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Bored Panda

Viktorija Strelciunaite

“My Mom And Dad In 1973”: 99 Striking Pics From People’s Lives In The 70s

Billie Jean King Bobby Riggs Pink Floyd Boston London Tennis

What do Billie Jean King’s tennis match against Bobby Riggs, Pink Floyd’s legendary “Dark Side Of The Moon” album, and the opening of the London Bridge have in common? All of these—and many more—monumental things happened in 1973, a year that many still reminisce about to this day.

But life is not all about monumental events. It’s the little things, too – the picnics with friends, the self-expression through fashion, the fandom of up-and-coming artists, and so much more. That’s what we’re focusing on today – all sorts of moments from people’s lives back in 1973 that show just how different—or maybe similar?—life was back then. If you’re curious to compare the now and then, scroll down to find the pictures on the list below, and make sure to upvote your favorites.

Below, you will also find Bored Panda’s interview with Associate Professor of Art History at Western University in London, Ontario, Dr. John Hatch, who was kind enough to answer a few of our questions about life in the 70s and some of its influences at the time.

#1 Woman Cutting Her Birthday Cake In Tehran, Iran 1973

Image credits: Plebsplease

#2 My Parents. Married For 46 Years Today! Zwolle, The Netherlands, 1973-Ish

Image credits: TheNameIsPippen

#3 Greenland Tots, December 1973

Image credits: Vintage National Geographic

With the help of the History Channel’s database and similar archives, people now can go back to nearly any day within the last several decades. Take January 14th of 1973, for instance, which was marked by the Miami Dolphins winning Super Bowl VII to cap off the NFL's only perfect season. Or, when the World Trade Center—the tallest building in the world back then—opened in New York City on April 4th of that same year.

Every day, there is something big happening, and that year was no exception. But what is considered a “big” thing differs from person to person—people who are not that interested in sports, for instance, would argue whether the Miami Dolphins’s win was that big of a deal.

#4 My Father Who Shipped His Bike Over To England And Rode All Over Europe On It - 1973

Image credits: lionhearted828

#5 Scarborough, England - 1973

Image credits: blrghh

For some people, the “big” things are the personal ones—like the birth of a child or a wedding, for instance. Well, can you guess how many people were born in 1973?

You are right if you guessed somewhere around 120,000,000. According to Database.Earth, 123,563,931 babies were born around the world in that year (25,032,563 males and 22,540,713 females).

The largest number of births was recorded in China, followed closely by India and Indonesia, respectively.

#6 My Grandparent's Wedding In India (1973). I Just Visited My Grandma After A Long Time And She Shared This Picture With Me. It Would Make Her Very Happy If She Could See This Photo In Color. I Don't Have Any Money But I Would Appreciate It If Someone Could Colorize It. Thanks In Advance

Image credits: adhiyodadhi

#7 Me When Long Was In, 1973

Image credits: dittidot

#8 My Grandmother - After Six Kids! - In Manila, 1973

Image credits: white-moon

As for weddings, according to Statista’s data, the number of couples who got married in 1973 was roughly 46 million. If the love birds who said “yes” back then are still together, they should be celebrating their 52nd anniversary right about now. Congratulations to them!

#9 My Parents On Their Honeymoon 1973

Image credits: Dispositionpsn

#10 Old Farmer Drinking Wine After Sowing, Roccanolfi, Italy, 1973

Image credits: SirWilburWhateley

#11 After The Market, Portobello, London C 1973

Image credits: grepnold

The year 1973 was also big for music lovers, not only for the aforementioned “Dark Side Of The Moon.” The same year saw the release of David Bowie’s “Aladdin Sane,” Stevie Wonder’s “Innervisions,” Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” Marvin Gaye’s “Let's Get It On,” and Billy Joel’s “Piano Man,” just to name a few.

As for popular songs, during the very first week of 1973, for instance, according to Billboard's archives, the most popular was Carly Simon’s “You're So Vain,” followed by Gilbert O' Sullivan’s “Clair.”

#12 My Mother In 1973, At 3 Years Old, Waiting To Talk To My Grandfather Who Was Deployed In Guinea-Bissau, Fighting The Portuguese Colonial War

Image credits: reddit.com

#13 My Mom And Dad In 1973

Image credits: apoc666apoc

#14 Young Lady Manning The Counter In A General Store, November, 1973

Image credits: Quick_Presentation11

“The music tended to be more hedonistic due to the right-wing political backlash of the early 1970s and when disco came on board you were looking at an even more escapist musical scene,” said Dr. John Hatch, Associate Professor of Art History at Western University in London, Ontario, when discussing the role music played back in the 70s.

“I would make one exception, and that is the rise of African American pop music on the mainstream with bands like Sly and the Family Stone and Funkadelic, let alone singers such as Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder,” he added. “They tended to be more culturally meaningful and more critically engaged with issues of the time than their white counterparts.”

