood "Relax". Albums of note: Run D.M.C. King of Rock, Whitney Houston Whitney Houston,  Replacements Tim, Husker Du New Day Rising, John Fogerty Centerfield, Dire Straits Brothers In Arms, Talking Heads Little Creatures, Pogues Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash, Tom Waits Rain Dogs, LL Cool J Radio.

  • notable television programs and events:  "The Cosby Show", "Family Ties", "Murder, She Wrote", "60 Minutes", "Cheers", "Dallas", "Dynasty", "The Golden Girls", "Miami Vice" ... not in the top ten, but notable:  "Remington Steele", "The Equalizer", "Moonlighting", "Mr. Belvedere", "Spenser:  For Hire", "Airwolf", "The A-Team", "Dungeons and Dragons", "Scarecrow and Mrs. King", "Cagney and Lacey", "Larry King Live", "Late Night with David Letterman", "MacGyver" ...

  • Coca-Cola changes its formula to "New Coke" briefly

  • Amadeus wins the Oscar for best picture of 1984. The most popular films in the U.S. are Back to the Future, The Goonies, The Breakfast Club, and Commando.

    • Other films include Lifeforce, Day of the Dead, Rambo: First Blood Part II.

    • regarding nuclear war:   Def-Con 4 (released 15 March), Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, and the great Wheels of Fire ; it is certain to be an entirely accurate prediction of life after an atomic war.  Stay out of rock quarries! 

  • commercials and advertising:   "Have  you driven a Ford lately?" ... "It's a good time for the great taste of McDonald's" ... the Mets:  "Catch a rising star!" ... He-Man and She-Ra present a PSA about "bad touching" ... "Milk does a body good" ... "Joe Isuzu"

     

1986

  • notable music:  "Phantom of the Opera," "Papa Don't Preach", "West End Girls", "Take My Breath Away", "Big Time", "Sledgehammer", "Hip To Be Square", "A Kind of Magic", "Master of Puppets".

  • notable television programs and events: "The Mystery of Al Capone's Vault", HBO is jammed by Captain Midnight, Oprah Winfrey goes national, Fox Broadcasting begins national service with "The Late Show" starring Joan Rivers; also beginning this year:  "Pee-Wee's Playhouse", "Alf", and "LA Law"; ending this year:  "The Fall Guy", "T.J. Hooker", "Knight Rider", "Riptide", "The Love Boat".

  • movies of note:  Top Gun, Crocodile Dundee, Platoon, Aliens, The Color of Money, Highlander, A Room With A View, The Fly, Howard the Duck.

    • regarding nuclear war:  When the Wind Blows.

  • commercials and advertising:   by the Dairy Council:  "Cheese, Glorious Cheese"; Diet Coke:  "Just for the taste of it!"

  • Wired magazine begins publishing, in San Francisco; publication of The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett

  • death of Harry Ritz, last of the Ritz Brothers

  • Chicago beats New England 46 to 10 at New Orleans in Super Bowl XX

  • The New York Mets win the World Series, beating the Boston Red Sox 4 games to 3 after a ball rolls between the legs of Boston's first baseman in game 6

  • 20-year-old Mike Tyson becomes world heavyweight boxing champion

 

1988

 

    • regarding nuclear war:  Miracle Mile (3 September in festival)

 

1989

  • Toyota launched the Lexus and Infiniti lines of luxury cars this year.

  • movies that opened Friday, November 17th 1989 in the United States:  Back to the Future, Part 2; Steel Magnolias; All Dogs Go To Heaven; Harlem Nights; and The Little Mermaid. At the Academy Awards in March, Rain Man won the Best Picture award.

  • the Fox network plans to debut a prime-time animated show in December, The Simpsons, based on the comics by Matt Groening. The November 18th episode of SNL will feature Woody Harrelson and David Byrne.

  • a new comedy, Seinfeld, premiered in July on NBC.

 

Cold War Tunes

 

     Cin collected these! List 1 ... list 2 ... list 3 ... some of them are post-1989, though.

