1961: The year I was born

What things cost:

• Car: $2,275.00
• Gasoline: $0.31 per gallon
• House: $18,800.00
• Bread: $0.21 per loaf
• Milk: $0.60 per gallon
• Postage Stamp: $0.04
• Average Annual Salary: $6,471.00
• Minimum Wage: $1.15 per hour

What was on television?

• The Defenders
• Dennis the Menace
• Lassie
• Candid Camera
• Bullwinkle Show
• Car 54 Where Are You?
• The Rifleman
• Ben Casey
• I've Got a Secret
• The Price is Right
• Bugs Bunny (One of my personal favorites!)
• Dick Van Dyke Show
• Dobie Gillis
• Steve Allen Show
• Naked City
• Bob Newhart Show
• Donna Reed Show
• The Untouchables
• Dr. Kildare
• Hazel
• Route 66
• The Flintstones (in primetime, no less)
• The Andy Griffith Show
• The Avengers

Newton Minnow in a speech to the National Association of Broadcasters said:

"But when television is bad, nothing is worse. I invite you to sit down in front of your television set when your station goes on the air and stay there without a book, magazine, newspaper, profit and-loss sheet or rating book to distract you--and keep your eyes glued to that set until the station signs off. I can assure you that you will observe a vast wasteland.

"You will see a procession of game shows, violence, audience-participation shows, formula comedies about totally unbelievable families, blood and thunder, mayhem, violence, sadism, murder, western badmen, western good men, private eyes, gangsters, more violence and cartoons. And, endlessly, commercials--many screaming, cajoling and offending. And most of all, boredom. True, you will see a few things you will enjoy. But they will be very, very few. And if you think I exaggerate, try it."

If only he knew . . . .

What new things were introduced?

Coca-Cola introduces Sprite.
Johnson & Johnson introduces Tylenol.
IBM introduces the Selectric typewriter.
Jim & Linda Long introduce their first child: me.