# 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:** 49
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2026, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/961 "2026-10-11T23:32:55Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > bank gifts for opening an account They’re still common in Canada, although I don’t think you can actually pick up a new toaster (say) at a bank branch. E.g. an iPad > **[New Bank Account Offers in Canada | Open an Eligible RBC Chequing Account and...](https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/bank-accounts/new-bank-accounts-offers-canada.html?utm_id=23220474426&utm_dc=ga_SEG_23220474426_193719578592_796959477568_kwd-374017754637_c_g_&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23220474426&gbraid=0AAAAAD6XomvfwdN5BvlIEcT9ug50k6swL&gclid=CjwKCAjw56zWBhB0EiwAdPOQOSdjaDYxPKrWHNqXORboDN5IaA-9VmMu0MCzLHnBGTmf81_QAhQSzRoC7fIQAvD_BwE)** > > Open an eligible bank account with RBC and get the new iPad as a special offer! Explore our chequing account features and enjoy exclusive rewards. Apply now and start banking smarter with RBC! ---
**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:** [October 12, 2026, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/962 "2026-10-12T16:15:11Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > Have bank gifts for opening an account been mentioned? I certainly haven’t see any in quite a while. Depends on what you mean by “gifts”. Yeah, I haven’t seen physical gifts like toasters and glassware from banks in quite a while. But I’ve definitely gotten flyers from banks recently with offers like “Get a $300 bonus! Just open a new checking account and receive at least two qualifying direct deposits within 75 days.” So if anything, banks have switched from physical gifts to cash gifts. Which is probably more effective. Not everyone needs or wants a new toaster, but who doesn’t want free money? And I’m sure it’s easier for the bank to not have to stock all those toasters or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2026, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/963 "2026-10-12T18:37:45Z")
In the 1980s the banks were not allowed to give out money. That was the whole point. They could not pay interest on checking accounts (and NOW accounts had a ceiling on interest rates well below what treasuries were paying) which is why they would compete for your business by giving you non monetary incentives. I studied Commercial Bank Management in the 1980s in college. The deregulation that was ongoing at the time and continued for the next decade made half of what I was taught obsolete. But even in 1984 the idea that banks were giving away toasters and curlers was considered a sign that the regulatory model was broken. And soon the S&L crisis would underline that point. ---
**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:** [October 12, 2026, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/964 "2026-10-12T19:46:19Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > Have bank gifts for opening an account been mentioned? I certainly haven’t see any in quite a while. Bank gifts for opening an account started in the 1920s and was pretty common by the mid 1930s. So did that really become ubiquitous in your lifetime? Oh, just noticed the user name. Never mind. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2026, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/965 "2026-10-12T21:54:46Z")
Saw someone with a standalone MP3 player today. That has been thoroughly covered in the thread already. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/966 "2026-10-16T16:12:15Z")
The thread title is ambiguous. I read it as the item _became_ ubiquitous then went away within your lifetime, not “was introduced and went away in your lifetime”. So something like a waterbed would count for me. Introduced in the 1960s, but didn’t become really popular until the late 1970s/early 80s, and has since become unpopular. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/967 "2026-10-16T18:09:07Z")
Tuning to channel 3 to watch something on your VCR or to play a video game. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2026, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/968 "2026-10-17T02:58:21Z")
> [@bump](#): > > The thread title is ambiguous. The OP’s explanation isn’t, though. ---
**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:** [October 19, 2026, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/969 "2026-10-19T21:20:36Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > I just a text to my Verizon phone from my gmail account. Sorry I brought up email to text gateways in this thread and reminded Verizon theirs is still running. I’m not sure when exactly they first announced the closing, but the service will be gone by the end of March, 2027. > **[Notice to Customers: Shutdown of email to Vtext and VZWPix | Verizon Support](https://www.verizon.com/support/vtext-vzwpix-shutdown/)** > > Notice to customers for discontinuation of Vtext.com and VZWPix.com on 3/31/27. ---
**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:** [October 19, 2026, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/970 "2026-10-19T21:40:17Z")
I’m pretty sure the only messages I ever got from one of those email to text gateways were spam, back when AT&T still had theirs. I kind of wonder what the ratio of legitimate users to spammers was. ---
**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:** [October 22, 2026, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/971 "2026-10-22T18:41:58Z")
This only counts because of my tautological definition. Getting mail _for me_ at _my work_ became ubiquitous, and then went away almost completely. I can’t even remember the last time I received any non-package mail at work, including junk mail. Even when it was a daily thing, it was mostly junk mail, but business correspondence was common. I remember Apple used to send me a letter every time I bought a Mac for someone. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/972 "2026-10-22T23:14:01Z")
If you watch the opening credits of the original run of _Roseanne_, in their kitchen is a roll of **blue** paper towels (which never runs out!) Colored paper towels, toilet paper, paper napkins, and facial tissues were quite common in the 1960s to the 1980s, usually in some shade of blue, green, or pink. I remember the big brouhaha about the dyes they were using, and how they’re terrible for sewage systems and the environment. Now the only non-white options seems to be some border patterns. ---
**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:** [October 23, 2026, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/973 "2026-10-23T02:42:06Z")
Has anyone mentioned dot matrix printers yet? ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2026, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/974 "2026-10-23T03:36:17Z")
This probably won’t apply to this board’s demographics, but: Crown air fresheners Hubcap spinners 20-inch rims ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2026, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/975 "2026-10-23T08:00:13Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > Hubcap spinners _My rims don’t spin - to the contrary, You’ll find that they’re quite stationary_ — “Weird Al” Yankovic, “White and Nerdy” ---
**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:** [October 23, 2026, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/976 "2026-10-23T10:05:51Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Has anyone mentioned dot matrix printers yet? I was curious enough to look it up, and apparently you can still buy the pin-feed paper, though I haven’t seen any in real life in a long time. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2026, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/977 "2026-10-23T12:17:43Z")
In 2020 we attempted to acquire a company and I was put on site for due diligence and integration planning. I was floored to find that a lot of their reporting was on green bar tractor feed paper coming off mainframe systems. The acquisition did not go through. But from what I hear from the friends I made there, they are still using those systems. They have closed most of their stores by now, mostly the good ones. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2026, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/978 "2026-10-23T12:23:51Z")
For something so ubiquitous, people seem to be forgetting that those mainframe line printers were not dot-matrix. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2026, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/979 "2026-10-23T12:32:39Z")
Some of us were children when they became ubiquitous:-) ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2026, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/980 "2026-10-23T16:18:27Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > > [@jnglmassiv](#): > > > > Another one popped into my head: **eraseable ballpoint pens.** > > If you do crossword puzzles in pen, as I do, those were great! I didn’t realize those were no longer available. My mother always used those for crossword puzzles. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180.md?page=48) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180.md?page=50)