# How were things different when you were a kid? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 4, 2026, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-things-different-when-you-were-a-kid/1029032 "2026-04-04T22:45:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 68
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2026, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-things-different-when-you-were-a-kid/1029032/68 "2026-04-05T14:07:05Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Were there fewer pervs hanging around mall restrooms waiting to abduct/molest children? I’m not sure, but there was certainly stranger danger. If you were a kid in the 1950s… > **[Murder of Peter Weinberger](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Peter_Weinberger)** > > Peter Weinberger (June 2, 1956 – c. July 12, 1956) was a one-month-old infant who was kidnapped for ransom on July 4, 1956, in New York state. The case gained national notoriety due to the circumstances of the kidnapping and the victim's family, as unlike many victims in kidnappings for ransom, Weinberger was not from a wealthy and prominent family, but from a suburban middle class family. > As was required by law at the time, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) waited for seven days bef... Or 1960s… > **[Murder of Marise Chiverella](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Marise_Chiverella)** > > On March 18, 1964, Marise Ann Chiverella, a 9-year-old American girl, was raped and murdered while on her way to school by 22-year-old James Paul Forte in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. > The murder went unsolved for nearly 58 years, until it was announced by authorities in 2022 that the perpetrator had been identified as James Paul Forte using investigative genetic genealogy. It is believed to be the oldest cold case in Pennsylvania to be solved through this method. The murder's solving gained major ... Or 1970s… > **[Disappearance of Etan Patz](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Etan_Patz)** > > Etan Kalil Patz (/ˈeɪtɑːn ˈpeɪts/; October 9, 1972 – c. May 25, 1979) was a six-year-old American boy who disappeared on May 25, 1979, on his way to his school bus stop in the SoHo neighborhood of Lower Manhattan. His disappearance helped launch the missing children movement, which included new legislation and new methods for tracking down missing children. Years after he disappeared, Patz became one of the first children to be profiled on the "photo on a milk carton" campaigns of the 1980s. ... Or 1980s… > **[Murder of Adam Walsh](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Adam_Walsh)** > > Adam John Walsh (November 14, 1974 – c. July 27, 1981) was an American child who was abducted from a Sears department store at the Hollywood Mall in Hollywood, Florida, on July 27, 1981. His severed head was found two weeks later in a drainage canal alongside Highway 60/Yeehaw Junction in rural Indian River County, Florida. Walsh's death garnered national interest and became the basis for the 1983 television film Adam, seen by 38 million people in its original airing. > Adam's father, John Wa... Or even 1990s… > **[Kidnapping of Jaycee Dugard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kidnapping_of_Jaycee_Dugard)** > > .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct,.mw-parser-output .geo-inline-hidden{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}38°0′31″N 121°46′16″W / 38.00861°N 121.77111°W / 38.00861; -121.77111 > > > On June 10, 1991, Jaycee Lee Dugard, an eleven-year-old girl, was abducted from a street while walking to a school bus stop in Me... Then you were at risk of being abducted. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-things-different-when-you-were-a-kid/1029032)._