Throwback Thursday #15 – Fascinating Things

Maggie is hosting our Throwback Thursday prompt today. If you’d like to review the rules or how to participate, please go over to her site. It’s my turn next week. Maggie has a great topic to get our memories flowing.

 

Some of us, myself included, have seen quite a few life changing things happen. No matter what your age though, I have no doubt that you have witnessed some fascinating things.

 

Maggie shares:
“This may seem like a strange topic but this idea came out of a conversation I had with my son. We live in a time when nothing seems impossible which is unlike the time in which I grew up. It’s even hard for me to imagine something truly fascinating or amazing or unbelievable.”

To help guide your writing:
Do you remember experiencing things that were hard for you to believe? Did you have a hero who you found fascinating – someone you wanted to emulate? Did technology amaze you as it was introduced? What sparked your curiosity? What made you say things like “Wow! No way!” What did you see that you either found hard to believe or could not figure how it was done?       Extra points if you can describe something in today’s world that would be hard for you to believe or imagine.

My post follows. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
I was totally fascinated by man walking on the moon. (Yes, I do believe it happened.) The idea that people could go into outer space, land on the moon, and return safely gave me goose bumps. 

Home computers seemed like a fantasy when they first came out. It seemed impossible that what originally was stored in an entire room could now be on a table in your class or work was fascinating to me. In my 6th year of teaching, I moved from the elementary school to the middle school. We had one computer in the staff lounge for the entire school to use. It was fascinating to see what everyone used it for. Years later, we were told we would have a computer lab for each pod of 4 classrooms. Each teacher was required to take the students in the pod one day a week. Friday was an open day. The students were fascinated every time they went into the “pod.” As time progressed we had a computer cart for each pod that would allow 40 students to be online at the same time. I spent many an hour being fascinated by all the curriculum I could design for my students. WebQuest’s became an important part of my weekly lessons. 

I remember when the first phones came out that could be used in the car. It seemed like something exclusively for the rich and famous. When it became the norm for everyone to have cell phones I was fascinated by the need to be in contact 24/7. 

Self driving cars fascinate me to no end. I think of them much like the first cell phones, unnecessary and exclusively for the rich and famous. 

I am old enough to remember the first microwave ovens. A neighbor had the first one on the block. It was constantly shorting out the entire neighborhood with electrical problems. I was fascinated at the prospect of cooking a potato in five minutes. It seemed like an impossibility.   

I am in awe of the cars being developed that not only drive themselves, but have no people in them.  According to one of my docs, these are in operation right now.  It is fascinating that we are on the cusp of such a development.

The thing I believe would be the most fascinating would be moving from place to place A La Star Trek. I would not be a volunteer for the first trials, but it would be awesome to pop over to North Carolina or Vermont in just five minutes.   

I look forward to more fascinating things in my lifetime. Thanks for the great topic Maggie.