As technology changes and evolves, people develop a range of new skills and knowledge. Equipment and devices exist these days that were perhaps inconceivable just a few decades ago.
However, as old replaces new, certain objects become obsolete, with younger people having little idea of how to operate some objects from yesteryear. Technology can also perform a variety of tasks that once had to be done manually, leading to further lost skills. For example, typically only people born before the 1980s remember the following skills:
1. Calling Using a Rotary Phone
Clunky rotary phones inspire nostalgia for many members of older generations but leave plenty of kids puzzled by the large dial complete with finger holes. As most younger people rely on cellphones, even the curved handset of a rotary phone can look quite alien.
2. Using an Adding Machine
Developed to help bookkeepers maintain accurate records, the bulky mechanical calculator took up prime real estate on a desk. It would be pretty rare to find someone born after 1980 who would know how to use an adding machine today.
3. Diagramming Sentences
Once considered a vital skill for anyone who worked with words, creating sentence diagrams is now all but a lost art. Instead of learning proper word order through visuals, people now have a range of tools and apps to help them out.
4. Using Punctuation
According to several online users, the younger generation has lost the ability to use correct punctuation. However, in a world where short text messages and emails are much more common than formal handwritten notes and typed missives, it’s quite easy to see how punctuation could fall by the wayside.
5. Reading an Atlas
Map reading was once considered an important survival skill, and setting off on a road trip without an atlas was unthinkable. Users had to figure out which route to take and watch for road numbers—the chance of making a wrong turn was high!
With a range of handy map apps at their fingertips, many younger people are pretty clueless when it comes to following a traditional paper map.
6. Washing Clothes in a Twin Tub
With automatic washing machines now the norm, many people born after 1980 would be confused by a twin tub washing machine. Although, it’s unlikely many from the older generation miss those more arduous laundry days!
7. Using a Mangle
Keeping with the laundry theme, rotary ironers, AKA mangles, were once sought-after time-saving home appliances. Today, even if people knew how, using a mangle would definitely be cumbersome—perhaps not a bad skill to have been lost, after all.
8. Swiping Cards through a Manual Reader
A regular skill that most cashiers had in times past, many people born after 1980 would feel confused if presented with a manual card reader nowadays. Checking the numbers have been imprinted correctly on the paper before the customer signs is something youths know little about today.
9. Doing the Night Fever Dance
Although many young’uns have amazing dance moves, with elaborate routines learned from TikTok and music videos, the joy of a (Saturday) Night Fever line dance can’t be underestimated.
It’s also mainly older people who can bust out other moves from the then-popular 1977 movie. Indeed, an online community discussed a range of dances that the younger generations probably have no idea about.
10. Researching in an Encyclopedia
With Google and websites like Wikipedia at the world’s fingertips, flicking through the pages of an encyclopedia to discover facts is an outdated skill that few possess today. People no longer need to flick through the pages of large books when a wealth of updated information is accessible with just a few clicks.
11. Locating a Library Book
Although libraries still exist, finding books is so much easier now, thanks to digital catalogs. This means, though, that scouring library catalog cards and using the Dewey Decimal System to find information is lost to the younger generation.
12. Reading from a Microfiche
Back in the day, if someone wanted to access archived texts, scaled-down copies saved on microfiches were the norm. One online user comments how using microfiches made them feel like a detective, a feeling that younger people will sadly never experience.
13. Adjusting a TV Antenna
Adjusting the TV antenna was once a valuable skill, particularly in households with kids (or adults!) eager to catch their favorite programs. Many older people are likely glad they no longer have to figure out how to get the best signal.
14. Writing in Cursive
Rightly or wrongly, many online commentators feel that the younger generation has lost the art of writing in cursive. Indeed, handwriting itself is fairly out of style now, with memo and messaging apps, voice notes and similar tools leading the way.
15. Remembering Phone Numbers
Younger generations will never understand the need to memorize important phone numbers or keep a little black book. Some older people are grateful this isn’t now necessary, with one internet user stating, “After a few knocks on the head, I’m kinda happy that’s not necessary anymore”.
16. Finding a Date
Several social media users point out, tongue in cheek, that finding a date without an app is a skill that youngsters no longer possess. In the past, people met in various ways, including at work, in a bar and through mutual acquaintances, while many people today have a huge pool of potential dates with just a few swipes.
17. Rolling a Cassette Tape
Cassette tapes are now largely obsolete, replaced by easy-to-access online music solutions. Many younger people never needed the skill of rolling up a cassette tape with a pencil in one of the holes—once considered an almost essential task.
18. Using White-Out
Once upon a time, white-out saved many busy typists. Instead of needing to start over or accept mistakes in a typed document, white-out made it possible to cover up errors. Using a typewriter and fixing mistakes with white-out doesn’t feature in many younger people’s skillsets.
19. Common Sense
Just as earlier generations likely thought the same, several older online users claim that common sense is a forgotten skill for those born after 1980. However, their elders probably said something similar, as well as those before. Beating on the younger generations has been something of a pastime for centuries!
20. Playing Outside
Kids’ leisure habits are constantly evolving. While children of the past often played outdoors with their friends, kids of today stay indoors a lot, enjoying online games and communications. It’s rare to see children playing hopscotch or going on neighborhood adventures.
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Andrew Herrig is a finance expert and money nerd and the founder of Wealthy Nickel, where he writes about personal finance, side hustles, and entrepreneurship. As an avid real estate investor and owner of multiple businesses, he has a passion for helping others build wealth and shares his own family’s journey on his blog.
Andrew holds a Masters of Science in Economics from the University of Texas at Dallas and a Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering from Texas A&M University. He has worked as a financial analyst and accountant in many aspects of the financial world.
Andrew’s expert financial advice has been featured on CNBC, Entrepreneur, Fox News, GOBankingRates, MSN, and more.
