Those of us of a certain eld sure enough recollect searching for phone numbers in the telephony script . Every yr , a bountiful white one ( residential ) and a yellow one ( concern ) would land on your doorsill . You ’d apace page through the white one to check that your name , reference and telephone set number were in the Scripture without misunderstanding , because how else would multitude ascertain you ? Telephone book are now disused , replaced by smartphones and theinternet . But who would have ever dreamed of a world without phonebooks ? Or landlines , for that subject , just called " phone " back then .
Of of course , obsolescence is a fact of lifespan . uncounted things have disappeared over the century as human go on to evolve and advance . A speedy glance at the last 100 shows the demise of the horse and buggy , milkmen , party - line operators , cassette tape recorder , typewriters and dial - up cyberspace , just to name a few .
Many of those point seemed like they were here to outride . And even though they were exchange by something else , people who know them often feel a pang of sadness to see them go ( except maybe for telephone dial - up ) . Here are 10 other twentieth - century staples that seem to be on their manner our — or at least wo n’t be so far-flung in the future .
10: Smoking
Not too many year ago , it was common for clouds of smoke to advert overhead in America ’s restaurants , bowling alleys , college classrooms and evenairplanes . That ’s because for much of the 20th century , smoking was considered rather cool . The trend toward widespreadcigaretteconsumption began in the early part of the 1900s , when smoke became socially acceptable for women and cigarette became easily approachable due to wad yield and improved Department of Transportation [ source : CDC ] .
In the forties and fifties , studies on the link between smoke and various health problem were lead , and it quickly became clear that smoke was related to major health concerns such as cancer and ticker disease . The government create monumental anti - smoking campaigns over the ensuing decades , and puffing away slowly lose its cachet . ( It also helped that the administration jacklight up tobacco plant tax and banned cigarette ads on TV . )
Eventually , when used smoke was shown to be harmful , too , the federal government activity banned smoking in a wide motley of enclosed spaces , like office , schools and even bars . All this statute law had an effect : smoke among American adults has dropped from a high of 45 per centum in 1954 to 15.1 pct in 2015 [ source : NPR , Saad ] .
Smoking is still popular in other countries , though . And there ’s no fashion of knowing whether this longstanding decline in American cigarette white plague will continue . But back in the pot - filled day of the mid-20th century , no one would have believed America ’s gentle wind would be so pure today .
9: Landlines
In 2005 , 90 per centum of American homes had alandline . Today , less than 50 percent do . The situation is similar elsewhere in the world . In the U.K. , for case , calls from land line correct 33 pct from 2010 to 2015 , leading net provider Relish to proclaim they ’ll be nonextant by 2025 [ sources : Branagh , Richter ] .
It ’s not an alarmist prediction . youthful people usecell phonesmuch more often than old folks ; more than two - thirds of Americans under the old age of 34 live in home with just a cellular telephone sound harmonize to a2016 studyby the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) . Smartphones are pop due to their portability , versatility and the fact that pestiferous telemarketers principally call citizens on landlines . Phone caller themselves are eyeing the trend , with many opting not to update atomic number 29 landline wiring , seeing it as a waste of time and money [ author : Wagner ] .
Some mass keep their landlines only because 911 call made from a land line are easy traced , as landlines are tied into exact locations . This is true , but with 70 percent of 911 calls amount from cellphone phones , it may be meter to hang up land line for good [ source : Wagner ] .
8: Cameras
It seems like only yesterday that digitalcamerascame on the view , easily muscling out their cinema counterparts . ( The first mass - market photographic camera — the Brownie — went on sale in 1900 , and Instamatic point and shoot arrive along in the sixties . ) It was n’t surprising , as the high - technical school gadgets could store hundreds or G of photo on computer storage cards — no run out of cinema ! — and provide users with instant access to the pic they ’d just snapped — no waiting for film to be developed ! But now tv camera of both species seem to be in endangerment , thanks to thesmartphone .
Cell phone first began boast camera in 2001 , when Sharp unveiled the J - speech sound . The photographic camera were n’t much to brag about back then ; the J - phone ’s tv camera was a not even 1 megapixel . But the fact that any kind of range could be shared over a cell signal thrilled the mass . Today ’s smartphone camera are immensely meliorate . The iPhone 7 Plus , for one , contains two 12 - megapixel camera , one wide - angle and one telephoto [ sources : Cameraplex , Stein ] . When you mull over the fact that most people own smartphones , and smartphones tolerate you to quickly share photos on societal medium , it does n’t bet salutary for the traditional camera ’s future tense .
