What’s it like being born in the 1900’s?

[Doctor Amadeus]

What’s it like being born in the 1900’s?

Personally pretty groovy I definitely remember people talking a lot about 1999 and Y2K. Some people were really worried computers would shut everything down.

Also I’m disappointed no flying cars by now.

[Unlimited Power]

Why, were you not born during the 20th century? Are you one of those zoomers I keep hearing about?

Kidding aside, 1900's is a pretty wide margin. My grandma is soon to be 103 years old (still alive and kicking!) and she has experienced the vast majority of the 1900's. I'm in my mid twenties and was born during the 90's, doesn't really mean I've experienced much of the 20th century.

Also I don't recall Y2K ever being much of a concern for anyone where I live. Maybe that's just an American thing.

[PC2]

Almost nobody had a car in the year 1900 and most homes did not have electricity. Almost nobody had a computer in 1960. Life wasn't very convenient.

Also I’m disappointed no flying cars by now.

Yeah, for me I don't necessarily want a flying "car" like they have in Blade Runner I just want engineers to make an affordable and easy-to-pilot helicopter that costs less than $250k. It could even be a small 1-person helicopter.

[Afrospinach]

Yeah, for me I don't necessarily want a flying "car" like they have in Blade Runner I just want engineers to make an affordable and easy-to-pilot helicopter that costs less than $250k. It could even be a small 1-person helicopter.

Microlights.

I for one do not want the general populace having "fender benders" over my neighbourhood and have always though that this idea of flying cars is one of the more myopic futurist things.

[Draco-Onis]

What’s it like being born in the 1900’s?

Personally pretty groovy I definitely remember people talking a lot about 1999 and Y2K. Some people were really worried computers would shut everything down.

Also I’m disappointed no flying cars by now.

You mean the 90s not the 1900s, I doubt you would want to be alive during world war 2, Spanish Flu, the great depression, the Vietnam war, Jim Crow, the rise of the KKK etc.

[PC2]

Microlights.

I for one do not want the general populace having "fender benders" over my neighbourhood and have always though that this idea of flying cars is one of the more myopic futurist things.

Hmm based on photos of microlights I don't trust myself to pilot those aircraft and I'm not sure about their reliability and safety. What I want is for them to have self-piloting software where I can just give it simple directions and not have to worry about all the details.

[Nihilist74]

Eh was kind of boring. Some good metal and punk albums were released. We had Bill Walshes, 49er teams, to watch. There were a lot of better movies and music.

I hate that computers sucked for most of the 1900s. When I was an elementary school kid, it was mostly apple IIe caliber computers. The computers of the 90s were a little bit better but they were all way too expensive for my family to buy. I only got to use them at school.

I would have preferred to be born in the year 2000 than 1974. I would have been an ambitious young man with access to better technology.

[PC2]

There were a lot of better movies and music.

There was some great movies and music in the 90s and in the entire 20th century but on average I wouldn't say they are better than 21st century movies and music. If I go back and randomly watch/listen to older songs and movies and then randomly watch/listen to newer movies and music I'd say there is a very high chance that the older content will be a lot cheesier and lacking in maturity.

[Evil Midnight Bomber]

What’s it like being born in the 1900’s?

Personally pretty groovy I definitely remember people talking a lot about 1999 and Y2K. Some people were really worried computers would shut everything down.

Also I’m disappointed no flying cars by now.

This may be the worst idea for a threat you've ever had.

And that's saying a lot.

Being born in 1901 is going to be a vastly different experience than being born in 1999.

But being born in 1999 isn't going to be much different than being born in 2001.

[Shadowferal]

I remember flower children and hippies.

[PC2]

I remember flower children and hippies.

I don't think they went away though. I think some of that counter-culture morphed into the mainstream and then some of those people turned into Bohemians, granola children, new age spiritualists, etc.

[Polyxo]

Social stuff seemed to last longer and progress slower prior to the internet age. I grew up mostly in the 90s, but I'm fully aware of all kinds of 80s things being popular throughout my childhood, just because they stuck around for that long.

[Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang]

And here I tought it was about being born in the early 20th century.

Being born in the early 80s, my childhood was dotted with things like Chernobyl, the 1st GameBoy, Grendizer/Goldorak, TMNT, Star Wars and Back to the Future being fresh new things, Afghanistan being a mess, the fall of the Berlin Wall and collapse of the Soviet Union, the US using thermobaric weapons against the Irakis in Desert Storm, China being a filthy poor country doing evil things in Tian'anmen and Tibet, Yugoslavia being a mess, the first PCs and internet, Mars Pathfinder and its funky airbags, Bill Clinton bombing a European country 900km away from my home and later getting into trouble with an intern, and then Y2K.

Before that era, my grandparents got to drive from Paris back to Asia trough Afghanistan and India... other times...

[Dhrizzle]

Also I don't recall Y2K ever being much of a concern for anyone where I live. Maybe that's just an American thing.

The y2k bug was a massive concern for pretty much anywhere that used computers for important tasks and up to $500bn was spent by the UN to combat it. Still we had nuclear power stations shut down, credit card systems break, people charged for video rentals being 100 years overdue and health issues going unchecked as computer systems incorrectly calculated ages and how at risk people were.

[Unlimited Power]

The y2k bug was a massive concern for pretty much anywhere that used computers for important tasks and up to $500bn was spent by the UN to combat it. Still we had nuclear power stations shut down, credit card systems break, people charged for video rentals being 100 years overdue and health issues going unchecked as computer systems incorrectly calculated ages and how at risk people were.

I'm not trying to downplay the impact of Y2K, but as I recall, it's simply not something that was a great worry in the media and for the general public where I live. It wasn't until a decade later that I even learned about it.

[xenogear3]

People don't wear mask in 1900.

Y2K is not as bad as it sounds.
Most electronic devices don't have "Date/Time".
For example, cars don't display Date. Some have time, not date.

As for the nuclear weapon, why should it care what date it is?
Does your washing machine have date in it?

[Zuben]

At times I feel bummed that I'm not a young person as more and more incredible technological things come to existence, but then again, I got to experience the 90's. There was something magical about the decade, with all the cartoons, games, and generally the last days of analogical existence. I love our current digital technology and way of life, but there's definitely a warm sense of nostalgia when I reminisce about VCR, corded phones, being offline basically. It was a great decade to experience elementary school.

[Fahrenheit]

McDonalds fries used to be fried in beef tallow, and they were amazing. That changed in the early 90s though.

[Afrospinach]

McDonalds fries used to be fried in beef tallow, and they were amazing. That changed in the early 90s though.

Beef tallow is probably the perfect oil for frying too. This is was not a good move.

[Daedius]

Being in the era that birthed computers that skyrocketed tech progress...