Did you know that factories used to hire people to read stories out loud to keep workers entertained? Hi, I’m Erin McCarthy, editor-in-chief of Mental Floss.com. This practice started in Cuban cigar factories in the 1860s. These readers, called lectores, would audition for the workers, and once hired, they would read a mix of news and literature that the workers wanted to hear.
Being a lector wasn’t the only job that needed public speaking skills. Town criers had to be comfortable speaking in front of crowds. They would stand in public places and shout announcements, like court orders. Although they were common for centuries, town criers are still around today. Some places include them in parades and ceremonies, and there are even competitions for town criers. This year’s international town crier competition took place in Holland, Michigan, where John Webster from Ontario won first place.
Another job from the past was lamp lighting. In cities, people used long sticks to light gas street lamps at night and put them out in the mornings. London still has five lamplighters who manage 1,500 gas lamps.
Before alarm clocks were common, people needed help waking up for work. A person called a knocker-up would use a long stick to tap on windows in the mornings to wake people up. This job was mainly in Britain and Ireland and lasted until the 1970s in some towns.
If you’ve seen “Hidden Figures,” you might know about human computers. These were people hired to do math calculations by hand. One famous moment in human computing was in 1757 when French mathematician Alexis Claude Clairaut had people help calculate when Halley’s Comet would appear. Machines didn’t fully replace human computers until the 1970s. During both World Wars, human computers and dispatch riders, who delivered important messages using motorcycles, were crucial.
In World War I and II, cavalrymen, soldiers who fought on horseback, were still used even though technology like guns and tanks were common. Every major army in World War I had a cavalry, and the Soviet Union used cavalry in World War II.
Before radar, military personnel needed to detect enemy planes. This led to the job of aircraft listener. The British used acoustic mirrors to enhance hearing and locate airplanes. Some of these mirrors still exist today.
Starting in the 19th century, soda jerks became popular. They made and served drinks like malts, milkshakes, and sodas. Even after certain ingredients were removed from sodas, people still loved visiting soda jerks. In the 1930s and 40s, half a million people in the U.S. worked as soda jerks, but the rise of fast food ended this era.
Milk delivery was once common worldwide. In the 1920s, most people had milk delivered to their doors. By 2005, only 0.4 percent of milk consumers used delivery services, but some grocery stores offering home delivery have slightly increased milk delivery services again.
Until the early 20th century, ice was made by cutting into frozen lakes, leading to the job of ice cutter. Ice cutters would find spots on frozen water, cut out the ice, and move it to storage. As refrigeration technology improved, the need for ice cutters decreased.
In Victorian England, toshers searched through sewers for items they could sell, like coins or silver spoons. They used sticks to sort through debris to find valuable items.
Where there were no sewers, night soil men emptied toilets, often at night, because waste couldn’t just be flushed away. Modern sewage systems in the U.S. began around the mid-1800s.
A sagar maker’s bottom knocker was a unique job in pottery making. The bottom knocker helped create the bottom of the sagger, a pottery container, by putting clay through metal loops. This job was common in Staffordshire, England.
If you were good with technology in the early 20th century, you could be a telegraphist, sending messages via telegraph. Linotype machines changed the print world by making it easier to create newspapers, leading to the job of linotype operator. The machine assembled letters into a line, and hot metal created a strip that looked like a stamp of that line.
As telephones became more popular, telegraphists were replaced by switchboard operators, who connected callers to the right phone lines. Initially, teenage boys did this job, but later, women were hired for their better manners. Emma Nutt is considered the first female switchboard operator, earning $10 monthly for 54-hour work weeks after being hired in 1878.
Switchboard operator wasn’t the only job for children. In the U.S., children known as slobberdoffers changed bobbins in textile mills. Some kids swept floors, and some became spinners. Textile mill accidents were common, and these children were at risk of diseases. In the 1930s, the U.S. passed child labor laws.
Before machines reset bowling pins, pin setters or pin boys did the job. Former pin boy Paul Retseck said the job required speed to avoid complaints from bowlers. Machines started appearing in the first half of the 20th century.
Elevator operators were needed before elevators had buttons. They used levers to stop at the right floors and open and close doors. By 1950, passenger-operated elevators became common.
Projectionists faced challenges with machines. Films arrived at theaters in multiple reels, and projectionists had to change reels during the movie. Today, digital projection allows a single projectionist to manage multiple theaters easily.
Signalmen had several roles to keep railways running smoothly. One famous signalman was Jack the Baboon, who worked at a train station in South Africa. His owner, James Edwin Wide, was a signalman, but Jack learned to pull levers based on train sounds. He worked for nine years without making a mistake.
