These Things Are Way Older Than We Expected
Part of our perception of the world is rooted in our sense of time: how old or new are the things around us in our personal lives and society as a whole? We generally have the idea that the things and technologies we in our daily lives are the newest and best around, but that's not always the case.
These are things that are much older than we originally thought, and my whole worldview is a bit shook.
The Romans Were Ahead Of Their Time
Central heating isn't a modern concept: in fact, the ancient Romans (well, the wealthy ones) had central heating in their homes. You can actually still see the pipes in some of the buildings at Herculaneum!
Tesla Isn't As Innovative As You Think
What is likely the first human-carrying electric vehicle with its own power source was tested along a Paris street in April 1881 by French inventor Gustave Trouvé. The first crude electric car was built in the 1830s, but it was essentially a semi-functioning model.
The electric car was a direct competitor to gasoline-powered vehicles until the 1920s when roads got better, people started driving further than the range of an electric car, and the world started finding major oil reserves.
I Would Have Suffered From The Tiffany Problem If I Hadn't Read This
The name "Tiffany" dates back to the 12th century and has actually led to a thing in writing called "the Tiffany problem," because you can have a well-researched historical novel that people just don't buy into because you named your 12th-century peasant Tiffany. It just sounds laughably wrong despite being totally accurate.
Do You Think They Had Aux Cords For The Horse Carriages?
"The AUX connector that we still use for headphones and speakers was invented in 1877. There have been improvements since, but the basics of it are pretty much the same."
It's essentially the same connector that was used in 19th-century switchboards.
We Had Them All Along And Didn't Use Them?
"Touch screens. We think they're one of the main defining features of modern technology since they only really got big in the late 2000s/early 2010s, but they were actually invented 55 years ago in 1965. It's kind of crazy to think about, but while most of our grandparents were getting rid of their black and white TVs, researchers already had touchscreen devices in the labs."
Jaws Was A Horror Movie Long Before People Lived
Sharks are a pretty old species on Earth—there's been fossil evidence found of them existing up to 450 million years ago. In fact, they're older than the rings of Saturn, which formed less than 100 million years ago.
I Don't Think They Were Playing Super Mario Back Then...
Nintendo is well-known for its variety of video games and gaming systems, but most don't know that the company was actually created in 1889. For comparison, the Eiffel tower opened the same year.
Just A Casual Pre-Historic Brain Surgery
Brain Surgery.
In 1997, archaeologists discovered an ancient tomb in the French village of Ensisheim from 5,000 BC, which contained the decomposing body of a 50-year-old man with holes in his skull. After a thorough examination, it was determined that the holes, located near the frontal lobe, were caused by a type of surgery, not by forced trauma, and the operation appears to have been successful because the wounds healed before the patient's death.
Sparkling Or Still?
The first carbonated drink to be sold to the public was invented by Swiss watchmaker and amateur scientist J. J. Schweppe in 1783, who sold his delicious "sparkling water" to thirsty customers in Geneva. In just seven years, he was doing business so fast that he moved the factory to London and introduced a new flavor, sparkling lemon, to stand out from competitors who were trying to imitate his drink.
We Should Respect The Fax Machine A Little More
Fax machines were invented in 1843—before the telephone, which was invented in 1854. Despite the fax machine being invented so long ago, it didn't gain popularity with consumers until the 1980s.
We Hate The Youths
The sentiment that modern society is degenerate and that the youth are to blame is one of the oldest things we have written down.
Cato the Elder complained that the younger generations were becoming too Greek, and Socrates used to complain that the younger generations were ruining their brains by writing instead of memorizing information.
Everyone Always Just Wanted To Turn Up
"Beer is thought to be older than bread. It's much easier to fill a jar with wheat and water, let it ferment, and brew beer than it is to grind grain, mix it, and bake it."
Pooping Outside Is So 3000 BC
Flushing toilets date all the way back to the Indus River Valley civilization back in 2000 BC. Interestingly, the modern flushing toilet didn't come around until the late 1800s or early 1900s.
