Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Break Down Which Things Were Common In The 1990s But Are Rare Today

People Break Down Which Things Were Common In The 1990s But Are Rare Today
Jason Leung on Unsplash

Oh the 90's. What a decade.

Who knew we were in the time of revolution?!

So much happened, yet so much stayed the same.

And not decades later, so much has changed.

Who doesn't love to look back upon a decade and discuss the things that were a common part of life and are now basically obsolete?

You never know in real time.


Redditor Apart-Scale wanted to reminisce about the glory days.

They asked:

"What was normal in the 1990s but rare or non existent now?"

For me... it's Madonna having a #1 song. It can still happen, but highly unlikely.

Music

New Music Football GIF by Black PrezGiphy

"A disc man plugged into a cassette tape with a wire to play music in your car."

freehi_5

Call Me

"Hotlines for the weather report, current time, and movie show times."

redacted_4_security

"The time and temperature phone number for my small hometown still exists to this day. Same Pre recorded voice and everything. It still advertises caller-id as an add on feature for land lines. Know who’s calling you. It’s easy and convenient with caller id. The time is x. Temperature y."

Bushelsoflaughs

Let's Chat

"Talking to your friends mom to see if they were home."

Espeon2022

"I've always thought that having to go through the parents to talk to your friends made things more controlled and respectful. Now kids can just blast each other with every thought that pops in their heads 24/7, that must make things more toxic."

RupFox

Fly Away

"When picking someone up from the airport, you could wait for them at their gate."

Facelesspirit

"When I have flights going through cities with people I know I will intentionally schedule a couple hour layover so I can go hand lunch with them and then just go through security again and board the next flight."

ItsEntsy

I'm Out

Bye Bye Goodbye GIF by Mickey MouseGiphy

"Being unreachable."

BTW_The_Names_Marcus

"I still do this to this day. I'll go on vacation for a week and just turn the phone off, or be far enough out in the boonies that there is no cell signal whatsoever."

libra00

I wish I could put my phone down. Who knew we'd never be without them?

Let's Fandango

Movie Theater Popcorn GIF by filmeditorGiphy

"Calling the movie theater or looking in the paper for movie times."

yepitsjen22

Music Library

"Keeping a binder full of CDs in your car."

PMMeUrHopesNDreams

"I once left the door on my car unlocked and came back to find my car stereo gone but not my full 100 disc binder. The stereo had completely died 2 weeks prior and I just hadn't gotten around to swapping it out yet. I just laughed."

v1ct0r326

"My car CDs were stolen in 1998. I’m still pissed."

Whatwhyohhh

Multitasking

"Pressing play and record at the same time."

MoistnSquishy

"I don't know why but this one made me feel the saddest. I guess it just snapped me back to a moment when I was bored and had no where I had to be, no where I planned to go. My life's todo list completely empty. Just me and the weird 90's dust that seemed to float around in front of sunny windows."

bannablecommentary

"Putting tape over the security tab/square so you could record over any tape you had in your collection."

candiebelle

Dial Up

"Telephone booths."

Zen_Anarch

"I had to check for the phone booth that I used the most as a teenager (not in NYC, in the beach town where I spent my summers) and it was still there in the most recent Street View! I'll have to see if it's there now when I go by tomorrow. This was where I checked in with my parents and friends circa 1990 to see what was going on. The arcade was just down the street."

superluke

And the White?

yellow pages GIFGiphy

"Yellow Pages."

zekesaltspider

"I got a phone book in my mailbox the other day. First one in years. It was about the size of a Goosebumps book."

dragon_book_hoarder

Well those were the days. Weren't they?


More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Winnie Harlow; Whitney Houston
PG/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images; Peter Jordan/PA Images via Getty Images

Model Winnie Harlow Responds To Backlash Over Her Whitney Houston Halloween Look

Model Winnie Harlow is under fire for a controversial Halloween costume depicting one of Whitney Houston's lowest moments—or highest, depending on who you ask.

Harlow is firmly in the latter camp. But many Houston fans online are furious, even after Harlow explained that her intent was to honor the music legend, not mock her.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Donald Trump; Zohran Mamdani
60 Minutes; Andres Kudacki/Getty Images

Trump Dragged After Making Outrageous Comparison To Zohran Mamdani In Viral Clip

President Donald Trump was widely mocked after he asserted during a 60 Minutes interview with Norah O'Donnell that he's "much better-looking" than New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani—a claim that not a soul is taking seriously.

Trump isn't exactly known to be a looker but he has nonetheless declared himself a "perfect physical specimen" and boasted about his physical prowess, once noting that his own White House physician had declared him "healthier than Obama"—despite Trump's distaste for exercise and fondness for fast food.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gavin Newsom; Karoline Leavit
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Gavin Newsom Rips Karoline Leavitt After She Says White House Toilet 'Horrified' Her Before Renovation

California Governor Gavin Newsom criticized White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and the GOP at large after she claimed to have been "horrified" by the toilet in the Lincoln bathroom before President Donald Trump's marble renovation.

Trump shared an update about ongoing renovations aboard Air Force One while en route to Florida for the weekend, even as the federal government remains shut down and his administration continues to refuse to release all of the emergency funds to sustain SNAP food assistance benefits through November.

Keep ReadingShow less
people seated at bar
Hai Nguyen on Unsplash

People Describe The Most Memorable Moments They Had With A Stranger Who They Never Saw Again

Chance encounters can be meaningful, even if you never see the person again.

Maybe they impart some wisdom or restore your faith in humanity or just entertain you for a little while.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jack Schlossberg (left); Julia Fox (right)
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Tiffany Rose/Getty Images for HIM Training Camp

Jackie Kennedy's Grandson Slams Julia Fox's 'Disgusting' JFK Assassination Halloween Costume

Of all the 2025 Halloween costumes in the world—from Labubus to K-pop Warriors to Glindas and Elphabas—Julia Fox went with the one soaked in presidential tragedy.

The Uncut Gems actress arrived at a New York City Halloween party in a replica of the pink Chanel suit worn by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy on November 22, 1963—the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas.

Keep ReadingShow less