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Step back in time as we explore fascinating careers that have vanished with changing technology and society. From the human alarm clocks who woke entire neighborhoods to the mysterious plague doctors with their iconic masks, these unique jobs highlight how far we've come. Discover unusual professions like lamplighters, soda jerks, and switchboard operators—all relics of a bygone era that once played vital roles in daily life.
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00:03Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most iconic and unusual
00:08jobs in history that became obsolete in the modern age, replaced with a similar career,
00:13or are extremely rare as technology and society progressed.
00:24Number 20. Coffee Sniffer
00:34Due to the country's involvement in the Seven Years' War, Prussia was broke.
00:38After becoming king, Frederick the Great needed to raise money.
00:42One way was to increase the tax on black gold by 150%, following his father's classification of it as a
00:47luxury.
00:48Frederick told people to drink beer instead for health reasons.
00:51This was followed by only the government being allowed to roast coffee.
00:54So, common folk turned to smuggling and roasting beans themselves to get their caffeine fix.
01:00I can't take my coffee break. Something within me dies.
01:07To combat this, Frederick employed soldiers who were injured in the war to literally sniff out people drinking coffee or
01:13roasting it, resulting in fines.
01:15However, the coffee sniffer role was removed in 1787 after Frederick's death.
01:20Number 19. Hog Reef
01:22Also known as a hog constable, which gives the adorable image of a pig wearing a police uniform,
01:27a hog reef played a vital role in colonial New England during the 1600s.
01:31As the name suggests, this job dealt with keeping pigs in line in communities, both domestic and stray.
01:44If the swine had an owner, the human would be fined if the animal wreaked havoc in the area.
01:49Sometimes, they would even need to pay the hog reeves an impound fee if they captured the wandering pig.
01:54Even Old England had hog reeves, who would stop swine from entering cathedrals, as they apparently liked doing back then.
02:00Nowadays, the job of hog reeve is obsolete, beyond being an honorary title.
02:04I reckon you're gonna quit, too.
02:06What if I did quit, then where would you be?
02:09You dang sure wouldn't be catching any hogs.
02:11Number 18. Radio Actors
02:18Hey! Who's that who just walked into our Red Network Studios? Lurt Healy?
02:23Well, Wacky is none other than the Wall Street tycoon, Oliver Warbucks!
02:29In 1921, the first radio drama aired, leading to an increase in actors performing on the wireless.
02:36Famously, Orson Welles' 1938 adaptation of The War of the Worlds caused mass confusion as listeners believed aliens were attacking
02:43the Earth.
02:44However, with television becoming a household essential in the 1960s, the golden age of radio acting ended.
02:50And now we meet in an abandoned studio
02:54We hear the playback and it seems so long ago
02:57Albeit with a smaller audience, radio plays and soap operas continued as performers went into the recording studio.
03:04However, 2003's Not From Space changed that, as the first radio drama to be recorded on the internet.
03:10In the modern age, while the radio still exists and is regularly used, radio dramas were overtaken by audiobooks, which
03:17generated $1 billion in U.S. sales in 2018 alone.
03:20Once I have enough chairs to seat, people, we shall throw a ball.
03:23Do you promise?
03:24Do I promise? I do!
03:26If you find me a Bible, I'll even swear to it.
03:29Number 17. Phrenologist
03:31Feeling here, I can tell that Antoinette is of Dutch descent?
03:40No, I'm Prussian.
03:42Over the centuries, humans have had many medical and health professional specialties that were deemed life-changing,
03:48until more research turned them into pseudoscience, one of which was phrenology.
03:53This method held the belief that a practitioner could feel and measure a person's skull,
03:57to uncover different mental traits the person had through mental organs.
04:01He's a man of great wisdom.
04:03I knew it, I knew it.
04:04And your mastoid is very well pronounced.
04:07Doctor, you're quite sympathetic, aren't you?
04:09Um, well, what else? What else?
04:12Oh, I'm so sorry.
04:14What?
04:14It's just, well, your thrombus is so rigid, so jutting and prominent, it startled me.
04:20Franz Josef Galle is credited as the pioneer of phrenology in the late 1700s.
04:25As such, it began sweeping Europe and North America in the 1800s.
04:29However, the method also became a vehicle for racism and misogyny.
04:34Fortunately, by 1840, an increase in research against phrenology turned most of the scientific world against the practice,
04:40causing phrenologists to decline in popularity.
04:43I've been thinking a lot about my future.
04:45And, well, actually, I was wondering if you might give me a reading.
