# Early inventions that were widespread, then obsolete in a generation **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 13, 2015, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-inventions-that-were-widespread-then-obsolete-in-a-generation/725026 "2015-07-13T07:18:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-inventions-that-were-widespread-then-obsolete-in-a-generation/725026/41 "2015-07-13T15:28:25Z")
[What Ever Became of…Fat Melting Jiggle Machines?](http://atomictoasters.com/2012/04/what-ever-became-of-vibrating-belt-weight-loss-machines/) ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-inventions-that-were-widespread-then-obsolete-in-a-generation/725026/42 "2015-07-13T15:30:34Z")
Boomboxes ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-inventions-that-were-widespread-then-obsolete-in-a-generation/725026/43 "2015-07-13T15:31:14Z")
> [@leahcim](#): > > The electric pencil sharpener arrived on the scene just in time for mechanical pencils to make its functionality moot. They are still used in schools, and I use mine all the time. I don’t like mechanical pencils. ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-inventions-that-were-widespread-then-obsolete-in-a-generation/725026/44 "2015-07-13T15:57:45Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > A bit less than 50 years, but I can’t think of an invention that had a shorter useful timespan previous to the [Optical telegraph](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telegraphy#Optical_telegraph) in the early 1800’s. Replaced riders for important messages - previously a message took a week to cross Europe with riders, now it took less than a day. Of course, electric telegraphs were much faster, and cheaper since you didn’t need several people at every tower to relay the messages. A few of the Chappe-style (i.e. swinging arms) optical telegraphs survived along the French coasts until at least 1895, used for ship-to-shore communication, which even handled commercial telegrams: [A Semaphore Telegraph Station](http://earlyradiohistory.us/1895sema.htm). ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-inventions-that-were-widespread-then-obsolete-in-a-generation/725026/45 "2015-07-13T15:58:11Z")
> [@leahcim](#): > > The electric pencil sharpener arrived on the scene just in time for mechanical pencils to make its functionality moot. The first patent for a mechanical pencil was issued [**in 1822**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanical_pencil), though they date to 1565. ---
**Author:** ![Daylate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9dc877/32.png) [@Daylate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daylate)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-inventions-that-were-widespread-then-obsolete-in-a-generation/725026/46 "2015-07-13T16:09:11Z")
> [@](#): > > "The nineteenth century internet Actually, the name of the book (which I have) is “The Victorian Internet” I make this nitpick in case anyone wants to buy it or check it out of the library. Fascinating read. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-inventions-that-were-widespread-then-obsolete-in-a-generation/725026/47 "2015-07-13T16:18:31Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Lots of comments on this one. Why does anyone think food processors are obsolete and what is used instead. Ours is at least 35 years old and used several times a week and I have looked at models in the dept. store in case it finally bites the dust. Also, the Magic Bullet and its ilk are really just improved versions of a food processor. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-inventions-that-were-widespread-then-obsolete-in-a-generation/725026/48 "2015-07-13T16:27:07Z")
The [DC-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_DC-7) was introduced in 1953. At the time it was the fastest passenger airliner, and the long-range version could fly 5,000 miles. By 1958, DeHaviland, Boeing and Douglas had all introduced jets and the market for long-range piston aircraft was dead. Five years.☹ ---
**Author:** ![Nancarrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c37758/32.png) [@Nancarrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nancarrow)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-inventions-that-were-widespread-then-obsolete-in-a-generation/725026/49 "2015-07-13T16:33:44Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > Player pianos Oh I’m sure _someone_ must have got some use out of them. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-inventions-that-were-widespread-then-obsolete-in-a-generation/725026/50 "2015-07-13T16:52:26Z")
Silent movies lasted barely more than a generation, from the tail end of the 19th century to 1927 and into 1928. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-inventions-that-were-widespread-then-obsolete-in-a-generation/725026/51 "2015-07-13T16:56:27Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > Maybe not obsolete, but you don’t see many TV antennas anymore. Yep, not obsolete at all. Many department stores and electronics stores still sell TV antennas for the increasing number of people dropping their cable subscriptions for over-the-air signals. ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-inventions-that-were-widespread-then-obsolete-in-a-generation/725026/52 "2015-07-13T17:09:06Z")