#15 Me On Bass, Minnie On Sax. 1973

Image credits: grantdabassman

#16 McDonald's Menu During 1973

Image credits: imgur.com

#17 Waiting For Gas...1973

Image credits: imgur.com

Continuing his discussion on the role music plays in people’s lives—both then and now—Dr. Hatch noted that the music we tend to revere is usually that of our teenage years, as that seems to be the time music has the most impact on us.

“As my generation passes on, there’ll be less and less of an interest in the music of the 60s and 70s and it will shift to the 80s, then the 90s, and so on,” the expert noted. “There’s a bit of an echo in children as they tend to be initially exposed to music through their parents and their collections, but eventually they’ll turn by their teenage years to their own contemporary scene.”

#18 A 7-11 In 1973

Image credits: Stupidcat311

#19 My Dad. South Africa 1973

Image credits: AdF604

#20 Found Pictures Of My First Car: 1973 Grande With A 351c And 3 Speed Auto. Drove It Every Day From Age 16 (Snuck It Out A Few Times Before That) Until Finishing College. Always Regretted Letting It Sit And Rot Afterwards. Parents Sold It When I Moved To China For A Few Years

Image credits: WuWenShen

Those who care for sports more than they do for music know that, back in 1973, there were way more attention-worthy events in the sports world than just the Miami Dolphins winning the Super Bowl.

In 1973, John Newcombe and Margaret Court won the Tennis Australia Open in men’s singles and women’s singles, respectively (and later the same year, won the US Open, too); the Spanish road racing cyclist Luis Ocaña was #1 in the iconic Tour de France; and the American golfer Jack Nicklaus took 1st place at the PGA Golf Championship (and was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame just a year later, in 1974).

#21 Jp Tokyo Street Market And Kids - Found Photo, Taken Sometime In 1973

Image credits: David Pirmann

#22 My Japanese Uncle Out For A Hike Unknown Location, Japan (1973)

Image credits: olivine

#23 The World Trade Center Twin Towers Helicopter 1400 Feet View, 1973

Image credits: DMolybdenum

As they do every day of every year, many important things happened in 1973. Plenty of seemingly insignificant things did, too. But even the most mundane of moments could become important in their own ways, especially when looking at them in hindsight.

Talking about why some people romanticize the past, Dr. Hatch suggested that it might just be the way our memory works. “We tend to bury the negative aspects, and hold on to the more pleasurable experiences,” he said. “The simpler times of the past are in part a result of the fact that we simply can’t remember everything from our past, so our brain edits, simplifies, and holds on to what is worth holding on.”

#24 The Day I Bought An Old Mercedes, 1973

Image credits: dittidot

#25 My Dad In Ahvaz, Iran. He's Hanging Out With Some American Woman He Met After Fixing Her Car (He Was A Mechanic). 1973

Image credits: CyrusTheCreate

“My Mom And Dad In 1973”: 99 Striking Pics From People’s Lives In The 70s

#1 Woman Cutting Her Birthday Cake In Tehran, Iran 1973

#2 My Parents. Married For 46 Years Today! Zwolle, The Netherlands, 1973-Ish

#3 Greenland Tots, December 1973

#4 My Father Who Shipped His Bike Over To England And Rode All Over Europe On It - 1973

#5 Scarborough, England - 1973

#6 My Grandparent's Wedding In India (1973). I Just Visited My Grandma After A Long Time And She Shared This Picture With Me. It Would Make Her Very Happy If She Could See This Photo In Color. I Don't Have Any Money But I Would Appreciate It If Someone Could Colorize It. Thanks In Advance

#7 Me When Long Was In, 1973

#8 My Grandmother - After Six Kids! - In Manila, 1973

#9 My Parents On Their Honeymoon 1973

#10 Old Farmer Drinking Wine After Sowing, Roccanolfi, Italy, 1973

#11 After The Market, Portobello, London C 1973

#12 My Mother In 1973, At 3 Years Old, Waiting To Talk To My Grandfather Who Was Deployed In Guinea-Bissau, Fighting The Portuguese Colonial War

#13 My Mom And Dad In 1973

#14 Young Lady Manning The Counter In A General Store, November, 1973

#15 Me On Bass, Minnie On Sax. 1973

#16 McDonald's Menu During 1973

#17 Waiting For Gas...1973

#18 A 7-11 In 1973

#19 My Dad. South Africa 1973

#20 Found Pictures Of My First Car: 1973 Grande With A 351c And 3 Speed Auto. Drove It Every Day From Age 16 (Snuck It Out A Few Times Before That) Until Finishing College. Always Regretted Letting It Sit And Rot Afterwards. Parents Sold It When I Moved To China For A Few Years

#21 Jp Tokyo Street Market And Kids - Found Photo, Taken Sometime In 1973

#22 My Japanese Uncle Out For A Hike Unknown Location, Japan (1973)

#23 The World Trade Center Twin Towers Helicopter 1400 Feet View, 1973

#24 The Day I Bought An Old Mercedes, 1973

#25 My Dad In Ahvaz, Iran. He's Hanging Out With Some American Woman He Met After Fixing Her Car (He Was A Mechanic). 1973

#26 The Common And, Behind It, The Landscaped Public Gardens Provide Rest And Recreation In Metropolitan Boston. The Young Lady Is Amplifying The Sun's Rays To Speed A Suntan, April 1973

