Hey everyone, I’m Elliot Morgan from YouTube channels Elliot Morgan and Mashable. Welcome to Mental Floss on YouTube! Did you know that in the 19th century, people in Europe and America believed that the shape of your skull could reveal your personality? This was called phrenology, and a phrenologist was someone who would examine your head to tell you about your character. This is just one of many jobs that no longer exist, and I’m going to share some of them with you today.
Have you ever heard of river pigs? These were the brave people who guided logs down rivers to sawmills. If the logs got stuck, they had to run across the moving logs to free them. This risky job was common in the US and Canada from the Industrial Revolution until the 1970s.
Another interesting job was that of powder monkeys. From the 16th to the 19th centuries, young boys on ships were responsible for carrying gunpowder to cannons during battles. They were chosen because they were small and fast, making them perfect for the job.
Badgers were people who bought food from farmers and sold it in town markets. This job was around for centuries in Europe until the 1800s. The persistence needed for this job might be why we use the term “badger” to mean pestering someone.
Rattiners were people who caught rats and sold them to pubs, where dogs would eat them for entertainment. In the mid-1800s, leech collectors used animal legs to attract leeches for medical purposes.
In the 19th century, resurrectionists, or body snatchers, were hired to dig up bodies for medical students to study. There was also a job called a sin eater, who would eat food left on a corpse to take on that person’s sins. This practice was common in the European Middle Ages and has similarities in Aztec mythology.
In factories, a knocker-up would go from house to house waking workers by knocking on their windows. A lector entertained factory workers by reading news and stories aloud.
In 18th and 19th century London, mudlarks searched the river for lost items or scrap materials to sell. Between 1850 and 1860, “filibuster” referred to American mercenaries trying to start revolutions in Central America.
Lungs were people who fanned fires in alchemist workshops, which was bad for their health. An alinger checked woolen goods to ensure quality and fairness in the amount of fabric sold.
In the 1800s, necessary women were servants who cleaned chamber pots. Lamp lighters used long poles to light street lamps before electric lights were invented. Ice cutters sawed ice from frozen lakes for use in cellars and refrigerators, a surprisingly dangerous job.
Fullers helped make textiles by walking on cloth to bind fibers together, using a mixture of clay and urine. Thimbleriggers ran a game similar to three-card monte.
Bowling alley pinsetters were young boys who set up pins for bowlers before machines took over. Dog whippers kept dogs out of churchyards. Gong farmers worked at night to remove waste from privies and transport it to dumps for recycling.
Herb strewers walked with royals, throwing flowers to mask bad smells. Catchpoles rounded up people who owed money, while weird keepers managed fish traps. Hoblers towed boats on rivers or canals, and arc rites made wooden chests. Red smiths worked with copper, knackers made harnesses, chandlers made candles, and egg merchants sold eggs.
Finally, a hayward was an officer in charge of fences and hedges. Thanks for watching Mental Floss on YouTube! Each week, we aim to answer one of your mind-blowing questions. This week’s question comes from Nathaniel Ferguson, who asks when pie was invented. The first pies were made around 9,500 BCE during the Neolithic era, consisting of a flat crust with honey or other fillings. If you have a mind-blowing question, leave it in the comments, and we’ll try to answer it. Thank you for watching, and don’t forget to be awesome!
Imagine you are living in the 19th century and working as one of the jobs mentioned in the article, such as a river pig or a powder monkey. Write a diary entry describing a day in your life, including the challenges and interesting experiences you face. Share your diary entry with the class and discuss how these jobs compare to modern-day occupations.
Choose one of the unusual jobs from the article and prepare a short role-play with a partner. Act out a scene that demonstrates what a typical day might look like for someone in that job. Consider the tools they might use and the skills they would need. Perform your role-play for the class and discuss what you learned about the job.
Create a poster that highlights one of the extinct jobs from the article. Include illustrations, a brief description of the job, and interesting facts about why it no longer exists. Display your poster in the classroom and take a gallery walk to learn about the other jobs your classmates researched.
Pair up with a classmate and conduct an imaginary interview with a person who worked in one of the jobs mentioned in the article. One of you will be the interviewer, and the other will be the historical figure. Prepare questions and answers that explore the daily life, challenges, and significance of the job. Present your interview to the class.
Research a modern job that has evolved from one of the historical jobs mentioned in the article. Prepare a short presentation that explains how the job has changed over time and what it looks like today. Discuss the skills and technology now required for the modern version of the job and present your findings to the class.
Here’s a sanitized version of the YouTube transcript:
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Hey everyone, I’m Elliot Morgan from YouTube channels Elliot Morgan and Mashable. Welcome to Mental Floss on YouTube! Did you know that in 19th century Europe and America, phrenology was a popular science? People would have their skulls examined and measured because they believed it indicated what was happening in the brain. A phrenologist was someone who examined heads and determined aspects of a person’s character based on their shape. This is just one of many jobs that no longer exist, and I’m going to share some of them with you today.
