topic Re: 11 Jobs That No Longer Exist Today in Community Chat

11 Jobs That No Longer Exist Today

Chloe Piper — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 21:10:25 GMT

PUBLISHED ON FEB 28TH, 2014

Back in the day, there were jobs to do just about everything. You could be paid to reset the pins at a bowling alley or knock on people’s windows to wake them up.

1. Bowling Alley Pinsetter

Bowling alley pinsetters were small children, employed by bowling alleys to set up the pins after each bowler. These noisy, laborious jobs typically paid very little.

Sharenator

2. Human Alarm Clock

These folks were commonly called “knocker-uppers”. They would walk a set route, rapping on the windows of their clients with long sticks, throwing pebbles, and shouting at the top of their lungs, to make sure they woke up on time for their jobs.

Sharenator

3. Ice Cutter

Before the invention of the refrigerator, the best way to keep things cool was to harvest ice in the winter, and store it for use through the warmer months of the summer. This job fell to ice-cutters. They had the dangerous assignment of carving frozen ponds and lakes into giant blocks of ice and lifting them from the frigid waters, risking death by hypothermia if they fell in.

Sharenator

4. Pre-radar Listeners For Enemy Aircraft

Soon after airplanes were invented, armies around the world adapted methods for detecting the sound of engines approaching on the horizon. Before we had radar detection, we relied on sensitive ears and amplified sound waves. Upon hearing an enemy aircraft approaching, these listeners would sound the alarm.

Sharenator

5. Rat Catchers

When Europe was suffering from massive rat infestations, this job was a booming career option. Rats were often carriers of disease, and they risked getting sick from bites, but their job was an important public service.

Sharenator

6. Lamp Lighter

Before electric lamps were introduced to most cities, street lamps were fueled by gas, and lamplighters would walk the streets at dusk to set flame to these street lights.

Sharenator

7. Milkman

Without refrigeration, milk will spoil within a day. That’s why the milk man was an ever present occupation, making daily deliveries, right up until the advent of the fridge.

Sharenator

8.Log Drivers

Back before highways and railways, the absolute best way to transport lumber from the forest to the mill was to float it down the river, guided by log drivers.

Sharenator

9. Switchboard Operator

The routing of today’s millions of simultaneous phone calls all happens digitally. Not that long ago, these calls were all handled manually, by countless switchboard operators, literally connecting wire to wire.

Sharenator

10. Resurrectionist

In the early days of modern medicine, doctors at universities and hospitals has to essentially resort to graver-robbing, hiring “resurrectionists” to body-snatch cadavers for experimentation and study.

Sharenator

11. Lector Who Entertained Factory Workers

Ever listen to a podcast or audiobook while doing repetitive work? Factory workers used to hire live “lectors” to read works of literature to them while they worked, sometimes pooling their money together to pay for them. Occasionally these lectors read labor-organizing materials, leading to an increase in unions and collective bargaining.

Sharenator

Nowadays, these jobs are kind of hard to believe, but given today’s tough economy, maybe it’s time to bring some of them back!

Re: 11 Jobs That No Longer Exist Today

Preds — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 21:26:49 GMT

THE BROWNS
"The Old Lamplighter"

He made the night a little brighter
Wherever he would go
The old lamplighter
Of long, long ago
His snowy hair was so much whiter
Beneath the candle glow
The old lamplighter
Of long, long ago

You'd hear the patter of his feet
As he came toddling down the street
His smile would cheer a lonely heart you see
If there were sweethearts in the park
He'd pass a lamp and leave it dark
Remembering the days that used to be
For he recalled when things were new
He loved someone who loved him too
Who walks with him alone in memories

He made the night a little brighter
Wherever he would go
The old lamplighter
Of long, long ago
His snowy hair was so much whiter
Beneath the candle glow
The old lamplighter
Of long, long ago

Now if you look up in the sky
You'll understand the reason why
The little stars at night are all aglow
He turns them on when night is near
He turns them off when dawn is here
The little man we left so long ago
He made the night a little brighter
Wherever he would go
The old lamplighter of long, long ago

Re: 11 Jobs That No Longer Exist Today

stilltamn8r — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 21:29:09 GMT

My Dad was a bowling ""pin-setter"" back in the 1920's....

Re: 11 Jobs That No Longer Exist Today

Marienkaefer2 — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 21:30:22 GMT

Yes we should go backwards to fix the economy.

Re: 11 Jobs That No Longer Exist Today

LilacTree — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 21:34:08 GMT

On 3/4/2014 Predsfan said:
THE BROWNS
"The Old Lamplighter"

He made the night a little brighter
Wherever he would go
The old lamplighter
Of long, long ago
His snowy hair was so much whiter
Beneath the candle glow
The old lamplighter
Of long, long ago

You'd hear the patter of his feet
As he came toddling down the street
His smile would cheer a lonely heart you see
If there were sweethearts in the park
He'd pass a lamp and leave it dark
Remembering the days that used to be
For he recalled when things were new
He loved someone who loved him too
Who walks with him alone in memories

He made the night a little brighter
Wherever he would go
The old lamplighter
Of long, long ago
His snowy hair was so much whiter
Beneath the candle glow
The old lamplighter
Of long, long ago

Now if you look up in the sky
You'll understand the reason why
The little stars at night are all aglow
He turns them on when night is near
He turns them off when dawn is here
The little man we left so long ago
He made the night a little brighter
Wherever he would go
The old lamplighter of long, long ago

Predsfan, I sang that song at my 8th Grade Class Night. That would have been around 1952. It brings back memories. Thanks for posting.