Our next episode is about how school was different a hundred years ago. We enjoyed reading your suggestions for old jobs and would love to hear your favorite facts about school from that time. We’ll include one of those facts in the next episode, coming out September 4th. Share your favorite facts in the comments, and make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss it. See you then!
Imagine you’re living 100 years ago and have one of the jobs mentioned in the article. Choose a job and create a short skit to perform for the class. Think about what your daily tasks would be and how you would interact with others. This will help you understand the historical context and the importance of these roles.
Pick one of the old jobs from the article and research more about it. Find out when and where it was most common, what tools were used, and why it became obsolete. Create a presentation to share your findings with the class. This will enhance your research skills and deepen your understanding of historical changes in employment.
Design a job advertisement for one of the old jobs. Include the job title, responsibilities, required skills, and any interesting facts. Use creative language to make it engaging. This activity will help you practice persuasive writing and learn more about the job’s significance.
Create a timeline that shows the technological advancements that led to the decline of these old jobs. Include key inventions and their impact on the workforce. This will help you understand the relationship between technology and employment trends over time.
Interview someone who works in a job that has evolved from one of the old jobs mentioned. Prepare questions about how their job has changed over time and what skills are now required. Share your interview findings with the class. This will give you insights into how jobs adapt to modern needs and technologies.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript, with any inappropriate or unclear language removed or clarified:
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Did you know that factories used to have people who would read stories out loud to keep workers entertained? Hi, I’m Erin McCarthy, editor-in-chief of Mental Floss.com. This practice, of hiring lectores, appeared in Cuban cigar factories in the 1860s. The lectores would audition for workers, and once hired, would read what those workers wanted to hear—usually a combination of the news and literature.
Being a lector wasn’t the only job that required public speaking skills. You had to be comfortable in front of a crowd to be a town crier. They would stand around and shout announcements, like court orders. While they were common for centuries before losing their importance, there are still town criers today. Some places include them in parades and ceremonies, and there are even town crier competitions. This year’s international town crier competition took place in Holland, Michigan. Participants were judged on clarity, sustained volume, and demeanor. John Webster, from Ontario, took first place.
Another profession that peaked around the 19th century but can still be found today is lamp lighting. In cities, people would use long sticks to light gas street lamps at night and extinguish them in the mornings. To this day, London still has five lamplighters who manage 1,500 gas lamps.
And now for another profession requiring a long stick. Before alarm clocks, people still had to wake up for work. Even though mechanical alarm clocks were invented in the late 18th century, they weren’t cheap. Starting around the Industrial Revolution, a person called a knocker-up would use a long stick to tap windows in the mornings to wake up residents. This was primarily a job in Britain and Ireland, and in some towns, it didn’t phase out until the 1970s.
Thanks to Joshua Pong, among others, who suggested that job in a comment on our last episode. We couldn’t resist a job title like knocker-up.
People who have seen “Hidden Figures” will be familiar with human computers, individuals hired to perform mathematical calculations by hand. One significant moment in human computing occurred in 1757 when French mathematician Alexis Claude Clairaut had a few people help calculate when Halley’s Comet would be visible from Earth. Machine computing wouldn’t fully replace humans until around the 1970s. Human computers were used during both World Wars, as were dispatch riders. These were people who used motorcycles or other means of transport to deliver important messages across the front lines.
Another surprising job during World War I and II was cavalryman, a soldier who fights on horseback. Despite technology like guns and tanks becoming more common, every major army that fought in World War I had a cavalry, and World War II saw a substantial cavalry charge in the Soviet Union.
Before radar, military personnel needed to know when enemy planes were nearby. This became a job too: aircraft listener. The British especially had acoustic mirrors that enhanced hearing to help determine where an airplane was coming from. Some of these mirrors still exist and are being restored.
Starting in the 19th century, soda jerk became a popular job. These individuals created and served drinks like malts, milkshakes, and sodas. Before certain substances became controlled, it wasn’t unusual for soda fountains to serve syrup containing those substances. Luckily, soda was popular enough that even after removing those ingredients, people still wanted to visit their local soda jerk. During the 1930s and 40s, half a million people held this job in the U.S., but the rise of fast food and drive-ins, along with other factors, ended the era of the soda jerk.
Milk delivery was once a common job worldwide. In the 1920s, most people had milk delivered directly to their doors. In 2005, just 0.4 percent of milk consumers used a service like this, though some grocery stores offering home delivery have led to a slight increase in milk delivery services once again.
Until the early 20th century, most ice was made naturally by cutting into frozen lakes, leading to the job of ice cutter. People collected and stored ice during the winter in ancient civilizations and used it during warmer months, but the ice cutting industry really ramped up in the early 19th century. Ice cutters would find spots on frozen water, cut out the ice, and move it to storage and delivery stages. However, as refrigeration technology improved, the need for manual ice cutting decreased.
