Relax, Laugh and Remember with Reminisce Magazine. Each issue is a "time capsule" of life from the 30's, 40's, 50's and 60's filled with reader-written stories, pictures from the past, embarrassing moments, ads from the Old Days and much more!
August hums along with a strange character all its own. It opens in the hazy, willowy breezes of summer and closes on the urgent gusts of fall, at once an ending and a beginning. The calendar says we start a new year in January, but for most of our lives, the dawn of another year is really in September, with the start of the school term. At the same time, we spend a lot of August holding fast to what is fading—balmy nights by the water, fresh-picked corn crackling on a grill, fireflies bouncing over tall grass at dusk. Our issue this month embraces these two Augusts. The last gasp of summer gets star treatment with “Itchy to Itsy-Bitsy” (page 34) about how swimwear has evolved over the last 100…
THEN NOW CHILD PHOTOS Did you ever play that game where you have to match the child in the picture to the grownup? We’d like to try it in the magazine. So send us a shot of you as a child AND as an adult for a round of Guess Who. The adult picture should not be a reenactment of the child image. Label your submission “Child Photos.” HEALING IN CONFLICT We’re working on a feature about doctors and nurses serving in battle. Tell us about your experiences or that of someone you know who served the country as a healer. Label your story and photos “Healing in Conflict.” PEACE CORPS The famous volunteer service program turns 60 in 2021. Did you, a loved one or friend join the Peace…
Americans worry about the worst recession in 20 years. Explorer 1, the country’s first satellite, enters orbit, an answer to the Soviets’ 1957 Sputnik; two months later, President Dwight D. Eisenhower calls on Congress to establish NASA. Arnold Palmer wins his first Masters Tournament. The Carney brothers borrow money from their mom to open the first Pizza Hut in Wichita, Kansas. Wham-O’s new hip-swiveling Hula-Hoop sells millions. TV favorites include The Rifleman and The Donna Reed Show. And Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary determines these terms are in common use. BEATNIK: A newspaper columnist plays off the Russian Sputnik to give a name to the avant-garde Beat Generation. BIGFOOT: Tracks found in California point to a weird biped, top right. Too late, the giant prints will be revealed to be a prank: The…
U.S. ARMY PRIVATE #53310761 March 24, 1958—called Black Monday by the media—was a tragic day for rock’n’ roll fans: At the zenith of a remarkable career, 23-year-old Army draftee Elvis Aron Presley became an ordinary buck private beginning a two-year commitment to his country’s defense. Elvis was finishing King Creole, his fourth movie, in 1957 when his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, procured a deferment for Presley from the Memphis Draft Board until filming was completed. Presley could have agreed to the military’s cushy options—playing for the troops or serving as a recruiting model—but he declined special treatment. His induction won over many former critics—parents, teachers, religious leaders—who had once viewed him as a nuisance or even a threat. He showed no sign of regret on the day that broke millions…
When I was 16, I met one of my musical heroes—Louis Armstrong, one of the alltime greats of jazz. The occasion was a concert given by Louis Armstrong & His All-Stars on Nov. 24, 1956, at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania. A junior at nearby Whitehall High School, I was sports editor of the school newspaper. Our faculty adviser knew I was into jazz and suggested that I interview Armstrong. My dad was active in many civic associations and knew the sponsors of the concert, so I was granted access to the band’s dressing room. My favorite of Armstrong’s albums was one he made a year earlier. Called Ambassador Satch, it was recorded in 1955 in Europe while Armstrong and his band were touring as cultural diplomats for the U.S.…
When Annette Funicello put on mouse ears for the new Disney variety show Mickey Mouse Club, she quickly became the favorite of the ensemble. She got her own spinoff series, Annette, in 1958, taking the first steps toward a recording career with the hit “How Will I Know My Love?” She traded the ears for a bikini in several beach party musicals with Frankie Avalon, achieving peak fame as a teen queen. Through it all, Funicello maintained a sterling reputation as the modest girl next door. ~ Annette Funicello ~ “I’m not putting on any airs. I’m not trying to fool anybody. I’m a happy person.” Walt spotted her at the ballet. Funicello was born into a blue-collar Italian American family in Utica, NY, and grew up in Los Angeles.…
