Book of Daze: Remember 1969 Day

Let us raise a chipped jelly-jar glass and remember 1969, that lawless commune of twelve months when mankind went to the Moon, but most of its citizens could not find their car keys. This was the year fashion declared war on good taste and won, when hemlines shot upward, collars flared outward, and pants ballooned so wide they could have doubled as NASA parachutes.

From Moon Dust to Mud Pits We Remember 1969

I n 1969, television viewers watched history in fuzzy black-and-white, then changed the channel to see Lawrence Welk’s bubble machine, proving that we could land on the lunar surface but could not escape an old fart and his accordion. Young men grew their hair long enough to braid it into useful carrying straps, while their fathers tried to get them drafted for the privilege of camping in Southeast Asia. Parents worried that rock music was corrupting youth, which in retrospect seems quaint compared with the real menace: fondue forks.

Music festivals multiplied like free-range mushrooms. Woodstock happened, although no one who attended remembers precisely what happened, only that it involved mud, guitars, and wretched Porta-Johns. Meanwhile, on television, Sesame Street debuted, boldly teaching children the alphabet while slyly promoting the radical notion that puppets could have roommates.

Sports had their moments too: the New York Mets achieved a miracle season, thus confusing future generations who have not seen them repeat it. College students discovered that chanting slogans was a legitimate aerobic workout. And let us not forget the fashion of mood rings’ grand-uncle, the love bead, which managed to say “I am profound” and “I will snag on your cardigan” at the same time.

When Optimism Danced with Absurdity

Looking back, remember 1969 as the year that promised a glittering future of jet packs and lunar suburbs, yet also gave us carpeted bathroom seats. It was an era when optimism and absurdity danced the Watusi together. May we remember 1969 for its astronauts, its idealists, its questionable culinary experiments, and the unforgettable moment when humankind first stepped on the Moon, and worried about tacking that Moon dust into the living room shag.

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