Do You Know These Things That Baby Boomers Should Know?

By: Annette
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
Do You Know These Things That Baby Boomers Should Know?
Image: David McGlynn / Photographer's Choice RF / Getty Images

About This Quiz

Think you know all about Baby Boomers? Prove it!

"Baby Boomers" is the name given to the generation that was born at the end of World War II. As soldiers came home from the war, they settled down, bought houses and started families. Baby boomers are those born between 1946 and 1964 (although some sources list the first Boomer year as 1943). Currently, Baby Boomers are rivaled in number by millennials, with both generations in the United States boasting current numbers of at least 70 million.

Not to be left out, other regions cataloged their own Baby Boom. Australia, Canada, Europe and Asia recorded births in record numbers. This generation experienced benefits that previous generations didn't.

Baby Boomers were the richest, healthiest and highest educated generation to date. More Boomers in the United States graduated high school than previous generations, and many went to college on the G.I. Bill. G.I. benefits also enabled boomers to realize the American dream of home ownership in record numbers. And rising incomes enabled them to experience what some describe as the first economic excess as a generation.

How much do you remember about that time? And do you know enough to earn the title of a baby boomer? Take this quiz to find out!

Mom & Picky Eater
George Marks / Retrofile RF / Getty Images
Baby Boomers remember their parents instructing them to eat _____ ?
Whatever they pleased.
Whatever was organic.
Whatever was in front of them.
Absolutely no junk food
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Eat what's in front of you, or don't eat at all." Baby Boomers heard this constantly.

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Howdy Doody
The Howdy Doody Show / NBC
Which of these was a popular '50s TV figure?
Marge Simpson
Sponge Bob
Howdy Doody
Jeannie
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"The Howdy Doody Show" was watched by many Baby Boomers. He was a beloved puppet, and the series aired until 1960.

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Cool Young Woman
Klaus Vedfelt / DigitalVision / Getty Images
Women would do what before going shopping?
Dress up
Dress down
Wear exercise outfits
Take a nap
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Women would still dress up to go shopping. They'd wear skirts, heels and nylons.

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Woman on Bike
George Marks / Retrofile RF / Getty Images
Which of these was a popular bicycle accessory?
Strawberry seat
Pineapple seat
Banana seat
Kiwi seat
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Banana seats were named for their long, round shape. They were quite comfy, but they went out of style when mountain bikes and stunt bikes came on the scene.

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Drive in Movies
avid_creative / E+ / Getty Images
Baby Boomers remember watching movies where?
At home.
On a device.
At the drive-in.
At Cinepolis.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Baby Boomers remember the drive-in! You could walk to the snack bar, and there was usually necking in the back seat.

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Telephone Operator
CreativeI / E+ / Getty Images
Baby Boomers could speak to _______ ?
The operator.
Anyone, anytime, anywhere.
The answering machine.
Their neighbors
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Baby Boomers remember being able to speak to the operator on the phone. The operator would help direct their call.

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Retro TV
RyanJLane / E+ / Getty Images
At 1 a.m. or so, you'd see what on TV?
Music videos
"The Star-Spangled Banner"
24/7 news
Television shows
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

At 1 a.m. or so, when television programming was done for the day, the national anthem was aired. Not sure how many people were awake to see that!

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Rotary Phone
RyanJLane / E+ / Getty Images
Baby Boomers recall which of these?
Phones with water microphones
Telegraph
Rotary phones
Smart phones
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Baby Boomers still remember the old rotary phones. It took considerably longer to dial.

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Green Stamps
Vintage Kenner Guy
There were a lot of what kind of stamps?
Disney
Floral
Green
Expensive
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

S&H Green Stamps were reward stamps that could be exchanged for desirable items like home goods, kitchen wares and other merchandise. They were popular in the '30s through the '80s.

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Morning Milk
ProjectB / E+ / Getty Images
Baby Boomers remember getting milk from ________?
A vending machine.
A convenience store.
A milk man.
Their cows
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Baby Boomers remember getting their milk from a milk man. It was delivered on the doorstep in glass bottles.

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Coffee and Books
elenaleonova / E+ / Getty Images
Coffee was made using what?
Keurig
Espresso machine
Percolator
Tea pot
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Baby Boomers still know how to use a percolator. The percolator could brew coffee on the stove.

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Boy & Girl Looking at Globe
Stockbyte / Retrofile RF / Getty Images
Baby Boomers remember school ______ when they were little.
Closures
Atomic bomb drills
Anti-smoking courses
Shooting drills
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The oldest Baby Boomers remember school drills. Sometimes they were for tornadoes (which still happen today), but sometimes they were for nuclear attack.

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White House Flags
carterdayne / E+ / Getty Images
Baby Boomers recall the assassination of which president?
Lincoln
JFK
LBJ
Truman
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Baby Boomers know all about the assassination of JFK. (There was no assassination of LBJ.)

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Schoolgirls in Skirts
SolStock / E+ / Getty Images
Girls would be advised to wear ____ to school.
Pants
Sneakers
Skirts
Shorts
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Some female Baby Boomers recall not being able to wear pants to school! It was often expected that a girl should wear a skirt or dress.

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Mimeograph
Periscope Film LLC
They remember the ________ machine.
FedEx copy
Mimeograph
Laser fax
Shredding
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Only Baby Boomers remember the mimeograph machine. It was used as a duplication machine that employed ink and stencils.