04:51I'm sorry, I've given up phrenology.
04:53Number 16.
04:54Lecter.
04:55Good evening, Clarice.
04:57No, this doesn't involve Hannibal.
04:59Long before factory workers had to noise systems, earphones, or radios,
05:04a lector was their source of news and entertainment.
05:07Created around 1865 and primarily featured in cigar factories in the US and Cuba,
05:12the lector was elected by fellow workers,
05:14who also contributed their own wages to pay their chosen one.
05:17The lector would then read from newspapers or books,
05:20often with left-wing ideologies, out loud as the employees worked.
05:24They entertained the cigar workers, and the more they were entertained, the more they worked.
05:28The more they worked, the more the boss made money.
05:29The person who held the role was essentially an actor performing one-person shows.
05:33However, when Florida had the Ybor City cigar maker strike in 1931,
05:38the factory owners blamed lectors for seemingly radicalizing the workers,
05:41so they were banned, leading to the role's demise in the US.
05:44There's a refrain in Cuba that says that the macabre, so that the boy would give him candela.
05:48I'd give him candela to give him candela.
05:50Number 15. Plague Doctor.
05:53Don't you like that, sir?
05:55Physicians used to wear them to purify the air against the plague.
05:59With long cloaks, a beaked mask, and a jaunty hat,
06:02plague doctors are often used for Halloween costumes nowadays.
06:06After all, the role was taken over by modern specialty doctors
06:09and other medical professionals as research progressed.
06:11Plague doctors were hired by cities to combat the effects of a disease outbreak,
06:16most famously during the Black Death from 1346 to 1353.
06:20However, the iconic costume wasn't developed until around the 1600s.
06:24The reason for the unique masks was due to the belief that disease was spread by bad smells.
06:29The pointy beak part will be filled with pleasant herbs or flowers for the doctors to inhale,
06:34rather than the scent of sick people, as they treated them with leeches and other outdated methods.
06:39There's a green ointment in these herbs, and vinegar, and a vigorous regime of leeching.
06:49If we use this, we may still be able to save those who've fallen sick.
06:54Number 14. Sluggard Waker.
07:03Consider, consider how we live our lives today.
07:06Have you ever gone to a service at a Christian church and found yourself nodding off?
07:10Well, if so, rather than getting disapproving glances from other partitioners and the priest,
07:15in the olden days, you'd have experienced a lot worse.
07:17In the 1700s and 1800s, usually in England, a parishioner would be given the task of being the sluggard waker.
07:24If they spotted someone asleep, they would pick up their specialty stick and approach.
07:29Typically, depending on the sleeping person's gender, they'd get different sides of the stick.
07:33If they're male, they'd get struck with a brass knocker or forked end, which sounds traumatic.
07:38If female, they'd get tickled awake with a foxtail, which is disturbing in another way.
07:43Number 13. Ninja.
07:45While Hollywood likes to depict Japan as having ninjas hiding around every corner,
07:49in reality, it's a very different story.
07:51Primarily used as spies and saboteurs against their employers' enemies,
07:55the legacy of ninjas has blended with fiction.
07:57As such, many believe that ninjas also operated as assassins, which is disputed by some historians.
08:04First documented appearance describes how a group of hand-picked troops from the Iga province
08:08were deployed to do nighttime recon and abduct valuable targets.
08:12But not all shinobi were the same.
08:15Stay with me.
08:15The two primary types were Yono Shinobi, or public shinobi, and Eino Shinobi, or hidden shinobi.
08:22It's claimed that the earliest written factual account of the profession was in the 1100s.
08:27Yet there are earlier tales, including some from the first century, that also feature the spies.
08:32However, the story's factual accuracy is unclear.
08:35In Japan's Edo period from around 1603 to 1868, with a lack of conflicts, the work vanished for ninjas.
08:42Instead, they found employment as bodyguards, while others transitioned to other professions or crime.
08:48But practitioners who failed to find positions as bodyguards or civilian spies became farmers and merchants, disappearing from the public
08:56consciousness.
08:57As the last of the true shinobi died off, there was no one to correct the outlandish stories being told
09:03about them.
09:04Number 12, computer.
09:06Before computer technology took over society, if a task required a lot of calculations, there was nothing else than the
09:12human brain.
09:13In the 1600s, human computers aided astronomers in calculating the positions of planets.
09:18They also played a key role in mapping, as they worked on the first nautical almanac in 1767.
