Jobs nearly gone

These 10 jobs are almost gone. Do you remember them?

When businesses are forced to shut down or completely change the way they operate as technology moves forward, pieces of everyday life are left behind. Not only does this affect old traditions that were attached to those businesses, but also the people who were linked to these industries. There was a time when your milk was delivered by the milkman, or when, to make a call, you had to speak to a telephone operator. Let’s take a trip to the past and see some jobs that had to adapt, and others that simply disappeared over time.

Going to the supermarket or the convenience store when you need dairy products is what most of us do, but life was a little different throughout much of the 20th century, when refrigerators weren’t as common, and grocery stores weren't as big. If you wanted milk, you had to call the milkman.

The milkman was a trusted member of every community, and his job was to deliver fresh milk directly to customers early in the morning several days a week. People would leave their empty bottles at their doorstep, and sometime in the morning, after some familiar glass bottles clinking, the milkman would have replaced them.

Many people would remember the delivery boy on his bike and his canvas bag full of newspapers. If you were a teenager looking to make some extra cash during most of the 20th century, being a part-time newspaper delivery boy was a great choice.

Getting the newspaper at your doorstep used to be essential, so these kids carried a lot of responsibility. The newspaper was, for the vast majority of people, the primary source of reliable information. But the job, as it is traditionally remembered, is almost completely gone due to the rise of the digital era.

In a world where cell phones can do everything from calling your kids and texting to streaming a movie anywhere, thinking about the important role telephone operators played feels so far away in time. Making a call in the late 19th century and most of the 20th century was nothing like today.

Telephone operators were responsible for manually connecting different calls by plugging cables into switchboards in order to help callers reach whoever they were trying to speak to. They were the human link that made the entire system work and enabled communication across cities, states, and countries.

When, in order to watch a movie we didn’t physically own, we had to rent it, video store clerks were necessary. But their job was much more than just ringing you up. They would recommend movies for the family and always keep you up to date about new releases. Sometimes you could even show up and tell them what type of film you liked, and they would give you some advice on what to rent. With the downfall of video rental stores, most of these positions disappeared.

Before E-ZPass and cashless tolling, we would have to fully stop at highway toll plazas, roll down the window, have a little chat with the toll collector, and hand him cash to continue traveling. But besides charging you, toll collectors were very helpful when GPS and the internet weren’t a thing, as they often served as the first point of contact when you needed directions or some sort of assistance.

Once states modernized their highways, these jobs were gradually removed.

Planning your vacations looked very different a few decades ago. Typically, you would meet up with your travel agent, and they would help you with almost every detail of your trip. People didn’t have the internet and websites where they could handle all of this themselves as easily as it is today, so the travel agents booked flights, hotels, cruises, rental cars, everything you can think of.

They were essential for a well-organized trip and helped make things much simpler. You can still find some traditional travel agents, though it is not nearly as common as it used to be.

Operating an elevator now involves simply walking into it and pressing a button. But until the 1950s and part of the 1960s, elevators were a lot more complicated, and you needed specific skills to use them. Part of the common experience of using an elevator was greeting the operator and telling them where you were going, so they could make sure you had a safe ride to your floor. They would often wear smart uniforms and be very courteous with passengers.

How good or bad your experience at the movies was depended a lot on the projectionist. When there were no digital files, the projectionists were the ones responsible for operating the film projectors — but this involved many more tasks than just hitting "play."

Projectionists loaded large reels of film and had to constantly monitor the equipment, swap reels when necessary, make sure the movie was focused, the sound synchronized, and that it played smoothly from beginning to end. After theatres moved away from 35mm film projectors to digital ones, the need for specialized projectionists declined significantly.

Without typesetters, the printing industry couldn’t function. When computers hadn’t yet revolutionized the communications business, typesetters were the ones arranging individual metal letters in order to prepare text for printing: newspapers, magazines, books, advertisements, etc.

Typesetters had to be skilled to know how to organize the entire layout of a page to make it accurate and appealing for readers. And even the smallest typo could mean a lot of extra work to fix it by hand.

The term "human computer" may sound a little odd, but before we had computers as we know them now, companies would hire very smart mathematicians to perform complex calculations by hand — using pencil and paper!

