Top 10 disappeared professions of the past

“Learn to use computers,” we shout to people whose professions are losing their relevance in the new world. But is there any use in this? If progress even affects miners and fashionable Internet journalists, it can also be detrimental to the careers of those whose skills and abilities will soon become obsolete.

People do not think that the professions that once existed were very popular and were an integral part of the life of society, but have now disappeared without a trace. We present to your attention top 10 professions of the past that could not withstand the onslaught of progress.

10. Alarm clock man

Usually, it takes some time before new technologies become an integral part of our life. Sometimes new inventions supplant old ones, but more often they are created to replace human labor.

This was the case with the advent of alarm clocks. But what preceded them? Few people know, but in the most industrialized areas of England, the so-called "people-alarm clocks" worked.

The bosses of factories and mines were interested in the fact that workers went out early in the morning, for example, at six in the morning or even earlier. But who would prefer hard work to soak up a warm bed?

Therefore, to cope with the problem of lateness, many companies hired special people who walked the streets and knocked on the windows of workers with wooden or metal sticks. So people woke up on time.

9. Woman rower

Once a man figured out how to get from point A to point B. It was this ingenuity that helped us evolve. However, Mother Nature has always loved to create obstacles in our path: mountains, abysses, impenetrable jungles and forests, in some places a little lava and, of course, water.

Before the First World War, the Swedes used a rather original means of transportation - water taxis, which allowed them to quickly cross the numerous bodies of water that block the way to the islands of the Stockholm archipelago.

This job isn't all that old, you might think. But the fact is that only women were representatives of this profession. Usually they used rowing boats with long oars. (Subsequently, their rivals were unmarried women from Dalarna, sailing on newfangled boats with paddle wheels.)

With the advent of the century of steam and the further development of progress, this profession has disappeared. It is a pity that we will never see such women doing their jobs. As the Venezuelan general Francisco de Miranda said in 1787: “[They were] lovely young ladies, but they rowed like devils!”

8. Calculator

Today, a huge number of people cannot imagine their life without technology. Apple, Google, Microsoft, social media - never before in the history of mankind have we been so dependent on such a small number of campaigns. What do you think would have happened if a real neo-Luddite riot had happened now? How could we replace all the newfangled technologies and devices?

The lion's share of everything we can do with devices would simply disappear, making room for older ways of spending time, communicating, and working. But what about the computations required to process and analyze large amounts of data, which have long become an integral part of almost all spheres of human activity?

The answer is simple: calculators. The work of these people in the recent past replaced the work of a computer. Previously, computers even worked at NASA.

7. Hunter of priests

Thank God, the times when this profession was relevant are over! Queen Mary I of England had a well-deserved "bloody" reputation. And her sister Elizabeth I, on the contrary, created a rather positive image.

And if Mary burned Protestants at the stake, then Elizabeth during her reign sought to correct this injustice by appointing awards for the heads of Catholic priests and sending real hunters after them. The deed is done, justice prevails!

Such a dangerous environment often pushed the priests to bold and desperate attempts to avoid reprisals. One of the tricks was the construction of so-called “caches for priests” in friendly houses, where the persecuted could hide from the hunters. If a clergyman was found, he was arrested, and then tortured and put to death.

People often create for themselves “people's devils”, a specific person or a group of people who are accused of problems that cause panic in the whole society. In Elizabethan England this dubious title was held by Jesuit priests.

6. Whipping Boy

Children can be naughty, rude and even cruel at times. In the past, parents and caregivers have fought bad behavior with flogging. But what if your son not only steals apples from the buffet, but is also the heir to the throne?

You couldn't whip the future king. Instead, you would punish the whipping boy - the boy who gets all the kicks and slaps for the naughty little prince.

There is debate as to whether this status at court was “real” work. But taking into account the fact that doctors often drank the urine of masters to determine whether they were close to developing diabetes, we are willing to believe that such a ridiculous profession did exist.

5. Sandal bearer

Sandal bearers wore the shoes of their masters in ancient civilizations such as Ancient Egypt or feudal Japan. The porter's duties often included washing the master's feet.

In fact, this job was not as bad as it might seem. In feudal Japan, sandal bearers were able to raise their status. Toyotomi Hideyoshi, for example, managed to become the imperial regent of Japan, uniting the islands during his bloody conquests.

In ancient Egypt, sandal bearers were also important persons, whose position is shrouded in mystery to this day. Was their frequent appearance on reliefs and other works of art a tribute to their high status, or did they simply highlight the power of their masters? This we may never know.

4. Printer apprentice

What do Walt Whitman, Thomas Jefferson, Ambrose Bierce, John Kellogg, Warren Harding, and Mark Twain have in common? Well, besides the fact that they're all already dead? And besides the fact that they are all Americans, of course? All of them worked as boys as apprentices of printers. This was one of the most common works for young men until the end of the 19th century.

The students did not perform any special assignments. Like ordinary apprentices, they did all the dirty work, simultaneously observing the master, thus learning his craft.

The disappearance of this profession is largely due to a change in the book publishing system. And the work of an apprentice soon lost its relevance.

3. The air freshener man

Have you ever been bothered by a foul smell in the chambers of your palace? If so, then you definitely need an air freshener!

London smelled awful and, unfortunately for the royal family, all the main residences were always in this fetid city. Kings and queens were not at all attracted by the prospect of breathing in the aromas emanating from sewers and mountains of dung for days on end, so the so-called "air fresheners" were in special demand.

This work was done exclusively by women. They sprinkled the territory of the royal court with fragrant herbs and flower petals. Such girls also played an important role in coronation ceremonies. They sprinkled flowers on the path along which the future king or queen ascended the throne.
However, at the coronation of William IV in 1830, the tradition had to be abandoned due to financial problems.

The last representative of the profession was Ann Fellowes. And if this work became relevant again in our time, then the first unmarried woman who is a descendant of Fellowes would be able to claim such an honorary title.

2. Murmak

And here is another profession from Sweden, in which gender equality reigned earlier than in other countries. Here, men and women alike could suffer from backbreaking work.

Bricklayers were engaged in hard physical labor and simply could not spend their energy on carrying huge buckets of mortar. So why not hire some single mom who just can't find any other job?

This is exactly what the Swedes reasoned during the active development of Stockholm, Gothenburg and other cities. This continued from the late 18th to the early 20th century. And as soon as the rights of women ceased to be so severely infringed, the Swedes had the opportunity to choose an easier job for themselves.

1. Boy torch

The kids who stood in the dark streets of Victorian London were called "torch boys."

Before lanterns appeared at every corner in the English capital, torch boys were paid to accompany their clients by lighting their way in the dark. Sometimes, in order to get more money, the boys worked for thieves and pickpockets. The guys were instructed to take people to the designated places where they were robbed.