1950s: Hitchhiking is a common way to travel, especially for poor people in rural areas where public transportation is not available.

Today: Hitchhiking is illegal in many places and is rare even where legal. It is considered dangerous to be either a hitchhiker or a driver who might be willing to give a hitchhiker a ride.

1950s: Fire is the greatest fear for farmers, ranchers, and others who live in rural wooded areas. Out of reach of urban fire departments and water supplies, people can lose their homes, livelihoods, and even their lives as a result of an act of nature such as a lightning strike or an act of human carelessness or meanness.

Today: Residents in wooded rural areas still fear wildfires and arson. Although more resources are available to fight rural fires—such as water dropped from airplanes—fires may...