 

Politics and International Affairs

 

1985

  • Israel begins withdrawal from Lebanon

  • Mikhail Gorbachev becomes head of the USSR

  • Ronald Reagan sworn in for his second term

  • John Walker is arrested for spying on behalf of the Soviets

  • sinking of the "Rainbow Warrior" by French agents

  • the liner "Achille Lauro" is hijacked

  • Abu Nidal terrorists attack the airports in Rome and Vienna

  • International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War wins the Nobel Peace Prize

  • the United States possesses about 24,000 nuclear weapons; the Soviet Union, about 40,000

  • The San Jose Mercury News publishes an expose of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos' multi-million dollar holdings in the U.S.

 

1986

  • Olof Palme, the prime minister of Sweden, is assassinated

  • Jonathan Pollard pleads guilty to selling military secrets to Israel

  • terrorists bomb a discotheque in Berlin; in retaliation, the United States launches a bombing raid on Tripoli

  • Iran and Iraq are still at war; the US is covertly selling arms to Iran -- some of the proceeds from this go to fund Contra forces in Nicaragua

  • "Baby Doc" Duvalier resigns as president of Haiti and seeks refuge in France

  • Corazon Aquino is elected president of the Philippines, ending the regime of Ferdinand Marcos. Marcos is flown by the US military to Hawai'i.

  • Desmond Tutu is appointed Anglican archbishop of South Africa, leading to months of civil unrest. The US government applies sanctions against the South African government

  • Reagan and Gorbachev hold a summit at Reykjavik, and conditionally agree to ban medium-range nuclear missiles

  • More than 60,000 U.S. farms are sold or foreclosed as depression continues in the rural West and Midwest

 

1989

  • the Chinese government violently suppressed a large protest movement in June.

  • the Islamic government of Iran announced a bounty of $150,000 for the death of Salman Rushdie, author of The Satanic Verses. (which is currently on the New York Times bestseller list as a result).

  • within the Eastern Bloc nations, a series of massive protests and revolutions began with Poland and Hungary. The "Singing Revolution" involves millions of persons in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The Hungarian and Czechoslovakian governments opened their borders to the West; nine days ago, the East German government also opened its borders, and hundreds of thousands of its citizens promptly fled. Protests are growing in size, and the likelihood of the Warsaw Pact dissolving within days or weeks seems high, unless the Soviet Union intervenes.

  • the government of Columbia is effectively at war with the cocaine cartels.

  • December`s Mediterranean summit between President Bush and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev will be held off the coast of Malta, most likely aboard two flagship cruisers, the USS Belknap and the Soviet vessel Slava.

  • George H. W. Bush is the President of the U.S., having defeated Gov. Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts last year. The Democratic Party controls both houses of Congress. James Baker is the Secretary of State, and Dick Cheney is the Secretary of Defense; Brent Scowcroft is the National Security Advisor. Vice President is Dan Quayle.

  • November 17th, the Senate Ethics Committee began an investigation of the "Keating Five", senators accused of having intervened on behalf of Charles Keating (see Business, below).

  • Marion Barry has been Mayor of the city of Washington since 1979.  David Dinkins was elected on November 7th as the first African-American mayor of New York City.

 

Military Affairs

 

1989

  • an incident in the Gulf of Sidra, in January, led to a pair of Libyan Mig-23 fighter jets being shot down by two U.S. Navy planes.

  • the last Soviet troops left Afghanistan this year, after nine years of mililtary occupation.

  • Central American nations evicted most of the Contra rebels from their bases outside of Nicaragua; the ceasefire between the rebels and the Communist government of Nicaragua ended a couple of weeks ago.

  • in May, Operation Nimrod Dancer saw the deployment to Panama of additional U.S. forces; the Panamanian dictator, Manual Noriega, was indicted by U.S. Federal courts in February of 1988 on charges of money laundering and aiding in the smuggling of narcotics into the U.S. Tensions between the U.S. and the Panamanian government are high; the U.S. military has been conducting "freedom of movement" exercises, which involve sending thousands of troops to Panama. President Bush declared that the U.S. will not negotiate with a drug trafficker and denied knowledge of Noriega's involvement with the drug trade prior to his indictment, although Bush had met with Noriega while Director of the CIA and had been the Chair of the Task Force on Drugs while Vice President.

  • Colin Powell became Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

 

Business

 

1989

  • the "savings and loan crisis" came to a peak this year, as the Federal government began closing or seizing many of these small thrift banks. Emblematic of this was the collapse in April of Lincoln Savings and Loan, controlled by Charles Keating; five U.S. senators were accused in the press during the summer of having "improperly intervened" on Keating's behalf after receiving large campaign contributions in 1987.

