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(#1) Lector
The Job: To read to large rooms of factory workers slaving away at remedial tasks for hours on end. Lectors were sometimes even hired with pooled money from the factory workers themselves for their entertainment.
Who Did It: Well spoken gentlemen.
Why It Went Away: A whole smorgasbord of reasons from the radio, to the Walk-Man, iPhones, iPods, podcasts... -
(#2) Pinsetter
The Job: After the bowling ball did its thing, they would have to set up the appropriate pins for the next frame.
Who Did It: Usually young boys working for cheap.
Why It Went Away: MACHINES! They're way cheaper, and way less creepy to see at the end of a lane. -
(#3) Computer
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The Job: A computer used to be the title for a person. A person who did calculations, or computations. The Irony! This terminology of a person as a "computer" was still widely accepted until the early 20th century.
Who Did It: Usually young women.
Why It Went Away: For, you know, the other kind of computers...
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(#4) Milkman
The Job: Before there were places to keep anything cold for any real length of time, especially for nights on end, there was the milkman to bring you daily (or every other day) milk, before it spoiled. Well, that and to be the blame for hundreds of illegitimate children across the country.
Who Did It: Young, charming, seemingly always handsome, well-dressed men.
Why It Went Away: Refrigerators and modern, processed, forever-lasting "milk." -
(#5) Driver
The Job: Someone who manually drives cattle or sheep. Yes, like a cowboy.
Who Did It: Farmers. Children. Hugh Jackman in Australia.
Why It Went Away: Trained animals, machines, and factory farms. -
(#6) Knocker-Upper
The Job: No, not THAT. They were hired to make sure others would wake up for their jobs, using long sticks, pebbles, and clubs to knock on windows.
Who Did It: Anyone desperate enough.
Why It Went Away: Alarm clocks. -
(#7) Ice Cutter
The Job: Before modern refrigerators, cellars and ice boxes required consistent, fresh ice, and these guys would have to saw up blocks of it in harsh, awful conditions.
Who Did It: Strong, tenacious men. And those guys in Frozen.
Why It Went Away: Modern refrigerators. -
(#8) Airplane Listener
The Job: Before radar and further advances in military technology, soldiers would use acoustic mirrors and other listening devices to listen for enemy airplanes approaching.
Who Did It: Soldiers.
Why It Went Away: Radar, computers, and many other advances in technology. -
(#9) Rat Catcher
The Job: In Europe, the rat population was staggering, and they were dangerous. Rat catchers ran the risk of bites and infection, but in doing so, prevented (some) disease from spreading to the public.
Who Did It: Non-musophobic men.
Why It Went Away: Population growth died down, and the world saw many advances in disease prevention and treatment. There were also improvements in animal control tactics. -
(#10) Lamplighter
The Job: Using long poles and/or ladders, lamplighters would light, douse, and refuel lamps.
Who Did It: Usually men.
Why It Went Away: Electricity. -
(#11) Log Driver
The Job: Before cars and other transport methods were commonplace, log drivers would float and guide logs down river to treatment plants.
Who Did It: Strong men.
Why It Went Away: Trucks, boats, and other advances in transportation blew onto the scene. -
(#12) Switchboard Operator
The Job: Back when phones were in their early years, an operator would have to manually switch calls using a pair of phone plugs inserted into the appropriate jacks for each end of the line.
Who Did It: Usually young women, with great communication skills.
Why It Went Away: Phone technology advanced to place calls directly, person to person. -
(#13) Resurrectionist
The Job: Universities would need cadavers for educational purposes and... well, getting them legally was a lot harder and more expensive. So these dudes stole bodies.
Who Did It: Strong stomached, non-superstitious, desperate men.
Why It Went Away: Legality, the gross factor, and more people donating their bodies to science. -
(#14) Chimney Sweep
The Job: Responsible for inspecting and cleaning chimneys.
Who Did It: Thin, but strong (there's a lot of climbing, after all) men and boys.
Why It Went Away: Fewer chimneys and more mechanized cleaning options. -
(#15) Hemp Dressers
The Job: Linen factory workers separated the coarse parts of hemp.
Who Did It: Usually young children.
Why It Went Away: Child labor laws got stricter and 'Hacklers,' the machines that can now do the same thing, became widely used. -
(#16) Daguerreotypists
The Job: The earliest photographer, Louis Daguerre, created the earliest publicly available photograph, the Daguerreotype, which would be developed on plates by Daguerreotypists.
Who Did It: Very well trained, precise men and women.
Why It Went Away: That style of photography became prohibitively expensive and outdated. It ultimately faded out of style. -
(#17) Gandy Dancer
The Job: Slang for railroad worker. These were the guys responsible for laying and maintaining the track.
Who Did It: Strong, young men.
Why It Went Away: They just don't build railroads like they used to. Also, machines. -
(#18) Leech Collector
The Job: Collect leeches for medical use. Though not a popular practice today, leeches were once used in hospitals for bloodletting.
Who Did It: Men, women, and children.
Why It Went Away: Less demand for leeches, and machines are now able to do the collecting. -
(#19) Town Crier
The Job: When important news needed to be spread, these guys would stand on the street corners yelling it.
Who Did It: Guys like the gentleman above, with big booming voices, and street corner presence.
Why It Went Away: Broadcast news! Radio! Television! Texting! Twitter! -
(#20) Nomenclator
The Job: Follow your master around in daily life and at parties (where he or she is stinking drunk and can't remember anything), and remind him of the names of all the people they've met and why he needs to suck up to them.
Who Did It: Usually young boys.
Why It Went Away: Phonebooks, cellphones, Google, and Facebook.
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About This Tool
With the rapid development of technology and the economy, there are many things that cannot stand the test of time, some specific jobs are no exception. Do you know which industries or jobs that were once active in history have disappeared? Any job should be iteratively upgraded with the change and development of society.
The random tool lists 20 amazing jobs that no longer exist nowadays, some of which may make you find them very interesting, such as milkman, lector, rat catcher, etc. Most of these jobs have either been automated or outdated due to the fast development of technology.
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