09:24And it's through Babbage's contact with the almanac that he comes up with the idea for his two major machines,
09:30his difference engine and his analytical engine.
09:33Usually, men were employed as computers.
09:36Yet, by the mid-1800s, women began being hired more, most famously with the astronomy team at the Harvard College
09:42Observatory, known as the Harvard Computers.
09:44World Wars I and II saw a sharp increase in human computers, as a lot of data required collecting and
09:50processing.
09:51The job also played a big role in sending people to space, as seen in the 2016 film, Hidden Figures.
09:57What do you ladies do for NASA?
09:59Calculate your trajectories. Launch and landing.
10:01You can't get anywhere without the numbers.
10:03No, sir.
10:03Number 11, elevator operator.
10:06Nowadays, getting into an elevator is an independent affair, as you press the button to the floor you need.
10:11Yet, back in the day, it was far more of an experience.
10:14After all, upon entering, an elevator operator would be waiting to serve.
10:19You make it look easy.
10:20Ma'am?
10:21Operating the elevator, like it's second nature.
10:24Yes, ma'am.
10:25Although I'm sure it's way more complicated than it looks.
10:27A testament to your skills.
10:28On top of a friendly greeting and information about the business or attraction you're in,
10:32the worker would be in charge of safety by closing the door manually.
10:35If the elevator broke down, the operator would keep everyone calm.
10:39Yet, their most vital role was controlling the lever that moved the elevator.
10:43Even when button-operated elevators were invented, users preferred an operator.
10:48However, following an operator strike in 1945, this led to the downfall of their profession beyond novelty.
10:54If Lee is here, I pick the elevator over the stairs.
10:57He's a popular guy.
10:58They don't come to see me.
11:00No.
11:00They just come to see me.
11:04These days, it's pretty easy to set an alarm on your phone, a smart speaker, or even a clock.
11:09Before you know it, an annoying beeping has you crawling out of bed.
11:12But did you know that at one time, you could get a job as a knocker-upper, which was essentially
11:17a human alarm clock?
11:18Found mainly overseas, especially in Britain, the name describes someone who would literally knock on your window to try and
11:24wake you up.
11:24They could be seen on the street with long sticks tapping on windows, or in some cases, even use peashooters
11:29on the glass.
11:30Number 9.
11:31Ice Cutter
11:32Have you ever heard of a refrigerator referred to as an icebox?
11:35Wonder where the name came from?
11:37In the days before freezers and fridges that could keep themselves cool, believe it or not,
11:41they relied on large blocks of ice to be loaded into them to keep the contents cold.
11:45Eat anything you want out of the icebox.
11:48It'll all spoil anyway.
11:50Ice cutters were the folks employed to cut the large blocks of ice.
11:53The Iceman would then deliver it to your home, and you'd have frozen goods for a few days before having
11:57to replace it.
11:58Modern technology has essentially eliminated these jobs aside from the need to carve ice for sculptures, and unique hotels.
12:04My vessel, the Komari, was named for the first ice cutter to circumnavigate Andorra.
12:11Number 8.
12:12Milkman
12:12Hop on down to your corner store, and you're likely to find a few different varieties of milk.
12:17It's taken for granted you will find it at the grocery, a convenience store, and even gas stations.
12:21Yet there was an era where people didn't get all of their groceries in one place.
12:25Milk was generally only available from one company within an area, and it was always brought courtesy of the milkman.
12:31Glass bottles of milk would be delivered to your home, and the empties returned.
12:35Once a week or so, the milkman would return, and the cycle continued.
12:38I hate to bother you about this, but, uh, well, you didn't pay your bill last week.
12:43Aside from jokes about infidelity, not much is heard about the milkman anymore.
12:47Now the milkman's on his way, it's too late to say goodnight.
12:51So good morning, good morning.
12:54Number 7.
12:55Dispatch Rider
12:55A common news story today is hearing about how some hacker was able to intercept communications, and use it for
13:01nefarious purposes.
13:02What does the NSA want to find out?
13:04One would be to simply intercept and sniff your traffic.
13:07For example, I would be logging into this page, and they would be able to see.
13:11Now they have my username and password.
13:12So it's no surprise that even back as far as World War I, the military was concerned about secure communication.
13:19Dispatch Rider!
13:26To thwart would-be eavesdroppers, the forces would send urgent orders and messages by motorcycle courier instead of using radio
13:33transmissions that could be intercepted.
13:35A little more advanced than the Pony Express, but certainly secure.
13:38With no means to capture a radio transmission, the riders became very popular over both World War I and World
13:43War II.
