1950s Post War Home: Flammable Plastic Fashion And Exploding Chemistry Sets

Comments · 131

• NA

  @narikira4793 · 1 year ago

  I'm an HVAC technician in old rural Virginia that regularly works in old houses built in this time period and some before as well, LET ME TELL YOU.. some of the wiring in these houses is downright terrifying... For instance they used to use something called Knob and Tube wiring which was basically bare copper wire suspended from porcelain insulators just a few inches from your insulation which was made of shredded newspaper. A fire waiting to happen. additionally on countless remodels i worked on i have seen wire that was used specifically around the 50s that has fabric sheathing on them and over the years they degrade and become bare.. I've been shocked rubbing against them while crawling through old crawlspaces more times than i care to admit. The wiring jobs are downright insane in some of these houses because of the "DYI Period" of the 50s running bare against the ground and through puddles of water in crawlspaces etc.. Its stuff that would make an electrician lose it... moral of the story if your a home owner with a old house. PLEASE get your wiring inspected and updated if needed. It might save your house and/or your life

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• NI

  @nickyoung630 · 1 year ago

  I saw a chemistry set from the early 50’s at an antique store, the box was taped shut and had a note from the shop owner that said “Don’t open until after purchase”

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• PA

  @patriciafleming8402 · 1 year ago

  The more I watch this series, the more I am convinced that it is by sheer miracle that as a species we still exist. My parents refused to give my brothers a chemistry set. So the boys went to the library to find a book that would teach them basic chemistry. They used the knowledge and household chemicals for their experiments. My father's final words to Mom on the matter was "at least they were outside when the fire started". 😮😂 We are a family of 12 inventive, curious, clever, intelligent siblings. 🎉😊

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• JO

  @joecampbell971 · 1 year ago

  My brother and I made gunpowder from a home brew recipe as kids in the late '60s. Needless to say, the local pharmacist was very suspicious of what ingredients we were buying over the counter.

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• CA

  @cassanthemum · 1 year ago

  As a young child in the late 60s early 70s, we had access to chemistry sets, and you could buy them and bottles of chemicals and apparatus at the local toy store.

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• RE

  @remyost8228 · 1 year ago

  "my school friend was one of them" 😢 ouch my heart

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• EA

  @EastEndBen · 1 year ago

  Dr Lipscomb's dress looks great too, classic 1950s

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• FR

  @francescafoot9739 · 1 year ago

  l was born in 1949 - l remember the electric fire in Auntie Pat's pre-fab going off like a sparkler and the hair dryer doing the same while Mum was drying my hair - happy days!

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• TS

  @tsmith7146 · 1 year ago (edited)

  I had a chemistry set in around 1978. Same chemicals, same test tubes made of ultra thin glass - but no bunsen burner. It would be interesting to know exactly when health and safety finally had an effect on the contents of the sets.

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• DI

  @dianeshaw1145 · 1 year ago

  I really like this series of documentaries. I do wish the news clippings shown weren’t covered over by a black blob —I’d like to read along with the narration. I grew up in the 1960s and 1970s and remember encountering or hearing about some of these hazards.

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• DO

  @dolobyte · 1 year ago

  Amazing how so much has changed since then. Thank you for these documentaries I love watching them.

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• GE

  @gemmaswain2251 · 1 year ago

  When I was little, I knelt on a test tube. The glass took a couple of weeks to come out of my knee. I'm lucky it was empty.

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