What was it like in 1961?

Answer 1

There were no cell phones, electronic games or home computers-- no desktops, no laptops. Most calculators were mechanical and you had to pull a lever down to get your answer. Official documents were prepared on mechanical typewriters, and if you made a mistake you had to use something like 'white-out', or pull the paper and start again. You want a copy? Put carbon paper between two sheets of typing paper and crank them in.

Televisions were small, and color television was just coming into fashion. There were 3 networks, ABC, NBC, and CBS. The analog pictures were great at the time, but would be extremely inferior to the current HD images of today.

There were no CD's or DVD's. Movie cameras used film. Sound recordings were on tape (reel-to-reel in '61, I believe-- smaller formats came much later) and vinyl disks.

Answer 2

In 1961, the world was in the midst of the Cold War, with tensions high between the United States and the Soviet Union. It was a time of rapid technological advancements, such as the first human spaceflight by Yuri Gagarin and the building of the Berlin Wall. The Civil Rights Movement was gaining momentum in the United States, and there were significant cultural shifts happening around the world.