Yesterday, I got the chance to look through a 1953 yearbook from Nott Terrace High School that belonged to my great uncle who now lives in a special home. Despite the old, musty smell the book held it was fun and comical to look through the black and white pages of the seemingly ancient past. It gave me the idea to compare almost every aspect of the book to my South Colonie High School yearbook from 2006. Look at the photos after the jump and enjoy the 53-year gap between the two.

Pretty funny, huh? It's amazing how much things have changed in five decades. Here are all of the observations I made:

  • Black and white vs. color
  • Cursive writing (even the yearbook title) vs. print- different sizes and colors
  • Old-school names that aren't seen much in the 2006 book
  • Women's hairstyles are all the same- men's are similar as well
  • More people wearing glasses in 1953 than 2006
  • The ball and prom dresses- 1953 women look all the same and like they're getting married- 2006 women are colorful with different hairstyles and more make-up- show more skin
  • Clubs and trade school activities- driving class, dress making, student store, cooking class vs. robotics club, live like Christ club, Spanish club and yearbook club
  • Sporting outfits- 1953 basketball hasvery short shorts, 2006 has longer, more comfortable shorts. 1953 Women's teams have skirts, some long (golf, tennis) and some shorter, and 2006 teams have more riscay outfits and shorter, tighter skirts, some shorts instead of skirts
  • 2006 book has extras, such as having students list their favorite movies, somgs and artist, and they pay homage to iPod's and other technology that wasn't even thought of in 1953
  • Half of the people in the 1953 book, including faculty, might be passed on

I know my yearbook is six years old, but it still depicts the times of today. If you look at one from 2011 or 12, I'm sure there wouldn't be much difference. We laugh at how things were in 1953, but in another 50 years, I'm sure there will be someone who looks at a current yearbook and will laugh just as I did.

What do you think of the photos? What observations did you make?

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