Gadgets Grandpa Did Without

Yes, we've all heard about how hard it was for our parents and grandparents when they grew up... walking to school, 3 miles each way... in the blinding snow... barefoot. But seriously, there are quite a few technological advancements that have made daily life so much easier. We take most of them for granted. We use these simple gadgets on a daily basis without even a thought. But I'll bet Grandpa remembers the day when life was so much different.

1. The Garage Door Opener. Technically, the electric garage door opener was invented in 1926, but many homes did not have the luxury of driving up, pressing a button within the vehicle and having the door automatically operate so that you did not have to get out of your car, until many years later. Even I can recall having Grandma get out in the pouring rain to twist the handle and lift the door up, then dash back in. Grandpa was driving, so he had to stay with the car to make sure it didn't go anywhere. What a hassle! Thank goodness these are now standard in homes and apartment parking garages.

2. The Remote Control. My research tells me that television remote controls were first used in the 1950s! But we didn't have one with our set until the 1980s. That's right, I had to get up and walk across the room to change the channel, if I wanted to watch something different. Shocking. Of course, even 30 years ago, there were nowhere near the number of cable channels airing shows that there are today. Grandpa is really happy now. He can sit back in his recliner, and when he's ready for a nap, switch on a nice golf game with the press of a button.

3. The Microwave Oven. The first home model microwave oven was built in 1967, and prices were generally acceptable for most consumers to begin purchasing and owning them by the late 1970s. Poor Grandpa - no microwave popcorn snacks. No way to reheat his coffee when it got cold. Food must have taken forever to make! I'm getting impatient just writing this paragraph!

4. The Answering Machine/Voicemail. Answering machines first came on the market in 1971, huge bulky machines that took up a lot of room on the countertop. Eventually, over the next twenty years, technology advanced so that the machines could be removed and people could just have voicemail capabilities on their phones. But getting back to Grandpa.... before the 70s, there was no way to know if someone had called when he was out for a drive. If he missed a call, that was it. Oh, and of course, no caller ID, or call waiting either. If he was on the phone, all the other person got was a busy signal.

5. The Cell Phone. At first, Grandpa thought these were too new fangled to mess with, but now he likes being able to call Grandma from the golf course to find out what time dinner will be served. He couldn't do that 25 years ago (well, technically he could, but the prices were too high and the phones were too bulky). Now, he's got a sleek folding phone that fits right in his pocket. And a cool ring tone!

6. Automatic Ice Makers. Refrigerators did not automatically spit out ice cubes with the flip of the switch when Grandpa wanted something cold to drink. Nope. He had to ask Grandma to fill the ice cube trays with water and carefully walk them over to the freezer and wait a couple of hours before they were frozen first. Thank goodness Grandma can rest now.

7. Personal Computers. It took us a while to teach Grandpa how to use email and surf the web, but now he's a pro! He loves seeing photos of all the grandkids, as often as we send them, and checking stats of his favorite sports teams. Its a new toy for him. PCs have been around for some time, but not in the homes of consumers until the past 20-30 years. Certainly, Grandpa wouldn't have dreamed of getting one until the past 10 years or so. He's so glad he did though!