As the 1963 advert put it: ‘Unmistakably Mercedes’. Seen frequently on British roads throughout the decade, the Mercedes was a regular sight but what was it like to own and drive?
There were basically two sorts of Mercedes, the rather utilitarian four/five seat saloons and the sports models distinguished by the letters SL after the model name.
This was very much a return to the 18th century sandwiched in between the neat and stylish hairstyles of the 1950s and the bitty, anything-will-do hippy styles later in the decade.
But, it was a time of elegance for both women and men when the high-hair styles contributed to the neat and tidy look of the early 60s.
Posted in Fashion
Tagged 1960s, 60s, beehive, bouffant, Fashion, hair, hairstyles, information, sixties hippie, styles, women's fashions
A Western, but a family entertainment Western, maybe more of a Western soap. Bonanza went down so well in the 1960s that it ran throughout the decade and then into the 1970s making it one of the longest running Westerns.
Set in the Wild(ish) West in America, it concerns itself with the Cartwright family, headed by stalwart Ben Cartwright, played to perfection by Lorne Greene, and his three sons, Adam, Eric (Hoss) and Little Joe.
Posted in Entertainment
Tagged 1960s, 60s, 70s, adam, ben, Bonanza, cartwright, hoss, little joe, ponderosa, series, sixties, tv, western
In the 1960s Gerry & The Pacemakers were the number 2 group to emerge from Liverpool – the Mecca for the emerging British rock sound. They produced a string of world famous songs but then, somewhere along the line, they lost it!
The lineup was a good one, Gerry Marsden was likeable, with an appealing voice, great stage presence and a determination to succeed. His backing, it began with his brother on drums and some friends, was good with a clean, high-spirited sound that made you want to tap your feet and listen.
Posted in Music
Tagged 1960s, 60s, beatles, epstein, gerry marsden, liverpool, mersey, mersey sound, merseybeat, pacemakers, pop, sixties
The oral contraceptive, or ‘birth control pill’ as nearly everyone called it, appeared at the beginning of the 60s and, at one time or another, has been blamed for all the marvels or ills this decade is supposed to have created.
It is, very simply, a pill that women take to allow them to have sex without the ability to conceive.
Posted in History
Tagged 60s, birth control, children, contraception, education, family planning, hippy, Lifestyle, oral contraceptive, pill, relationships, sex, sixties
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The Volkswagen Beetle was produced, believe it or not, from 1938 until 2003 – that’s 65 years – and in that time it hardly changed at all.
That is, hardly changed externally; the shrewd people at Volkswagen were always prepared to update to keep the car abreast of modern trends and to do what was necessary to make it worth owning.
Posted in Classic Cars
Tagged 1960s, 60s, auto, automobile, beetle, car, cars of the 1960s, classic, club, cool cars, images, information, model, open, saloon, sixties, standard, tourer, transport, used car, volkswagen, vw
Not only are we used to getting messages from men in space but we also get TV pictures from the International Space Station and even live TV from satellite. However, in 1960 radio communication with space was quite a different story.
Jodrell Bank is a radio telescope built near Manchester in the central UK. The big dish – it’s 250ft in diameter – was built in 1957 and at the time was the largest steerable dish in the world. It became operational in time to catch the very first artificial satellite in space, Sputnik 1, launched by the Soviet Union in 1957.
You would never think that this strange, circular building in a not unpleasant area of North London was, for a few short years, the mecca for everything that was great about pop and music in swinging 60s Britain.
The Roundhouse is in Chalk Farm Road, Camden, London NW1 and consists of an old circular railway building built by the London And Birmingham Railway and used originally to house steam engines. It was built in the mid 1800s.
