WNUR Sports Online Content Director Cameron Songer (@CameronSonger) looks at the world in 1960, the last time Northwestern won three straight Big Ten road games.

You could say Northwestern’s men’s basketball team has been playing well recently. Historically well, in fact. Their recent success on the road marks the first time since the 1959-1960 season the Wildcats have won three straight road games in the Big Ten. That streak included wins against Michigan, Minnesota and Purdue, although none of those teams were ranked at the time. (Sorry, Wisconsin!) That team finished 8-6 in the Big Ten and in a tie for third place in the conference. Unfortunately, the playoff rules were a little bit different then, so the ‘Cats were stuck at home. Looking at the roster from that 1959-1960 team is a reminder of how different things were 54 years ago. Letterwinners on that team included guys named Chuck, Jerry, Bill, Floyd and Ralph. How else was life different in 1960? Uh, a lot of ways.

A VW Beetle cost about $1,700.

The TV series Gunsmoke on CBS was the #1 show on television. It aired Saturday nights at 10 p.m.

The original version of Chubby Checker’s hit The Twist peaked at #1 on the Billboard charts in September 1960.

The laser was invented in 1960. As in, at the start of the basketball season in which Northwestern last won three straight road games in the Big Ten, lasers did not exist.

This is what Wrigley Field looked like in 1960. Crazy how much things change over time.