Debate How do you tell what era you are in

[HDRKID]

I see brick houses built now that are similar to homes built one hundred years ago.

Clothes might tell me the century, but not the year. A man wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans... could be from 1950's or the 2050's - hard to say.

Best indicator is a newspaper. However, those are going away.

OK so it is easy to see your era. Look at the cars.

70's cars were big and boxy, while those in the 50's were curvy. 90's had a lot of big SUV trucks and mini vans.

 

[PaulaJedi]

Best indicator is a newspaper. However, those are going away.

Even that would be a sign. Can't find a newspaper? You're probably way past 2014 or at a pre-print era. A pre-print era would be obvious.

OK so it is easy to see your era. Look at the cars.

Yes, a very good indicator.

You're right about buildings, though. If you landed in Ruskin, Florida, for example, and didn't see any cars or people, you'd think you were in the 1950's.

 

[IroncladMarshmallow]

This was already covered by Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find the whole scene in one clip. It's near the end of the first video and the beginning of the second.

 

[Ayasano]

There's always the classic "What year is it?"

 

[Justinian]

Cars would only be a good indicator if you landed in the same or near the same location. Example: Land in 1980's Eastern Bloc Europe and the vehicles there will be behind what you see in the US. I'd find a bank. They always want paperwork dated and signed. I sign the wrong date all the time on accident which is usually due to thinking about some other number combination when I write the date.

 

[Ayasano]

Cars would only be a good indicator if you landed in the same or near the same location. Example: Land in 1980's Eastern Bloc Europe and the vehicles there will be behind what you see in the US. I'd find a bank. They always want paperwork dated and signed. I sign the wrong date all the time on accident which is usually due to thinking about some other number combination when I write the date.

When it comes to writing dates, the biggest mistake I usually make is signing the previous year. That usually happens for at least a month or two after the start of a new year.

A similar thing hapens when people ask me my age, but thankfuly I have a simple way of remembering that.

As far as figuring out the year goes, someone with a very good knowledge of astronomy could probably figure out a rough time based on the positions of stars, constellations and such. Who knew Astronomy would be a useful skill for a time traveller?