  • the junk bond market collapsed in October.

 

Science, Industry and Technology

 

1985

  • Minolta Maxxum 7000, the first autofocus SLR camera

  • a blood test is approved for detecting the AIDS virus

  • the first version of the Windows operating system is released.Windows 1.0 did not allow overlapping windows. Instead all windows were tiled. Only dialog boxes could appear over other windows. Adoption rates stay low until Windows 3. 

  • the Ford Taurus (and mechanically similar Mercury Sable) begin sales in the U.S. (for the 1986 model year). Basic sedan:  $10,050

  • Steve Jobs resigns from Apple Computers to found NeXT

  • Tetris is released. Doctors note sharp increase in RSI.

 

1986

  • Laser Tag is released

  • the Soviet Union launches the Mir space station

  • IBM releases the first laptop computer

  • Compaq leaps past IBM by introducing the DeskPro, a computer using an advanced 32-bit microprocessor, the Intel 80386.

  • 'Father of the Nuclear Navy,' Admiral Hyman Rickover, dies.

  • Reagan and Gorbachev hold a summit at Reykjavik, and conditionally agree to ban medium-range nuclear missiles

  • Burger King and McDonald's stop frying with beef fat, switching instead to vegetable oil

  • the first DAT tape recorders are demonstrated in Japan; RIAA execs scheme to keep it off the market.

  • at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the first fusion reaction induced by a laser occurs. A small number of hydrogen nuclei fuse to form helium. 

 

1989

  • the announcement in March that cold fusion had been detected gave rise to a brief belief that it would, "... solve environmental problems, and would provide a limitless inexhaustible source of clean energy," using only seawater as fuel.  Within a few weeks the scientific community and press believed it to be "dead."

  • the first flight of the B-2 "stealth bomber" took place in July.

  • the Columbia space shuttle flew a secret five-day military mission in August. It is one of three operational shuttles (including the Discovery and Atlantis;

    the Challenger was destroyed in flight in 1986).

 

Disasters and Crime

 

1985

  • Richard Ramirez, the "Night Stalker", kills at least 14 persons in California; when he is identified by the authorities, his photograph is printed on the front page of essentially all California newspapers, and he is arrested the next day (after being rescued from an angry mob).

  • members of Hezbollah and the Islamic Jihad hijack a TWA airliner, and hold the passengers hostage for three days. A US Navy diver aboard the plane is killed by the hijackers.

  • the M-19 guerrilla group takes control of the Palace of Justice in Bogota, Columbia. The guerrillas, eleven judges, other hostages, and several dozen Columbian soldiers are killed in the ensuing siege.

 

1986

  •  the space shuttle Challenger disintegrates in-flight shortly after liftoff

  • the Chernobyl reactor disaster spreads radioactive contamination across much of the Soviet bloc and Scandinavia

  • this year about 75 metric tons of cocaine enter the US, at an average street price of $75 per gram. In 1976, only 19 tons made it to the US, at an average price of $125 per gram

  • the US Congress passes laws providing for stiffer penalties for dealers and users of crack cocaine

  • Federal asset-seizure laws for property used for, paid for by, traceable to, or even intended for use in narcotics trafficking go into effect in the US

 

Weather and the Environment

 

1985

  • a magnitude 8.0 earthquake on September 19th strikes Mexico City, killing at least 10,000 people. The Mexican government refuses to accept aid from the United States; the PRI's handling of the aftermath is seen as "authoritarian and incompetent".

  • in May, an outbreak of 43 tornadoes kills 88 people in Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania and Ontario over a period of 7 hours.

  • the Nevado del Ruiz volcano erupts in Columbia, killing more than 23,000 persons in lahars -- mudslides and debris flows

 

1986

  • there's been a drought in the American West since 1986; this drought extended east past the Mississippi River by 1988.

 

1989

  • the tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground and spilled 35,000 tons of crude oil in Alaska, in March of 1989.

  • in July of 1989 there was a spate of tornadoes in the Midwest.

  • In September 1989, Hurricane Hugo was the costliest to ever strike the Western Hemisphere; the Caribbean and the Carolinas were struck particularly hard.

  • October, 1989 there was an earthquake in California (during a World Series game in San Francisco) resulted in the collapse of a portion of the San Francisco Bay Bridge, and a section of elevated freeway in Oakland.

