In hindsight

[George 1978]

Re: In hindsight

Also, a new programme would refer to shillings and sixpences - a repeat would refer to decimal currency.

What I should have said there was: a new programme would refer to decimal currency - a repeat would refer to shillings and sixpences.

[George 1978]

Re: In hindsight

I was thinking about this thread considering that we are now in a new decade - it's very true that the first two or three years we inherit what the previous decade was famous for until around three or four years into the decade where its own stamp and identity is finally put in place. We are only four and a half months into the 2020s and already the decade has its own identity - something which usually takes a couple of years to take shape. The feeling is different to the 2010s by virtue of the coronavirus, Brexit, and Boris Johnson as Prime Minister - this time last year neither was around in its place - Johnson wasn't PM; we were still in the EU; and no virus was grinding life to a halt.

Let's say for example, we were a year and a half into a new decade, and we were watching something on the TV or listening to the pop music of its day. How would you classify "old" and "new" such as whether a programme is first run or a repeat? This would what the implication would be:

In 1971, a new programme would be in colour - a repeat would be in monochrome. Also, a new programme would refer to shillings and sixpences - a repeat would refer to decimal currency.

In 1981, a new programme would be a performer wearing straight trousers or tight jeans - a repeat would be someone still wearing flares.

In 1991, a new programme would be someone referring to John Major - a repeat would be someone referring to Margaret Thatcher.

In 2001, a new programme would be a Reality TV series - a repeat would be a half-hour game show.

I suppose that having a new Census at that point in the decade is a good idea. Another thing to look out for is the point in the decade where there is roughly a year and a half to go - 1978, 1988, 1998, etc, where one can see early signs of the decade to come already coming into place: 1968: preparations for colour TV and decimalisation; 1978: Margaret Thatcher on her way to becoming PM; 1988: Europe and the Channel Tunnel; 1998: The Good Friday Agreement, and so on. Indeed, I was born at around that point in the 1970s.

GCSE History is worth taking as an option.

[George 1978]

Re: In hindsight

I know this is an unusual tital for the thread - but on a fair few specialist Forums i go on, we have threads "what would be talking about now in 1986/1997 etc" (in that particular week we are on and often I've started to wonder - what if the Internet was in full swin in the 1980s or even 70s and as DYR 's remit goes right back to the 1960s, and I joined in 2010 when 1999 was only even years before-hand (which makes me feel shockingly terribly old here .... lol) , I wonder how things would be if this scenario could of arisen .... and we was in 1986/87 or whatever year now, given that in theory too only 11 or 12 years at the least seperated the end of the 60s and 1980

One thing to look out for when looking at dates in the past is when dates fall on the same day of the week - and I often compare old TV listings for this as well. I have often wondered whether I could remember what I was actually doing exactly the same thing on a certain day in the past when it fell on a Monday or whatever. Attending the annual Goose Fair on a Friday evening in the first week of October feels more nostalgic for me, rather than attending on 3rd October or something. Apart from Christmas Day, New Year's Day and so on, days of the week feel more nostalgic than dates do - I suppose it's because we are fixed to traditionally doing certain things on certain days of the week which cannot really be changed - could you imagine Easter ever falling on a Wednesday?

There can be ironic patterns regarding the same day of the week through a number of years as well: Prince Charles married Diana on Wednesday 29th July 1981 - there was no Royal Wedding on Wednesday 28th July 1982 of course, but there was Glorious Goodwood on both those days, being an annual event at the end of July. However, it we continued that pattern of fates for four more years, by the time that we reach 1986, we get the date of Wednesday 23rd July 1986 - the date which Prince Andrew married Sarah Ferguson on!

This pattern of dates fascinated me and I investigated further to see what else happened on these Wednesdays many years later - well, if we get to 2007, we get the day when Tony Blair resigned as Prime Minister, and in 2017, we get to the day of the Grenfell Tower fire! I just went forward one year, and subtracted one so that each year's entry fell on the same day of the week - every 364 days. Looking at TV schedules using this pattern, on the afternoon of Wednesday 25th June 2008, Channel 4 was showing the film The Thief Of Baghdad in the afternoon - fast forward to Wednesday 22nd June 2011 using exactly the same pattern, and Channel 4 was showing The Thief of Baghdad film again in exactly the same slot, with just a five minute difference in times! Even I couldn't believe the coincidences - they were both seen on the Wednesday afternoon during the third week of June. I even wrote a page on my website about all of these observations!

