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1. Knocker-Up (or Knocker-Upper)
Imagine a world where your morning didn’t start with the buzz of an alarm clock, but with a sharp rap on your window from a long wooden stick. That was the daily reality for countless workers in 19th-century Britain, thanks to knocker-ups. These early risers made the rounds before dawn, tapping on glass or even shooting peas at bedroom windows to rouse their clients. It was a trusted role, often passed down through generations, and required a strong sense of punctuality and responsibility. Yet, with the arrival of affordable wind-up alarm clocks in the late 1800s, the knocker-up’s services slid into irrelevance almost overnight. The world simply moved on, and by the 1920s, most cities no longer needed a human alarm. The humble alarm clock, cheap and reliable, rang the final bell for these human wake-up calls.
2. Leech Collector
Wading waist-deep into muddy ponds, leech collectors braved biting, slippery creatures for the sake of medicine. In the 18th and 19th centuries, doctors believed leeches could cure everything from headaches to infections through bloodletting. The demand soared so high that some ponds were nearly emptied of their leech populations. Collectors, often women and children, would let leeches latch onto their bare legs to gather them more easily—a job as unpleasant as it sounds. But as medical science advanced and bloodletting was debunked as a cure-all, the bottom fell out of the leech market. Today, leeches are rarely used, and when they are, they’re farmed in labs, not plucked from wild ponds.
3. Rat Catcher
During the grim days of the Black Death and well beyond, rat catchers risked their lives to keep the rodent population in check. Armed with traps, dogs, and sometimes even their bare hands, they braved dark alleys and filthy basements, knowing the diseases these creatures carried could be deadly. Their work was crucial in cities where sanitation was poor and rats ran rampant. As city infrastructure improved and scientific pest control methods took over, rat catchers found themselves outpaced by professionals with better tools and safer techniques. By the mid-20th century, catching rats was no longer a job for the brave few—it became part of organized, regulated pest control.
4. Resurrectionist (Body Snatcher)
Medical schools in the 19th century desperately needed cadavers for anatomical study, but laws strictly limited legal donations. Enter the resurrectionists—body snatchers who exhumed fresh graves under the cover of darkness. It was a dangerous, secretive job, often met with public outrage and harsh punishment if caught. Their unsavory work fueled both medical progress and moral panic, with some even resorting to murder to meet demand. Eventually, legislation changed: the Anatomy Act in the UK (1832) and similar laws elsewhere allowed for legal body donation, ending the gruesome era of grave robbing for science.
5. Lector
In cigar factories from Cuba to the U.S., the lector’s voice echoed above the clatter of machinery. These skilled readers entertained and informed workers by reading newspapers, novels, and political texts aloud during long shifts. The practice fostered a sense of culture and community on the factory floor, even inspiring worker solidarity and strikes. However, the spread of radio and recorded entertainment in the early 20th century made the lector obsolete. Workers preferred the novelty and variety of electronic media, so the lector’s once-valued presence faded away.
6. Powder Monkey
On the smoky decks of 18th and 19th-century warships, powder monkeys—often boys as young as 10—dashed between gunpowder stores and cannons, ferrying explosive charges under enemy fire. Their small size made them ideal for navigating tight ship corridors quickly, but the work was perilous, with a single spark spelling disaster for all aboard. As naval warfare modernized and ammunition techniques evolved, the need for human powder runners vanished. Safer, automated systems replaced the powder monkey, sparing future generations from this harrowing childhood job.
7. Ice Cutter
Before the hum of refrigerators filled kitchens, people relied on ice harvested from lakes and rivers to keep their food fresh. Ice cutters braved bitter winters, chiseling and hauling massive blocks of ice to be stored in icehouses and shipped to homes and businesses. It was backbreaking, seasonal work, and entire communities depended on their labor. The arrival of affordable electric refrigeration in the early 20th century changed everything—the ice trade, once worth millions, collapsed almost overnight. Today, the sight of horses dragging ice across a frozen lake belongs only to history books.
8. Switchboard Operator
In the golden age of the telephone, switchboard operators—mostly women—were the connective tissue of society. Their nimble fingers danced across switchboards, plugging and unplugging cables to connect calls across cities and continents. The work demanded attention, patience, and lightning-fast reflexes. Operators often served as the first point of contact in emergencies, sometimes saving lives with their quick action. Yet with the invention of automated switching systems in the 1960s and 70s, their role rapidly dwindled. By the 1980s, the human operator was largely a thing of the past, replaced by digital technology.
9. Pinsetter (Bowling Alley)
Long before automatic pinsetting machines, bowling alleys relied on teenage boys to reset pins by hand. Pinsetters crouched behind the lanes, dodging flying bowling balls and working at a frantic pace, especially on busy nights. The job was physically demanding and sometimes dangerous, with little pay for a lot of sweat. When the first automatic pinsetters appeared in the 1950s, bowling alleys everywhere embraced the machines. The human pinsetter quickly became obsolete, remembered only by those who once spent their evenings in the pit.