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Davy Crockett Hat
RichVintage / E+ / Getty Images
It was popular to wear which of these?
Jack Sparrow pirate hat
Davy Crockett hat
Cravat
Turtlenecks
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Davy Crockett was another popular TV figure. Davy Crockett coonskin caps with tails were not uncommon.

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Nerdy Businessman on Phone
Spiderstock / E+ / Getty Images
Baby Boomers remember phones that were _______?
Attached to a wall
Digital
There were no phones
Huge
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Baby Boomers remember phones that were attached to a wall. There was usually only one household phone.

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Retro Fridge
H. Armstrong Roberts / Retrofile RF / Getty Images
The refrigerator was called the ______?
Ice box
Larder
Frigidaire
Cold Cabinet
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The fridge used to be known as the ice box. The old ice box (which held large blocks of ice) looked very different from the modern fridge.

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Water Fountain
SolStock / E+ / Getty Images
Baby Boomers drank water from where?
From glass bottles.
From plastic bottles.
From the faucet.
The river
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Baby Boomers remember drinking water from a faucet. It would have seemed silly to pay for it.

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Rocket Launches
Mouser Williams mouserphoto.com / Moment / Getty Images
Baby Boomers would watch _____ launches.
Catapult
Rocket
Space station
Military
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Baby Boomers recall watching rocket launches. Programs included Mercury, Gemini and Apollo.

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Vintage Gas Station
FarukUlay / E+ / Getty Images
There were once _______ days to get gas.
Unlimited
Odd and even
Discount
Very expensive
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

There were once odd and even days, matching the last digit on a person's license plate, restricting their ability to get gasoline. This was during the OPEC oil embargo.

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Vintage Gameshow Host
RichLegg / E+ / Getty Images
There used to be no _____ on TV.
Smoking
Swearing
Women
Alcohol
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

There was a time when there was no swearing on TV. Everything had to be really clean. This is no longer the case!

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Phone Book
MediaProduction / E+ / Getty Images
You found phone numbers where?
Online
In a filing system
In a phone book
In a personalized contacts list
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Baby Boomers would find numbers in a phone book! There was often a large phone book delivered to homes and available in phone booths.

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White Glove Service
SEAN GLADWELL / Moment / Getty Images
Customer service was _______ ?
Worse
Non-existent
Better
The same
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Baby Boomers actually claim that customer service used to be better. These days, customer service is hit or miss.

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Little Boy with Retro Radio
Miguel Sanz / Moment / Getty Images
Baby Boomers recall listening to music on what device?
Victrola
MP3 player
Transistor radio
Ipods
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Transistor radios could either be plugged in or powered by batteries. Some were AM/FM, while others only received AM signals.

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Color Retro TV
Koron / Moment / Getty Images
For Baby Boomers, color TV was _______?
Common
Unheard of
A luxury
Nothing special
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

For Baby Boomers, color TV was a luxury. They would often go to a lucky neighbor's house to watch it.

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Retro Nurse
Diane Labombarbe / E+ / Getty Images
How did nurses dress?
In scrubs
In blue
In white
Like maids
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Baby Boomers recall when nurses could only wear white dresses and shoes. They also had to wear white stockings.

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1950's Mom with Baby
Tom Kelley Archive / Retrofile RF / Getty Images
Baby Boomers remember being ______ by parents.
Coddled
Befriended
Disciplined
Ignored
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Baby Boomers remember being disciplined by their parents. Today, the trend is for a parent to befriend their child.

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Woman Talking on Retro Phone
George Marks / Retrofile RF / Getty Images
Baby Boomers recall phone numbers that begin with what?
The number 1
Two digits
Letters
Two zero's
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Phone numbers used to start with letters, which were abbreviations for words. Think "BUtterfield 8." The word indicated where someone was located.

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Rocket Science Typewriter
wwing / E+ / Getty Images
Typing was done how?
On a typewriter.
On a printing press.
There was no typing yet.
On a cell phone
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Baby Boomers recall typing on a typewriter! It was considerably more difficult than a computer.

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1950s Live TV
H. Armstrong Roberts / Retrofile RF / Getty Images
It was coolest to watch _______ TV.
Live
Pre-recorded
Vintage
Broadcast
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Live television was a huge treat for Baby Boomers. Everyone was watching "The Ed Sullivan Show."

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1950s Teen Couple
George Marks / Retrofile RF / Getty Images
Baby Boomers know all about life without _______?
Calculators
Computers
Both
Neither
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Baby Boomers know all about life without calculators and computers. People can't even fathom this today.

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Baby Boomers in Pool
Image Source / Image Source / Getty Images
As of 2016, about how many Boomers are there in America?
7.49 million
749 million
74 million
17 million
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

As of 2016, there were about 74 million Boomers in America. Millennials were at 71 million.

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Baby Boomers Dinner
Ariel Skelley / DigitalVision / Getty Images
How much of the disposable income in the U.S. do Boomers have​?
70%
50%
20%
35%
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

As of 2016, Baby Boomers have 70% of the disposable income in the country. Maybe that means they know how to value a dollar!

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TV with Dials
Spiderstock / E+ / Getty Images
TV remotes were once _____ ?
The size of a pancake
Attached to the TV
Colorful
Non-existent
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

TV remotes were once attached to the TV via a cord. Some Baby Boomers remember no remote at all.

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You Got:
/35
David McGlynn / Photographer's Choice RF / Getty Images