Page 59Fully Charged

Ward 4 Notice Board

Reality Called In Sick

Find the 5 things that don’t belong in 1975.

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 1975: the microwave oven (1967), pocket calculators (1971), transistor radios (1954) and Sesame Street (1969).

2CloserOpen

One intruder is the Wi-Fi password: the name “Wi-Fi” dates from 1999.

Still to find: a sticky note, a video disc, a cassette player and a handheld game.

3AnswerAsks twice

This shows the full answer. Sure?

Yes, show me

The Wi-Fi password · 1999
Post-it notes · 1980
The DVD library · 1996
Walkmans · 1979
Game Boys · 1989

★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.

1954Transistor radiosFine
Launched 1954.Source: Smithsonian Magazine
1967The microwave ovenFine
Home countertop models from 1967.Source: Smithsonian Magazine
1969Sesame StreetFine
Premiered 10 Nov 1969.Source: UPI
1971Pocket calculatorsFine
On sale in the US 1971.Source: HistoryofInformation
1975 · the document is dated here
1979WalkmansNot yet
Launched 1 Jul 1979.Source: Nippon.com
1980Post-it notesNot yet
On sale across the US 6 Apr 1980.Source: History.com
1989Game BoysNot yet
Launched 1989.Source: Smithsonian Magazine
1996The DVD libraryNot yet
DVDs on sale from 1996 (Japan), 1997 (US).Source: Wikipedia
1999The Wi-Fi passwordNot yet
The name “Wi-Fi” dates from 1999.Source: Wikipedia

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

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