The One Percenters

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE 1%’ers:



A staggering 99% of people born between 1930 and 1946 (GLOBALLY) are now dead.



If you were born in this time span, your ages range between 77 and 93 years old (a 16-year age span) and you are one of the rare surviving one-percenters.



You are the smallest group of children born since the early 1900's.



You are the last generation, climbing out of the depression, who can remember the winds of war and the impact of a world at war that rattled the structure of our daily lives for years.



You are the last to remember ration books for everything from tea to sugar to shoes.



You can remember milk being delivered to your house early in the morning and placed in the "milk box" at the front door.



Discipline was strictly enforced by parents and teachers.



You are the last generation who spent childhood without television and instead, you “imagined” what you heard on the radio.



With no TV, you spent your childhood "playing outside". There was no city playground for kids.



The lack of television in your early years meant that you had little real understanding of what the world was like.



We got “black-and-white” TV in the late 50s that had 3 stations and no remote.



Telephones (if you had one) were one to a house and hung on the wall in the kitchen (who cares about privacy).



Computers were called calculators; they were hand-cranked.



Typewriters were driven by pounding fingers, throwing the carriage, and changing the ribbon. INTERNET and GOOGLE were words that did not exist.



Newspapers and magazines were written for adults and your dad would give you the comic pages after he read the news.



The news was broadcast on your radio in the evening. The radio network gradually expanded from 3 stations to thousands.



New highways would bring jobs and mobility. Most highways were 2 lanes and there were no Motorways.



You went to the city to shop.



You walked to school and back.



Your parents were suddenly free from the confines of the depression and the war, and they threw themselves into working hard to make a living for their families.



You weren't neglected, but you weren't today's all-consuming family focus.



They were glad you played things like Fiddle Sticks, Grab, Monopoly, Marbles, and Jacks by yourselves. They were busy discovering the postwar world.



You entered a world of overflowing plenty and opportunity; a world where you were welcomed, enjoyed yourselves.



You felt secure in your future, although the depression and poverty were deeply remembered.



Polio was still a crippler. Everyone knew someone who had it.



You are the last generation to experience an interlude when there were no threats to our country. World War 2 was over and the cold war, terrorism, global warming, and perpetual economic insecurity had yet to haunt life.



Only your generation can remember a time after WW2 when our world was secure and full of bright promise and plenty.



You grew up at the best possible time, a time when the world was getting better.



More than 99% of you are retired now, and you should feel privileged to have "lived in the best of times!"



If you have already reached the age of 77 years old, you have outlived 99% of all the other people on this planet. You are a 1%
 
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I'm Proud to be the 1%. as i am 62.. and would like to live a lot longer than my father that passed away at the age of 75 and my mother who is still alive now ...next week Wednesday she will be turning 101 years old ?? that's a milestone.
Wow happy birthday to her 💕
I’m not a 1/% as I was born in 1958 so I’m only 66 I can’t imagine living to that age, I don’t reckon there’ll still be a planet called earth the way the worlds going today it’s sad but true.😳
 
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I too am a 1%er and can honestly say I feel we had the best years, we imagined in games as there were not toys galore, you treasured the one doll you had - my favourite toy at birthdays was the big coloured ball from my Aunty Joan

Yes we were more fortunate than most as Dad was a self employed Master plumber and so we had a telephone , (not that we were allowed to use it until later years as it was for the business). and a 14 inch TV ...At. 3:45 pm our 4 lots of near neighbour's children came around to our house and sat around in a semi circle to see muffin the mule at 4pm each afternoon -I also remember having an ear to the radio to try to listen to "We are the Ovaltinies" a fading in and out children' s show on a Sunday evening.

We played outside at weekends and school holidays, after doing our chores. We were lucky, our house, backed onto a park and I would climb over the wrought iron fence and jump onto the park ( yes I was a tomboy) and run up the big hill to the slide, helta skelter, swings and roundabout,.There I would meet up with friends.(one or two? of which ended up of one of the members of Black Sabbath)

In school holidays we would put on little shows, I was always the prince - think it was because I was plump and big while my elder sister was thin and small so she would be the beautiful princess, I would tuck my dress into the legs of my pants, like the ones we had seen in books, to play the part. Friends were the non paying audience to whom we gave a biscuit and watery drink

I remember having to go to my Grandmothers Bakery and shop to get items, for my mother, with a coupon book. We never got a smidgen or even an egg more of any thing even though we were family. Nan was very strict on the absolutely exact amount of butter or cheese etc. Nan had big rounds of butter and cheese which had to be cut up and she was so expert at cutting exactly right or very near and if it was over or under she would shave the excess off or add on ,,,, not even her family got a smidgen more.

