# Happy birthday to me—this is the big one: seven-zero **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 31, 2014, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-to-me-this-is-the-big-one-seven-zero/685022 "2014-03-31T21:26:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr\_Quatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bc8723/32.png) [@Mr\_Quatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Quatro)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2014, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-to-me-this-is-the-big-one-seven-zero/685022/1 "2014-03-31T21:26:00Z")
Is this where you put mundane pointless stuff I must share? Then I must share that I was born March 31st 1944 today is the big seven zero 😃 ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2014, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-to-me-this-is-the-big-one-seven-zero/685022/2 "2014-03-31T21:27:46Z")
Happy day to you! It’s so nice to see so many other geezers here! OK, so at 60, I’m more of a junior geezer, but I’m getting there! 😃 How are you going to celebrate? ---
**Author:** ![BrassyPhrase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea666f/32.png) [@BrassyPhrase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrassyPhrase)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2014, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-to-me-this-is-the-big-one-seven-zero/685022/3 "2014-03-31T21:36:56Z")
You might want to put a comma or dash between the one and the seven. I thought, “He’s 170? What? Are they talking about dog years or something?” Happy Birthday anyway! And twenty more at least 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2014, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-to-me-this-is-the-big-one-seven-zero/685022/4 "2014-03-31T21:38:14Z")
Happy Birthday! ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Quatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bc8723/32.png) [@Mr\_Quatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Quatro)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2014, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-to-me-this-is-the-big-one-seven-zero/685022/5 "2014-03-31T21:39:00Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Happy day to you! It’s so nice to see so many other geezers here! OK, so at 60, I’m more of a junior geezer, but I’m getting there! 😃 > > How are you going to celebrate? Just a good cup of coffee so far, but I think some chicken fries and ice cream comes next, plus I so grateful I have nothing wrong with me to report to the ACA or the VA lol Glad my birthday is today instead of tomorrow April 1st is fool’s day :eek: ---
**Author:** ![LibrarySpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f9ae1b/32.png) [@LibrarySpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LibrarySpy)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2014, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-to-me-this-is-the-big-one-seven-zero/685022/6 "2014-03-31T21:47:32Z")
Damn dude, well done! Did you ever think you’d make it? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![rucciface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ba9def/32.png) [@rucciface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rucciface)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2014, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-to-me-this-is-the-big-one-seven-zero/685022/7 "2014-03-31T21:51:27Z")
Happy birthday, **Mr Quatro** , and many happy returns! ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2014, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-to-me-this-is-the-big-one-seven-zero/685022/8 "2014-03-31T22:04:46Z")
> [@BrassyPhrase](#): > > I thought, “He’s 170? What? Are they talking about dog years or something?” I was thinking the same thing. Do we have some kind of tortoise registered? ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2014, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-to-me-this-is-the-big-one-seven-zero/685022/9 "2014-03-31T22:52:10Z")
Happy birthday, Q! Hope you have 170 more! mmm ---
**Author:** ![Fluffy\_PickleSniffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/77aa72/32.png) [@Fluffy\_PickleSniffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fluffy_PickleSniffer)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2014, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-to-me-this-is-the-big-one-seven-zero/685022/10 "2014-03-31T23:07:05Z")
Happy Birthday! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2014, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-to-me-this-is-the-big-one-seven-zero/685022/11 "2014-03-31T23:14:22Z")
Happy Birthday, **Mr Quatro**! And many more. It’s my birthday too, yeah. We were lucky to miss April Fool’s Day, I suppose. Downside: I received a letter from my insurance company last week saying my accidental death policy would depreciate by $25,000 on this date. It’s funny - I still feel worth the same amount I did yesterday. . . ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2014, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-to-me-this-is-the-big-one-seven-zero/685022/12 "2014-03-31T23:14:55Z")
Happy birthday, Mr. Quatro! Friedrich Nietsche was born in 1844, too! ---
