Can You Remember These 1950s School Supplies?

One of the most fun types of scissors found in classrooms are pinking shears, or scissors that leave a zig-zagged edge instead of a straight one when slicing.

Three-ring binders haven’t changed much in style in the past few decades because it would be difficult to retro-fit all of the accessories that are compatible with them, like hole punches and reinforcements.

The narrow wheel was used to rub out a single line of type and the brush was used to brush away the eraser dust carefully, as not to effect any other lines of type.

It has long been popular to mark where you’ve been in the world on a map, but before you could do so digitally you had to rely on a physical map and map pins to show off your travels.

These vintage counting blocks were very popular in the ‘50s for children just learning their numbers for the first time. They help children visualize simple equations.

These retro paper clips do their job well. They were made out of sturdy metal, but you would have to make sure they did not rust or you wouldn’t be able to undo the clip.

Before digital scales, every science classroom and post office was equipped with a scale that looked like this. It may have been hard to read, but it always did its job.

These metal fasteners are inserted through the holes in loose leaf paper to keep them together, much like a manual staple. You can still find them in most office supply stores.

Lined paper is still used today, although handwriting is a less important skill for students to learn. The margins of these sheets of paper were originally meant for footnotes.

Before rubber erasers were popularized in the 1770s, pieces of wax were used to erase charcoal marks from papers. In 1858 the first patent for attaching an eraser to the end of a pencil was filed.

Saddle shoes were common additions to school uniforms in the ‘40s and ‘50s and they were iconically worn by Elvis Presley in the film “Jailhouse Rock.”

The word Rolodex comes from a combination of the words rolling and index. It was first invented in 1956 as a way to keep business cards or other contact information handy.

When there wasn’t any way to organize files digitally, it took a lot of folders to keep your papers in order, like this accordion folder that kept papers in separate sections.

These vintage clipboards are still used at any time when writing on a desk isn’t accessible and anyone who has gone to a school in the last 50 years can probably recognize one.

Composition notebooks can be traced back to France and Germany where, in the 1860s, this marbled design was popularized. The style migrated to the United States in the early 20th century.

Day planners are still handed out to students so they can keep track of their assignments and remember when big projects are due. But, they don’t always stop the urge to procrastinate.

Globes were often showcased in classrooms for many subjects like History, because they provided an accurate depiction of where historical events happened.

“Dick and Jane” books were used to teach reading in classrooms for nearly four decades before being replaced by other texts and teaching methods in the ‘80s.

Nowadays, students typically have to learn to drive outside of the classroom, but back in the day they were taught drivers education during the school day.

Card catalogues were found in every library before digital sorting systems. Each book in the library had a corresponding card with its information on it.

Magnifying glasses were very useful in classrooms because there were many textbooks on the shelves with very tiny writing that could be more easily read when magnified.

Scotch tape was introduced in 1930 when it wasn’t yet clear as we know it today. During the Great Depression sales of Scotch tape soared because it was a versatile and durable product.

Hole punches are handy tools to organize a stack of papers together to be put into a binder later. They are still used today, but the original models were made of heavy nickel-plated metals.

Before the ‘50s, most students used paper bags or picnic baskets to hold their lunches, but during this decade lunchboxes first came into popularity.

Most kids just used a simple men’s leather belt to hold their school books together because it was simple and easy to carry while walking home.

In the ‘50s and ’60s, satchels started to replace the popular book straps because they could hold more items and were easier to carry.

Pocket protectors may have become a staple for nerd costumes, but back in the day when it was important to have a nicely pressed shirt, they really came in handy!

When blackboards were used every day by both teachers and students, there was never enough white chalk to go around.

Flashcards were used in the ‘50s to teach children everything from multiplication to spelling. Today, most kids use computer quizzes to learn new subjects.

Many schools required compasses to be used in math class so perfect circles could be drawn. This tool is also useful to architects.

Many classrooms had pull-down maps of the United States and other maps depending on where the class was taking place, like a state map and a city map.

When writing letters was still common, many people kept stamps with their addresses on them at home to make sending out letters simpler.

Slide rulers were also helpful tools used during math class because they helped students multiply and divide numbers quickly.

