# 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:** 16
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/301 "2026-04-16T21:46:15Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > The largest retailer in the US, Walmart, still does not use tap-to-pay. It’s annoying that that’s literally like the _only_ place I have to actually pull out a physical card. I’m confused. Don’t you have to pull out your card in order to tap it? ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/302 "2026-04-16T22:02:42Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Don’t you have to pull out your card in order to tap it? Yes, but a point-of-sale terminal with tap-to-pay option will also accept a phone with Google Wallet or Apple Pay. So a user wouldn’t have to use a card, but would have to use their device. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/303 "2026-04-16T22:18:38Z")
Maybe what I’m presenting should have it’s own thread because while the actual thing is still ubiquitous, it definitely went away, and I’m not sure why it did. And that thing is…dog shit in public places. When I was growing up, you could not walk in the city and not see piles of poop on the sidewalks, on the lawns, in the alleys. People were constantly in danger of stepping in it because it was everywhere. If you were a kid playing in a park or playground, there was no way you didn’t get smeared with some occasionally, especially if your game involved rolling around on the grass. It was joked about by comedians. Rodney Dangerfield (or was it Alan King?) had a joke about having a kid walking around with dogshit in his hand, and when questioned why he said, “Dad, I almost stepped in this!” Al Jaffee did a whole piece in Mad Magazine about inventions to deal with all the dog poop. And then, I dunno, around the eighties I guess, random piles of dog shit everywhere disappeared. Okay, I know it’s because people began picking it up when they walked their dogs instead of just leaving it there, but here’s the weird thing. I don’t remember any massive “clean up after your dogs” ad campaigns being conducted. Sure, there had always “Curb your Dog” signs around, but they had always been mostly ignored. And then, it was like everyone decided at once by themselves to start cleaning up after their dogs. Hey, I think it’s great that it happened. You hardly ever see dog poop in the streets anymore. But how? I don’t remember any big public push to change how things were. There’s still litter around. It’s just strange. ---
**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 16, 2026, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/304 "2026-04-16T22:27:43Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](#): > > When I was growing up, you could not walk in the city and not see piles of poop on the sidewalks, on the lawns, in the alleys. So it didn’t become ubiquitous during your lifetime? ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/305 "2026-04-16T22:34:43Z")
> [@TokyoBayer](#): > > So it didn’t become ubiquitous during your lifetime? Joking aside, [it appears that the population explosion in urban dog-ownership was a post-WWII phenomenon,](https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/news/we-scoop-to-conquer-40-years-since-nycs-poop-scoop-law/) so if the onset of the “dog poop plague” wasn’t actually within @Two_Many_Cats2’s lifetime, it was pretty close. And then what made it go away, according to that article, was a massive shift in cultural attitudes based on escalating hostility between urban dog-lovers and urban dog-poop-haters, peaking in the 1970s. Everything from “pooper scooper” municipal laws to a dog-walking Barbie doll with a tiny poop-scoop reinforced the new perception that urban dog-owners **do** have a responsibility to remove their pets’ excrement from public spaces. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/306 "2026-04-16T23:09:10Z")
> [@robby](#): > > I took it about 20 years ago when it was open book, and brought two boxes of textbooks and reference material. I had it all tabbed for quick reference. I even printed out separately the index of my main reference to reduce time in searching for things. My only experience was with the open book version; I took a rolling suitcase with my tabbed books, copies of the indices of the important ones, and my own list of equations for quick reference. I even had a spare calculator! I completely froze. 😔 At least being a P.E. isn’t a requirement for my current job. Congrats to your son! ---
**Author:** ![sunacres](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@sunacres](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunacres)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/307 "2026-04-16T23:53:09Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](#): > > You hardly ever see dog poop in the streets anymore. This is the example I cite whenever I assert that societal change is possible and we can be hopeful for a more considerate, compassionate world. It’s pretty astonishing to me: we somehow trained people to pick up dog shit. That’s something to be proud of. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2026, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/308 "2026-04-17T00:00:22Z")
> [@sunacres](#): > > It’s pretty astonishing to me: we somehow trained people to pick up dog shit. The #1 reason I would not have a dog if I lived in a city. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2026, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/309 "2026-04-17T00:50:52Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Don’t you have to pull out your card in order to tap it? The tap is faster than inserting to read the chip, and if your Walmart is like the one near me, half the chip readers in the self checkout (the only checkout open) don’t work unless you know the trick: insert your card, give it an extra little push, and then pull up on it towards you so it makes contact with the chip reader. Back to mostly on topic: > [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](#): > > And that thing is…dog shit in public places. More things in a similar vein that also probably don’t entirely count because they didn’t become ubiquitous in our lifetime are cigarette butts everywhere, and pop-top tabs everywhere. There is still litter (though much reduced from the previous century), and the sidewalk where the smokers hang out is a mess, but other places are much cleaner than they were 30-40 years ago. ---
