The launch of the first communications satellite, Telstar 1, on July 10, 1962, was perhaps the biggest leap forward in the field since Guglielmo Marconi sent the world's first radio message across open water in 1897. It beamed the first transatlantic television feed later that month and, as well as satellite TV, paved the way for GPS and many other things we take for granted today. Pictured are technicians joining the Telstar satellite to the third stage of the Delta Rocket in July 1962 so it could be launched from Cape Canaveral and begin transmitting television pictures all over the world.placeholder image
The launch of the first communications satellite, Telstar 1, on July 10, 1962, was perhaps the biggest leap forward in the field since Guglielmo Marconi sent the world's first radio message across open water in 1897. It beamed the first transatlantic television feed later that month and, as well as satellite TV, paved the way for GPS and many other things we take for granted today. Pictured are technicians joining the Telstar satellite to the third stage of the Delta Rocket in July 1962 so it could be launched from Cape Canaveral and begin transmitting television pictures all over the world. | Keystone/Getty Images

11 amazing inventions from the 60s and 70s which changed our lives

Robert Cumber
By Robert Cumber

Property and retro writer

Published 25th May 2025, 07:00 GMT

The 60s and 70s were memorable for their bold fashions, groundbreaking music and giant leaps in human achievement, like the moon landings.

But what about the technological advances they delivered which changed our everyday lives, from medical breakthroughs to time-saving household appliances and home entertainment.

Some of these inventions helped alter the very fabric of society, while others merely brought a bit more joy and convenience.

There are those which it is hard to imagine life without today, but others have been made redundant by fresh innovations and consigned to mere footnotes in history.

Which of these inventions of the 1960s and 1970s do you think was the greatest and are there any you could not live without?

Do you have retro pictures or nostalgic memories to share with us? Send them online via YourWorld at www.yourworld.net/submit. It's free to use and, once checked, your story or picture will appear on our website and, space allowing, in our newspapers.

Post-It Notes are one of those ubiquitous things which were famously invented almost by accident. Spencer Silver, working for the company 3M, was trying to develop a super-strong adhesive in 1968 when he instead stumbled upon a 'low-tack' reusable adhesive. It wasn't until 1974 that a colleague, Art Fry, came up with the idea of using the adhesive to stick his bookmark in his hymn book and developed the idea of the famous sticky notes. They were first marketed as Press 'n Peel in 1977, with disappointing results, but after being renamed and aggressively marketed the following year, with free samples given to office workers, they really took off. They are today used not just to keep your place in books but to express solidarity or protest at sites around the world.

7. Post-It Notes

Post-It Notes are one of those ubiquitous things which were famously invented almost by accident. Spencer Silver, working for the company 3M, was trying to develop a super-strong adhesive in 1968 when he instead stumbled upon a 'low-tack' reusable adhesive. It wasn't until 1974 that a colleague, Art Fry, came up with the idea of using the adhesive to stick his bookmark in his hymn book and developed the idea of the famous sticky notes. They were first marketed as Press 'n Peel in 1977, with disappointing results, but after being renamed and aggressively marketed the following year, with free samples given to office workers, they really took off. They are today used not just to keep your place in books but to express solidarity or protest at sites around the world. | KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images Photo: KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images

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The world's first home video games console, the Magnavox Odyssey, pictured, was released in 1972. It came with a number of games included, among them Table Tennis, Ski and Simon Says. Around 350,000 of the consoles were reportedly sold worldwide but it was the launch of the Atari 2600 five years later in 1977 which is generally credited as sparking the so-called 'golden age of video games'.

8. Video games console

The world's first home video games console, the Magnavox Odyssey, pictured, was released in 1972. It came with a number of games included, among them Table Tennis, Ski and Simon Says. Around 350,000 of the consoles were reportedly sold worldwide but it was the launch of the Atari 2600 five years later in 1977 which is generally credited as sparking the so-called 'golden age of video games'. | FRANCOIS GUILLOT/AFP via Getty Images Photo: FRANCOIS GUILLOT/AFP via Getty Images

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The contraceptive pill, better known simply as the pill, was developed in the 1950s and first approved for release in the US in 1960. Its introduction was linked with the growth of the 'free love' movement in the 60s and credited as a major breakthrough in the fight for women's liberation. But when the pill first became available on the NHS in the UK in 1961 it was for married women only.

9. The pill

The contraceptive pill, better known simply as the pill, was developed in the 1950s and first approved for release in the US in 1960. Its introduction was linked with the growth of the 'free love' movement in the 60s and credited as a major breakthrough in the fight for women's liberation. But when the pill first became available on the NHS in the UK in 1961 it was for married women only. | Susan Wood/Getty Images Photo: Susan Wood/Getty Images

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The world's first microwave oven went on sale in 1947 but it was another two decades before the first countertop version for homes was introduced in 1967. It was not until the late 70s and early 80s that they became widely affordable, speeding up meal times for families across the world.

10. Microwave oven

The world's first microwave oven went on sale in 1947 but it was another two decades before the first countertop version for homes was introduced in 1967. It was not until the late 70s and early 80s that they became widely affordable, speeding up meal times for families across the world. | Hulton Archive/Getty Images Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images

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The actor Reg Varney, of On The Buses fame, became the first person to use an ATM (automatic teller machine) on June 27, 1967, at a Barclays Bank in Enfield, north London. The ground-breaking invention was credited to the engineering team led by John Shepherd-Barron of printing firm De La Rue.

11. ATM

The actor Reg Varney, of On The Buses fame, became the first person to use an ATM (automatic teller machine) on June 27, 1967, at a Barclays Bank in Enfield, north London. The ground-breaking invention was credited to the engineering team led by John Shepherd-Barron of printing firm De La Rue. | B. Marshall/Fox Photos/Getty Images Photo: B. Marshall/Fox Photos/Getty Images

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