In the past, bookmarks weren’t as common as placeholders because most hard cover books had a simple piece of ribbon already attached to them to keep your place.

Besides being a handy way to group papers together, kids also had a lot of fun stringing paper clips together to make necklaces and bracelets.

The hall monitor’s job was to guide the lanes of traffic in busy hallways and this role was typically given to good mannered and outgoing students.

Before the days of digital projectors and even television sets, most classrooms were outfitted with filmstrip projectors to show movies recorded on actual film.

Before every student had a laptop to write with, essays were typically required to be typed on a typewriter. Unfortunately, there wasn’t an easy way to correct mistakes with these machines!

This school supply is not often used to day, but some students of the ‘50s used carbon paper to forge their grades if they wanted to fool their parents.

Rytoff was an ink erasing liquid that was used to correct written mistakes, but it had to be used quickly before ink dried, making it a difficult product to use.

Handwriting was often a subject taught in schools and students were required to use these ink holding Palmer pens to practice their cursive lettering and overall penmanship.

Cellulose tape was a popular option in the ‘50s because it didn’t leave a sticky residue like other tapes and it was reusable and strong.

Manual pencil sharpeners were located in every classroom, typically right next to the blackboard. These models would hold the pencil shavings inside for easy usage.

Before the plastic tipped push pins that are used today, there were only simple metal thumbtacks available to use, which were sometimes difficult to grip.

Slide projectors were commonplace in classrooms to show slideshows and project notes for the entire classroom to see. Some slide projectors could also project film strips.

Before typing became a popular skill, students were taught handwriting in elementary school, often practiced with these dip pens and ink wells.

Grease pencils were an ingenious device because unlike other pencils that required sharpening, you could sharpen a grease pencil by peeling off the paper around the lead.

Most classrooms had trimming boards around, which made cutting many pieces of paper at once easy. They could also cut through cardboard without effort making them a very useful tool.

Like a portable blackboard, these slates were to be used by each student to work out math problems or write answers upon that could be erased easily.

An abacus is an ancient device used to assist in doing difficult or simple math problems. But now, most students use calculators starting from an early age.

A sock hop was an informal dance where students would take off their shoes and dance around to music like Buddy Holly or Elvis Presley in their socks!

Poodle skirts were knee length skirts with a wide swing and applied designs that were often paired with white bobby socks in the 1950s.

In the ‘50s it was common for schools to be segregated. But after the civil rights movement of the ‘60s, many schools began desegregation efforts that put an end to these practices.

During a time when Americans were scared of possible nuclear explosions, duck and cover drills were practiced in schools and were considered as normal as a fire drill.

These machines administered multiple choice questions to teach students many different subjects, but they fell out of fashion later as computers became more commonplace.

During the early 1900s, marble production boomed and there were many marble producers in the United States. But today there are only two American marble manufacturers still in business.

Thermoses and lunch boxes were popularized during the ‘50s, when many mothers stayed at home to prepare their children’s (and husband’s) lunches for the day.

Also called a Ditto machine, the Spirit duplicator was invented in 1923 and required ink to create copies, which was usually available in purple colors.

Sitting-out bags were short-lived school supplies of the early 20th century when students were encouraged to spend more time outdoors to combat diseases like tuberculosis.

Stereoscopes were first used in schools in the early 1900s to showcase photos during lectures. Some of the earliest stereoscopic photos were taken during the Civil War.

Hornbooks were wooden, stone or leather paddles with important information engraved on them, like the alphabet, numbers or bible verses.

The design of these pencil cases was similar to a roll-top desk and created a case that your pencils could not fall out of.

Before every computer had spell-check, spelling books created a system of standardized spelling in the classrooms of the United States.

Erasers were a much needed school supply before computers were widely used in classrooms, so they needed a coveted case to keep them safe.

Three-ring binders are still used by most students today, but they now come in every color imaginable, not just simple black or white.

Mucilage glue has long been used as an adhesive on envelopes and postage stamps because it is derived from plants and therefore edible.

Kids of the ‘50s might remember having endless fun putting all of their rubber bands together to make a rubber band ball, much to the annoyance of their teachers.

The way to organize your folders and papers easily was by affixing them with tabs that could show you at a glance exactly what you were looking for.

