# Things long gone **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 31, 2009, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-long-gone/508338 "2009-08-31T09:34:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![KRC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@KRC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRC)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-long-gone/508338/21 "2009-09-01T01:15:24Z")
Drugstore soda fountains–I haven’t seen those since the mid 70’s. The cigar boxes that little kids would bring their pencils, crayons, paste, and scissors in when they first started school. I’ve heard metal lunch boxes, at least for kids in school, have also gone the way of the dodo. The ones I see kids with now are cloth and plastic. Metal lunch boxes that I see in gift shops are marketed to adults. Nighthawks (bullbats). Flocks of these birds used to drift across the sky on summer evenings, catching moths while emitting a Bronx cheer sound. Their numbers dropped suddenly in the mid 80’s and now I might see one every other year. ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-long-gone/508338/22 "2009-09-01T01:27:45Z")
Do they still make those candy cigarettes? ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-long-gone/508338/23 "2009-09-01T01:51:32Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Diaper services? > > Are there such things as telegrams anymore? Western Union ended their telegram business only a few years ago, and their primary business now is wiring money. Unlike the first ever telegram, whose words “What Hath God Wrought” have gone into the history books, we will never know what was in the last telegram, unless the sender or recipient decides to divulge. ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-long-gone/508338/24 "2009-09-01T01:52:00Z")
> [@KRC](#): > > The cigar boxes that little kids would bring their pencils, crayons, paste, and scissors in when they first started school. I would love to find cigar boxes. My son went to a camp a couple years ago and the counselor had a bunch of them that the kids decorated. He keeps all his “treasures” in it - it’s perfect. They’re the perfect size for storing small things in. I was going to ask at our local tobacco store, but they closed down. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-long-gone/508338/25 "2009-09-01T01:54:29Z")
> [@treis](#): > > Do they still make those candy cigarettes? Yep. My brother gave me several boxes as a stocking present for Christmas last year. Given the current climate, I’m gobsmacked that they still exist. Meanwhile, five and dime stores. Yes, I suppose dollar stores are similar conceptually, but they have a whole different ambiance. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-long-gone/508338/26 "2009-09-01T02:29:35Z")
Kerosene Heaters…and their wicks. I say this because I have one of the former, and two of the latter, and hope they’ll be my retirement fund. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-long-gone/508338/27 "2009-09-01T04:11:44Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Are there such things as telegrams anymore? Thailand’s telegram service shut down last year. I sent one from here as recently as the mid-1990s. ---
**Author:** ![AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-long-gone/508338/28 "2009-09-01T04:32:24Z")
> [@](#): > > PeeChee folders I remember reading about Pee Chees in …I think Nothing’s Fair In Sixth Grade, and I remember trying to figure out what the heck they were! ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-long-gone/508338/29 "2009-09-01T18:04:46Z")
Locally-produced entertainment TV shows. There are some local church shows, school-related shows, news shows (of course), but not talk/variety shows, game shows or hosted movies. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-long-gone/508338/30 "2009-09-01T18:15:32Z")
Phone booths. I see some pay phones, but I haven’t seen a phone booth in a long time. Gas caps hidden under the license plate or tail lights. Coffee Percolators Speedometers that were long sweeping arcs (all round or digital now). Those little triangular windows just behind the A-pillar on cars that you could unlock with a twist of a handle and rotate them to provide air flow (as they stuck out, instead of rolling down). [http://americandreamcars.com/1964buickwc052703.htm](http://americandreamcars.com/1964buickwc052703.htm) ---
**Author:** ![badbadrubberpiggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@badbadrubberpiggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badbadrubberpiggy)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-long-gone/508338/31 "2009-09-01T18:16:50Z")
> [@AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet](#): > > I remember reading about Pee Chees in …I think Nothing’s Fair In Sixth Grade, and I remember trying to figure out what the heck they were! Me too! I’m still not entirely sure what they are. Here in the St. Louis area, you can get milk & other dairy delivered - [Oberweis](https://www.oberweisdairy.com/Home_Delivery/menu.aspx) delivers all sorts of dairy products. Sinclair gas stations (the ones with the green dinosaur) are full service & pretty common around here, too. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-long-gone/508338/32 "2009-09-01T18:26:40Z")