I can ( and do) put Player Piano Restoration on my Resume. My uncle is one of a very few people left capable of taking one apart, stripping it down to bare wood and metal bits and rebuilding it using the proper techniques. that doesn’t mean they arent dead tech, but he and his customers at least are getting some use out of the things. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-inventions-that-were-widespread-then-obsolete-in-a-generation/725026/53 "2015-07-13T18:41:17Z")
Big video discs-died real fast. Digitally encoded cassette audio tapes (Philips DCC)-they lasted about 2 years (if that). There was also a very early B&W video taping system made by Ampex-dies within a year. But the most amazing story is the death and rebirth of Polaroid instant film-died out when Polaroid went bust, revived under the name “The Impossible Project”-but who on earth buys the film? It is $3.00/pop. Still, somebody must. I expect that vinyl 33 1/3 records (which are experiencing a modest revival), will die real soon, once the "analog nuts’ get tired of scratches, pops, and generally lousy sound form records played over 20 times. Are Walkmans still in use? ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-inventions-that-were-widespread-then-obsolete-in-a-generation/725026/54 "2015-07-13T18:44:33Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > Yep, not obsolete at all. Many department stores and electronics stores still sell TV antennas for the increasing number of people dropping their cable subscriptions for over-the-air signals. This is an example of something that has come back to life, and may go obsolete again. TV antennas were largely killed by a combination of cable and satellite services. They came back when people realized they could get local content over the air in HD, since broadcast TV went digital, receive the other stuff through internet streaming services, and “cut their cable”. Once the (mostly legal, not technical) issues with having your local stations available as streamed internet services get worked out, antennas may become useless to most people again. At that point, there exists the possibility of broadcast TV eventually being killed entirely, opening up that part of the spectrum for other uses. Not without a massive fight, mind you. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-inventions-that-were-widespread-then-obsolete-in-a-generation/725026/55 "2015-07-13T18:47:52Z")
The pocket transistor radio, which arrived in the mid-50s, and was largely supplanted by portable audio players. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-inventions-that-were-widespread-then-obsolete-in-a-generation/725026/56 "2015-07-13T19:13:21Z")
> [@yabob](#): > > The pocket transistor radio, which arrived in the mid-50s, and was largely supplanted by portable audio players. Eh - my smartphone (Lumia 1020) has an integrated transistor radio, and I’m using that to listen to my local NPR affiliate right now. Sure, I could stream it instead, but FM radio doesn’t hit the battery nearly so hard, and works even if the cell signal is weak. These are technical reasons that FM functionality remains useful; there’s also an economic factor, insofar as FM radio doesn’t eat into my data allowance. I’ll grant that pocket transistor radios have _changed_ a great deal since the mid-fifties - but if I were to hop in a time machine and hand my phone to someone in the 1950s, they’d understand “this is a radio” perfectly well. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-inventions-that-were-widespread-then-obsolete-in-a-generation/725026/57 "2015-07-13T19:46:11Z")
This is a very interesting thread. I wonder how long it will be before automatic-drip coffee makers are put out to pasture? Everyone is switching over to individual-style pods nowadays: Keurig-style. I recall getting our first drip coffee maker (Mr. Coffee) back in the mid-1970s. Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio? ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-inventions-that-were-widespread-then-obsolete-in-a-generation/725026/58 "2015-07-13T20:01:02Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > The cassette tape: come and gone in a generation. 8-track tapes–half a generation? Maybe? (I loved my 8-tracks) ☹ ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-inventions-that-were-widespread-then-obsolete-in-a-generation/725026/59 "2015-07-13T20:02:50Z")
For about 5 years everyone was buying stand alone GPS units like TomTom and Garmin . Then smart phones happened and that industry shrank to nearly nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-inventions-that-were-widespread-then-obsolete-in-a-generation/725026/60 "2015-07-13T20:04:39Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > 8-track tapes–half a generation? Maybe? (I loved my 8-tracks) ☹ I bet you used a matchbook to hold the difficult ones against the pinch roller just right. (In the car, of course.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-inventions-that-were-widespread-then-obsolete-in-a-generation/725026.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-inventions-that-were-widespread-then-obsolete-in-a-generation/725026.md?page=4)