Considering the current horrific happenings in Ukraine, the sanctions being implemented to address Mr. Putin’s atrocious actions there and the impact it is having worldwide, particularly soaring fuel prices, it harkens us all back to the darker days of the Cold War, oil embargoes and the rush for more fuel-efficient cars. Who’d have thought the world would be taking this many steps backwards?

The oil embargos of the 1970’s gave Nashua citizens of that era a frightening look back at a time of rationing not only fuel, but food, experienced only 25 years earlier during World War II.

A February 8, 1974 edition of the Nashua Telegraph, headlined a voluntary gas rationing effort begun within the city to address shortages of fuel and the attempt to distribute it as fairly as possible. The program was odd/even based (like today’s public utilities’ water saving programs).

If your license plate ended with an odd number, you could buy gas on odd numbered calendar dates. If it ended with an even number, you could buy gas on even numbered calendar dates. Vanity plates were assigned odd days. A red flag hanging at the pumps meant the station did not get a delivery and was closed for gas but open for sundries. A green flag meant they were open, but you still had to abide by the odd/even rule.

I can remember days when we were limited to just $2.00 worth of gas which at the time, with gas at about 53 cents per gallon, was only about 4 gallons of gas. The average gas tank then held about 20 gallons of gas. So, you were limited to slightly less than a quarter tank if you on were empty. A major problem for anyone with even a reasonable commute, long before the concept of working from home.

The lines were so long at most gas stations that you could conceivably burn half of that gas allowance if you idled while waiting. In comparison to today’s volatile pricing, gas then climbed from 39 cents per gallon in 1973 to 53 cents per gallon in 1974, about 36%, at a time when we were very dependent on OPEC and a national 55 MPH speed limit was taking hold in many states. And there were often stories of violence breaking out at the pumps with patience wearing thin.

The early 70’s also brought forth a mad dash for more fuel-efficient cars. At the time, I was driving a VW Beetle, which we all thought was one of the most fuel-efficient vehicles on the road. In hindsight, it only got about 22 MPG, but that was in an age when many cars were lucky to get 13 MPG. In comparison, a full-size V8 pick-up truck today can get up to 22 MPG, even with emissions restrictions. The marvels of modern technology are amazing.

Fuel efficient cars such as Ford Pintos, Chevy Vegas and Chevettes and Datsun B-210’s were quickly brought to market. Most never saw their way to the collector car market though as they suffered miserably from either mechanical failure or body corrosion. I owned a Vega. Let’s leave it at that.

I can remember working at the former WT Grant’s at Simoneau Plaza when travelling sales reps, who were severely impacted, would come into the store asking if we knew of any gas stations open. There was a station on West Hollis Street that reportedly sold Canadien fuel at much higher prices. But it was typically open. Again, this was long before cell phones as we can now download an app that points us to the station with the cheapest fuel.

So, it appears that we have come full circle. We are not at the rationing or odd/even stage yet and our fingers are crossed that we never get there.

But, as painful or inconvenient as we think our personal situations are today with soaring gas prices and inflation rising almost daily, it is a pittance compared to what the people of Ukraine are experiencing. All our thoughts are with our Ukrainian brethren with hopes and prayers that this madness ends very soon.

Don Canney is a freelance writer and professional voice artist. He was born and raised in downtown Nashua with great interest in Nashua history circa 1950-1970. He now resides in Litchfield.