11 amazing inventions from the 60s and 70s which changed our lives

By Robert Cumber

Property and retro writer

Published 25th May 2025, 07:00 BST

The 60s and 70s were memorable for their bold fashions, groundbreaking music and giant leaps in human achievement, like the moon landings.

But what about the technological advances they delivered which changed our everyday lives, from medical breakthroughs to time-saving household appliances and home entertainment.

Some of these inventions helped alter the very fabric of society, while others merely brought a bit more joy and convenience.

There are those which it is hard to imagine life without today, but others have been made redundant by fresh innovations and consigned to mere footnotes in history.

Which of these inventions of the 1960s and 1970s do you think was the greatest and are there any you could not live without?

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The launch of the first communications satellite, Telstar 1, on July 10, 1962, was perhaps the biggest leap forward in the field since Guglielmo Marconi sent the world's first radio message across open water in 1897. It beamed the first transatlantic television feed later that month and, as well as satellite TV, paved the way for GPS and many other things we take for granted today. Pictured are technicians joining the Telstar satellite to the third stage of the Delta Rocket in July 1962 so it could be launched from Cape Canaveral and begin transmitting television pictures all over the world.

1. Communications satellites

The launch of the first communications satellite, Telstar 1, on July 10, 1962, was perhaps the biggest leap forward in the field since Guglielmo Marconi sent the world's first radio message across open water in 1897. It beamed the first transatlantic television feed later that month and, as well as satellite TV, paved the way for GPS and many other things we take for granted today. Pictured are technicians joining the Telstar satellite to the third stage of the Delta Rocket in July 1962 so it could be launched from Cape Canaveral and begin transmitting television pictures all over the world. | Keystone/Getty Images Photo: Keystone/Getty Images

The mobile phone, as we know it, was invented in 1973. It was on April 3 that year that Martin Cooper, who worked for Motorola, made the first ever mobile phone call, to a rival at Bell Laboratories, using a phone much like the one he is pictured holding here. It was another 11 years until that phone finally went on public sale, as the Motorola Dynatac 8000X, costing a whopping $3,995 - equivalent to around £9,228 today.

2. Mobile phone

The mobile phone, as we know it, was invented in 1973. It was on April 3 that year that Martin Cooper, who worked for Motorola, made the first ever mobile phone call, to a rival at Bell Laboratories, using a phone much like the one he is pictured holding here. It was another 11 years until that phone finally went on public sale, as the Motorola Dynatac 8000X, costing a whopping $3,995 - equivalent to around £9,228 today. | VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images Photo: VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images

The cordless drill unleashed a world of possibilities for DIY enthusiasts, unchaining them from the power socket and fiddly leads. Black+Decker introduced the first cordless electric drill in 1961 but early models were heavy, lacked power and had a short battery life. It would be a number of years before technological advances made them a popular choice in homes and at worksites.

3. Cordless drill

The cordless drill unleashed a world of possibilities for DIY enthusiasts, unchaining them from the power socket and fiddly leads. Black+Decker introduced the first cordless electric drill in 1961 but early models were heavy, lacked power and had a short battery life. It would be a number of years before technological advances made them a popular choice in homes and at worksites. | Tom Lee/Construction Photography/Avalon/Getty Images Photo: Tom Lee/Construction Photography/Avalon/Getty Images

The cassette tape was invented in 1962 by Lou Ottens and his team at the Dutch firm Philips and released in August the following year. It would be another few years until the first album was released in cassette form, in 1966. Everyone who remembers the days of cassettes will recall using a pen or their finger to fix a tape when it started unspooling. The advent of CDs, which first went on public sale in 1982, spelled the end of cassettes.

4. Cassettes

The cassette tape was invented in 1962 by Lou Ottens and his team at the Dutch firm Philips and released in August the following year. It would be another few years until the first album was released in cassette form, in 1966. Everyone who remembers the days of cassettes will recall using a pen or their finger to fix a tape when it started unspooling. The advent of CDs, which first went on public sale in 1982, spelled the end of cassettes. | Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Photo: Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

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