Parents may have fretted over the Cold War, and the looming threat of nuclear annihilation, not to mention strikes and soaring inflation.
But children of the 60s and 70s had simpler concerns, like saving up enough pocket money to buy the latest records and some pick ‘n’ mix from Woolworths, or repairing the flat tyre on their Raleigh Chopper.
This retro photo gallery captures the daily realities of life growing up in Sheffield back then, including long summer days at the lido, trips to the cinema or bowling alley and being dragged around the markets by your parents.
The nostalgic images also show youngsters playing outside before cars dominated our streets to such an extent, and hanging around at the playground in an age when health and safety was a little more lax.
The atmospheric black-and-white pictures may bring back magical memories too of a lost toy shop dubbed the Yorkshire Disneyland, the wonder of seeing the city lit up for Christmas, and the fun you had learning to swim.
All the photos are taken from The Star’s archives or shared courtesy of Picture Sheffield.
1. Street football
A kickabout in the Attercliffe area of Sheffield | Picture Sheffield/James Leslie Frederick Kellie Photo: Picture Sheffield/James Leslie Frederick Kellie
2. Adventure playground
Children having fun at the Pearl Street adventure playground, in Sharrow, Sheffield, during the late 1970s | Submitted Photo: Veronica Taylor
3. Streets in the Sky
Children playing at Sheffield's Park Hill flats in the 1960s | Picture Sheffield
4. Roundabout
How many children can you get on a roundabout? Youngsters try to answer the question at the Countess Road playground, in Sheffield, on April 24, 1962