Kosciusko, 1955.

This morning I was doing a little searching in a couple of reels of microfilm and not only did I find exactly what I was looking for (info on a family home; an obituary), but I also found some entertaining tidbits, especially in the March 10, 1955 edition of the Kosciusko Star-Herald. Like what, you ask? Well. . .

1. From the Personals:
Mar. 8
Dear John:
Please come back home! Didn’t realize it meant so much to you!
--Mary

Feel free to suggest what it is Mary and John were arguing about. My guess is that she threw away his bottle cap collection.

2. There is a section called “At the Hospital” that lists everyone currently in the local hospital! No wonder everyone in a small town knows everyone’s business. In 1955, it was in the paper!

3. A shoe ad from Penney’s offers “SHOES for the entire FAMILY!” What is notable is that in every description of the shoes (baby shoes, pumps, something called "vamps,") there is the added detail that they are also “sanitized.” I am all for shoe sanitizing (especially at a bowling alley), but I am not quite sure why new shoes needed to be sanitized--or why this was a selling point!

4. I was delighted to know that in 1955, ear-piercing was becoming popular:
The old-fashioned custom of pierced ears is returning. The Jewelry Industry Council says that manufacturers report an increasing demand for earrings to fit pierced ears. The council says two factors probably influence the revival: comfort and economy. When today’s woman invests quite a bit of money in earrings, she wants to make sure they won’t get lost.

When I told Elisabeth this, she told me about the method her mother used in order to pierce her ears: some crazy screw-in earrings called “self-piercers.” From the ever-interesting Wikipedia:

Another method for piercing ears, first made popular in the 1960s, was the use of sharpened spring-loaded earrings known as self-piercers, trainers, or sleepers, which gradually pushed through the earlobe. However, these could slip from their initial placement position, often resulting in more discomfort, and many times would not go all the way through the earlobe without additional pressure being applied. This method has fallen into disuse due to the popularity of faster and more successful piercing techniques.

Funny that this method has fallen into disuse. It sounds so effective. . .and so pleasant.