1950 and NOW

A comparative studies of 1950 and 2022. 

In 1950 the writing instruments were fountain pen

and nib-holder pens.

Both have disappeared from daily usage and so have the blotting papers used for absorbing extra ink.

Also missing is the carbon paper used for making copy of a letter. We have photostat machines in use now. Also missing is the special copying pencil which was used for making several copies of a letter with the use of carbon papers.

 In 1950 we had electric bulbs with filament which consumed lot of power.

They had also a  short life Those bulbs have disappeared and have been replaced by power saving long lasting LED bulbs.

 In 1950 everybody was wearing cotton. In 2022 cotton has become expensive and gone out of reach of common man and we have dress made of artificial fibre. Artificial fibre has also replaced wool in winter clothing.

 In 1950 there were very few residential telephone.  Telephone  was an expensive luxury item.Telephone has now become wireless and mobile. It has become so common and cheap that even daily wage labourer owns a mobile phone. 

Short wave and medium wave radios have disappeared from the market.

also missing are gramaphones, radiograms,

tape recorder, cheaper cameras,

audio and video cassette players. you can add many more items to the list.

In  1950 the  distant communication in written mode was by a letter posted in the post office.

This has been almost totally replaced by letters written over electronic media and received instantly whatever the distance. Person born in 21st century may not be have seen a telegram or written a letter to their family or friends.

in 1950 watching cinema was limited to cinema halls. you can now watch a movie on your mobile phone at any time of the day. Also missing is the experience of watching a movie on huge 70 mm screen in the single screen cinema hall. Small multiplexes have replaced those grand cinema halls.

In 1950s smoking a cigarette was almost a fashion statement and cultural necessity for a  modern young man. Even doctors recommended smoking  in cigarette advertisements.

It is no longer so. In fact cigarette smoking is considered a very bad social habit and a serious health hazard.

In 1950 for storing  100 movies  a big room was required.  Now you can you store more than a thousand films on a tiny microchip memory card of the size of a human nail.

Medical science has taken such a leap forward that surgeries which were very complicated have become very simple . For example a cataract eye surgery that required many days of hospitalization and a complicated procedure has become so simple that the replacement of an eye lense with an artificial one takes barely twenty minutes and no hospitalisation is required.

These are just a few examples of how the world has changed the last  few  decades. There are so many more.

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