There are several things this year’s incoming college freshmen don’t remember that most mid to late twenty-something’s will never forget. It’s a clear sign of the inevitable change in the times. I was recently reminded of this when I spoke with an 18 year old college freshman at my cousin’s wedding last week. We were joking around about the old-school selection of music the D.J. was playing. I made a sarcastic comment about the D.J. stealing my old 80’s – 90’s radio recorded mix-tape collection in order to construct his wedding reception dance mix. The girl looked at me with a puzzled face. “You recorded all your music off of the radio?” she asked. “Oh man!” I thought. “I’m getting old!”
In reality, most 2007 college freshmen were born in 1989 and probably barely remember any the following… it’s scary:
- The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster
- Ronald Reagan
- The Cold War and the Berlin Wall
- Hardback (Funk & Wagnalls) encyclopedia sets
- Getting tangled up in a long kitchen phone cord
- Setting the record timer on your VCR
- When Michael Jackson and the moonwalk were cool
- Recording music off the radio
- Desert Storm
- A floppy disk
- Windows 95
- The Nintendo Entertainment System (and Duck Hunt)
- The Oklahoma City Bombing
- The O.J. Simpson Trial
- Life before the World Wide Web
giant j says
apparently you don’t remember reAgan all that well, either… spelling?
Marc says
Thanks for the spelling correction. It happens to the best of us.
James says
Umm…22 year old here, and I know about Challenger. Also, I’ve set VCRs, hacked Windows 95, used over 100 floppy disks (both 3.5 and 5.75), and I wish I still had my NES.
Oh, and I still have an opinion about how the OJ case went…
Marc says
@James:
If you are 22 now, you were not a college Freshman in the year 2007… unless you took several years off after high school. I was refering to recent high school graduates on their way into college at the age of 17 or 18. 😉
Christie says
I’m just an outsider. Found your blog while googling random things at work.
First, I think you have made my day! Thank you!
Second, I was born in 1989; however, I was a college freshman in 2005!
I remeber getting tangled up in the kitchen phone cord while talking to my Dad.
I remeber setting the record timer so that I would not miss 7th Heaven while I was in school.
The moonwalk is still cool!
I used floppy disks until 2005!
I just recently updated my lap top from Window’s 95 to Window’s XP! HUGE difference!
I sucked at Duck Hunt – But I loved Mario! Especially when you defeated Bowser and got ‘P’ wings to last forever! (Almost)
I remeber the Oklahoma City Bombing very well. In fact Timothy McVeigh was executed on my 12th birthday!
I followed the OJ trial with my Mom.
And before the World Wide Web I was climbing trees and digging holes for fun!
Just thought I would share… Can we change the comment to High School Freshman? 😛 🙂
Marc says
@Christie:
It sounds like you were a smart, active child. I have a tough time believing that most 18 year olds remember all the points discussed in this article… but I’m sure there are exceptions, like you.
Thanks for stopping by. I’m not certain how I made your day, but I’m glad I did. 😉
Rambo says
Considering the Challenger incident occurred in 1986, it’s not surprising those born 3 years later, can’t remember it – !
Georgia M says
I was born in 1989 in the UK (but I’m actually in my 4th year of uni, not a freshman) – and these are the things I DO remember:
3. The Berlin Wall
4. Hardback encyclopedia sets
5. Getting tangled up in a long kitchen phone cord
6. Setting the record timer on your VCR
7. When Michael Jackson and the moonwalk were cool
8. Recording music off the radio
10. A floppy disk
11. Windows 95
12. The Nintendo Entertainment System
15. I don’t remember ‘life before the WWW’ per se, but I remember first getting it, and how primitive it was 🙂
Clare says
I love this blog
I was born in 1990 and we used hard cover encyclopedias at school, our phone still had a cord, we have old floppy disks lying around the house, our first computer had windows 95 (and DOS games) and I STILL tape movies off TV, with the recorder timed on my VCR. In 2007 these things were on the way out but I remember them for sure though I’ll admit the current events not so much
Jamie says
I was born in 88 and alot of these things were before my time, but I certainly remember things like DuckHunt (…and trying like heck to shoot the dog that laughed at you when you missed), floppy disks, life without internet (when I was younger I thought it didn’t exist until the late 90s!), Windows 95, and recording things with a VCR!
kass says
I was a college freshman and of these things I dont really remember most of the current events but as for VCRs, nintendo, MJ and encyclopedias i remember. Im glad I do. There are some of my fellow classmates I know do not.
Kat says
Born in 94 and I remember quite a few of these things (not the Berlin Wall etc… though for obvious reasons. I’m not even a freshman yet 🙂