Ken and Bobbie Niefeld started “The Hardware House” (later K&B True Value) on Forest Drive in 1974 but it was a milestone year in other ways…

Scanning bar codes at store checkouts is something we take for granted today but they were first tested in 1974 at a supermarket in Troy, OH. The first product scanned? A pack of Wrigley gum.

Streaking is a fad. For those of you who don’t know, “streaking” was running naked in front of a crowd at a sporting or other large event. (This is a fad we hope is not coming back anytime soon.)

Forget notebooks or tablets. The hot tech product was a pocket calculator and they weren’t cheap, costing $30-$60.

With an estimated 20-25 miles per gallon, the FordPinto is the #1 selling car.

Blazing Saddles is the #1 movie and Barbara Streisand’s The Way We Were tops the music charts.

Michael and Jennifer are the most popular baby names.

Quite a few businesses in Annapolis were family owned and operated in 1974. And 40 years ago, knowing many of your customers by name and giving back to the community was a given. K&B True Value is glad technology has progressed since 1974 but know some things should never change.