As shown here in the January 1939 issue of Radio Retailing, it looks like a few boys 85 years ago got the memo that the place to meet girls (and learn a useful skill) was to take typing class.
And this school was doing it right. Above the blackboard, you can see a loudspeaker, which is playing an amplified recording. The magazine notes that this delivers a rhythm, which is desirable for the student typists to develop a uniform touch.
Fifty years ago, the hobbyist with nimble fingers and a sharp eye could have their own digital watch, thanks to this project in the January 1974 issue of Popular Electronics.
If you bought one, it would set you back $200, but you could make your own for about $80. The construction article gave the source for the case, you could make the small PC board, or you could buy the whole thing as a kit. If the tip on your soldering iron wasn’t small enough, the article suggested attaching a piece of copper wire and filing down the end. Accuracy was said to be several seconds a month.
For a snapshot of grocery prices sixty years ago, these ads appeared in the January 27, 1964, issue of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.
Some of these prices look like a bargain, but there’s been a lot of inflation since 1964. In fact, 1964 was the last year that American coins were made out of silver. So one dollar meant one silver dollar, or four silver quarters, or ten silver dimes, each about one ounce of silver. Today, that ounce of silver is worth about $23, so you can multiply these prices by 23 for a fairly good idea of the value in today’s money. So the hamburger for 39 cents a pound is about the same as $9 per pound today.
If you were shopping for dinner 60 years ago, what would you buy?
This utilitarian-looking three-tube British device appeared in Practical Wireless 75 years ago this month, January 1949. It has considerable utility, as it functions as both a regenerative receiver and signal generator.
The regenerative receiver, of course, causes oscillation that can be radiated through the antenna jack. But this circuit does one better, because it turns the audio amplifier into an oscillator, which modulates the signal. Therefore, when working on another piece of equipment, you have a handy source of tone modulated RF. And when you’re done troubleshooting your other device, you can tune in programs from 3000 to 10 meters. Thanks to the second harmonic, you can use it as a signal generator up to five meters.
The plans for this handsome one-tube receiver appeared a hundred years ago this month, in the January 1924 issue of Popular Science. The regenerative set, when used with a high-quality loudspeaker, was capable of producing volume to fill a large room, with but a single tube. The secret was the antenna coil, which served as an autotransformer to boost the signal in the regenerative circuit.
The set was both sensitive and selective. When tested in New York City, within a couple of miles of some strong broadcast stations, it easily pulled in more distant stations. And with a 100 foot antenna, the author reported pulling in Chicago with loudspeaker volume.
Shown here in the January 1924 issue of Popular Mechanics is an early telephone hands-free device. The unit clamped on to the side of the telephone, with a counterweight under the base of the phone, to hold the receiver in any position. It included a clips that held the hook down or released it. It allowed both hands to be used while talking on the phone.
Eighty years ago, there was a war going on, but in his workshop, this gentleman had a power supply capable of putting out 250 volts and six volts. He also had a few tubes lying around, so he put together this audio amplifier, which he used as an intercom. The master station was down in the shop by his power supply, and he mounted a speaker in the kitchen. It was fed with a single wire, with water or steam pipes serving as the second conductor.
From the shop, he could monitor what was going on in the kitchen. And when his wife announced that lunch was almost ready, he let her know he was on the way up. The amp could also be used for a phonograph, as shown in the schematic.
The circuit appeared in the January 1944 issue of Popular Science.
If you were in the market for a very nice radio a hundred years ago, you couldn’t go wrong with this four-tube Air-Way receiver. For only $114.50, you would get everything you needed, including a Perfectone speaker, a complete antenna, and both of the batteries. You could get it at The Hecht Co., 624 F Street, Washington. Of course, that was a lot of money, according to this inflation calculator, over $2000 in 2024 money.
If you couldn’t swing that much, you could head down to Haverford Cycle Sales Co., 522 10th St. NW (conveniently across the street from Ford’s Theater), and get this one-tube Savoy, Jr., which was guaranteed to pull in the DX stations clear and strong. It also came with everything you needed–radio, tube, batteries, antenna, and headphones. And with a small down payment, you could take it home with a promise to pay a dollar a week.
The ads appeared in the Washington Evening Star, January 18, 1924.
Seventy-five years ago today, the January 17, 1949, issue of Life magazine showed these two FM offerings from RCA Victor.
The nine-tube model 8V90 stood only 33-1/4″ high and 31=1/4″ wide, but included standard broadcast and FM with “RCA Victor’s own simpler, more sensitive Frequency Modulation circuits.” The fine record changer featured a sapphire pickup with no needles to change. The 18th Century-style cabinet also featured a record storage compartment.
For those looking for an FM table radio, the seven-tube model 8X71 was beautifully styled in rich maroon or antique ivory-finish plastic.
For a snapshot of grocery prices 50 years ago, this ad for A&P appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on January 16, 1974.
The prices look like a bargain, but there’s been a lot of inflation in 50 years. According to this online inflation calculator, one dollar in 1974 is the equivalent of about $6.18 in today’s money. If you wanted a fast dinner, you could buy the Freezer Queen two pound package of Charcoal Beef Patties for $1.49, and a package of frozen vegetables for about 22 cents (4 for 89 cents). For the side, you can get a loaf of bread for about 33 cents (3 for a dollar). The Kroger ad in the same issue of the paper shows that margarine is also 33 cents a pound. For desert, you can have ice cream for $1.19 a gallon, and coffee, $1.59. So the cost to feed a family (with food left over) would be $5.15, or about $32 in today’s money.
If you were in a hurry, you could get the 13 ounce frozen pizza for 69 cents, and an 8 pack of Coke for 89 cents, for a total of $1.58, or almost $10 in today’s money.
If you were shopping for dinner in 1974, what would you buy?
