So many things change over time, but when was the last time you thought about the different sounds you once heard often in the past that you no longer hear now? Recently, Redditor u/Quicksilver342 asked the older adults of the Reddit community to share the once-common sounds from the past that they no longer hear, and depending on your age, the responses will have you feeling super nostalgic or just a bit confused:
1. "The hum of powerlines. You can't hear them anymore."
2. "The ding-ding when you drove over the hose in a filling station that alerted the horde of workers to fill your tank, wash your windows, and check your tire pressure and oil."
3. "Busy signals."
4. "That clacking noise from film projectors in the classrooms."
5. "Coins going into a payphone."
6. "In my small hometown in the Midwest, the town's fire whistle would blow each day at noon. Ha! Do younger people even know that fire whistles were used to call volunteer firefighters to the station when needed?"
7. "Newspaper pages turning."
8. "Sonic booms."
9. "The clunk that a cigarette vending machine made when you pulled on the knob of the brand you wanted."
10. "The ka-chunk-chunk of those manual credit card machines."
11. "When I was a high schooler, people drove around with the car windows down during the summer, listening to the same radio station. When they stopped at the stoplight, you'd hear people singing along to the same song in their cars. I know there are still radio stations, but this never happens nowadays."
12. "The late-night television signoff 'test pattern.'"
13. "The ticking of a wind-up clock."
14. "The sound of that thing stores used to stamp sale prices."
15. "The scratch of a needle hitting a record. Luckily, my kids are huge vinyl freaks, so I get to hear that sound again."
16. "A manual pencil sharpener."
17. "Pagers beeping."
18. "The metal rod that stuck out the side of the fender and scraped the curb if you were too close while parking. I don't know why they got rid of those; they were very useful."
19. "Camera shutters and the sound that flashbulbs made when they fired off. And VHS tapes rewinding."
20. "The sound of slamming the receiver!"
21. "The rhythmic sound of a mimeograph machine."
22. "I don't think I've heard a car backfire in the last 30 years."
23. Lastly: "Insects. Summer used to be filled with the sounds of bees and other insects going about their lives. It's rare these days to hear or see insects. I don't think people realize how close we are to collapse thanks to pesticide overuse."
Sadly, I don't remember the last time I saw a ladybug. If you're an older adult, what are some sounds that were once super common but are now rare or completely gone? Let us know in the comments, or you can anonymously submit your thoughts using this form!
Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.