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Pregnancy -

Many pregnant women smoked and drank in the '60s.

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Smoking was encouraged -

Indeed, smoking was well advertised, and was even encouraged by doctors.

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Relaxed rules while flying -

There was so little known about the dangers of smoking that people smoked everywhere. An airplane cabin could be filled with smokers, even with small children on board.

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Airport security -

It wasn’t until the 1970s that airport security became really became a serious concept after some high-profile hijackings. In the 1960s, you could carry more or less anything that you wanted with you on a plane. Metal detectors weren’t used, and bags weren’t searched regularly.

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Car safety -

Seat belts and car safety weren’t thought about all too much in the '60s.

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Drinking and driving -

In fact, in most countries around the world, drinking and driving at the time was generally acceptable. People would have to be pretty unlucky (or extremely hammered) to get in trouble with the law for drinking and driving.

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Childproofing was rare -

Childproofing products and homes, unfortunately, wasn't really a done thing.

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Schooling -

Corporal punishment in schools was acceptable. Striking a misbehaving child’s knuckles with a ruler was common, for instance.

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Physical punishment -

This was acceptable in schools because, of course, it was a common means of disciplining children at home too.

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Cycling safety -

People rode bicycles without helmets recreationally and in many cycling competitions.

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Record players -

Unless you were listening to the radio, the only way to hear music, for most people, was on a record player.

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Surfing was in -

Surfing was becoming more and more popular throughout the 1960s.

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Televisions -

Black and white televisions with limited programs were how people would watch their favorite shows.

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Music festivals were booming -

Large music festivals were essentially born in the 1960s. Before that, music events were smaller and didn’t require significant policing, control, or planning.

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Rock and roll was the top music genre -

Rock and roll music really came to life in the 1960s with bands like Pink Floyd, the Beatles, and the Jimi Hendrix Experience.

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Telephones -

Rotary phones were on the way out, and touch-tone telephones were coming in during the early 1960s.

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Beach parties -

Beach parties were big in California in the 1960s.

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Contraception -

The contraceptive pill for women became available in 1962, and within three years millions of women were taking it in the US.

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Latchkey kids -

It was just becoming acceptable that women would work rather than stay at home, so children were often left to fend for themselves when both parents would be at work all day.

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Milk men -

It was widespread throughout the early and mid-1960s to have milk brought to your door every day by the milkman, before it became easier and cheaper to get it from the grocery store.

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The dangers of sun exposure were unknown -

In general, sunscreen was not used. People didn’t know about the dangers of exposing their skin to UV rays for extended periods.

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People ate what they wanted -

Dietary knowledge was quite limited in the 1960s. People would generally ate as much sugar as they wanted.

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Pretty much everybody got married -

Psychology Today reported that people were considered to have something wrong with them if they didn’t want to get married at this time.

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Comic books were very popular -

In the early 1960s, comic books were still popular (as they had been throughout the 1950s), although they began to drop off in popularity in the later years of the decade.

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Men had long hair -

Long hair was trendy for men throughout the 1960s.

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Your home was a dangerous place to be -

Asbestos was commonly used to insulate homes. People would be exposed to the cancer-causing material on a day-to-day basis in a lot of cases. Pictured is a production worker with a slab of asbestos material.

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Drinking water wasn't very safe either -

The dangers of lead poisoning were also unknown, so virtually everybody was exposed to dangerous lead levels in their water.

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Health clubs -

Health clubs were becoming popular in the 1960s.

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Dinner in a box -

Although TV dinners in a box are still available today, they were eaten more during the 1960s because people didn’t know much about nutritional science.

Sources: (Psychology Today)

See also: Taking a look at London in the Swinging Sixties

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