I have always been fascinated by things that happen at the same time each year, and I have often made comparisons with the equivalent day of that year in years gone by. For example, something that happens on, let's say, Wednesday 30th August - the probability is that when something does happen on that day and it happens on an annual occasion, it would be most likely to be something that would happen on the final Wednesday in August, rather than something deliberately happening on 30th August itself - that is what fascinates me with dates. Bank Holidays are more likely to be on a Monday rather than a selected date. General Elections always occur on Thursdays in Britain - the Queen's Official Birthday is always on a Saturday, and the date is changed each year so that it deliberately falls on the same day of the week each year - the same day of the week looks a lot more fascinating to me than the actual date does.

And there is also the "in lieu" of something like a fixed date falling on a Saturday or Sunday, being on a Monday instead - one exception is when Armistice Day falls on the 11th November ironically enough, and there is no official event in lieu of that on Monday 12th November, so we don't have two lots of two minute silences when that happens.

It is so fascinating to look at.

[Zincubus]

Re: In hindsight

The greatest footballer I’ve ever seen in the ‘flesh’ would be Eusebio !!

Arguably the best player in the world at the time as well !!

He came and played in a testimonial game at Bolton Wanderers in the 60’s !!


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[George 1978]

Re: In hindsight

I wasn't that too strong on football, but I did take an interest on Nottingham Forest just after Brian Clough retired in 1993, and Stan Collymore helped us to get promotion after relegation. My oldest video recording was a Central region Match Live against Leicester City on Sunday 6th February 1994 - the score was 4-0 to Forest - Frank Clark was in charge at Forest and Brian Little was in charge at Leicester, and ironically, Collymore was out with an injury. Attendance was 26,616. The Nottingham Evening Post published a special souvenir about Brian Clough's career at Forest, only to find my father had lined the floor with the paper, so I made him get another one from the publishers. That was also when I started to get the Sunday Times each week as it had a good sports supplement.

Going back to finding old magazines, in around 1987 I found a copy of Woman's Own dated weekending 2nd September 1978 in a cupboard at home - I was born on the Wednesday of that previous week, and I am almost certain that my late mother had read the magazine in hospital around the time I was born - probably on the day itself. There was a Nesquik advertisement inside the magazine which was how I managed to identify it many years later. No coincidence with the date. A Mothercare advertisement was also in the magazine, advertising the Autumn and Winter 1978 catalogue, and yes, I still have a copy of that Mothercare catalogue now.

[80sChav]

Re: In hindsight

If you were born in 1978 just like me and Richard, I would have probably said yes you were!

Thinking about it, I did Creative Textiles (Art meets Textiles) for GCSE in 1992-1993 for my options, and I used to find old magazines and catalogues in drawers and trays in the classroom where we were invited to do collages and things like that - pasting things on a board, that sort of thing. The irony is that I didn't choose Art itself for GCSE where the subject was similar, but I did Drama instead. The magazines were a few years old, no doubt.

On a tangent, in 1992 I did a break time job as science monitor (so that I could stay away from the bullies in the playground). Anyway, I saw a science lab trolley in the prep room which was lined with old newspaper at the bottom - it was a broadsheet from an April 1974 issue of our local newspaper. The irony was the Biology teacher who was to retire in July of that year started at the school in 1974, so I am certain that there was no coincidence there!

The garden shed at the address where I grew up in had a scrunched up newspaper from the Daily Star dated Friday 10th April 1981 inside it - the shed itself was delivered a week later on Friday 17th April 1981 - Good Friday that year. No coincidence there either - I assume that some of things were wrapped in the newspaper and transferred to the shed when it had been erected.

How great .... what a find George here mate!


On refkection thinking back now (as I have said I was quite a late fan interested in the worldof Football) 1985/86 is one of my earliest memories and my Dad saing hull "ccould manage to get into the old First Division", but eventualy they finished about 6th or something, though I can recall Cardiff, Notts Co and Wolves going down to the 3rd about 2 or so years before-hand, but afine memory in about 1992 .... may-be even 1993 helping my Granparents with the Xmas Decerations - was finding n old Newspaper of the Xmas Results from 1989's Festivaties

Prior to that we had local Saturday/Weekend Sports Special Papers round my way and that year with no affilation at all I knew that West Brom was extremley close toi the Play Offs to go back up to the "Old First", but was never quite sure how it ended - par Chelsea and Man City dominated D2 that Season (until i at least anyhow got a Book that I first kloaned from School's Library - then purchased my own copy a year or two later on), but phew what a find that was (that old Newspaper) , especialy to a Kid who collectted every Scores and Results Service from any Newspaper in that era!!