#27 My Mum And Dad - Brighton, England 1973

#28 Midsummer Siesta At City Hall Plaza, August 1973

#29 Jp Tokyo Street Shops And Lanterns - Found Photo, Taken Sometime In 1973

#30 Hiroshima, Japan 1973

#31 1973- My Dad Is The One With The Bow Tie. Here He Is In America. Moved From Aswan, Egypt To Detroit

#32 Oyster Farmers In China, 1973

#33 Outdoor Food Market At Haymarket Square. Public Protest Saved The Square From Incorporation Into An Expressway, May 1973

#34 Portobello 9am, C, London 1973

#35 My Father-In-Law (Left) Re-Enlisting Over The Demilitarized Zone Between North And South Vietnam. (1973)

#36 My Grandpa In Egypt As Part Of The Yugoslavian Un Team, Yom Kipur War 1973

#37 My Mom (37) Me (12) 1973 At 6 Flags St. Louis

#38 A Neighborhood Of Cave Homes In Yan’an, China. 1973

#39 High School Juniors (Premières) In Tulle, France, 1973

#40 My Fly A** Dad- Gujarat, India 1973

#41 Glowing! Dinner In China, 1973. Unknown Camera/ Agfachrome. Slide Film Of My Grandfather (Middle), Dslr Scanned By Me

#42 My Parents During Our Family Vacation In New England, Summer Of 1973

#43 Stalwart New Englanders Play Ice Hockey In The Public Garden 02/1973

#44 Sidewalk Cafe On Newbury Street, Between Claredon And Dartmouth, May 1973

#45 Holloway Road C., 1973

#46 My Mom Sitting On The Hood Of My Grandad's Rally Car In India (1973)

#47 Jp Tokyo Tokyo Tower 2 - Found Photo, Taken Sometime In 1973

#48 Cleaning Up The Roadside In Onset, May 1973

#49 Raffaello Sailing To Italy From New York In 1973

#50 Jp Tokyo Street View 1, Taken Sometime In 1973

#51 Rocking The Striped Pants In 73

#52 A "City Farmer" Tends His Vegetables In The Fenway Gardens Administered By The Fenway Civic Association. An Outgrowth Of The "Victory Gardens" Of World War II, The Association Has 600 Members Who Cultivate A Total Of 425 Garden Plots In These Five Acres Of Metropolitan Boston, August 1973

#53 Member Of The Charles River Basin Community Sailing Club Enjoy An Evening Sail. For A Dollar A Year, Youngsters Up To Age 17 Can Join The Club And Learn To Handle A Boat, August 1973

#54 Old Custom House And New Waterfront Apartment Building, May 1973

#55 Fruits And Flowers At The Outdoor Market In Haymarket Square, May 1973

#56 Public Gardens - A Park In The Heart Of The City, April 1973

#57 Faneuil Square Outdoor Market, May 1973

#58 Boston Harbor - Looking Toward Squantum. Long Island Bridge In Distance, May 1973

#59 Commonwealth Avenue Between Arlington And Berkeley Streets, April 1973

#60 Ice Skating In The Public Garden, February 1973

#61 My Dad In The Us Navy While Stationed In Iwakuni Japan Around 1973

#62 Dr. Suessian Display At Columbian Opticians Shop, Tacoma, Wa, 1973

#63 Walt Whitman Bridge Crosses The Delaware River At South Philadelphia, Leads To New Jersey Suburbs, September 1973

#64 Old Bridge On Northern Avenue, May 1973

#65 Outdoor Food Market At Haymarket Square. Public Outcry Saved The Square From Being Incorporated Into An Expressway, May 1973

#67 St Pauls, London, 1973

#68 City Hall Plaza-A Pleasant Setting For Rest And Conversation, August 1973

#69 Cool Water Falling In Tiers Into Basin At City Hall Plaza Helps To Alleviate The Midsummer Heat, August 1973

#70 Commercial Street - Slated For Renewal, May 1973

#71 The Common And Adjoining Public Gardens Provide Rest And Recreation In The Center Of Metropolitan Boston, April 1973

#72 Shawmut Avenue In Roxbury Section, Looking Toward Copley Square. John Hancock Building At Rear, February 1973

#73 This Farm In City Mills Is Not Far From The Factories And The Charles River, March 1973

#74 My Mom, Great Grandfather And Me At My First Birthday Party In September 1973. Great Grandpop Was Born In Italy In 1895

#75 Felix Street C., 1973

#76 My Uncle, About To Come Home From Vietnam, 1973

#77 Two Americans Stopping For A Cold One In Zermatt, Switzerland While Bumming Around Europe In 1973

#78 Sailboats Of The Charles River Basin Community Sailing Club For A Dollar A Year, Youngsters Up To Age 17 Can Join And Learn To Sail, August 1973

#79 Splash And Sparkle Of Cool Water--Balm For The Dog Days City Hall Plaza, August 1973

#80 Haymarket Square - Site Of Boston's Popular Outdoor Market, May 1973