Student desks were designed by Anna Breadin in the late 1880s. Before this most students just sat on regular chairs or long benches during classes.

The Ditto company produced many school and office supplies. The copy machines produced by the company produced paper copies that were referred to as “dittos” although the machine itself was called a mimeograph.

These folders were first produced in 1943 by the Western Tablet and Stationery Company of Kalamazoo, Michigan and were used by students for storing papers well into the ‘50s. These folders are still available today.

In 1866, George McGill patented a small, bendable brass paper fastener that was a precursor to the modern staple. The next year he patented a press to insert the fastener into paper.

Mr. Sketch markers are scented markers that come in both chisel and fine point variants. They have been popular with young school children since the ‘60s.

Rubber cement is an adhesive made out of elastic polymers such as latex and a solvent, like acetone. When it is exposed to the air, the solvent dries, leaving just the adhesive.

Elmer’s started producing glue and other adhesive products in 1947, the same year that they first sold their classic white glue, which was made out of synthetic resin.

These tabs were included in the front of library books to keep track of who borrowed a book and when they should bring them back. Today, this process is taken care of digitally.

The Crayola company was founded in 1885, but it was not until 1903 that they started to produce crayons as we know them today. Their first line of crayons included 30 different colors.

Quills were used long before dip pens or ballpoint pens because they were naturally derived from animal feathers. Goose quills are still used as a calligraphy tool today.

The first of its kind, this mechanical pencil has a mechanism in it that allows the lead of the pencil to be pushed out without the need for sharpening.

In the early 20th century, most paintbrushes were made out of horse hair, but today many paintbrushes that are marketed to children are made of synthetic fibers.

These cards could be used for data processing, much like a USB drive is used today. Each card had information that was represented by the holes in each card.

Most schools are still equipped with intercom systems because they are more simple to use than modern technology and can easily broadcast a message to every room that is equipped with an intercom.

Reinforcements are sticky tabs that go around the holes in paper to ensure that you don’t rip any pages while you’re flipping through your binders.

The term for the hobby of collecting different match-related items including matchbooks, matchboxes and match covers is “phillumeny.”

This vintage letter opener from the 1930s is actually many objects in one! This letter opener also has a magnifying glass on the end to help you read your letters once you open them.

If you’ve ever wondered how people in the 1950s got their hair to be so shiny, you don’t know about pomade. The greasy substance takes many washes to fully remove, but it will keep every hair in place!

Sewing machines were common items in schools when home economics classes were more commonplace. Students would learn the basics of sewing during these classes.

This metal device was designed to slide into and hook onto your pocket to keep your pencil safe. Back in the day, you were responsible for making sure you had enough pencils to write with, so they were very valuable!

Thimbles are a valuable item to have around if you’re sewing by hand because wearing one on your finger will prevent it from being pricked or poked by a sewing needle.

Filing cabinets have been less in demand in recent years because of a shift towards paperless operation in many industries.

Many professionals kept a pen holder on their desk for signing documents in the ‘50s. They were often luxury pieces made of fine materials like marble.

If you haven’t sent a letter in a few years, you might not be aware of this handy invention. The stamp moistener has saved many tongues from having to lick hundreds of stamps in a day.

If you want a nicely organized library, you should invest in some bookends. These common metal ones are typically seen in libraries, but they come in many other styles.

Many sewing experts used patterns like these, which were available for purchase, to create their own clothes out of whatever fabrics they chose.

In order to not leave your used and dirty stamps laying on the table, this handy stamp stand was invented so no one would ever get ink on their writing desk again!

Classic paper calendars like this are still available, but who needs to invest in a simple calendar when all phones and computers already come equipped with one?

Back in the day when sending letters was much more commonplace, many businesses had stamp dispensers like this to make sending letters in bulk easier to manage.

Every classroom and school bus is equipped with a first aid kit in case of an emergency, and most of them contain alcohol swabs, bandages and some medicines like aspirin.

Many children today don’t know how to use a rotary phone, so they’ll never know how it feels to call someone with many zeroes in their phone number.

This tool was helpful for anyone whose job required them to do many mathematic equations before computers were around, like cashiers or accountants.