Daily Dirt: Where were you in ’72 … or, once upon a time when a Big Mac was 65 cents 

The world has truly changed in the last 50 years, and I thank a high school reunion notice for bringing that to light … Welcome to today’s three thoughts and Vol. 241 of The Daily Dirt.

1. I received an interesting notice in the mail a few days ago.

It was an invitation to the 50th reunion of the Class of 1972 at Madison High School in Mansfield, Ohio. My first thought was, “Wow … it’s been 50 years since I left high school”. That’s half of a century. Five decades.

Interestingly, even though I have forgotten many things — especially in recent years — I can still remember graduation night at dear ole Madison. I thoroughly enjoyed high school and most everything that went with it. Here are some of my favorite memories about that time in my life, plus what was happening in the world in the spring of 1972:

• I was driving a 1964 Chevy Impala convertible, but the “rag top” could not be lowered and when it rained it leaked.
• The Volkswagen Beetle was the top selling care in the U.S, in the spring of 1972.
• “All in the Family” was the No. 1-rated show on network television. And remember, we only had three major networks at that time.
• Bruce Springsteen signed with Columbia records. The rest, as they say, is history.
• “The Candy Man” by Sammy Davis Jr. was the No. 1 song when I graduated. There are few songs I have hated more than that particular one.
• “The Godfather” was the No. 1 movie in America.
• Pittsburgh, Detroit, Oakland and Cincinnati were on their way to winning MLB divisional pennants. Fifty years later, Pittsburgh, Oakland and Cincinnati look to be in for dreadful seasons. Detroit should be pretty decent this spring. 
• The American League MVP that season wound up being Dick Allen, my all-time favorite baseball player.
• Gasoline was 55 cents a gallon when I graduated.
• Hamburger was 64 cents a pound.
• Average income was $11,859 a year.
• Tuition to Harvard was $2,800. (FYI, it is now roughly $50,000. And yes, that’s per year.)
• A new car averaged $3,583.
• A postage stamp was 8 cents.
• The president was Richard Nixon.
• The Lakers defeated the Knicks to win the NBA title that spring.

And finally, how about these McDonald’s prices in the spring of 1972?

• Big Mac, 65 cents.
• Quarter-pounder, with cheese, 70 cents.
• Hamburger, 28 cents
• Milkshakes, 35 cents.
• Fries, 26 cents. 
• Coffee, 15 cents.
• Triple Ripple Ice Cream Cone, 20 cents.

2. The lytho.com website put together some of the all-time advertising fails. Here are five of the best:

• Colgate launched a toothpaste in France named “Cue” without realizing that it’s also the name of a French pornographic magazine.
• American beer maker Coors discovered that slang doesn’t always translate well. When launching its “Turn it loose” campaign in Spain, it appears executives forgot to ensure the translation would resonate with consumers. When translated into Spanish, the tagline used an expression that’s commonly interpreted as “suffer from diarrhea.”
• The Coca-Cola name in China was first read as “Kekoukela,” which means “bite the wax tadpole” or “female horse stuffed with wax,” depending on the dialect. Coke then tried to find a phonetic equivalent, eventually settling on “kokou kole,” which translates as “happiness in the mouth”.
• Nokia may not be the creme de la creme anymore when it comes to mobile phones, but back in the day its launch of the “Lumia’” phone line made quite the impression in Spanish-speaking countries. Lumia can be translated to “prostitute” in Spanish.
• Ford made the mistake of not translating the name of the Ford Pinto in Brazil. Pinto is the Brazilian Portuguese word for “small genitals”.

3. Some of the best items we have “Found on Facebook” this week:

“When two vegans get into an argument, is it still called a beef?”

“I love bacon because it is the duct tape of food. I can wrap it round anything.”

“I’m sorry for the things my face said while you were talking.”

“Never argue with left-handed people. They’re not right.”

“Behind every husband who thinks he wears the pants in the family is a wife who told him which pants to wear.”

Steve Thought O’ The Day — Steve has never eaten a sardine in his life. Nor does he plan to.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. I’d say he deserves a break today, but every day is pretty much a break for Steve.