A Little-Known Chapter in Gas Station History
A find at an Indiana yard sale led to an intriguing 1970s rabbit hole. Plus a new Inconspicuous News Roundup!
Unless you live in New Jersey — the only state where self-serve gasoline remains illegal — you’re probably used to pumping your own gas. But in the 1970s, when I was growing up, the self-serve format was just starting to gain widespread traction around the country. It was mainly a way for the petroleum industry to save on labor costs, of course, but 10-year-old me didn’t know or care about that. As a kid who was obsessed with industrial gadgetry and anything that seemed “official,” I thought getting to pump your own gas seemed like the coolest thing ever, and I couldn’t wait until I was old enough to do it myself. (Tom Sawyer probably would have had a field day with me.)
But there’s one aspect of the 1970s self-serve experience that I have no memory of — something I’d never even heard of until last week. Ladies and gents, I give you the Gas-n-Toss (see above).