An actual pic of the window open. (Sorry, a coworker had no idea what I was talking about, so I figured others might have no clue). [http://www.seriouswheels.com/pics-1960-1969/1967-Buick-Skylark-Red-Convertible-fa-nf.jpg](http://www.seriouswheels.com/pics-1960-1969/1967-Buick-Skylark-Red-Convertible-fa-nf.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-long-gone/508338/33 "2009-09-01T18:33:59Z")
> [@Philster](#): > > An actual pic of the window open. > > (Sorry, a coworker had no idea what I was talking about, so I figured others might have no clue). I figured it out, but it took me a while. I think we used to call them wings. More in the car department: Bench seats Crank down windows Push-down door locks (that looked like golf tees) ---
**Author:** ![TheMadHun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@TheMadHun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheMadHun)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-long-gone/508338/34 "2009-09-01T18:38:55Z")
I haven’t seen any wind-up toys in a while. Or the printed metal tab and slot construction. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-long-gone/508338/35 "2009-09-01T18:45:03Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Crank down windows Do they not offer this anymore? My 2000 car has crank down windows. I thought it was an option, but usually assumed by most salesmen. > [@TheMadHun](#): > > I haven’t seen any wind-up toys in a while. > Or the printed metal tab and slot construction. No wind-up toys? You can get them at any touristy shop, like at a zoo, where we recently bought our nieces a little wind-up bug that zooms along the floor. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-long-gone/508338/36 "2009-09-01T18:48:16Z")
We still have a local drug store with a soda fountain [http://www.ashworthdrugs.com/](http://www.ashworthdrugs.com/) ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-long-gone/508338/37 "2009-09-01T20:58:46Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Do they not offer this anymore? My 2000 car has crank down windows. I thought it was an option, but usually assumed by most salesmen. Base models Civics, for one, don’t have power windows. Or air conditioning. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2009, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-long-gone/508338/38 "2009-09-02T02:11:48Z")
> [@Philster](#): > > Phone booths. I see some pay phones, but I haven’t seen a phone booth in a long time. > > … > > Those little triangular windows just behind the A-pillar on cars that you could unlock with a twist of a handle and rotate them to provide air flow (as they stuck out, instead of rolling down). [http://americandreamcars.com/1964buickwc052703.htm](http://americandreamcars.com/1964buickwc052703.htm) I still see those windows, just not on cars. Some vans I’ve ridden in have them. As for the phone booths, they’ve been nearly completely phased out because they’re not accessible for people in wheelchairs or the like. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2009, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-long-gone/508338/39 "2009-09-02T02:54:31Z")
> [@treis](#): > > Do they still make those candy cigarettes? The ones I see are called “candy sticks,” but they are still packaged in a cigarette-box style package – and have red tips! My 2003 PT Cruiser has push-down door locks. They’re not golf-tee shaped, with a flare at the top, but have indentations to accommodate thumb and forefinger. The golf-tee ones are probably gone for good. Theft hazard. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2009, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-long-gone/508338/40 "2009-09-02T03:00:37Z")
The smoke shop here has given us a lovely selection of cigar boxes absolutely for free, even nice wooden ones. I have one with the words “Big Butts” etched on the top. I remember as a child the “restaurants” at the thruway rest stops serving coffee, donuts, and really really icky sandwiches, like fake egg salad on white bread, wrapped in cling wrap. All gone now, replaced by Dunkin Donuts and such. Though some of them moved into the K-Marts - there is a K-Mart with a luncheonette still surviving here. Cigarette machines. Machines in the ladies room that dispensed for a fee other things than tampons - bandaids, safety pins, hand lotion packets, perfume scented wipes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-long-gone/508338.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-long-gone/508338.md?page=3)