**Author:** ![D18](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@D18](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D18)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2014, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-to-me-this-is-the-big-one-seven-zero/685022/13 "2014-03-31T23:15:33Z")
Congratulations! Leads me to ask - any idea who the oldest active Doper is? ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2014, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-to-me-this-is-the-big-one-seven-zero/685022/14 "2014-03-31T23:27:04Z")
170 is nothing, let me know when you hit the big 185. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2014, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-to-me-this-is-the-big-one-seven-zero/685022/15 "2014-03-31T23:31:10Z")
> [@D18](#): > > Congratulations! > > Leads me to ask - any idea who the oldest active Doper is? I think it’s Klondike Geoff, who, I believe, is 84. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2014, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-to-me-this-is-the-big-one-seven-zero/685022/16 "2014-03-31T23:45:03Z")
Happy Birthday! I hope you get everything you want today. ---
**Author:** ![Satchmo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/satchmo/32/4223_2.png) [@Satchmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satchmo)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-to-me-this-is-the-big-one-seven-zero/685022/17 "2014-04-01T00:08:48Z")
Happy Birthday Mr Quatro! I’m only 56, so I’m just a cub geezer. But I’m already a full fledged curmudgeon! ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Quatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bc8723/32.png) [@Mr\_Quatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Quatro)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-to-me-this-is-the-big-one-seven-zero/685022/18 "2014-04-01T01:28:05Z")
> [@Tethered\_Kite](#): > > Happy Birthday, **Mr Quatro**! And many more. > > It’s my birthday too, yeah. We were lucky to miss April Fool’s Day, I suppose. > > Downside: I received a letter from my insurance company last week saying my accidental death policy would depreciate by $25,000 on this date. > > It’s funny - I still feel worth the same amount I did yesterday. . . Happy birthday to you too Tethered Kite … sorry your insurance went down, don’t have any accidents. Did anyone in your family ever tell you that March 31st use to be New Years eve in heck I don’t know what year, but whatever year it was they say that’s where April Fool came from when they changed the year change over to January. I already asked Cecil, but he’s busy 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-to-me-this-is-the-big-one-seven-zero/685022/19 "2014-04-01T01:46:08Z")
This is the decade **Mr Quatro** was introduced to this world: > [@about.com](#): > > 1940 > > ``` > Dr William Reich invents the orgone accumulator. > Peter Goldmark invents modern color television system. > Karl Pabst invents the jeep. > > ``` > > 1941 > > ``` > Konrad Zuse's Z3, the first computer controlled by software. > Aerosol spray cans invented by American inventors, Lyle David Goodloe and W.N. Sullivan. > Enrico Fermi invents the neutronic reactor. > > ``` > > 1942 > > ``` > John Atanasoff and Clifford Berry built the first electronic digital computer. > Mueller designs a turboprop engine. > > ``` > > 1943 > > ``` > Synthetic rubber invented. > Richard James invents the slinky. > James Wright invent silly putty. > Swiss chemist, Albert Hofmann discovered the hallucinogenic properties of LSD. > Emile Gagnan and Jacques Cousteau invent the aqualung. > > ``` > > \*\*1944 > > ``` > The kidney dialysis machine invented by Willem Kolff. > Synthetic cortisone invented by Percy Lavon Julian.** > > ``` > > 1945 > > ``` > Vannevar Bush proposes hypertext. > The atomic bomb invented. > > ``` > > 1946 > > ``` > The microwave oven invented by Percy Spencer. > > ``` > > 1947 > > ``` > British/Hungarian scientist, Dennis Gabor, developed the theory of holography. > Mobile phones first invented. Although cell phones were not sold commercially until 1983. > Bardeen, Brattain, and Shockley invent the transistor. > Earl Silas Tupper patented the Tupperware seal. > > ``` > > 1948 > > ``` > The Frisbee ® invented by Walter Frederick Morrison and Warren Franscioni. > Velcro ® invented by George de Mestral. > Robert Hope-Jones invented the Wurlitzer jukebox. > > ``` > > 1949 > > ``` > Cake mix invented. > > ``` Happy B-day! Note: cake mix invented just in time for **Mr Quatro** ’'s 5th birthday. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-to-me-this-is-the-big-one-seven-zero/685022/20 "2014-04-01T02:03:35Z")
More fun stuff about the 40’s: > [@](#): > > ``` > Population 132,122,000 > Unemployed in 1940 - 8,120,000 > National Debt $43 Billion > Average Salary $1,299. Teacher's salary $1,441 > Minimum Wage $0.40 per hour > 55% of U.S. homes have indoor plumbing > Antarctica is discovered to be a continent > Life expectancy 68.2 female, 60.8 male > Auto deaths 34,500 > Supreme Court decides blacks do have a right to vote > World War II changed the order of world power; the United States and the USSR become super powers > Cold War begins. > > ``` [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-to-me-this-is-the-big-one-seven-zero/685022.md?page=2)