I did, however, win out !!! on a Saturday when I was younger, I would go and play with my cousin who lived over from the family run "Wilsons bakery" and when I had to go home I would go up to say bye and Uncle Bert would give me a hot, specially hand made, bread man and I would run all the way home with the allowed ration of bread for my mother and my very special ( undeclared, I realise now) bread man

Years later I worked in the shop on Saturdays when it got busy for Nan and would run up and down to and from shop to the bakery replacing the very popular lovely tasting crusty Bread and rolls.
Hope I haven't bored you Younger ones? but have given older ones happy memories?
 
I too am a 1%er and can honestly say I feel we had the best years, we imagined in games as there were not toys galore, you treasured the one doll you had - my favourite toy at birthdays was the big coloured ball from my Aunty Joan

Yes we were more fortunate than most as Dad was a self employed Master plumber and so we had a telephone , (not that we were allowed to use it until later years as it was for the business). and a 14 inch TV ...At. 3:45 pm our 4 lots of near neighbour's children came around to our house and sat around in a semi circle to see muffin the mule at 4pm each afternoon -I also remember having an ear to the radio to try to listen to "We are the Ovaltinies" a fading in and out children' s show on a Sunday evening.

We played outside at weekends and school holidays, after doing our chores. We were lucky, our house, backed onto a park and I would climb over the wrought iron fence and jump onto the park ( yes I was a tomboy) and run up the big hill to the slide, helta skelter, swings and roundabout,.There I would meet up with friends.(one or two? of which ended up of one of the members of Black Sabbath)

In school holidays we would put on little shows, I was always the prince - think it was because I was plump and big while my elder sister was thin and small so she would be the beautiful princess, I would tuck my dress into the legs of my pants, like the ones we had seen in books, to play the part. Friends were the non paying audience to whom we gave a biscuit and watery drink

I remember having to go to my Grandmothers Bakery and shop to get items, for my mother, with a coupon book. We never got a smidgen or even an egg more of any thing even though we were family. Nan was very strict on the absolutely exact amount of butter or cheese etc. Nan had big rounds of butter and cheese which had to be cut up and she was so expert at cutting exactly right or very near and if it was over or under she would shave the excess off or add on ,,,, not even her family got a smidgen more.

I did, however, win out !!! on a Saturday when I was younger, I would go and play with my cousin who lived over from the family run "Wilsons bakery" and when I had to go home I would go up to say bye and Uncle Bert would give me a hot, specially hand made, bread man and I would run all the way home with the allowed ration of bread for my mother and my very special ( undeclared, I realise now) bread man

Years later I worked in the shop on Saturdays when it got busy for Nan and would run up and down to and from shop to the bakery replacing the very popular lovely tasting crusty Bread and rolls.
Hope I haven't bored you Younger ones? but have given older ones happy memories?
Wow love 💕 your story thanks for sharing, we didn’t have a bakery we had the bread and milk trucks come around and deliver our goods.😊
 
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Loved this and so true. I am in the 1% born 1937. Is there any way I could get a copy of this please. I have a 90 year old friend and would love to read it. Thank you [email protected]
Judysteff, at the top of this page there is a button/bar marked email. Perhaps you can email the whole article to yourself then print it out? Just a thought from another 1%er. 🦋
 
I'm 88 went through war in London, lived near the docks. War is horrific rationing was awful but people were kind and everyone shared not like now it's more me ,me ,me
l was in Surrey and l was around five years old l remember the V2 rockets it was so frightening but after the war it was wonderful Everyone was so friendly you could leave your door open such a good time to live prefer it to today and feel sorry for the young ones.
 
I am happy to be a 1%er born in 1944. So parents experienced the war, rationing and great hardship.
As my father passed away suddenly when I was 11, I missed out on all the 'dad" things My mum raised my sister and myself working as a Cup Handler for Spode Copelands, hardly missed a day of work, (no pay for being absent) so at school parents days were not for my sister & I. We were well fed & clothed & Mum usually managed to find enough money for some of the school outings. she was a wonderful mum, & when she passed in 2004 at 84 years old a light went out in my life
 
Me also. 90 years old. even though we lived through WW2 We had a great childhood. Spent a lot of time in Air raid shelters My father fought in WW1 so not in WW2 Had our first child in 1953 and had to take my ration book into hospital.
 
yes we have had the best life in history (its and its over ...the new world wont regret the old world gone because they didn't live it (ignorance is bliss) very sad to lose the human values and freedom. we had ...I really believe we need another world war to jolt people into a real value system (unfortunately) and get folks to re evaluate what is life about.....really
 
I'm Proud to be the 1%. as i am 62.. and would like to live a lot longer than my father that passed away at the age of 75 and my mother who is still alive now ...next week Wednesday she will be turning 101 years old ?? that's a milestone.
Those special birthdays give me a buzz. I went overseas just before Covid19 to see my mother's younger sister who was 103. She passed away the next year. Her youngest and only remaining sister was 102 earlier this year, and going strong. Their cousin died at 101 in 2020. My father's family also boasts several centenarians. Noted that only one of them was male. We know females apparently live longer. So far, I'm only a 1%....
 
