What Else Was Happening in 1975 (Alamon’s First Year in Business)?

Mood Rings: American jeweler Marvin Wernick began selling rings that contained a thermochromatic element, or “mood stone”, that changed colors based on the temperature of the wearer.  The rings were marketed as “magical” jewelry capable of indicating the warmth of the wearer’s character.

Rubik’s Cubes: Hungarian Sculptor Ernő Rubik applies for a patent for his 3D combination puzzle in 1975.

Pet Rocks: Gary Dahl listened to his friends complain about their pets, which gave him the idea for the perfect pet: a rock. It didn’t need to be fed, walked, bathed or groomed, and would not be disobedient or become sick and die. It was introduced as a product in 1975 and Dahl was overwhelmed by orders from retailers.

8-Track Tapes: These big, bulky music cartridges were introduced prior to 1975, but they were one of the most popular ways to play music that year (especially in cars).  A few years later they were replaced by compact cassette tapes.

Kodak Digital Camera: The very first digital camera was invented in 1975 by Steven Sasson, an engineer at Eastman Kodak. Kodak didn’t initially capitalize on it, despite filing a patent for the camera’s features in 1977. The invention still paved the way for future digital cameras.

1975 Style: They say that all fashion goes out of style but eventually comes back. Let’s hope not. See the groovy page from the JC Penney 1975 Fall/Winter catalog in the gallery above.