Page 21Low Battery

Memo From Management

Reality Called In Sick

Find the 3 things that don’t belong in 1949.

TipOpen one step at a time. The answer always asks twice, so nothing gets spoiled by accident.

1NudgeOpen

Cross off the decoys first. These look modern but were fine in 1949: ballpoint pens (1945), the Slinky (1945) and Tupperware (1946).

2CloserOpen

One intruder is the Xerox 914 copier: announced 16 Sep 1959 (the first plain-paper office copier).

Still to find: a typewriter and a radio.

3AnswerAsks twice

This shows the full answer. Sure?

Yes, show me

★Solved it? The story behind the datesContains the answers

This shows the full answer. Sure?

Yes, show me

Everything in the document on one timeline. Yellow dots arrived too late.

1945Ballpoint pensFine
On sale in the US 29 Oct 1945.Source: Wikipedia
1945The SlinkyFine
First sold at Christmas 1945.Source: Smithsonian Magazine
1946TupperwareFine
Introduced to the public 1946.Source: Smithsonian
1949 · the document is dated here
1954The transistor radioNot yet
Regency TR-1 launched October 1954.Source: Smithsonian Magazine
1959The Xerox 914 copierNot yet
Announced 16 Sep 1959 (the first plain-paper office copier).Source: Computing History; The Henry Ford
1961The IBM Selectric typewriterNot yet
Introduced 31 Jul 1961.Source: IBM

Every answer is also printed at the back of the book, with its page number.