"That was Then... This is Now..."
It's amazing what can happen in only 22 years...
In July 1985 I was only 17 years old (one month from turning 18 years old, and starting college). Marty and I are close to being the same age, so I could really relate to BTTF in a personal way. So many things have changed since 1985. When Doc Brown said he was going forward 30 years, I said to myself, "Wow... I'll be 47-48 years old!"
Now that BTTF has celebrated it's 21st anniversary (and the children who were born that year are now about to graduate from college), I thought it would be fitting to reflect on how much has changed since 1985.
The table below will list just a few things that have changed. I'll do my best to update this page each January, so that when 2015 rolls around, we can really have a healthy dose of Future Shock. :)
Last Updated: Sunday, October 14, 2007 10:11 PM
Then - 1985 |
"Now" - 2006/2007 |
|
| President of the USA |
Ronald Wilson Reagan |
George Walker Bush |
| Vice-President of the USA | George Herbert Walker Bush |
Richard Bruce Cheney |
| Pulitzer Prize Winner | "Foreign Affairs" by Alison Lurie |
"March" by Geraldine Brooks |
| Nobel Peace Prize Winner | International Physicians for The Prevention of Nuclear War |
Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank |
| Miss America | Sharlene Wells |
Jennifer Berry (Tulsa, OK) |
| Speaker of the House of Representatives | Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill Jr. |
2006 - J. Dennis Hastert 2007 - Nancy Pelosi |
| US Population | 238 million |
300 million |
| World Population | 4.8 billion |
6.5 billion |
| Life Expectancy | 74.7 years |
77.8 years |
Cost of Living |
Then - 1985 |
Now - 2006/2007 |
| New House | $89,331 |
$250,000 |
| Average Income | $22,138 |
$43,318 |
| New Car | $9,011 |
$27,958 |
| Average Rent | $375 per month |
$800 per month |
| Tuition at Harvard University | $9,800 per year |
$34,998 |
| Movie Ticket | $2.75 each |
$4.08 each |
| Gasoline (regular unleaded) | $1.09 per gallon |
$2.72 per gallon (in FL) |
| United States Postage Stamp | 22¢ each |
49¢ each |
Food Prices |
Then - 1985 |
"Now" - 2006/2007 |
| Granulated Sugar (5 lb. bag) | 98¢ each |
|
| Vitamin D Milk | $4.12 |
|
| Ground Coffee | ||
| Bacon | ||
| Eggs | ||
| Fresh Ground Hamburger | ||
| Loaf of Bread | $1.29 |
|
Technology, etc. we didn't have in 1985 |
Technology we still don't have in 2006/2007 |
|
The World Wide Web |
Cell phones |
Flying cars |
Reality TV Shows |
Airbags in cars |
Self-lacing tennis shoes |
XM Satellite Radio |
LCD monitors/Plasma Screen TVs |
Hover boards |
Digital Cable |
DVDs |
Food re-hydrator |
MP3 Players / iPods |
Mr. Fusion (Home Reactor System) |
|
This page was last updated on Sunday, October 14, 2007 10:11 PM