The opposite side of the above article, I was born in 1955 so am part of the late Boomers generation, I was raised by parents from the 1% and am aware of all the things covered in the article, my parents had very strong memories of the war years in the UK and made sure we were raised to appreciate how lucky we were now. My mothers habit of hoarding food and the reasons why were understood (linnen cupboards full to the brim with canned food instead of the reason they were there, towels and sheets stored in wardrobes) and our parents worked extremely hard to give us what they had never had, we were lucky and we knew it. the downside of being raised in that time was that the technology we live with now is a complete mystery to us, inventions like Televisions and Microwaves and electric kettles were readily understood and accepted but computers and smart phones not so much!
Me too born in 1956
 
This is also the era of transport. Many of the 1 percenters are offspring of migrants. And now are able to travel to so many parts of the world. My parents could never afford to return to their siblings in their birth country. I even remember they could not afford to ring their parents at 4 pounds per minute. They did that so their children could have a better life, but in reality they worked harder than they would have in the old country and did end up giving their now 1 percenters a good life
 
Me too. It was a wonderful time to be alive and growing up. For all the reasons outlined above. It wasn’t tough at all; it was a joyous time of hope and freedom, so I feel sorry for young people now and very privileged to count myself one of the very first baby boomers.
Hello youngster... almost 90 here.
 
I couldn't agree more. Today's youngsters believe they are owed everything without question. This world has gone quite mad and I do wish we could turn back the clock. I've lived 20 years longer than my Mum and still have 9 years to go to catch my father. I'm 82. If only people would put as much effort into peace as they do in war memories or actually killing each other.
A freind of one of my brothers was int the CMF and I remember reading one of their Monthly/perdiodical magazaines they published and in it was anarticle I found while interesting quite disturbing. I t was staed that since circa B.C the world had only known app two to three years of complete peace!! Glenn would be in his early eighties today if still with us, I must ask my brother if he is. But I digress, the article if true means just inhumane we reaaly are.
 
I too am a 1%er and can honestly say I feel we had the best years, we imagined in games as there were not toys galore, you treasured the one doll you had - my favourite toy at birthdays was the big coloured ball from my Aunty Joan

Yes we were more fortunate than most as Dad was a self employed Master plumber and so we had a telephone , (not that we were allowed to use it until later years as it was for the business). and a 14 inch TV ...At. 3:45 pm our 4 lots of near neighbour's children came around to our house and sat around in a semi circle to see muffin the mule at 4pm each afternoon -I also remember having an ear to the radio to try to listen to "We are the Ovaltinies" a fading in and out children' s show on a Sunday evening.

We played outside at weekends and school holidays, after doing our chores. We were lucky, our house, backed onto a park and I would climb over the wrought iron fence and jump onto the park ( yes I was a tomboy) and run up the big hill to the slide, helta skelter, swings and roundabout,.There I would meet up with friends.(one or two? of which ended up of one of the members of Black Sabbath)

In school holidays we would put on little shows, I was always the prince - think it was because I was plump and big while my elder sister was thin and small so she would be the beautiful princess, I would tuck my dress into the legs of my pants, like the ones we had seen in books, to play the part. Friends were the non paying audience to whom we gave a biscuit and watery drink

I remember having to go to my Grandmothers Bakery and shop to get items, for my mother, with a coupon book. We never got a smidgen or even an egg more of any thing even though we were family. Nan was very strict on the absolutely exact amount of butter or cheese etc. Nan had big rounds of butter and cheese which had to be cut up and she was so expert at cutting exactly right or very near and if it was over or under she would shave the excess off or add on ,,,, not even her family got a smidgen more.

I did, however, win out !!! on a Saturday when I was younger, I would go and play with my cousin who lived over from the family run "Wilsons bakery" and when I had to go home I would go up to say bye and Uncle Bert would give me a hot, specially hand made, bread man and I would run all the way home with the allowed ration of bread for my mother and my very special ( undeclared, I realise now) bread man

Years later I worked in the shop on Saturdays when it got busy for Nan and would run up and down to and from shop to the bakery replacing the very popular lovely tasting crusty Bread and rolls.
Hope I haven't bored you Younger ones? but have given older ones happy memories?
I remember being sent at 7yrs old to go and get a lb of broken biscuits as they were cheaper,and queuing up for fish and chips wrapped in newspaper,use to ask for a bag crackling scooped from boiling oil. Unhealthy I suppose but I'm still here apart from lack of essentials.We had chickens so didn't have to somache that horrid dry egg powder. We still did well a lot of what you called under the counter stuff for a price was obtained
 

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