 

Ordnance

 

     Glaser Safety Slugs were just being introduced in the Spring of 1986, in .45 ACP, .38 Special, .357 Magnum and 9mm; they weren't really in stores until the Fall. One drawback:  lots of muzzle flash. Changes in 1987 and 1988 made the rounds feed better through semi-automatic pistols.

     GECO "Bat" rounds in 9mm are very new in the mid-Eighties -- high-velocity, low-penetration rounds being issued to Sky Marshals. The plastic nose-cap will eventually disintegrate, allowing the cartridge's propellant to leak out of the round. It shots to a very different point-of-aim, and may not work the actions of some semi-automatic pistols. They are mostly made in 9mm Parabellum.

 

  • 1911 clones (will accept standard M1911 magazines): 

    • AMT Hardballer

    • AMT Hardballer Long Slide

    • Auto-Ordnance

    • Colt Gov't Model Mk IV/Series 80

    • Colt Officers ACP Mk IV/Series 80 (short, steel frame)

    • Colt Lightweight Officers ACP Mk IV/Series 80 (short, aluminum alloy frame)

    • Detonics Servicemaster (discontinued in 1986), and the Servicemaster II (from 1986 onwards)

    • Detonics Combat Master (a short, concealable weapon, which comes with a 6-round magazine).

      • "The plain-Jane entrant is the Combat Master Mark I, attired in a matte blue finish, fixed sights, with a retail price of $369 (1980). Stepping up a notch, the Mark II is a fixed-sight model dressed in a satin nickel finish with a price tag of $390. The Mark III is handsome in its hard chrome appearance with fixed sights and sells for $488. Variation number IV is resplendent in a mirror-bright blue finish (with a stainless frame) and adjustable rear sight, and $499 will allow the buyer to take one home. The Mark V is a brushed-finish, stainless steel model with fixed sights and will sell for $498 ($626, 1983). And, finally, the top-of-the-line model is the Presentation-grade, Professional Mark VI which boosts the price to $575 ($635, 1983) [There was eventually also a sightless, magnaported Mark VII, also $635 in 1983]."

    • Ranger

    • Springfield Armory

    • note that Para-Ordnance didn't start selling their high-capacity frames for M1911 guns until 1988; and they weren't well-known even then.

  • notable non-1911, non-revolver handguns in 9mm, .45 ACP, or .44 Magnum: 

    • American Derringer Model 1

    • American Derringer Semmerling

    • Astra A-90

    • Beretta PO18

    • Beretta Model 92F

    • Browning Hi-Power

    • CZ75 (and an American copy, the Excam TA90)

    • Colt Combat Commander

    • IMI Desert Eagle (in .357 from 1983, in .44 Magnum later)

    • Glock 17, from 1982

    • HK VP70Z

    • HK P7 M8 (holds 8 rounds) and M13 (holds 13 rounds)

      • an unconventional, fast and accurate pistol 

    • HK P9S

    • Intratec Tec-9

    • LAR Grizzly Mark 1 (will use some M1911A1 parts, however)

    • Llama Omni

    • Ruger P-85

    • Safari Arms Enforcer

    • SIG P210

    • SIG-Sauer P226

    • Smith & Wesson Model 39

      • the first 9mm double-action pistol from a major American manufacturer. About $370.

    • Smith & Wesson Model 59

      • 13 or 20 round magazines

      • concealable versions, the ASP, and the Devel "Full House", are available as conversions (down to 10 round magazine capacity) for $500 plus the cost of the un-converted Model 59

 

 

the Devel version of the S&W Model 59

 

    • Smith & Wesson Model 459

      • double-action, 9mm, magazine holds 14 rounds; introduced 1980 as a replacement/upgrade for the Model 59. Adopted partially by the FBI.

    • Smith & Wesson Model 469

      • double-action, 9mm, magazine holds 12 rounds (but will accept the 14 round magazines of the Model 459). In essence, a concealable/hideout version of the 459, with a shorter barrel and grip.

    • Smith & Wesson Model 645 (or the very similar Model 4506)

      • double-action .45 ACP (or even .45 Super), stainless steel, magazine holds 8 rounds; introduced April 1985. Used by Don Johnson in the fourth, fifth and sixth seasons of Miami Vice.