**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 17, 2026, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/310 "2026-04-17T03:50:44Z")
> [@echoreply](#): > > More things in a similar vein that also probably don’t entirely count because they didn’t become ubiquitous in our lifetime are cigarette butts everywhere, and pop-top tabs everywhere. Yes, they don’t count but does anyone remember the push tabs of the late 70s? Those caught on but then got replaced by the pull tabs. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2026, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/311 "2026-04-17T04:17:39Z")
> [@TokyoBayer](#): > > Yes, they don’t count but does anyone remember the push tabs of the late 70s? Like this? I do remember them, but they weren’t around for very long. [![](https://i.redd.it/fdchqmoyv1iz.jpg) ](https://i.redd.it/fdchqmoyv1iz.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2026, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/312 "2026-04-17T04:25:01Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > My example, which I haven’t noticed in this thread, is the video game arcade. I’m sure there are some still around, but they used to be in every mall. Apparently, like vinyl records, they’re making a comeback. I’ve seen a few new ones that have opened in the last couple of years. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2026, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/313 "2026-04-17T04:26:42Z")
> [@echoreply](#): > > More things in a similar vein that also probably don’t entirely count because they didn’t become ubiquitous in our lifetime are cigarette butts everywhere, and pop-top tabs everywhere. There is still litter (though much reduced from the previous century), and the sidewalk where the smokers hang out is a mess, but other places are much cleaner than they were 30-40 years ago. You also don’t see cans and bottles as litter in states which have enacted deposit laws. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2026, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/314 "2026-04-17T04:36:24Z")
Small appliances and glassware as gifts for opening a bank account. I don’t know how far back it goes, maybe my parent’s generation. But it definitely was ubiquitous when I was a kid. Private dinner clubs. In the 70’s all the local parental cliques had one. They were a little like the Moose or the Elks, but without all that inconvenient service work. Often they rented out a restaurant’s facility on the night it was otherwise closed. And maybe not completely gone, but dinner theater was really popular in the 70’s. My Dad hated it, but I loved to go. I seem to recall a few highly reported food poisoning incidents at some of them. And just overall “getting out of the house” is not the purposeful goal that it used to be. Cheerfulness. It used to be a point of pride for people to maintain morale and buck each other up. “Sad sacks” were frowned upon. Now optimistic people are almost considered dim-witted. Possibly a reality-based shift. I remember a lady who sang in a small choir being interviewed in the 80’s. She said there was just no money in it any more. “There used to be a market for people who sang cheerfully and smiled.” Her little choir had done Ed Sullivan and other such shows back in the day. ---
**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 17, 2026, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/315 "2026-04-17T05:07:44Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > > [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > > > The largest retailer in the US, Walmart, still does not use tap-to-pay. It’s annoying that that’s literally like the _only_ place I have to actually pull out a physical card. > > I’m confused. Don’t you have to pull out your card in order to tap it? No, I tap my phone or Watch. ---
**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 17, 2026, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/316 "2026-04-17T05:24:31Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > . But it definitely was ubiquitous when I was a kid. The OP is looking for things that become ubiquitous during your lifetime. ---
**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 17, 2026, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/317 "2026-04-17T11:25:34Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Like this? I do remember them, but they weren’t around for very long. There were a lot of variants of can openings that didn’t have a “key” you had to dispose of at the time. It was a sort of “competition” of designs, kinda like a tin can version of the Ediacarian Fauna, and lots of forms that ultimately did not survive were tested. This two-circle deisn was one of them, and I liked it. It’s too bad that it lost out to the design we currently use. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2026, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/318 "2026-04-17T11:58:45Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Like this? I do remember them, but they weren’t around for very long. The only cans I recall that had this design were Coors beer. And it was quite short-lived, IIRC. ---
**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 17, 2026, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/319 "2026-04-17T12:16:50Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > The only cans I recall that had this design were Coors beer. And it was quite short-lived, IIRC. I got them on Coca Cola cans in New England. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2026, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/320 "2026-04-17T12:17:03Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > > [@Voyager](#): > > > > My example, which I haven’t noticed in this thread, is the video game arcade. I’m sure there are some still around, but they used to be in every mall. > > Apparently, like vinyl records, they’re making a comeback. I’ve seen a few new ones that have opened in the last couple of years. I used to be optimistic about the future of arcades since there were at one point four of them in my medium sized city, but that has reduced to just one in the past couple of years. Unfortunately, I never tried any of them _until_ they had dwindled to the one, because I did try to go to the last one last year but it was too crowded so I skipped out. So apparently there is still a desire for them, but perhaps not enough money in it to meet all the demand, sort of like golf courses. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180.md?page=15) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180.md?page=17)