Re: 11 Jobs That No Longer Exist Today

Chloe Piper — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 21:43:43 GMT

I love seeing the old pictures!

Re: 11 Jobs That No Longer Exist Today

SeaGal — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 22:00:48 GMT

Knocker Uppers

Loved her pea shooter!

I wonder what the workers were lectured about, that was interesting to see. Love the old photos, my dads family were pioneers of the 'burb I grew up in so we have alot of neat old photos, many donated and are still up on the walls at the little local museum.

Good stuff, thanks.

Re: 11 Jobs That No Longer Exist Today

sunala — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 22:14:45 GMT

I was a temp switchboard operator in a bank in 1966. It was easy, mindless work, except for the few times I pulled out the cord too fast and disconnected the bank president

Re: 11 Jobs That No Longer Exist Today

SeaGal — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 22:16:59 GMT

Lol oops!!

Re: 11 Jobs That No Longer Exist Today

MikafromTopeka — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 01:02:11 GMT

I'm a human alarm clock! After 42 years in a noisy factory DH can't hear out of one ear and if he's laying on the good ear.....he doesn't hear his alarm at all.

Re: 11 Jobs That No Longer Exist Today

Chloe Piper — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 01:07:21 GMT

On 3/4/2014 stilltamn8r said:
My Dad was a bowling ""pin-setter"" back in the 1920's....

How old was he? It said that often children were hired for this job.

Re: 11 Jobs That No Longer Exist Today

pistolino — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 01:16:47 GMT

Our milkman's name was Jerry and he used to come right in the house and put the milk in the refrigerator. I never thought anything of it because he did it at my friends' houses too.

One day my mother was home sick and lying on the couch in her robe and IN WALKS JERRY...she was stunned. I explained he always comes in and after that we had to keep the front door locked.

In summer, he'd leave a big block of ice in the milk box with the milk.

Re: 11 Jobs That No Longer Exist Today

Preds — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 01:24:30 GMT

Ford .... You're welcome. I've always enjoyed that song.

Re: 11 Jobs That No Longer Exist Today

stilltamn8r — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 02:19:41 GMT

On 3/4/2014 Chloe Piper said:
On 3/4/2014 stilltamn8r said:
My Dad was a bowling "pin-setter" back in the 1920's....

How old was he? It said that often children were hired for this job.

Well, he was born in 1917, so he WAS just a kid....He said it was a lot of fun!

Re: 11 Jobs That No Longer Exist Today

vickie25 — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 02:41:04 GMT

On 3/4/2014 sunala said:
I was a temp switchboard operator in a bank in 1966. It was easy, mindless work, except for the few times I pulled out the cord too fast and disconnected the bank president

I was as well, for a toy manufacturer in the late 70's. And I also accidently disconnected the company president. Thanks for the memories.

Re: 11 Jobs That No Longer Exist Today

Chloe Piper — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 02:44:26 GMT

On 3/4/2014 stilltamn8r said:
On 3/4/2014 Chloe Piper said:
On 3/4/2014 stilltamn8r said:
My Dad was a bowling "pin-setter" back in the 1920's....

How old was he? It said that often children were hired for this job.

Well, he was born in 1917, so he WAS just a kid....He said it was a lot of fun!

That's so cool! I can see why children would have enjoyed that job and been good at it.

Re: 11 Jobs That No Longer Exist Today

Catitude — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 02:46:36 GMT

Very cool photos. Thanks.

Re: 11 Jobs That No Longer Exist Today

PuppyBreath — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 02:55:02 GMT

On 3/4/2014 sunala said:
I was a temp switchboard operator in a bank in 1966. It was easy, mindless work, except for the few times I pulled out the cord too fast and disconnected the bank president

I was an office cadet in my high school, and disconnected the principal. (on purpose) It was great fun.

Re: 11 Jobs That No Longer Exist Today

Clover29 — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 03:06:07 GMT

Milkmen still exist today. We don't use one ourselves, but there is a van that comes round our city and delivers from the dairy. The van is pretty cute, it's painted like a black and white cow.

Re: 11 Jobs That No Longer Exist Today

Luv2Decorate — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 03:34:49 GMT

On 3/4/2014 Clover29 said:
Milkmen still exist today. We don't use one ourselves, but there is a van that comes round our city and delivers from the dairy. The van is pretty cute, it's painted like a black and white cow.

It's funny that you mention a Milk Man. I was thinking about them yesterday! I wish we had one. We go through 7 gallons a week and I never buy it all at once. The most I buy is 5 gallons at a time. It would be great to have milk and eggs delivered!