Reminisce Extra

For our feature “House Proud,” page 24, readers share touching memories of growing up in homes built in the ranch style, that stalwart of the suburbs. Based on California architecture that had open floor plans for ventilation, the ranch proved ideal for young families and for life in the suburbs, where the door was always open for a chat and a coffee or, as Judy Jones recalls in “Home Sweet Homes,” page 26, for an afternoon of TV viewing with all the kids on the street. Open-concept living became a philosophy of community life, especially in the 1950s and ’60s. This was a golden age for growing up, when kids burst out of the house on Saturday morning for a day of adventure, Mom waving them off with a quick “Be…

SURPRISE VICTORY Days shy of 32 years old, Arthur Ashe, above right, is the past-his-prime underdog when he beats upstart favorite Jimmy Connors, 22, above left, in a strategically brilliant match at Wimbledon. Ashe is the first Black man to win Wimbledon, but not the first Black player: Althea Gibson won in 1957. TV MAINSTAYS Three of today’s longest-running programs debut, including game show Wheel of Fortune and sketch show Saturday Night Live (both NBC), and ABC’s Good Morning America. All weathered cast changes, but Wheel of Fortune had the fewest: Pat Sajak became the host in 1981; Vanna White, below, joined a year later. NEW LEADER Britain’s Conservative Party elects Margaret Thatcher as leader. Four years later, her party wins the majority in parliament and she becomes the U.K.’s first female prime minister, earning…

◾ Inventor Joshua Reynolds, above, uses a heat-sensitive liquid crystal that responds to body temperature. Colors reflect distinct moods, including blue (tranquil), red (agitated) and violet or purple (passion). ◾ The fad starts in New York and soon sweeps the nation. More than 20 million rings sell by year’s end. ◾ Prices range from under $45 for a mass-market sterling silver version to $250 for a gold one at upscale retailer Neiman-Marcus. Celebrities, including Barbra Streisand and Ali MacGraw, embrace the fad. ◾ All too soon, cheap knockoffs eat into Reynolds’s profits, which turn his mood gray. REYNOLDS: JOHN OLSON/GETTY IMAGES; JAWS : SUNSET BOULEVARD/GETTY IMAGES; FORD: BETTMAN/GETTY IMAGES…

No one expected Jaws to rule the box office in 1975. In fact, during filming off Martha’s Vineyard in 1974, the filmmakers wondered if the movie would reach theaters at all. As co-star Richard Dreyfuss later said, “We started the film without a script, without a cast and without a shark.” Peter Benchley wrote the script based on his bestselling novel, but director Steven Spielberg rejected it, finding the characters so unlikable that he rooted for the shark. Spielberg hired veteran TV writer Carl Gottlieb and others to inject humor into the dialogue and encouraged the actors to improvise. The movie’s most famous line—Chief Brody’s “You’re gonna need a bigger boat”—was courtesy of actor Roy Scheider. Scheider signed on early, after Robert Duvall turned down the role, but Spielberg had a harder…

Polyester was an instant success when DuPont introduced it in 1951. The American public was open to using the cheap synthetic fabric, which was machine-washable and wrinkle-free, for, well, almost anything. In the early 1970s, Lee Jeans began producing shirtlike jackets with matching slacks, marketing the easygoing ensembles as business attire. In 1974, the New York Times noted that the suits were a hot item but reserved judgment on the design’s longevity. In 1975, when Merriam-Webster got on board, the style’s popularity was peaking, although that didn’t seem to faze the handsome dudes in the Sears catalog.…

Living his roots The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame calls New Jersey’s famous son “a voice of underdogs and the working class” for his unsparing observations about life for those born without silver spoons. The personal becomes political After President Ronald Reagan’s 1984 reelection campaign name-dropped Springsteen, the musician responded by helping food banks and strike-relief efforts. In 2008 he endorsed then–Sen. Barack Obama, saying, “He speaks to the America I’ve envisioned in my music for the past 35 years.” Later, he played on the campaign trail and at the White House. The Boss on Broadway The White House gig inspired his show, Springsteen on Broadway, and Springsteen won a special Tony Award for the production. ~ Bruce Springsteen ~“You can’t have a United States if you are telling some folks that they can’t get…