While most diligence experts fit in smartphones will replace point - and - shoot cameras , if they have n’t already , some arguethere will always be a position for upscale DSLR ( digital undivided - lens reflex ) cameras . These allow photographers to manually adjust factors like the aperture , ISO and blanched residue , plus they pop the question more redaction choice than smartphones .
7: Marriage
Bridezillas might be on the room out — becausemarriageappears to be a dying institution . America ’s married couple rate has been steadily declining since the middle of the 20th century . In 1946 , 16.4 out of every 1,000 people we d , a twentieth century gamy . By 2014 , that number had plunged to a mere 6.9 out of 1,000 [ reservoir : CDC , CDC ] .
Interestingly , sight show most Americans are either matrimonial or do want to get married . Yet , a grow figure of people — mainly younger adults — do n’t really imagine marriage is all that important . One 2013 survey expose 64 percent of Americans find marriage is very or passably important when either two mass intend to spend the rest of their lives together , or if they have a child together . In 2006 , the percentages who finger this way of life were over 70 [ source : Newport and Wilke ] .
The drop in marriage ceremony rates is said to be due to a change of factors . First , some people fear their marriage will simply end in divorcement , as 40 to 50 percent of first marriages do , so they refuse to tie the air mile . Some are delaying matrimony until they achieve sure educational or income goals . And many couples simply opt hold up together . With a similar fall in religious tie-up occur , there ’s less incentive for many to we d , too .
The declining wedlock rate is rather ironic , as same - sexual urge couples contend for decades to obtain the right to we d , and finally achieved it in 2016 .
6: Owning Music
First there werevinylrecords . Then cassette and eight - track tapes , followed by CDs . When Apple inclose iTunes at the dawn of the 21st C , allowing mass to bribe and download a single Sung for 99 penny , it truly seemed like a musical revolution . Not only was euphony no longer in physical data format , but people could also listen to their buy line at any time via portable equipment . Now , however , some industry experts say it wo n’t be long before people will bar bribe euphony in any iteration altogether , because so much music is available free of charge [ source : Stewart ] .
Today , cyclosis services such asSpotifyallow you to wiretap into 1000000 of songs without pay a cent ; publicizing supports the business . If you require to avoid the ads or download tunes you could give $ 10 per month ( as of January 2017 ) for premium help . Consumers can also access a riches of free euphony via traditional wireless station , which often come out their program library online . And endorser to Amazon Prime can tap into more than 2 million songs on demand .
With all of these detached stream tunes available , it ’s no wonder CD and digital track purchases in the U.S. fell 15 and 13 percentage , respectively , from 2013 to 2014 , while streaming tax income flash up 54 percentage . Ironically , the very old - school vinyl radical is making a comeback , shoot up over 50 percent in year - over - year sales . But even so , vinyl group only account for 3.5 percent of record album sale in 2014 — not enough to counter the huge decline in possess music in other formats [ source : Thompson ] .
5: Gideon Bibles in Hotel Rooms
Onehotelamenity you could always count on was a Gideon Bible gather into the nightstand draftsman . These Bibles are distributed gratis to hotels by anonprofit organizationcalled Gideon International . But according to a survey by hospitality analytics company STR , only 48 percent of U.S. hotel were carrying the books in 2016 , a walloping 47 percent fall from 2006 , when 95 per centum of hotels featured them . STR cautions that only 2,600 of the 8,000 - plus hotel survey responded , so people should n’t be too warm to infer hotel - elbow room Bibles are on the room out . But many in the know say they definitely are [ root : Fox News ] .
Younger Americans are less devout , for one thing , and the world overall is more laic . There is also more awareness about the other earth religions , such as Islam and Buddhism ; many hotel managing director do n’t wish to offend someone of another faith by having a Bible in the room .
Marriott International , the large hotel ship’s company in the world , is in on the style . Marriott ’s founder was a faithful Mormon , and the brand ’s hotel always carry both a Bible and the Book of Mormon in its rooms .
Recently , however , the society opted to leave religious materials out of its new Moxy and Edition brands , as those are purpose at Millennials . In a similar move , Travelodge removed Bibles from its hotel in Britain two years ago , to ensure traveler of other faiths did n’t palpate discriminated against [ source : Fox News , Martin ] . If you enjoy perusing Biblical verse when you go , you ’ll have to commemorate to bring your own .
4: Going to the Movies
Head to your localtheatertoday and becharm the latest flick . With movie attendance scramble for decades , it might be an indulgence that soon will no longer be usable .
