I love the piece, but it isn't accurate. Air conditioning was available in cars in the 1930's (granted, very few, but Packard had it, in some of their cars, and in larger cities, some movie houses and Vaudeville houses were air conditioned in the early 30's. Check the pictures of John Dillinger's death at the Biograph Theater. It was "air cooled" The electric typewriter was invented in the 1920's The electric clothes dryer was also available in the 20's. (Darn few, but they were invented in 1922). The first commercial Television programs were in the late 1930's. TV work was suspended because of W.W.II. There are a few other slight errors in this fun piece. But, in order to miss all of those things, Grandpa would actually be in his 90's. Of course, this nostalgic piece doesn't mention the segregation of ALL minorities, the lack of opportunity for most women, the inability of the average person to even dream of going to college (that was for the rich, and a few good athletes, or a person absolutely driven to work their way through school). The average American didn't finish eighth grade in those days. It doesn't mention that a black could be lynched in any of the 48 states with virtual impunity (how does the Ten Commandments apply there?). City boys sure never went hunting and fishing with their fathers. They didn't get rifles from their dads either. In fact, you couldn't purchase much in the way of ammunition 58 years ago, because it was all going to the armed forces. Poor families were not given welfare, and the "Poor Houses" were so bad that people committed suicide before they would end up there. Frankly, most people didn't give a damn if poor people starved or not. We were almost completely intolerant of anyone that was at all different. That's why Jews were restricted from Hotels, Businesses, Country Clubs, Fraternal Organizations, etc., as were Roman Catholics, Irish, Italians, Germans, Russians, Arabs, and 100^% of Orientals. American Indians were less than human to many people, and our country had just recently abandoned its attempts to totally exterminate them. 58 Years ago, we were at war, along with most of the rest of the world. You couldn't buy a new Chevy, because none were available. Besides, if you had a car, you only got 3 gallons of gas a week, unless you wee a doctor, or someone else that just had to drive. Black's in the Navy were ONLY allowed to be cooks or stewards. The Army at least had all black regiments, under white officers of course, that were pilots, tankers, infantry, etc. But the Navy refused to allow Blacks to be anything but kitchen help and waiters/cleaning boys. (The Navy resisted full integration well into the 1970's, in spite of repeated orders to do so). You weren't buying much of anything, unless you were using the black market. There just wasn't all that much for sale. And meat, butter, eggs, sugar, etc. were all rationed. We had draft dodger's, that's when that name became popular. During World War II, thousands were prosecuted for evading the draft. It just wasn't talked about, in polite society. Every town of any size had a "Florence Crittendon Home", or a Salvation Army Facility, or the equivalent. They were homes for unwed mothers, to have their babies in, and then give them up for adoption. The girl would usually return home, after an "extended visit with Aunt Sally". The mobs were powerful, thanks to the idiocy of prohibition. Just as we now prohibit drugs and narcotics, and make the gangsters rich. As late as 1917, anyone could purchase marijuana, Cocaine, Morphine, Heroin, etc., legally in and pharmacy in the country. None of those things required a prescription, either. Things were somewhat rosy back then, if you were white, middle class, and protestant. If you weren't, then things were not so nice. And the further you were from that W.A.S.P., the worse things were. Oh, and just in case anyone wonders, I am white, of Anglo-Saxon and celtic descent, and I grew up primarily in small town America. It's just that I remember how those days really were. Lynton Stewart GENEALOGY IS MY VICE: Searching: Moore, Peers, Stewart, Thompson in Cumberland Co., Nova Scotia; Provorse & Wright in Ontario; Johnston & Black in Manitoba. Burrows in IA/WI/MN/NY and any descendant of Walter Cooke of Weymouth and Mendon, MA. COOKE-STEWART-WRIGHT on my Web Page http://home.pacbell.net/lstewart