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We don’t really notice how fast time goes by. But this time, we are taking you on a trip to the past that shows how our households have changed beyond recognition since the '70s.

And trust me, in most cases, it’s for the better. Take a chip pan, for example—these crazy fire agents that produced the best chips on the planet your mom can probably still taste in her mouth would keep homes on the brink of tragedy, and yet people adored them.

Thanks to the Memorial Device Twitter page that shared this illuminating guide, we now have the full list of the 40 greatest '70s household dangers all posted in order. Both nostalgic and utterly terrifying, they make you wonder whether people back then had less of a sense of health and safety. Or if it’s us who live in an overly protective mindset. Anyhow, I prefer the latter one.

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Andrew Gibb
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My mum set the kitchen on fire using one of these- we first saw the flames through the serving hatch into the dining room. Luckily the local Fire Chief and his son, a fireman lived next door to us.

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Nannychachi
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Making the opening smaller results in a quicker draw on the coals which gives a quicker hot fire.

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Bored Panda reached out to the authors behind the Memorial Device Twitter page who shared this viral thread which listed 40 dangerous things that were casually used in ’70s households. Introducing themselves as “a band from Airdrie,” a town in Scotland, the creators said that their account was inspired “100% by the book ‘This is Memorial Device’ by the genius Scottish author, David Keenan.” They added that “You will have to read the book to really understand the account.”

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Here's the bizarre video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQcGIZioqQE&t=4s&ab_channel=FunFinder

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Robert T
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My grandma had a manual mangle (wringer). Before the advent of washing machines with a decent spin cycle, my mum had a spinner, which was basically a small washing machine drum mounted vertically and it did a better spin to get more water out.

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When asked how they came up with an idea to create the guide to all the miscellaneous stuff from the past, the creators said that it’s just one of many countdown lists on the “Memorial Device” account. “But it’s the one that most people seem to identify with,” they said and added that it may be because it’s “Proper working-class history.”

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Donkey boi
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I nicked the red bulbs out of our and used then in my bedroom light fitting. The whole street thought my parents had started a brothel.

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DC
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I used one of these in 2014, 2015 in Berlin, because I couldn't afford a decent place to be ... so I lived in the basement of a guy who was too old (>90) to take out the trashy and broken furniture.

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We also asked if they can imagine anyone living with some of these crazy household objects these days, the authors said that they in fact experienced “the bathroom ceiling heater in Whitby last week. Switched it on—nothing happened. Came back later and it was glowing hotter than the sun. And it was fitted above the bath.”

The band added that they’re “Big fans of the coal effect fire and the immersion heater, along with the working-class shower,” and found “drawing the fire as total madness.” “As is buying a full-size crossbow from the Kays catalogue on HP,” the Memorial Device concluded.

#10

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Laura Jones
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

they gave out fantastic heat but the gas bottles when full were so heavy and it gradually went up in price to a ridiculous level

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#15

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Natalia A
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

People are so overly cautious. Unless you put your fingers in there (and you'd have to be stupid to do that), what would go wrong?!

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Redfox
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had these. Whacked myself in the nose so hard I thought my nose had gone to the other side of my head. I obviously did not learn co-ordination nor skill.

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DC
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That wasn't really frowned upon until the nineties. All my friends' parents, mine, and basically every adult we knew smoked in his house, his car, everywhere. Children's rooms ... not that often, but sometimes, too.

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#23

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Robert T
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Still done. In some countries, people do this to make extra money.

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Samantha Lomb
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In those countries people know what to pick. Russians mushroom pick all the time

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Monika Rhodes
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We did that as kids with parents. Trick is not to pick dangerous ones- you know? ;) No one ever got sick btw.

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Neil Bidle
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Kids, or adults? Don't cook with mushrooms when you don't have a clue if they're safe to eat, I was under the impression that this was basic common sense!!

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Kirsten Kerkhof
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ah, wild mushrooms. This one tastes like steak, this one might have killed uncle Brian, and this one makes you see God for a week.

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Hutt'nKloas
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you know what your doing and consuming it yourself....................who cares? people are too easily scared these days about what nature has to offer.