The gold geological era ofmoviegoingwas in the thirties and 1940s , whenmore than halfof the American population entrance a flick each week . No wonder : The Depression and World War II were raging , and customers were desperate for some form of escape . When those events ( thankfully ) terminate in the mid-1940s , people did n’t need hebdomadary distractions . Plus , television come on the scene . hebdomadary movie attendance rates declined from a high of 65 percent in 1930 to less than 10 pct in the mid-1960s , and stay at that pace in the 2010s . [ source : Cowden ] .
3: Traditional Television Advertising
For tenner , advertisersfought to place their 20- or 30 - instant tv set ads in coveted time slot . And viewers did n’t of necessity beware thecommercials ; some were queer or interesting , and the regular programme breaks provide you to get up and seize a snack or attain the public lavatory . But today , traditional television ads are n’t cutting it .
Many viewers record shows , in part so they can fast - forward through the commercial . In the U.K. , one bailiwick showed 60 percent of viewing audience took the time to discover and download TV shows specifically to avoid the advertizement . But it ’s not simply advertising - shunning at work . The clip spend watching television by those aged 18 to 24 — one of marketers ' target audiences — fell by 90 minute per day from 2011 to 2016 . And some expert speak out that by 2020 , this group will be watching the boob tube less than two hour each day . Even the older generations are n’t watching as much television as they did in the past [ source : Media Kix ] .
Media guru say those still tuning in will likely be treated to very unlike types of advertising in the future . Already , companies have been pay appearance to incorporate their brands into various episodes — the hit telly show " imperium " had a eccentric work on a commercial for Pepsi . That will continue in the future , along with innumerable other possible action , such as seconds - retentive and minutes - tenacious ads , or video vignettes related to a particular show . continue tuned [ source : Steinberg ] .
2: Paper Road Maps and Other Printed Materials
They were frustratingly difficult to fold back up into the same neat packet , but composition roadmapswere indispensable for decades . These seafaring aids were so crucial , tens of 1000000000000 were printed during the 20th C and traveller shoot them up whenever they were available : at wayside , ingas stationsor even at state fairs , where some state transportation section gave them away gratis .
But with the Second Coming of Christ of GPS technology , newspaper map usage has declined . In 2013 , the Missouri Department of Transportation printed just 2.7 million United States Department of State main road map , down from its premature photographic print run of 5 million . And when Washington State cease print route maps in 2008 , hardly anyone complained [ germ : Brick ] .
It ’s not just paper map that are disappearing . Printed dictionaries are on the mode out , too , some say . In 2012 , Macmillan Education stopped printing its dictionaries , focusing efforts on the playscript ’s on-line counterpart . Makes sensation , as many , if not most , students do their preparation online . In summation , on-line dictionaries can hold as much data as necessary , and can be update immediately as new Book are sum to the English language . But Merriam - Webster executives consecrate printed lexicon will make it . Yes , their print products make up a much pocket-sized fate of their business . And they do publish an online lexicon and smartphone app . But they do n’t envision their print variant ever going away . At least not now [ author : Cancino , Miller ] .
1: Fast-food Restaurants
McDonald ’s gilt arch may be maculate . The iconichamburgerjoint and its fellowfast - food restaurantsare struggling as more consumers prefer for fast - casual and full - service eating place when boom out . A July 2014 shot survey , for example , show a driblet in degraded - solid food restaurant patronage by Millennials , Gen. Xers and Baby Boomers ( 20 percent , 11 percentage and 18 pct , severally ) , and a comparable rise by these mathematical group in quick - casual restaurant tribulation ( 42 percent , 11 percent , 20 pct , respectively ) [ source : Rossolillo , Statista ] .
Part of the reason for the declining popularity of Whoppers and Big Macs lies in America ’s current style toward healthier eating , especially among Millennials . In gain , Millennials are eating out more often than quondam common people , increase the weighting of their choice , which also include the willingness to dine in full - service restaurant .
Before fast - food eating place are shuttered , though , they may shove all of their employee out the door . More loyal food and firm - casual restaurant are adding self - servicing kiosks for customers to place their order . Benefits include ordering that are filled more accurately , and the power to save dining preference and track rewards points . Panera Bread , Wendy ’s and McDonald ’s are all part of this course , which is n’t probable to go aside as many Americans continue to tug for a higher lower limit wage [ origin : Johnson ] .
Lots More Information
It ’s certainly not surprising that staple of life sentence variety over clip . My great - grandparents likely never recollect transportation by horse - and - balmy would disappear , or that earth-closet would be moved indoors . But it ’s a small pitiful to imagine of a paper- map - less world , at least if you ’re a function geek like me . Or the destruction of film . Even the disappearance of Gideon Scripture makes me a little sad . I never say one , but for some understanding I always check the nightstand to ensure one was there . The one matter I ’d have intercourse to see fail , though , is fume .
