Around the House
This metal tool, often stored in a kitchen drawer, was originally designed to remove crown caps before twist-off bottles became common.
What is a bottle opener?
This canned meat product gained popularity during World War II due to rationing and shelf stability.
What is Spam?
This roadside structure provided free drinking water before bottled water became widespread.
What is a drinking fountain?
This grocery item was once measured out by a clerk and poured into a brown paper bag.
What is sugar?
This job involved manually connecting phone calls using a switchboard.
What is a telephone operator?
Before automatic models, this laundry tool required a wringer and was often powered by a small electric motor mounted on top.
What is a wringer washing machine?
TV dinners were first marketed in the 1950s using trays made of this material.
What is aluminum foil?
These black-and-white striped roadside posts warned drivers of narrow bridges or sharp curves.
What are hazard markers?
These stores allowed customers to select items themselves, replacing clerk-served counters.
What are self-service supermarkets?
This factory worker inspected products on a moving belt, a system popularized by Henry Ford.
What is an assembly-line worker?
This household item was once filled with ice delivered weekly and required a drip pan to be emptied by hand.
What is an icebox?
This gelatin-based dish often combined fruit and vegetables and was a staple at mid-century potlucks.
What is a molded Jell-O salad?
Before GPS, this paper product was often stored in a glove compartment and updated annually.
What is a road atlas?
This brand’s glass soda bottles required a refundable deposit to encourage returns.
What is Coca-Cola?
This office role required shorthand and typing, often done on a manual typewriter.
What is a secretary?
Prior to modern insulation, this window feature helped reduce heat loss and was swapped out seasonally.
What are storm windows?
This brand introduced instant mashed potatoes in 1956, changing weeknight meals forever.
What is Betty Crocker?
This highway system was signed with a red, white, and blue shield starting in the late 1950s.
What is the Interstate Highway System?
Before barcodes, prices were marked individually using this handheld device.
What is a price stamper?
This profession involved delivering ice or milk door-to-door in residential neighborhoods.
What is an iceman or milkman?
This early home appliance used resistive wire coils and mica insulation, making it heavier than modern versions.
What is an early electric toaster?
Before nonstick cookware, this fat was commonly used to grease pans and was saved after cooking.
What is bacon grease?
This device, once optional, became standard equipment to prevent engines from overheating in traffic.
What is a radiator fan?
This shopping method involved placing items on hold and making weekly payments.
What is layaway?
This skilled trade installed and repaired vacuum-tube radios and early televisions.
What is a radio/TV repair technician?