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Emily Ducat
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Um yeah except people die (https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2019/04/wild-mushroom-warning-in-australia-after-poisoning-cases/), we eat wild mushrooms in my family all the time but we know what we're picking and as kids our parents were pretty strict about watching us pick them so we didn't accidently pick the wrong ones.

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cassiushumanmother
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We used to do it a lot as a hobby when we were kids, and always making them checked by the pharmacist before eating them. In my country it's a free service that pharmacists do.

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Alloydog
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When I was a schoolkid - take the dog for his morning walk, pick some huge parasol mushrooms. Get home, fry them in butter, breakfast done! :D

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Isabella K
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Or mix it with fried chopped onions and egg. Best childhood food at grandparents.

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Dhukath
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wouldn't be vomiting for long if you'd eaten the white mushroom with the skirt on the left, sure that's a deathscap! Flyagaric (red with white spots) is what causes hallucinations and bad stomach cramps!

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V33333P
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is such a normal thing in ex Soviet households that it took me years living in NZ to realize they didn't do it here, and saying you're going "mushroom foraging" got you weird looks

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Piotr Las
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In Poland, many people pick mushrooms, including me. My whole family has always picked mushrooms, we make soups, sauces or marinate them. Never got sick.

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pebs
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well, in Italy a lot of people go to mushrooming, it's a great tradition especially in some places where a lot of porcini, ovoli, etc. grow. Of course you need to know what you collect or you risk dying. It amazes me very much that the family of whoever wrote this post went around collecting unknown mushrooms, they are lucky to be alive.

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Unaffected
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My parents did this when I was a kid and although my mum was "absolutely sure" she knew which mushrooms were edible I always refused to eat them. Thankfully nothing ever bad happened. My cousin did die in the 90's war though. Ate some field mushrooms due to extreme hunger and he died in agony seven days after eating them. Never, ever eat wild mushrooms even if you THINK you know they're not poisonous

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MarsFKA
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Can't help thinking about the first people to eat mushrooms they found and had to go through trial and error: this one tastes like beef, this one killed Brian straight away – "Leave that one Brian! BRIAN… oh, great! Now we have to call that one Bleeding-From-Every-Orifice mushroom.” This one makes you see God for a week, this red one is good in a stew, but this red one makes you s**t blood and go blind, so just be careful.

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Anke Dieken
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My grandma apparently knew very well which mushrooms were eadable and which ones not. Sadly my mum did not learn it from her, something she really regrets now.

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Martha Higgins
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you know you mushrooms, emphasis on IF and KNOW, foraged mushrooms are fine.

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Val Izhakevich
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It does take some brains to carefully learn the trade. Not for everyone these days.

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Monika Lachova
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In Slovakia it's very popular and you can be quite safe when you stick to the rule that I won't pick the mushroom that I don't know/am not sure of. There is also education at schools, media, etc. regarding how to identify the most common mushrooms and to know the poisonous ones.

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Mazer
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I recall the story of a very famous chef who killed his entire family by picking deadly mushrooms and apparently he had been foraging for wild mushrooms for decades. All it takes is one.

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Vaida Kuodytė
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wild mushrooms are amazing, storebought crap can't even compare. IF you know what's what.

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Calypso poet
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

People still do this. There's a part of a walking/biking trail near us that apparently is the perfect place for a certain mushroom.

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lara
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And you forgot the liver transplants Yes a whole new avenue of fun.

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Rosemary Moreland
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nope. Never picked wild mushrooms…ever. Actually, never tried any mushrooms until I got to adulthood. Heard too many stories about dying a horrible vomiting death from eating poison about fungi.🤮🤮

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#25

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Rain WhiteBuffalo
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

OMG I miss these shoes. I want a pair right now!! I remember having a pair in every color they offered (tan, white, navy and black). I loved these!!!

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#34

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Dhukath
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Worst when your foot can off and the whole thing sprang up and smacked you under the chin!

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#36

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WilvanderHeijden
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Only in dysfunctional families would these be used a lethal weapon. The rest of the world used them to throw them at dartboards.

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#39

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Natalia A
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We do this in Cyprus for new year's. You clean the coin, wrap it in foil and drop it in the cake batter. Everyone knows it's there so they're careful:)

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#40

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M O'Connell
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Leaving a battery on an unregulated charger is something a moron would do. 1970s or otherwise.

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