1960s Technology: Gadgets, Computers And Tech Trends

Colour television, cassette tapes and a computer that put people on the Moon.

Below: the gadgets in ordinary 1960s homes, what computing looked like at the time, what changed across the decade, and the details anyone who was there will remember.

Useful for a reminiscence session, a quiz round, or working out what someone grew up using.

Years covered in the 1960s

• 1960 - Coronation Street began, national service ended and the sixties had not started yet. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1960
• 1961 - The Beatles started playing the Cavern and Yuri Gagarin went into space. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1961
• 1962 - Love Me Do, the first James Bond film and the Cuban missile crisis. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1962
• 1963 - The big freeze, Beatlemania, Doctor Who and the assassination of President Kennedy. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1963
• 1964 - Top of the Pops, pirate radio, mods and rockers, and BBC Two. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1964
• 1965 - Churchill's funeral, the 70mph limit and the Beatles at Shea Stadium. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1965
• 1966 - England won the World Cup, and then Aberfan happened in October. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1966
• 1967 - Sgt. Pepper, Radio 1, colour television and the summer of love. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1967
• 1968 - Manchester United in Europe, Dad's Army and a year of protest. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1968
• 1969 - The moon landing, the Beatles on the roof and the end of the decade. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1969
• That is every 1960s year we have written up so far: 1960 to 1969.

Gadgets of the 1960s

• BBC2 launches in 1964, and colour television starts on it in 1967.
• The compact cassette, introduced by Philips in 1963.
• Reel-to-reel tape recorders for anyone serious about music.
• Instamatic cameras with drop-in cartridge film from 1963.
• Electric mixers, toasters and the spread of the telephone into ordinary homes.

Computers in the 1960s

• Mainframes in banks, councils and universities - the IBM System/360 from 1964.
• The Apollo Guidance Computer, less powerful than anything in your pocket now.
• ARPANET's first connections in 1969, the ancestor of the internet.
• Computing still meant a data-processing department, not a person at a desk.

Tech trends of the 1960s

• Pirate radio and transistor sets making music portable.
• Colour sets costing so much that rental stayed normal.
• Direct dialling replacing the operator on most calls.
• Electronics getting smaller every year as transistors replaced valves.

What people remember

• Going round to whoever had the colour telly first.
• Taping the chart off the radio and swearing at the DJ talking over the intro.
• Two channels, then three, and the test card for most of the day.
• The phone in the hall, on a short cord, with everyone listening.

How to use this

• Reminiscence: ask what the first one they owned was, and what it cost - the price always gets a reaction.
• Quiz round: read a gadget and ask for the decade.
• Themed party: put the 1960s playlist on and lay a few old gadgets out on a table.
• Present: a print of the machine they learned on lands better than a generic card.

Shop prints and posters

How to write it so it lands

• Prices are the best prompt - work out what a gadget cost in a week's wages and the room goes quiet.
• Ask what broke and how it was fixed; repairs get better stories than purchases.
• Check the dates before using these in a quiz - launch year and the year it reached most homes are rarely the same.

Where to shop next

• Look back to 1960
• Look back to 1961
• Look back to 1962
• Look back to 1963
• Look back to 1964
• Look back to 1965
• Look back to 1966
• Look back to 1967
• Look back to 1968
• Look back to 1969
• 1960s calendar: year by year
• 1960s trivia: fun facts
• 1960s holidays and travel
• 1960s food and recipes
• 1960s music: albums, artists and songs
• 1960s fashion: clothes, hair and accessories
• 1960s books, films and TV
• 1960s party playlist
• The 1960s: the whole decade
• Retro gift guide: the 1960s
• Playground games by region
• Knock down ginger
• Conkers rules
• Marbles rules
• School dinners we all remember
• Decade history: key events, politics and culture by era
• Decade books: best novels, authors and reading trends
• Decade tech: gadgets and computers by era
• Decade travel: destinations and holidays by era
• Decade recipes: dishes and food trends by era
• Music by decade: albums, artists and songs
• Decade fashion: clothes, hair and accessories by era
• Decade guides: books, films and TV by era
• Decade calendar: every year from 1920
• Decade trivia: fun facts by era
• Nostalgia gift shop
• Guess the year quiz
• Milestone birthday cards
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Sympathy and bereavement cards
• Sympathy cards guide
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What gadgets did people have in the 1960s?

BBC2 launches in 1964, and colour television starts on it in 1967. The full list above covers the equipment found in ordinary homes that decade.

What were computers like in the 1960s?

Mainframes in banks, councils and universities - the IBM System/360 from 1964. The computing section above covers the machines and how they were used.

What were the big tech trends of the 1960s?

Pirate radio and transistor sets making music portable. The trends section above lists what changed across the decade.

Do you sell technology or retro gadgets?

No. We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK. This page is free to read, print and copy for a quiz or a care-home session.