10. Lamp Lighter
Nightfall in 19th-century cities meant it was time for the lamp lighters to get to work. Armed with long poles and ladders, they moved from street to street, lighting gas lamps and later returning to extinguish them at dawn. The job required agility, punctuality, and a tolerance for all weather. Urban safety and nightlife depended on their work. However, as cities electrified and electric streetlights became standard in the early 1900s, the need for lamp lighters vanished almost overnight. Their romantic glow now survives mostly in old paintings and nostalgia.
11. Milkman
The sight of the milkman’s clinking bottles was once a morning ritual in towns and cities around the world. Milkmen delivered fresh dairy to customers’ doors, often building long-standing relationships with the families they served. They sometimes brought eggs, bread, or even news along with their deliveries. As supermarkets proliferated and home refrigeration became common in the late 20th century, the daily visit from the milkman faded away. Today, only a handful of specialty services keep the tradition alive for nostalgic or eco-conscious customers.
12. Human Alarm Clock
Beyond just knocking on windows, some human alarm clocks offered a more personal touch—gently shaking clients awake or even singing softly to rouse them from sleep. This bespoke service flourished in cities with busy workers and unreliable clocks. Some clients even hired these human alarms for important one-off events, like catching a train or attending a wedding. But as alarm clocks and, more recently, smartphones became universal, the need for this intimate, human touch dwindled. By the 21st century, the profession had virtually disappeared, remembered only in quirky historical anecdotes.
13. Town Crier
With a booming voice and a handbell, the town crier was once the lifeblood of public information. He stood at busy intersections or markets, shouting news, proclamations, and even lost-and-found announcements to the townsfolk. Town criers were recognized by their extravagant uniforms and often held official status. As newspapers, radio, and later television took over the job of spreading news, town criers became redundant. Today, they occasionally appear at festivals or as historical reenactors, but their original purpose has long since faded.
14. Sin-Eater
Sin-eaters performed a strange and somber ritual: they were paid to eat bread and drink ale over the body of the recently deceased, believed to absorb that person’s sins and ease their passage to the afterlife. This practice was most common in rural Britain and parts of Europe, with sin-eaters typically shunned by society for their unclean role. As funeral customs modernized and religious beliefs shifted in the 19th century, the practice died out. Today, the sin-eater survives only in folklore and literature, a ghostly reminder of the superstitions that once shaped life and death.
15. Log Driver
Guiding massive logs down roaring rivers, log drivers combined the balance of acrobats with the nerve of daredevils. Their job was essential to the timber industry, ensuring that logs made their way from forests to sawmills quickly and efficiently. The work was perilous—one wrong step could mean a plunge into icy waters or worse. With the rise of trucks, trains, and more efficient logging methods in the 20th century, river log drives became unnecessary. The legendary feats of the log drivers now linger only in folk songs and local legends.
16. Phrenologist
In the 19th century, it was fashionable to have your head examined—literally. Phrenologists claimed they could determine a person’s character, intelligence, and destiny by feeling the bumps and contours of the skull. For a time, phrenology was taken seriously by both the curious public and even some scientists. However, as psychology and neuroscience advanced, phrenology was debunked as pseudoscience, its methods and claims lacking any real evidence. By the early 20th century, phrenologists had all but vanished, and their once-popular charts were relegated to curiosities.
17. Fuller
Before industrialization, the job of fulling—cleansing and thickening cloth—was dirty and exhausting. Fullers would stomp on wet fabric in vats of water, sometimes mixed with clay or even urine, to remove impurities and strengthen the fibers. The process was crucial for producing high-quality woolen goods. As the textile industry mechanized in the 19th century, machines quickly took over the fullers’ backbreaking labor. Modern factories made the manual work of fulling obsolete, and the profession faded away along with the pungent vats.
18. Gong Farmer
Few jobs were less enviable than that of the gong farmer. In medieval towns, these workers dug out and carted away human waste from privies, often under the cover of darkness to avoid the public’s gaze (and nose). It was dangerous, unsanitary, and poorly paid, but it was absolutely essential for city health. The development of modern sewage systems in the 19th and 20th centuries transformed urban sanitation. The need for gong farmers vanished, replaced by pipes and pumps, and the job itself became a cautionary tale of pre-modern hygiene.
19. Icebox Delivery Man
Before every kitchen had a refrigerator humming in the corner, families depended on icebox delivery men to keep their food cold. These men hauled heavy blocks of ice, often wearing thick aprons and using tongs, delivering to homes on regular routes. The job required strength and endurance, and in larger cities, ice delivery was a bustling business. As electric refrigerators became affordable and widespread in the mid-20th century, the icebox and its attendant delivery service quickly faded from daily life. The clang of the ice tongs and the rumble of the delivery wagon belong to a bygone era.
20. Typist Pool Member
The typist pool was the beating heart of many offices in the early to mid-20th century. Dozens of typists—usually women—sat in neat rows, tapping out letters, reports, and legal documents on clattering typewriters. It was a job that demanded precision, speed, and stamina, and the work culture was both communal and competitive. As personal computers and word processing software revolutionized office work in the 1980s and 90s, centralized typing pools became unnecessary. The role of the typist pool member dissolved as technology put the power of document creation into every employee’s hands.
Besides founding Festivaltopia, Luca is the co founder of trib, an art and fashion collectiv you find on several regional events and online. Also he is part of the management board at HORiZONTE, a group travel provider in Germany.
