This is certainly far removed from a complete list of obsolete jobs, but it's an interesting cross-section. Some of these jobs were prominent centuries ago and have been gone for a long time, some are much more recent. One or two of them may have existed in your lifetime. But either way, they are jobs that no longer exist.
Pre-Radar Listener
And speaking of World War II (and World War I)…during times
of war in the days before radar, these listeners were people assigned to detect
enemy aircraft. They did this by using acoustic mirrors and listening devices
to detect the sounds of engines. (above picture)
Daguerreotypists
We've all seen photographs from back in the day showing the
photographer taking a picture, whether a portrait in a studio or Matthew Brady
engaged in his landmark history changing photographs from the U.S. Civil War.
Prior to modern cameras and selfies, daguerreotypes were one of the earliest
forms of photography. These images were made by daguerreotypists, who treated a
silver-coated copper plate with light-sensitive chemicals. After exposing it in
a camera and developing it with mercury, a detailed image appeared.
Ice Cutter
Back when today's electric refrigerators were referred to as
ice boxes, there was a reason for it.
Highly insulated 'boxes' held a large block of ice and kept food cold
(until the ice melted). The ice man delivered
the large blocks of ice door to door.
These blocks were provided by people known as ice cutters who would
literally cut the huge blocks from frozen lakes. And in the summer? Mostly it
was 'tough luck.'
Knocker-Up
Before you become shocked or start laughing, that's not what
I'm talking about here. The knocker-up was literally a human alarm clock. A
knocker-up would visit your house to make sure you got to work on time. They
used a long, light stick to hit their client's doors or windows to wake them.
Rat Catcher
From several centuries ago to even just a couple of
centuries ago, cities (both residential neighborhoods and industrial areas)
were plagued by disease-carrying rodents. Rat catchers were the people employed
to remove the vermin off the streets.
Lamplighter
Back in the day when street lights were gas, before the days
of electric lamps, lamplighters would use long poles to light, extinguish and
refuel street lamps to illuminate the night streets.
Gas Station:
They used to be called service stations and you actually got service.
You stop to buy gas and the attendant would fill the tank for you, check your
oil, check your tire pressure, and wash your windshield. Now, anything you want
you have to do it yourself including putting your credit in the slot at the
pump to pay. There are probably still places where someone actually fills the
tank for you, but today they're few and far between and about to be gone.
Milkman
Before refrigerators existed, and even in the day of the ice
box, it was hard to keep milk from going bad, especially in summer. The milkman
made regular neighborhood deliveries, some extending to as recently as the
1960s. With the advent of home refrigeration and the convenience of modern
supermarkets, the need for the milkman disappeared.
Switchboard Operator
At one time switchboard operators were a key part of a
telephone network’s operation. Initially, anyone wanting to make even a local
call needed the operator to put it through. After local dial was the norm, the
operator was still required for long distance. And in businesses where numerous
employees were all connected to the same company phone number, the switchboard
operator was needed to direct incoming calls. But now, with billions of phone
calls made every day, the job of switchboard operator would be virtually
impossible.
Computer
Before you wrinkle your forehead into a frown and formulate
an immediate objection to the concept of computer belonging on a 'no longer
exists' list, I'm not talking about the hardware/software combination that is
vital to today's society. I'm talking about a person rather than a machine.
Computer was an actual job title. Before computers (the machine) became
commercially available, these computers (the human workers—commonly women)
performed mathematical calculations, converting and crunching numbers by hand.
These 'computers' were invaluable during World War II calculating firing
logistics for the artillery units at the front.
Resurrectionist
Also known as 'body snatchers' as well as grave robbers.
Resurrectionists were hired to dig newly buried, fresh corpses from graveyards
and sell them to universities to be used as cadavers for medical research and
instruction.
And as is obvious, many of today's jobs will be obsolete at some point in time. Some of them not that far away. Check back next week for part 2 of 2 which takes a look at jobs that are soon to be considered obsolete.
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