    • Star Model 30, 30M or 30P

      • double-action, 15 round capacity in 9mm; introduced 1981

    • Taurus PT 92

    • Tec-9

      • fixed some defects by 1984, but out of production by 1989; popular and inexpensive; some were converted to machine guns

    • Uzi Pistol

    • Wilkinson Arms Linda

  • revolvers in 9mm, .357 Magnum, .45 ACP, or .44 Magnum: 

    • Casull Model 83

    • Colt Lawman

    • Dakota Bisley Single Action

    • Dakota Single Action

    • Dan Wesson Model 44V

    • Llama Super Comanche

    • Ruger New Model Blackhawk

    • Ruger Redhawk

    • Ruger Super Redhawk

    • Smith & Wesson Model 19

    • Smith & Wesson Model 29

    • Taurus Model 66

    • Texas Longhorn

    • Uberti 1873 Buckhorn

    • Uberti 1873 Buntline

  • a good reference for "up to date and popular" small arms are the IMfDB pages for the first two seasons of Miami Vice:

  • some .22 semi-auto pistols commonly available:

    • Beretta Model 21 Bobcat (produced since 1984)

    • Ruger Standard Model (the Mk II version was introduced in 1982)

    • Smith & Wesson Model 41

       

Tobacco

 

     "Data from the 1986 AUTS also showed that Marlboro (23.7 percent), Salem (10.4 percent), and Winston (8.8 percent) were the most popular brands among white women".

 

     Some brands of the 80s were marketed specifically to women -- they are all long and skinny:

 

  • Virginia Slims, or Virginia Slims Lights (the first modern brand specifically marketed to women)

  • Eve (a "slim" type, marketed to women not so "liberated" as the Virginia Slims smokers; also in menthol variety)

  • Capri (re-launched in 1987 as the first "superslim" cigarette; in regular and menthol varieties)

  • More 120 (as smoked by rich ladies on Dallas)

  • Misty (a menthol cigarette)

  • Silva Thins

 

     Not specifically marketed to women, but popular with them:

 

  • Newport (the best-selling brand of menthol cigarettes, especially among African-Americans)

  • Carlton (for the health-conscious smoker -- lowest in tar and nicotine)

  • Parliament (has a vaguely rich-person reputation)

  • Kool (a menthol cigarette, largely targeted to African-Americans)

  • Sobranie Cocktail (expensive, for that luxury Continental look)

  • Dunhill (for that British look)

  • Salem ("menthol for white people")

  • Vantage (as smoked by Bette Davis and John Belushi)

  • Yves Saint Laurent (for pretentious smokers)

 

     Brands sold at military bases, and included in the last military rations which had tobacco products:

 

  • Camel

  • Chesterfield

  • Kent

  • Lucky Strike

  • Marlboro

  • Pall Mall

  • Winston

 

Beer

 

     These beers were the usual brands available at Project training camps in the western United States:

 

    • Blitz Weinhard

    • Coors ... "Made For The Way You Really Like To Drink Beer" ... "Taste the High Country" ...  the Coors Beerwolf ... they play up the unpasteurized nature of it a lot

    • Coors Light ... "The Silver Bullet" ... "The Right Beer Now"

    • Coors Extra Gold

    • Hamm's ... "From the Land of Sky Blue Waters"

    • Olympia ... "I see 'em - the Artesians!"

    • Rainier ... aka "Vitamin R"

 

     Other beers of note in the US:

 

    • Budweiser ... "Spuds MacKenzie" ... "This Bud's For You!"

    • Budweiser Light

    • Busch

    • Michelob

    • Michelob Light ... ads featuring Bob Uecker 

    • Michelob Classic Dark

    • Miller Genuine Draft (mostly in the Midwest)

    • Miller Light

    • Miller High Life ... "Made the American Way, Born and Brewed in the USA" ... "The Champagne of Beers"

    • Milwaukee's Best ... aka "Milwaukee's Beast", "Milwaukee's Worst"

    • Pabst Blue Ribbon ...

