The Obsolete and Opportunity

Newspaper

1605

The first printed newspaper was made in Germany in 1605. They served the purpose of relaying news to people. Later on, newspapers included more than just news articles. They also included advertisements, comic strips, job position posts, and memoires and memorials. Though newspapers continue to be printed today, they have lost almost all of their relevancy to the greater popularity and usage of the internet and online resources.

Bathing machine

1753

Bathing machines were first invented in the 18th century to give people an area to change out of the regular clothes, change into their swimming clothes, and wade in the water. They were used into 20th centuries and became obsolete as public attitudes toward the body were changing.

Icebox

1802

The icebox, created in the early 19th century, allowed perishable food items to be stored and remain fresh for longer without the need for a lengthy preservation process. They became obsolete in the 1930s, being replaced by the electric refridgerator.

Manual vacum cleaner

1860

The manual vacum cleaner, originally called the "carpet sweeper," was invented in the mid-18th century as a more convinient way to clean the floor. These were made obsolete with the invention of the modern electric vacum cleaner.

Typewriters

1868

Typewriters were invented in 1868 as a way to write on a piece of paper in a time efficient way that also allowed uniform lettering. Additionaly they helped people with visual impairment as the writer could write without viewing the keys. They became obsolete in the 1980s when the use of personal computers increased.

Incandescent lightbulb

1879

The incandescent light bulb was invented to give a stronger, more consistent amout of light for a household or establishment. More that just becoming obsolete, incandescent lightbulbs were actually banned in Canada in 2014 due to their inefficiecy. They were replaced with other, more energy effiecient light sources such as LED and flourecent lamps.

Public Pay Phones

1889

Public Pay Phones were first invented in the 1880s and the last one was removed May, 2022. They were invented so that people to call each other. Later on following the invention of the telephone, they were used by people who couldn't afford a telephone or who didn't trust telephones. They became obsolete as cell phones became more popular and abundand. Almost everyone owns a cell phone, so no one needs a pay phone anymore.

Fax machine

1964

The fax machine was invented in 1964 to provide a safe and secure way to send documents. They became obsolete in the late 90s as easier ways of sharing documents through the internet were developed and popularized.

Movie Rental Stores

1977

The first movie rental shop was opened in December 1977 and the last shop was closed in January of 2021. They were used to rent out not only movies but videos and games. The reason that movie rental stores became obsolete is because of the increase in use of streaming services like netflix which offered a more convinient way to view movies.

Tomagotchis

1996

Tomagotchis are a keychain sized pet-simulation game. They came out in 1996 and quickly became very popular, both in their country of origin, Japan, and overseas. There are many reasons that tomagotchis have become obsolete ranging from the various shcool bands, and overall frustration with the game and how it functions. However, unlike the rest of the items in this timeline, tomagotchis have not recieved a successor to the origional creation.