The tasks they carried out were essential to science, playing a crucial role in many of the 20th century’s greatest achievements, like the Space Race. Human computers working for NASA were responsible for calculating everything from rocket trajectories to spacecraft orbits.

Do you use any of these?

Why do we say ‘kick the bucket’? Discover 12 idioms with morbid origins

We use a lot of strange phrases without thinking twice, but some have surprisingly grim origins. Ever say someone "kicked the bucket" or "bit the dust"? These everyday expressions sound harmless, but have more somber roots. Take a look at 12 of these idioms. Do you use any of these?

In 13th-century Britain, bakers risked losing a hand if they sold underweight bread, according to the Assize of Bread and Ale under Henry III. To avoid punishment, they often added a little extra to each order.

When selling 12 loaves, bakers would include a 13th—called a "vantage" loaf. This became what is now known as "a baker’s dozen."

Saying you're "as pleased as punch" sounds cheerful, but it has dark roots. The phrase comes from Punch from the Punch and Judy puppet shows, who gleefully committed violent acts.

Popular in 17th-century England, these shows featured Punch killing his family and others with a slapstick, laughing after each act.

The phrase "meet a deadline" might sound stressful today, but its origins are far darker. During the Civil War, the "deadline" referred to a boundary at Andersonville Prison, where Union soldiers were held.

This line, 20 feet inside the outer wall, was meant to prevent escapes. Any prisoner who crossed it was shot by guards in pigeon roosts. The term came from this deadly boundary, where crossing meant certain death.

Today, a "blockbuster" refers to a huge commercial hit, but the term originally described powerful bombs from World War II.

The British Royal Air Force used blockbusters, massive cylinders filled with explosives, capable of destroying entire streets. It wasn’t until 1957, nearly a decade after the war, that the term shifted to describe big entertainment successes.

The phrase "to bulldoze" someone means to force or bully them, but its origins are much harsher. First used in 1876, "bull dose" referred to brutally whipping or beating someone, similar to how a bull might be punished.

By 1880, "bulldoze" became a verb, and eventually, the heavy machinery designed to push through obstacles was named a bulldozer.

The word "sinister" comes from the Latin sinister, meaning "left" or "on the left side." By the 15th century, left-handedness was associated with evil, often linked to witches and the devil.

Because of this stigma, left-handed people were forced to use their right hands. Today, however, we know that being left-handed doesn’t make anyone sinister, and many renowned thinkers, like Leonardo da Vinci and Benjamin Franklin, were left-handed.

The Mad Hatter from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is famous for his colorful personality, but his madness has historical roots. In the 18th and 19th centuries, hat-makers, known as "hatters," often suffered from mercury poisoning due to their work with the chemical.

This poisoning led to mental deterioration, giving rise to the idea of the "mad" hatter, a term that Carroll cleverly incorporated into his character.

Today, "pulling your leg" means joking or fooling around, but it once had a much darker meaning: in 19th-century London, thieves would pull people’s legs to drag them down before stealing their belongings.

This tactic was commonly used by robbers, turning what is now a lighthearted phrase into a serious crime.

In the world of films, we often see characters drinking whiskey before a quick surgery or amputation. But in real battlefields, soldiers didn’t have that option.

One theory about the origin of the expression "to bite the bullet" suggests that, during painful medical procedures, wounded soldiers would literally bite down on a bullet—taken from the ground or from their own weapon—to help endure the agony without crying out.

The phrase "God bless you" after a sneeze has several theories behind it. One theory links it to preventing the plague, while another suggests it’s a way of ensuring the soul stays in the body during a sneeze.

The phrase "kick the bucket" means to die and has been used since the 18th century. One theory connects it to the Catholic tradition of placing a bucket of holy water by the feet of the deceased for mourners to sprinkle.

Another theory suggests the term comes from 16th-century England, where "bucket" referred to a beam. When animals were hanged for slaughter, they would kick the beam as they died, giving rise to the idiom.

The phrase "bite the dust" likely originated in the 19th-century Old West, referring to gunfights and battles. It paints a vivid picture of someone falling to the ground and biting the dust after being struck by a fatal wound.

Over time, the expression broadened, and now it simply signifies someone’s death or defeat, no longer tied specifically to gunfights.