80sChav

[zabadak]

Re: In hindsight

True - we change very little when we get older. When I had to renew my pass earlier on this month, I used the same passport photograph as I did four years ago when I was 35 or 36. If I was 10 years old rather than 40 as I am now, I would have had to use a more modern picture than when I was 6 because obviously, children change their appearances so much in those years due to growing up quickly.

Yep, quite right

[George 1978]

Re: In hindsight

We must be twins seperated at birth George - I have this memory too from in Art at School in either 1992 or 93 (or was it Art Club at Lunch possibly I'm thinking now)

Anyway it was a dreary old day Weather-wise and me and friends found some old Sunday Magazines from the Sunday Papers going back to ...... wait for it 1977

i remember being flabergasted and I still am to to this day - they had Sunday Mags with the Papers 42 years a-go!!

If you were born in 1978 just like me and Richard, I would have probably said yes you were!

Thinking about it, I did Creative Textiles (Art meets Textiles) for GCSE in 1992-1993 for my options, and I used to find old magazines and catalogues in drawers and trays in the classroom where we were invited to do collages and things like that - pasting things on a board, that sort of thing. The irony is that I didn't choose Art itself for GCSE where the subject was similar, but I did Drama instead. The magazines were a few years old, no doubt.

On a tangent, in 1992 I did a break time job as science monitor (so that I could stay away from the bullies in the playground). Anyway, I saw a science lab trolley in the prep room which was lined with old newspaper at the bottom - it was a broadsheet from an April 1974 issue of our local newspaper. The irony was the Biology teacher who was to retire in July of that year started at the school in 1974, so I am certain that there was no coincidence there!

The garden shed at the address where I grew up in had a scrunched up newspaper from the Daily Star dated Friday 10th April 1981 inside it - the shed itself was delivered a week later on Friday 17th April 1981 - Good Friday that year. No coincidence there either - I assume that some of things were wrapped in the newspaper and transferred to the shed when it had been erected.

[80sChav]

Re: In hindsight

Being fascinated with things just four or five years ago seems normal as a seven or eight year old when one has not lived that long - it is more than half of one's life, even though as a 40 year old, looking back over 20 years (or even 25 years) does not seem alien.

Another thing that comes to my mind was that when we had a wet playtime at Junior School the teacher allowed us to stay in the classroom, and she got a box of old comics out from a cupboard in the room. This was in around 1986-1987, I was so fascinated at seeing old issues of Look In from 1980 in the box which was almost the beginning of time as far as I was concerned. Looking at the region by region listings of top five highlights which was towards the back of the issue back then, I was fascinated at seeing the company names of Southern and Westward in the regional listings, (ATV was a bit more familiar to me in the Midlands as they were connected to Central), and I didn't remember those companies when they were on the air. I assume that the old style of the comics and the mention of pop stars and TV shows in those old 1980 Look Ins probably looked so alien to an eight year old in 1986-1987.

It's a bit like the old magazines that you find in doctors' surgeries - they look so fascinating that you don't want the GP to call your name out as you are enjoying yourself too much!

We must be twins seperated at birth George - I have this memory too from in Art at School in either 1992 or 93 (or was it Art Club at Lunch possibly I'm thinking now)

Anyway it was a dreary old day Weather-wise and me and friends found some old Sunday Magazines from the Sunday Papers going back to ...... wait for it 1977

i remember being flabergasted and I still am to to this day - they had Sunday Mags with the Papers 42 years a-go!!

80sChav

[George 1978]

Re: In hindsight

I think it's also the case that, say, 2 years when you were 5 is a greater percentage of your life so far than, say, at 45...

True - we change very little when we get older. When I had to renew my pass earlier on this month, I used the same passport photograph as I did four years ago when I was 35 or 36. If I was 10 years old rather than 40 as I am now, I would have had to use a more modern picture than when I was 6 because obviously, children change their appearances so much in those years due to growing up quickly.

