Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Break Down Things That Were Normal When They Were A Kid That You Don't See Anymore

Landline phone
black rotary dial phone on white surface
Photo by Quino Al on Unsplash

The world is ever-changing.

One need only look at the evolution of home entertainment.

First, we had to go to the video store to buy or rent video cassettes, then video cassettes were wiped out by DVDs until video stores became obsolete owing to streaming services.

Making the one-season failure of the Netflix series Blockbuster painfully ironic.

However, those of us who grew up rushing to Blockbuster, hoping the last copy of Jurassic Park will still be there, can't help but wish we could relive the experience.

On the other hand, we are glad to see other things from our childhood have become extinct.


Redditor AnalysisFrequent was curious to hear about things that people used to see all the time in their childhood which have all but vanished leading them to ask:
"What was normal when you were a kid, but you never see anymore?"

Honestly... Rude then, Rude Now!

"Showing up to someone’s house without a text or call."- lpkrew

Walking In Season 2 GIF by FriendsGiphy

Before There Was Bluetooth...

"Cassette tape innards strung out along the highway, glimmering in the sunlight."- bigolfurryhead

No More Second Hand Smoke!

" Parents smoking in a car with kids with the windows rolled up."- WonderfulEmergency77

"Everybody smoked everywhere. At restaurants, the office, airports, everywhere."

"There's a picture of my grandma holding me as a baby in one hand and a cigarette in the other."

"Nobody thought that was the least bit strange."- MeghanFI

mothers day smoking GIFGiphy

Now We Have Google!

"Using a set of 20 y/old encyclopedias as reference for my homework."

"JFK is president!"- ResplendentAmore

It Got Them Off Shelves...

"Toys in the cereal box"- NightDreamer73

How Sad...

"Fruit bats."

"There used to be a *ton* of them in my neighborhood as a kid and every evening you could look at the sunset as twilight set in and see flocks of bats flying around."

"Apparently, around the time I was in middle school, a fungal disease ravaged the local bat population and they never recovered."

"You never see them anymore."

"Funnily enough though, at the time, a local high school girl had this huge campaign to set up bat feeders to help bolster the local bat population and help them survive the fungal disease by giving them easy access to food."

"Said local girl has since become a federal Park Ranger as an adult and currently works for a state fish and wildlife service."- DoctorWatchamacallit

Now They'll Just Send Them A Text...

"Moms yelling from the front door to their kids to come home for dinner."- sflogicninja

Depending On Your Circle

"People talking about the Bermuda Triangle."- GarconMeansBoyGeorge

Best Not To Give Them Bad Ideas

"Candy Cigarettes."- Mechhammer

They're a dying breed indeed...

"Pay phones and answering machines."- Mondayslasagna

phone call mall GIF by South Park Giphy

Even Printers Are Uncommon, Thanks to PDFs...

"Computer paper filled with lightly printed numbers and it had tear-off sides."

"My dad used to bring lots of it home for us kids to draw on."- reverendgrebo

...what were you watching?...

"Quicksand in movies and TV shows."- kzab81

Well That's Poignant

"Fireflies."

'I swear I saw them every year, in our back yard or when we went camping etc."

"Now I never see them no matter where I am, except for a few nights in the summer of '21 after I moved to a new house."

"It was so nice to see them again."- ModernCivilWar

North America Lights GIF by BBC AmericaGiphy

Sadly, Not Because People Started Reading Maps...

"Printing out directions from Map Quest."- Keone_710

To think there was actually a time when we couldn't say "I'll text again when I'm close" and had to ask a friend to record a movie or tv show we wanted to watch.

Simpler times...

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Hillary Clinton; Donald Trump
Arturo Holmes/Getty Images; Win McNamee/Getty Images

Hillary Clinton Just Threw Some Epic Shade At Trump Over His Push To Print $250 Bills Featuring His Portrait

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton mocked President Donald Trump following a report he approved a proposed design featuring his portrait on a new $250 bill bearing his signature, despite longstanding federal law barring living people from appearing on U.S. currency.

According to four current and former Treasury Department employees who spoke to the Post anonymously out of fear of retaliation, two political appointees at the department—U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach and senior adviser Mike Brown—repeatedly pressed Bureau of Engraving and Printing staff beginning last year to develop prototype designs for the bill.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from Redditor Conscious-Weight4569's video on the 'Well That Sucks' subReddit
u/Conscious-Weight4569/Reddit

Tennessee High School Sparks Debate After Graduates Get Soaked Due To 'Rain Or Shine' Policy In Viral Video

Last Thursday, heavy rain impacted the outdoor graduation ceremony for the students of Centennial High School and Franklin High School in Tennessee—but the staff, students, and their families proceeded with the event anyway.

Rain was allegedly in the day's weather forecast, but it was only expected to rain after the festivities were over. However, according to several families who were present, the rain started at the beginning of the first speech, and it didn't just rain—it poured.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kathleen Thomas reacted after a Florida deputy accused her of driving with a phone in her right hand despite her being an amputee.
@slightlyoff.balance/Instagram; CBS News/YouTube

Florida Cop Gives Woman Ticket For Allegedly Driving With Phone In Her Right Hand—Only For Her To Reveal She's An Amputee

A traffic stop in Palm Beach County is going viral for a painfully obvious reason: a deputy accused a woman of driving with her phone in her right hand—even though she literally does not have a right hand.

Kathleen Thomas, 36, was pulled over in February by a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputy over an alleged distracted driving violation captured on both Thomas’ phone and police body cam footage.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @mymixtapez's X video
@mymixtapez/X

Florida Man Goes Viral After Finding Millions Of Dollars Floating In Mysterious Bag At The Beach

A video has gone viral, featuring a man from Florida pulling a large package out of the ocean on Fort Lauderdale Beach and immediately calling the police to turn it in.

As it turns out, the package included millions of dollars in cash and was suspected to also contain illegal drugs.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @TRIGGERHAPPYV1's X video
@TRIGGERHAPPYV1/X

DoorDash Driver Caught Scooping Up Smoothie He Dropped On Floor Back Into Cup—And We're Gonna Be Sick

You know what they say: you can't eat everyone's cooking. As it turns out, you can't eat the food delivered by every delivery driver, either!

The internet was left collectively grossed out when camera footage went viral that featured a DoorDash delivery driver who had dropped a smoothie on the hallway floor just feet away from his destination.

Keep ReadingShow less