Firsts in the 1960s (Part 1) Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Peace Corps

In keeping with idealist spirit of the times, young idealists actively volunteered to work with the Peace Corps to become useful throughout the world.

Answer: Disposable diapers

Since their initial appearance in the 1961, disposable diapers have radically changed. Originally, they had plastic on the outside with a lot of papery material inside. Subsequent versions have aded waterproof layers, superabsorbent pads with a chemical called sodium polyacrylate (among others) and another inner liner. There have been controversies involved with the change. Some people have linked sodium polyacrylate to toxic shock syndrome.

In spite of the controversy, the development of disposable diapers was a revolutionary lifestyle change for families.

Answer: Wal-Mart Discount Store

Wal-Mart's Discount Stores are estimated to be the biggest private employer in the world. Along with its huge success goes controversy. For example, Wal-Mart has been criticized for anti-union positions, inadequate wages, harmful environmental policies, among other things. Their success is, however, indisputable--with total assets estimated to be around 163 billion dollars in 2007.

Answer: The Tonight Show

The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson as host ran from 1962 to 1992. Originally, it was a 90 minute show. Carson's timing was impeccable. He brought to life in his own inimitable style a host of memorable characters, including El Mouldo, Aunt Blabby, and Floyd R. Turbo, among others.

He was famous for quick one-liners like, "Democracy means that anyone can grow up to be president, and anyone who doesn't grow up can be vice president."

Answer: Zip Code

The Zip Code began in July 1963. Later, in the 1960s, because of overwhelming mail volume, there was a strike, and the Post Office Department was renamed the United States Postal Service. By 1978, four digits were added to the five digit Zip Code in order to improve overall efficiency.

Answer: Polio Vaccine

Jonas Salk had developed a polio vaccine with "killed" agents in the 1950s. His vaccine did not totally protect against the disease. There was a lot of public debate about it for many reasons, including the fact that people had to take booster shots with Salk's vaccine. By 1961, Albert Sabin's vaccine with "live" polio virus protection garnered the endorsement of the United States Health Service.

The history of the struggle between Salk and Sabin is fascinating.

Answer: Television Set

It is amazing to learn that nearly 720 million people watched the moon landing live in 1969. 1962 marks the year when the satellite "Telstar I" was launched, which made television truly a global matter. By the 1963 assassination of President John Kennedy, the powers and pertinence of television were displayed as never before.

Answer: Computer mouse

Douglas Engelbart invented the mouse in 1968 when he was at Stanford Research Institute. Because his patent ran out, he didn't receive the full economic rewards of his world-changing invention. Years after his initial work, scientists worked to enhance the movements, accuracy and capabilities of this pointing device, called "trackball," laser, or "optical" mice.

Answer: CV-2000 VCR

The first video recording system aimed especially for the home was Sony's U-Matic. It had huge 3/4 inch tapes and was quite unaffordable. The system which proved more practical and affordable was Sony's CV-2000 in 1966. A science fiction writer jokingly called it "the Japanese miracle." It still remained quite expensive.

It was not until 1974 that Philips introduced a model which people could afford to buy and use.

Answer: Medicare

President Harry Truman wrote a message to Congress in 1945 asking for some kind of national medical coverage. For many years, there was active debate regarding the possible pitfalls of what was thought of as socialized medicine.

In July 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare and Medicaid into law. They formed centerpieces of his Great Society project.
Interestingly, the first person to enroll in Medicare was Harry S. Truman.
Even more interestingly, the premium for Medicare Part B at that time was an affordable $3 dollars monthly.

Answer: Ventilator

Over time, many scientists worked to develop a way of protecting the airways. Leonardo da Vinci proposed a densely woven piece of cloth saturated in water. The first patent for an air purifying system went to Lewis P. Haslett in 1848 for his "Haslett's Lung Protector," which filtered dust.

The first iron lung, a device which carried out the breathing independently appeared in 1928 in Boston. These were called 'tank lungs' in their time. A person is completely enclosed in this iron lung in order to survive. The iron lung was replaced by a a system using positive pressure ventilation.

Instead of being enclosed in an iron lung, treatment now opens an airway and sends air into the lungs. During the previous time of the iron lungs, patients were separated from their physicians, and often got infections and sores, and even suffered death. By 2004 only 39 people were using them.

Answer: ATM

At first, there was a lot of public apprehension regarding the security of ATM machines. In June, 1967, Barclay's Bank introduced the first electronic ATM in Enfield Town in North London. The first ATM's operated by means of a single use voucher or token which the machine kept. The British actor Reg Varney was the world's first user of this ATM.

Answer: Dr. Christiaan Barnard

Dr. Barnard's first patient survived only some 18 days after his transplant. It is important to remember two things about Dr. Barnard personally. He began as a poor man who later as a major public celebrity was seen in nightclubs surrounded by beautiful women. He has said of the heart "For me the heart has always been an organ without any mystique attached to it ... merely a primitive pump." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1470356.stm
Dr. Barnard was always an independent thinker and a steadfast opponent of apartheid.
He died in 2001 in Paphos, Cyprus of an asthma attack.

Answer: Quartz

The beauty and excellence of a quartz watch is that it has a crystal oscillator as its basis for accuracy. The world's first quartz watch, the Seiko Quartz Astron appeared on December 25, 1969. This watch totally transfigured the world of time.

Answer: ARPANET

ARPANET stands for Advanced Research Projects Agency Network. It was the first functional packet switching network.