[George 1978]

Re: In hindsight

I have said this before, but a neighbour of mine used to work for the distribution department of WHSmith and used to send us some old comics (not in the Bob Hope vein) that there were a few months old. Beano, Dandy (and Nutty), Topper and all that. I used to assume at the time that he would have been partly responsible for supplying doctors' waiting rooms with old magazines!

[zabadak]

Re: In hindsight

Time appearing to pass more quickly as we age is sometimes called the 'holiday paradox' and quite a lot of research has been done into it. The consensus seems to be that in childhood and early adulthood we have many new experiences and learn many new skills. As adults our lives are more routine and we experience fewer unfamiliar moments. A lot of the time we are on autopilot which means less conscious cognitive processing and storage of information in the autobiographical memory. The result is that our early years are relatively overrepresented in our autobiographical memory and appear to have lasted longer. This makes a lot of sense to me. When you start a new job, for example, the first few weeks seem to pass really slowly as you get used to things and they stand out in your memory. After that, time seems to speed up again as you are now familiar with the situation. All very interesting.

I think it's also the case that, say, 2 years when you were 5 is a greater percentage of your life so far than, say, at 45...

[Zincubus]

Re: In hindsight

I remember in 1985 a friend of the family let me have a bag of old Beanos & other comics from 1982, even in 3 years these were different from the current ones, especially as many of the strips had changed in the time, with characters being retired & replaced.

Somewhere in the attic there’s a bag of old original comics from the 60’s. ...
Beano , Dandy , Topper ... some I forget .. Hotspur ?

I recall keeping one of each ..

Plus a huge bag of Tell Me Why mags


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[Richard1978]

Re: In hindsight

I remember in 1985 a friend of the family let me have a bag of old Beanos & other comics from 1982, even in 3 years these were different from the current ones, especially as many of the strips had changed in the time, with characters being retired & replaced.

[George 1978]

Re: In hindsight

You raise some smashing points here George mate and make some great reflections. I feel some of these 2 from being fascinated by af ew years back as young kid in the 80s, I recall in 1986 going into my local WH Smith and getting Football Stickers (actualy I bet it was more like mid to late 1987) and this was just before the "watering down" of Football Sticker Albums in that the they stopped adding the old 2nd Division Team pic and Foil Badge - this was the year Birmingham, west Brom and Ipswich went down from the old 1st Division (and at the mo I am struggling to recall ... sadly the 1985/86 Album) but what always interested me was it took 16 years (unbe-known at the time obviously) for two out of the 3 (Birmingham and West Brom) to get back to the Top-Flight after 2 and 1 seperate 1st ever spells respectivley for both in the old 3rd Division/3rd Tier. That so so interests me - that fact as do many others, but has as been said about getting older - things also change in how people recall things I think - on a massive scale 2003 (o Leeds last being Relegated from the Premier to going down to the old 3rd in 2007 does not even hit the same scale on the radar - though the time difference in years was'nt as mega, it was a much more major event), but put 2003 (just outside the 1960s to 1990s nostalga of DYR) and it seems shocking that 2003 is nearly 20 years a-go (or will be in 4 years). As too it does with Saddam Hussein being captured in late Winter 2003 and the Twin Towers Atrosity of September the 11th 2001 - who can believe that took place 19 years a-go this September?

Being fascinated with things just four or five years ago seems normal as a seven or eight year old when one has not lived that long - it is more than half of one's life, even though as a 40 year old, looking back over 20 years (or even 25 years) does not seem alien.

Another thing that comes to my mind was that when we had a wet playtime at Junior School the teacher allowed us to stay in the classroom, and she got a box of old comics out from a cupboard in the room. This was in around 1986-1987, I was so fascinated at seeing old issues of Look In from 1980 in the box which was almost the beginning of time as far as I was concerned. Looking at the region by region listings of top five highlights which was towards the back of the issue back then, I was fascinated at seeing the company names of Southern and Westward in the regional listings, (ATV was a bit more familiar to me in the Midlands as they were connected to Central), and I didn't remember those companies when they were on the air. I assume that the old style of the comics and the mention of pop stars and TV shows in those old 1980 Look Ins probably looked so alien to an eight year old in 1986-1987.

It's a bit like the old magazines that you find in doctors' surgeries - they look so fascinating that you don't want the GP to call your name out as you are enjoying yourself too much!