Remembering the Tools of the Twentieth Century

Modern technology, which is taken for granted by the children born in the twenty-first century, is light-years ahead of what the older generation—raised in the previous century—could have ever imagined.

To think, there is an entire generation of youngsters who have no idea what a record adaptor is used for. They’ve never experienced having milk delivered to their door daily and wouldn’t know what to do with a floppy disk. Changing a TV channel by turning a knob on the set would seem completely outdated.

How many of these twentieth-century everyday necessities can you remember?

1. Church Key Tin Openers

Although these once-common gadgets were never actually designed to open churches, they were incredibly useful for opening bottles or tins. Today, we take ring-tab openers for granted, but back then, the church key was a household essential.

2. Green Stamps

The Green Stamp program, introduced by the Sperry & Hutchinson company in the U.S., was the first retail shopper loyalty program. Families earned green stamps with each purchase at participating stores or petrol stations and later redeemed them for rewards—just like modern loyalty points.

3. Record Adaptors

Back in the day, music was played on vinyl records that spun on a turntable and required a special needle. Some records needed an adaptor to fit properly on the player. While most kids today have only seen records in movies, they were once the soundtrack of everyday life.

4. Needle Threaders

Sewing used to be a common household skill. While many today rely on retail stores, older generations remember needle threaders—small coin-shaped tools that made threading needles easier, especially with poor lighting or aging eyesight.

5. Brownie Camera

The Box Brownie camera was a popular household item in the mid-twentieth century. Families used it to take black and white photos. Today’s mobile phones, much smaller and far more advanced, have replaced these bulky cameras.

6. Milk Chutes

In the mid-1900s, it was normal to have fresh milk delivered daily. Many homes had a special milk chute to keep milk cool and secure until picked up by the household.

7. Floppy Disks

Before flash drives and cloud storage, floppy disks were the go-to solution for storing and transferring computer data. Though slow and limited in capacity, they were revolutionary for their time.

8. VHS Tapes

The 1970s introduced VHS players and tapes, allowing people to watch and record movies and shows at home. Rewinding was manual, but VHS remained popular for decades. Some people may still have old home videos recorded on them.

9. Developing Film

Before digital cameras, you had to develop film by taking it to a photo lab. Initially, it could take days to get your photos, although same-day processing became available later. Many still remember the excitement of picking up a fresh set of developed pictures.

10. Answering Machines

Answering machines were once standalone devices with cassette tapes for recording missed calls. Large and clunky, they sat on desks beside landline phones. Today, voicemail is built right into our smartphones.

Reflection:

How many of these old-fashioned gadgets and practices do you remember relying on?
How many do you think the teenagers of today would recognize—or even know how to operate?

Welcome to the twenty-first century.