Yikes! I’m Turning 50 This Year! But So Are These Iconic Items

10 years ago on the precipice of my 40th birthday, I was excited. 40 didn't seem old at all. I was still relatively fit. My joints didn't ache. I was convinced that my best days were still ahead of me! Flash forward to 2024. I now sit on the verge of my 50th birthday. Suddenly, I feel aches and pains. My kids no longer think I'm cool. For the first time, I think of myself as "old." But I know I'm not the only person, or iconic item turning 50 in 2024. Here are some other items created, just like me, in 1974.

Post-It-Notes - Mental Floss reports that a man named Art Fry wondered to himself in church one Sunday in 1974 how he could leave notes in his hymnal and not damage the pages when they were removed. He teamed up with scientist Spencer Silver and the Post-It-Note was born!

The Rubik's Cube - It was developed in 1974 by Hungarian puzzle-lover Erno Rubik. It was initially a tool to teach children about three-dimensional objects according to Mental Floss. But it didn't end up being used in that way. Rubik loved the challenge of the cube, and soon millions of fans would too! Who didn't have a Rubik's Cube?

The Bar Code - OK...now this one makes me feel old. I'm as old as bar codes? Mental Floss points out that Joe Woodland invented the barcode while sitting on the beach. The item would revolutionize shopping as we know it. The first code was scanned in Troy, Ohio in 1974. The product? A pack of Wrigley's Juicy Fruit gum.

Bailey's Irish Creme - I actually thought that this would be older. Bailey's Irish Cream was the first drink of its kind, according to Mental Floss, combining the richness of cream with a shot of whiskey. More variations have followed, but back in 1974, it was an OG.

The Heimlich Maneuver - Before Dr. Heimlich's maneuver was approved, the way to get someone to stop choking was to slap them on the back. After the doctor began his theory based on dogs, it turned out to have a very high success rate in humans according to Mental Floss.

Skittles - Mental Floss reports that people have been 'tasting the rainbow' since 1974. Well, in the UK anyway. That is where Skittles debuted in the UK. They came across the pond to the U.S. in 1979. No one knows for sure who invented Skittles, how, or why. I say who cares! Taste the Rainbow!

DayQuil - Mental Floss reports that it was initially called Day Care but later switched to the name we know today. It hit shelves in 1974 and unlike NyQuil, this version won't knock you out and have you fighting consciousness!

So do any of these items make me feel better about turning 50 this year? Perhaps. Credit the 1970s for some amazing products that we still love and use to this day!

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