    • Schlitz ... "When You're Out of Schlitz, You're Out Of Beer" (owned by Stroh's since 1982)

    • Stroh's ... "From One Beer Lover to Another" ... "Stroh's Is Spoken Here"

 

     Beers not so commonly available in the rural parts of the mountain states (though they exist):

 

    • Anchor Steam

    • Carling Black Label

    • Fosters

    • Heineken

    • Molson Export

    • Samuel Adams Boston Lager (only really known about after 1985)

    • Sierra Nevada (too low volume before 1986)

 

Given names for American children in 1960

 

boys

girls

  1. David

  2. Michael

  3. James

  4. John

  5. Robert

  6. Mark

  7. William

  8. Richard

  9. Thomas

  10. Steven

  11. Timothy 

  12. Joseph 

  13. Charles 

  14. Jeffrey 

  15. Kevin 

  16. Kenneth 

  17. Daniel 

  18. Paul 

  19. Donald 

  20. Brian 

  21. Ronald

  22.  Gary 

  23. Scott 

  24. Gregory 

  25. Anthony 

  26. Edward 

  27. Stephen 

  28. Larry 

  29. Christopher 

  30. Douglas 

  31. Dennis 

  32. Randy 

  33. George 

  34. Terry 

  35. Keith 

  36. Mike 

  37. Jerry 

  38. Ricky 

  39. Bruce 

  40. Frank 

  41. Peter 

  42. Craig 

  43. Steve 

  44. Eric 

  45. Patrick

  46. Raymond

  47. Roger

  48. Danny

  49. Jeff

  50. Alan

  51. Andrew

  52. Tony

  53. Carl

  54. Dale

  55. Jeffery

  56. Russell

  57. Joe

  58. Wayne

  59. Randall

  60. Tim

  61. Matthew

  62. Gerald

  63. Chris

  64. Lawrence

  65. Johnny

  66. Phillip

  67. Billy

  68. Rodney

  69. Jimmy

  70. Walter

  71. Todd

  72. Barry

  73. Bobby

  74. Glenn

  75. Jim

  76. Philip

  77. Martin

  78. Jay

  79. Curtis

  80. Roy

  81. Willie

  82. Arthur

  83. Greg

  84. Henry

  85. Jack

  86. Tom

  87. Ronnie

  88. Ralph

  89. Bryan

  90. Bradley

  91. Samuel

  92. Harold

  93. Albert

  94. Dean

  95. Bill

  96. Darryl

  97. Jon

  98. Vincent

  99. Allen

  100. Rick

  1. Mary

  2. Susan

  3. Linda

  4. Karen

  5. Donna

  6. Lisa

  7. Patricia

  8. Debra

  9. Cynthia

  10. Deborah

  11. Sandra

  12. Barbara

  13. Brenda

  14. Pamela

  15. Nancy

  16. Sharon

  17. Cheryl

  18. Elizabeth

  19. Teresa

  20. Lori

  21. Kathy

  22. Dianne

  23. Carol

  24. Laura

  25. Debbie

  26. Kimberly

  27. Kathleen

  28. Julie

  29. Denise

  30. Cindy

  31. Tammy

  32. Janet

  33. Robin

  34. Kim

  35. Theresa

  36. Margaret

  37. Laurie

  38. Rebecca

  39. Michelle

  40. Christine

  41. Janice

  42. Catherine

  43. Carolyn

  44. Rhonda

  45. Cathy

  46. Tina

  47. Connie

  48. Judy

  49. Terri

  50. Ann

  51. Angela

  52. Kelly

  53. Diana

  54. Sherry

  55. Paula

  56. Sheila

  57. Dawn

  58. Joyce

  59. Maria

  60. Beverly

  61. Jennifer

  62. Annette

  63. Wendy

  64. Lynn

  65. Valerie

  66. Wanda

  67. Jane

  68. Betty

  69. Peggy

  70. Shirley

  71. Bonnie

  72. Beth

  73. Vicki

  74. Judith

  75. Darlene

  76. Jill

  77. Amy

  78. Suzanne

  79. Gloria

  80. Katherine

  81. Joan

  82. Kathryn

  83. Martha

  84. Tracy

  85. Jacqueline

  86. Jean

  87. Anne

  88. Anita

  89. Michele

  90. Gail

  91. Stephanie

  92. Leslie

  93. Renee

  94. Ellen

  95. Dorothy

  96. Rita

  97. Ruth

  98. Rose

  99. Joanne

  100. Vickie

 

 

Comments (1)

Michael said

at 12:36 pm on Apr 10, 2017

Interesting find there!

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