River pigs, or log drivers, were responsible for driving logs down rivers to sawmills. If the logs jammed, which happened frequently, these men had to run out over the moving logs and use a pike pole to dislodge them. This dangerous job existed in the US and Canada from the Industrial Revolution until the 1970s.
Speaking of jobs named after animals, from the 16th through 19th centuries, powder monkeys were young boys who resupplied cannons on ships with gunpowder after each firing. They were chosen because they were the fastest and smallest, running powder from the safety of the hold to the artillery.
Badgers were individuals who bought corn and other food from farmers and then resold it in town markets. This job existed for centuries in Europe until the 1800s. Some historians believe this job gave rise to the term “badger,” meaning to pester someone, as it required a certain level of persistence.
Another job named after an animal was the rattiner, who caught rats and sold them to local pubs, where dogs would eat them as a form of entertainment. In the mid-1800s, leech collecting became an industry, with collectors using animal legs to attract leeches for medical procedures.
In the 19th century, resurrectionists, or body snatchers, were hired to remove corpses from graves for medical students. In many cultures, there was a ritual where food and ale were left on a corpse to absorb that person’s sins. A sin eater would consume this food, essentially taking on the burden of another’s sins. This practice was common in the European Middle Ages and has parallels in Aztec mythology.
Now, let’s shift to something more uplifting: factory life! A knocker-up was someone who went from house to house waking workers in the morning by knocking on their windows. A lector provided much-needed entertainment in factories by reading news and literature aloud.
In 18th and 19th century London, mudlarks collected anything that may have fallen into the river that could be sold, such as lost goods or scrap materials. Between 1850 and 1860, “filibuster” referred to American mercenaries attempting to revolutionize Central America.
Lungs were individuals employed to fan the fire in an alchemist’s workshop, which was not good for their health. An alinger ensured that woolen goods were of the highest quality and that customers were not cheated on the amount of fabric ordered.
In the 1800s, necessary women were servants responsible for emptying and cleaning chamber pots. Lamp lighters used long poles to light and refuel street lamps until electric lamps were introduced. Ice cutters sawed ice on frozen lakes for use in cellars and refrigerators, a job that was surprisingly dangerous.
Fullers helped make textiles by walking on the backs of cloth to bind the fibers together. This process involved soaking the cloth in a mixture of clay and urine. Thimbleriggers ran a game called thimble rig, a predecessor to three-card monte.
Bowling alley pinsetters were young boys employed to set up pins for bowlers until mechanical pinsetters were invented. Dog whippers were employed by churches to keep dogs out of churchyards. Gong farmers worked at night to remove waste from privies and transport it to dumps for recycling.
Herb strewers walked with royals, throwing flowers on the ground to mask unpleasant odors. Catchpoles rounded up delinquent debtors, while weird keepers managed fish traps. Hoblers towed boats on rivers or canals, and arc rites made wooden chests. Red smiths worked with copper, while knackers made harnesses, chandlers made candles, and egg merchants sold eggs.
Finally, a hayward was an officer in charge of fences and hedges. Thanks for watching Mental Floss on YouTube! Each week, we aim to answer one of your mind-blowing questions. This week’s question comes from Nathaniel Ferguson, who asks when pie was invented. The first pies were made around 9,500 BCE during the Neolithic era, consisting of a flat crust with honey or other fillings. If you have a mind-blowing question, leave it in the comments, and we’ll try to answer it. Thank you for watching, and don’t forget to be awesome!
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This version removes any inappropriate or unclear language while maintaining the original content’s essence.
Jobs – Tasks or duties that people do to earn money or contribute to society. – In the 19th century, many people moved to cities to find jobs in the growing number of factories.
History – The study of past events, particularly in human affairs. – Learning about history helps us understand how societies have changed over time.
Sociology – The study of the development, structure, and functioning of human society. – In sociology class, we discussed how different cultures have unique traditions and social norms.
Phrenology – An outdated and discredited field of study that claimed to determine personality traits based on the shape of the skull. – In the 19th century, phrenology was popular, but it is now considered a pseudoscience.
Factories – Large buildings where goods are manufactured or assembled, often using machines. – During the Industrial Revolution, factories became the main places where goods were produced.
Resurrectionists – People who illegally exhumed bodies from graves to sell them for medical research in the 18th and 19th centuries. – Resurrectionists were often hired by medical schools that needed cadavers for anatomy lessons.
Alchemist – A person who practiced alchemy, a medieval science aimed at transforming base metals into gold and discovering a universal elixir. – Although alchemists never succeeded in turning lead into gold, their experiments contributed to the development of modern chemistry.
Mercenaries – Soldiers who are hired to serve in a foreign army for payment rather than loyalty to a country. – During the Middle Ages, mercenaries were often employed by kings who needed extra troops for their armies.
Textiles – Types of cloth or woven fabric, especially those produced by weaving or knitting. – The invention of the spinning jenny revolutionized the production of textiles during the Industrial Revolution.
Revolution – A significant change in political power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time. – The American Revolution led to the independence of the thirteen colonies from British rule.
