These days only adults with a licence can buy fireworks, but in the 1970s even kids could load up on crackers... with some explosive consequences.

People have worn fur to keep warm for thousands of years, but in the 1950s a fur coat became a total status symbol... often at the expense of smelly weasel-like creatures.

School assemblies looked a little different between the 1950s and 80s. Kids had to sing God Save the Queen... and then promise to be her servants.

Corporal punishment is no longer allowed in Australian schools, but teachers up until the 1990s regularly hit students... with a weapon known as the cane.

Hitchhiking is illegal in most states today, but up until the 1970s it was a popular way to travel... despite some hitchers being accused of needing a shower and a haircut.

Bikinis come in all shapes and sizes today, but in the 1960s you could get arrested for wearing one in public... if the 'beach inspector' thought it was too skimpy.

School uniform rules in the 1970s said boys had to have bare necks, and girls had to show their legs... until some students fought for their rights to long hair and pants.

Landline phones and fax machines seemed high-tech in the 1990s, but they're almost extinct thanks to smartphones and email... and does anyone remember telegrams?

The Stomp was a popular dance in the 1960s until it was banned in halls across Australia... we wonder what the party-poopers would think of twerking?

'Witches' were burnt at the stake hundreds of years ago, but witchcraft was still illegal in Australia right up until the 2000s... luckily, it's safe to wave your wands today.