13:44Number 6.
13:45Soda Jerk
13:46Is it a weird dance that we all forgot about?
13:48Was it a slang term from when you take your glass off the fountain pot machine?
13:51None of the above, folks.
13:53In fact, a soda jerk was someone who operated the soda fountain machine in various stores back in the 1940s.
13:59Along with filling drinks and ice cream beverages, the jerks were expected to socialize and entertain any of the patrons
14:04within the store.
14:05Despite having the word jerk in the name, it was actually a coveted position aimed at men with outgoing personalities
14:10and qualities that would keep the customers coming back for more.
14:22Number 5.
14:23Video Store Employee
14:24So, yes, we know that a few of these may still exist, but by and large, most full video rental
14:29places have gone out of business and been replaced by streaming services.
14:33Video store employees would be the ones responsible for renting you your movies, games, and sometimes equipment from the store.
14:38Wait, where are the Schwarzenegger films?
14:40Foreign films are in the back.
14:42No, action.
14:43This guy's an action star.
14:45Down the center, on the left.
14:46They were also the ones who would cringe every time someone wasn't kind and didn't rewind a VHS tape.
14:52Well, you didn't rewind it. There's a $2 charge for not rewinding.
14:54But there's no signs here. This isn't outright.
14:57But of all things we hated, it was returning that movie just a little past the return time and having
15:02to pay that employee the dreaded late charge.
15:04Can't say we missed these, folks.
15:06Some guy just came in refusing to pay late fees.
15:08Said the store was closed for two hours yesterday.
15:11Tore up his membership.
15:12Number 4.
15:13Type Setter
15:13Anyone who worked in the print industry years ago would be blown away by how the hard copy process has
15:18changed over the years.
15:19At one time, a typesetter was responsible for lining up all of the letters, numbers, and spaces in a special
15:25typeset machine.
15:26Different fonts and sizes had unique blocks, which had the character or symbol printed backwards on them, so they would
15:32print correctly.
15:33The setter would line all of these up in correct order and load them into the machine to be used
15:37to print a line or paragraph of text.
15:40They would then be removed, cleaned, and stored for their next use.
15:43Thank you, Digital Revolution.
15:45Number 3.
15:46Lamplighter
15:47This entry is one that shows how even the simplest of technology has changed how people work.
15:52Most common streetlights today are connected to the power grid and turn on and off as the sun sets and
15:57rises.
15:58How exactly would you get similar ones up and running if they were oil or candle-based?
16:01Cue the lamplighter.
16:03Just as the name implies, a lamplighter was responsible for manually lighting each lamppost as the sun went down.
16:08When morning arose, they would then again make the same trip and butt out any lights still running.
16:13This job became unnecessary once electric lamps were introduced.
16:16We live in a highly technological age where fighting a war is as simple as turning off a light.
16:24We don't have a clamper.
16:34Make one mention of a bowling alley and immediately the sounds of crashing pins fill the air, along with the
16:39smell of shoe disinfectant.
16:40You roll the ball down the lane and jump for joy when the strike comes.
16:43Magically, the pins get swept under and mysteriously set themselves back up.
16:47It's not really magic, but more ingenuity.
16:50There was a time where pinboys were responsible for collecting the fallen pins and putting them back on the lane
16:55for the next run.
16:55You could spot them behind the pins at the end of the lane just waiting for their next job.
16:59Sadly, once the auto-pin-setting machine was invented, these little jobs went away.
17:15Before we continue, check out this single from Sound Mojo's album current, EDM Transformed.
17:21Check out the full track and album below.
17:36Number 1, Switchboard Operator.
17:39Today, no one even gives a second thought about placing a call on their phone.
17:43Through advanced telecommunication technology, there's a box somewhere that knows how to connect you to whomever you are calling.
17:48That wasn't always the case.
17:49Operator, may I help you? Operator?
17:53Are you the operator?
17:54At one time, you had to pick up the phone and ask an operator to connect you to someone else.
17:59Seated at a switchboard, the operator would connect you directly to the other person.
18:03I want to call area code 212.
18:06Mm-hmm.
18:09222-2565.
18:11For long-distance calls, they would have to connect with an operator from another area.
18:14It would actually log how much time was spent on the line.
18:17We're calling Gail Stone, first name is Golf, Alpha, India, Lima, second word, Sierra, Tango, Oscar, November, Echo.
18:28If you could work any obsolete job in history, even for just one day, what would you choose?
18:33Let us know below.
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