# What became ubiquitous then went away in your lifetime? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 10, 2026, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180 "2026-04-10T22:01:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/241 "2026-04-15T01:17:46Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > The prohibition of flying supersonic over land, and the extremely high operational costs, signalled the death-knell of the Concorde. The fatal crash of the Air France flight that finally finished it off would not have been such a big deal if the plane was not already doomed for all those other reasons. Way too late to edit, but a few other things worth noting. The fatal crash of a 707, operating as Air France flight 007 in 1962, occurred at Orly, not the same airport as CDG where the Concorde crashed, but a similar international airport serving Paris. It was an early model 707, and the crash was due to mechnical failure. DId it doom the 707? No, it certainly did not. Furthermore, the Concorde crash at CDG of Air France 4590 was **not** due to mechanical failure. It was due to metal debris falling off on the immediately preceding takeoff of a Continental Airlines DC-10. It’s only a slight exaggeration to say that the DC-10 and its immediate successors were infamous for having parts falling off all over the place, notably cargo doors and engines. At one point it was grounded for a little over a month, and then restored to service, where parts continued falling off. The Concorde was taken out of service in eventual recognition of the fact that it had never really been a good idea, and for which there was little demand or profitability, not because of mechanical faults. In short, the 707 was a good airplane that went through teething pains in the early days of the jet age, like the Comet before it. The Concorde was a good plane that nobody wanted or needed. The DC-10 was a piece of shit. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/242 "2026-04-15T01:39:57Z")
Cigarette machines were always around in my lifetime, but if the bans on them had not occurred, I’d suggest that they would have become obsolete regardless of the decline in smoking. First, few if any, took bills, and as the price of cigarettes increased, the amount of change they required grew. I recall pumping eight quarters into one once, which amount of quarters I rarely carried. The clerk at the pizza joint where this machine was could make change for me, though. After that, I just made sure that used bills to get enough smokes over the counter from the corner store. Next, as smoking bans hit bars and restaurants and bowling alleys and the like, there was little point in installing a cigarette machine where cigarettes could not be smoked. Once again, just go to the corner store, gas station, whatever, sells them in person. You don’t need a machine. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/243 "2026-04-15T02:00:40Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > It may depend on the airline I guess so. I exclusively fly United and like I said can only remember once not having them, on a very short 2 hour flight in 2015. And they have hundreds of movies and tv shows to watch including many new movies. My parents fly Delta or JetBlue and they always have them as well. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/244 "2026-04-15T02:03:13Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Never would’ve guessed that the beachside suburb populated by a mix of beach bums, aging hippies, and New Money tech industry gentrifiers where I grew up was the birthplace of 1-hour photo. I don’t think Fotomat was ever a 1-hr photo facility. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/245 "2026-04-15T02:05:45Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > I don’t think Fotomat was ever a 1-hr photo facility You’re probably right. Guess it’d be hard to fit a darkroom into a drive-up hut. I took a photography class in community college in the early 2000s just before film photo became obsolete. Developing film by hand is a pain in the ass. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/246 "2026-04-15T02:13:21Z")
Come to think of it I bet 1 hour photo killed Fotomat. Because even in the best case for Fotomat, where you have to make a special trip to drop the 1 hour film off and then come back, but the Fotomat is right on your way, waiting at least a day for convenience is equally as convenient as making a special trip and waiting just an hour. And that’s assuming that you wouldn’t have gone to the photo place anyway. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/247 "2026-04-15T04:40:47Z")
I often fly discount airlines here in Asia and they don’t. When I can get a good price on the normal airlines, they will have them. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/248 "2026-04-15T04:43:22Z")
I wonder if digital watches count as a big-then-gone thing, as they are still around, and the smart-watch is almost nearly similar. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/249 "2026-04-15T05:43:09Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > (I also expected that multi-tiered airplanes would be much more common than they actually are, due to the seemingly fantastic setup being featured matter-of-factly in a Richard Scarry book, with the passenger just walking up to the next level of the plane like it happened every day. When the 747 was first introduced, I remember reading a magazine article or something that showed images of a luxurious two tiered interior, with a bar on the upper level featuring a piano! My first flight on a 747 was a great disappointment. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/250 "2026-04-15T06:08:50Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > I wonder if digital watches count as a big-then-gone thing, as they are still around, and the smart-watch is almost nearly similar. I wear a cheap-ass digital watch that I got off Amazon for south of $20. It does exactly what I need it to do, which is tell me what time it is and time how long it’s been since I clocked out for my lunch break so I’m not late clocking back in. Anything smarter than that can be handled by the computer in my pocket, and if I’m in a situation where I can’t pull it out to look at it, I probably wouldn’t want to be distracted by the thing on my wrist either. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/251 "2026-04-15T08:13:41Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > When the 747 was first introduced, I remember reading a magazine article or something that showed images of a luxurious two tiered interior, with a bar on the upper level featuring a piano! My first flight on a 747 was a great disappointment. The _Hindenburg_ had a baby grand. Not sure how ubiquitous those Zeppelins were, though. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/252 "2026-04-15T11:03:37Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > Cigarette vending machines? They are banned in many countries now. I remember one machine in Germany right by the railroad tracks which dispensed packs of smokes, condoms, and sterile syringes and needles. I’ve been in Germany dseveral times recently, and noticed several cigarette vending machines. There were ones in rstaurants that reminded me of the ones they used to have in American rsdtaurants. And there were battle-hardened ones outdoors where there were no other vending machines nearby, like near a bus stop or a factory. I would’ve liked, say, a Coke machine near the place I was, but all there was was a cigarette machine. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/253 "2026-04-15T11:37:53Z")
I’ve heard of those old cigarette vending machines being repurposed to sell books, including novels, collections of poetry and so forth. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/254 "2026-04-15T11:45:34Z")
**Beer Machines** When I joined a U.S. intelligence agency in the mid-1980s, there were beer machines in the cafeteria. They appeared to be repurposed soda machines, dispensing 12-ounce cans of brew. The rumor was that employees would go out for lunch, have a few too many, and get pulled over. This supposedly led to confrontations between agency leadership and local law enforcement. Installing the beer machines allowed employees to get tanked at lunch without leaving the premises, and stagger harmlessly back to work. (It was a different era). The beer machines disappeared around the same time as cigarette machines, when smoking was banned in offices. ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/255 "2026-04-15T12:03:39Z")
Kind of a niche category, but what about _great public service announcements_? Think about it, you used to have highly memorable and impactful ones all the time like the crying native American during the 1970s, or the frying pan and ‘this is your brain on drugs’ during the 1980s, or the talking crash test dummies in the 1990’s. When was the last time you remember seeing a memorable PSA? ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/256 "2026-04-15T12:22:46Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > > [@markn\_1](#): > > > > When the 747 was first introduced, I remember reading a magazine article or something that showed images of a luxurious two tiered interior, with a bar on the upper level featuring a piano! My first flight on a 747 was a great disappointment. > > The _Hindenburg_ had a baby grand. Not sure how ubiquitous those Zeppelins were, though. dont get me started on disappointments concerning the Hindenburg … ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/257 "2026-04-15T12:28:45Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > I wonder if digital watches count as a big-then-gone thing, as they are still around, and the smart-watch is almost nearly similar. good one … a good part of (non-niche) wristwatches sold between 1975 and 2000 were digitals … and it nearly killed the swiss (and actually killed the american and british) watch industry. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/258 "2026-04-15T17:01:38Z")
Pocket calculators. I admit I’m fudging this one a little bit since they first appeared in the 1970s and I was born in 1980, but I’m going to assume the 80s are when they really became cheap and ubiquitous. Sure, you’ve got calculator apps on your phone and PC, but can you remember the last time you used a standalone calculator? Really smartphones have replaced a lot of individual items that used to be ubiquitous, many of which have already been mentioned in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/259 "2026-04-15T18:24:15Z")
That’s something I’m having some difficulty with. Streaming replaced MP3 players which replaced CDs which replaced cassette tapes which replaced vinyl records, even though they all play music. But everything is different about them, from how the music is stored to how it is played.But with some items, I wonder where is the line between item A no longer exists and was replaced by item B and item B is an different/improved version of item A . I mean, you wouldn’t say cash registers disappeared becasue the ones in common use today are so differnt than those used in teh 60s. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/260 "2026-04-15T18:28:14Z")
I have a pocket calculator on my computer desk that I use regularly. It’s faster than starting the computer’s own calculator app, and my phone is often in another room. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180.md?page=14)