In Victorian England, toshers spent their days going through sewers to look for anything that could be sold for money, like coins or silver spoons. Toshers used sticks to sort through debris to find valuable items.
Where there were no sewers, there were night soil men, who emptied toilets, often at night, because waste couldn’t just be flushed away. The modern era of sewage systems in the U.S. began around the mid-1800s.
A very small number of people could have had a job as a sagar maker’s bottom knocker. A sagar maker was a skilled pottery maker, and the bottom knocker was responsible for putting clay through metal loops to create the bottom of the sagger. This job was most common in Staffordshire, England.
If you were good with technology, there were a couple of job options in the early 20th century. A telegraphist operated a telegraph to send messages. Linotype machines changed the print world by making it easier to create newspapers, leading to the profession of linotype operator. The linotype machine contained molds for all the letters of the alphabet, and as the operator typed, the letters were assembled into a line. The machine then used hot metal to create a strip of metal that looked like a stamp of that line.
After the telephone became more popular than the telegraph, telegraphists were increasingly replaced by switchboard operators, who connected callers to the telephone lines of the person they wanted to talk to. Initially, the job was done by teenage boys, but it was later decided to hire women for better manners. Emma Nutt is generally considered to have been the first female switchboard operator, earning $10 monthly for 54-hour work weeks after being hired in 1878.
Switchboard operator wasn’t the only job that children held during this time. In the U.S., children known as slobberdoffers changed the bobbins in textile mills. Some kids swept mill floors, and some even became spinners themselves. Textile mill accidents resulting in death weren’t uncommon, and these children were also more at risk of respiratory and other diseases. In the 1930s, the U.S. passed child labor laws at the federal level.
Before bowling alleys had machines to reset the pins, that was the responsibility of a pin setter or pin boy. Former pin boy Paul Retseck described the job as requiring speed to avoid complaints from bowlers. The machine started appearing in the first half of the 20th century, but that didn’t stop people from yelling in bowling alleys.
Another job that has largely been replaced by machines is elevator operator. Before elevators had buttons, a human needed to run them with a lever, ensuring they stopped at the right places and opened and shut the doors. By 1950, passenger-operated elevators had become commonplace.
Projectionists also faced challenges with machines. Films used to arrive at movie theaters in multiple reels, and projectionists had to watch the film each time it played, changing over the reels when they saw cues. Nowadays, digital projection is primarily used, allowing a single projectionist to manage multiple theaters with ease.
Finally, a signalman had several roles to keep railways running smoothly. One famous signalman was Jack the Baboon, who worked at a train station in South Africa. His owner, James Edwin Wide, was a signalman, but Jack eventually learned to pull the levers himself based on the sounds of approaching trains. He kept his job for nine years and is said to have never made a mistake.
Our next episode is about ways school was different a hundred years ago. We had a lot of fun reading your suggestions for old jobs—even the ones we didn’t have time to fact-check—and we’d love to hear your favorite facts about school around the turn of the century. We’ll incorporate one of those facts into that episode, coming out September 4th. Share your favorite facts in the comments, and make sure you subscribe here so you don’t miss the episode. We’ll see you then!
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This version maintains the informative content while ensuring clarity and appropriateness.
Jobs – Tasks or duties that people perform for payment or to contribute to society. – In the 19th century, many people moved to cities to find jobs in the growing industries.
History – The study of past events, particularly in human affairs. – Learning about the history of ancient civilizations helps us understand how modern societies have developed.
Factories – Buildings or groups of buildings where goods are manufactured or assembled, often using machinery. – During the Industrial Revolution, factories became the main places where goods were produced on a large scale.
Workers – People who are employed to perform tasks, especially in industries or factories. – Workers in the textile factories often faced long hours and harsh conditions during the 1800s.
Announcements – Public or formal statements about a fact, occurrence, or intention. – The town crier made announcements in the village square to inform people about important news.
Technology – The application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, especially in industry. – The invention of the steam engine was a major advancement in technology during the Industrial Revolution.
England – A country that is part of the United Kingdom, known for its significant role in world history. – England was a leading nation during the Industrial Revolution, transforming its economy and society.
Children – Young human beings below the age of full physical development or below the legal age of majority. – In the past, children often worked in factories to help support their families.
Delivery – The action of bringing goods to a recipient or destination. – The delivery of raw materials to factories was crucial for maintaining production during the Industrial Revolution.
Competition – The activity or condition of striving to gain or win something by defeating others. – Competition among European nations for colonies and resources was a driving force behind many historical events.