Still Unclear How They Built This Back Then...
Stonehenge is one of the most popular historic sites in the world, but most people don't understand just how old it is. The structure predates the oldest pyramid in Egypt by nearly 300 years.
I Honestly Thought They Were Made In The '80s Or Something
Oreo cookies were originally invented in 1912 (the same year the Titanic sunk), meaning that they are older than chocolate chip cookies, sliced bread, Betty White, and both world wars.
So We've Been Lazy For That Long
Escalators have been around since 1859, though they were called rotating stairs when they were first created. Interestingly, the state of Wyoming still only has a total of two sets of escalators.
People Just Wanted To Know More About Geography
National Geographic was founded in 1888 as a non-profit scientific, cultural, and educational organization with the specific goal of "increasing geographic knowledge," and it continues to be one of the largest educational publications in the world.
Trees Are Metal AF
The oldest tree recorded on this planet is Methuselah, which is over 4,000 years old, but I'm pretty sure there are older ones out there that we aren't aware of.
Wow, Nerds Date Back All The Way To 1096 AD
Oxford University is one of the most famous educational institutions in the world, partly because it's so old. They don't know the year for sure, but they know there was definitely teaching going on there in 1096.
Why I Was Handcranking Windows In My Childhood?
Cruise control, power windows, and automatic headlights are all older than you'd think. All three features were on a 1955 Cadillac model, and the radio on it had a seek function.
Women Really Were Stunting And Telling Time All At Once
Wristwatches were first conceptualized in the 16th century; in fact, Queen Elizabeth I got one in 1571. Interestingly, wristwatches were pretty much only worn by women in the beginning, with men sticking to the classic pocket watch until the early 1900s.
Hindsight Really Was 20/20
Contact lenses might seem like a very new method of vision correction as an alternative to glasses, but Leonardo Da Vinci had the idea of contact lenses in 1508, and the first successful contact lenses were made in 1888.
OMG, Brutus Liked Caesar's Pic!!!
Social media—wealthy ancient Romans had a system where they used slaves as scribes and messengers in order to share gossip, art/poetry, and news updates with friends in their social circle.
It Do Be Good For Building Things
The use of concrete. Its use goes as far back as the Mayans, but more notably in Egyptian construction as well as in Rome. The Romans had an arguably greater concrete mix than we currently have, but that was never passed down. Eventually, the use of concrete fell out of popularity for centuries as we seemingly lost the information needed to create it, as if the recipe was thrown out and nobody wrote it down.
It's About As Old As Society Itself
A large portion of Autism spectrum disorders. About 40% of them have been in human genetics since around 14 000 BC.
It's theorized that modern times are much harder on Autistic people. It’s louder and more stressful. An Autistic person who may struggle now with fluorescent lighting, loud office spaces, and chaotic schedules may have flourished as a shepherd or baker hundreds of years ago.
They Were Doing Their Thing For Tens Of Millions Of Years
Dinosaurs lived on the earth a lot longer than most people think. When you think of dinosaurs, you think of their extinction, but they roamed the Earth for 165 million years. Compare that to our 6 million as humans, and it's almost impossible to comprehend.
...How Did It Exist Before The NHL?
The Stanley Cup. It predates the NHL, and if you look at the history of teams that have won it, there is a year where it wasn't awarded due to the Spanish Flu pandemic. The top bowl is the original trophy, but the rings on the bottom are replaced every couple of years when they fill up with names.
We're All Vain
Stop making fun of millennials and Gen Z—the first selfie was taken in 1839 after photography was invented in 1826. However, self-portraiture has been a form of art for thousands of years, meaning people have always been interested in recreating their own image.
People Really Are Just People
Humans with our intelligence and empathy and rationality are older than you might think.
People in the past lacked education and our cumulative knowledge—but even cavemen thousands of years ago didn't differ too much from us.
He Doesn't Age!
Paul Rudd. The actor, who's well known for his role as Ant-Man in the Marvel universe and his various comedic roles, has a very youthful face despite actually being 51 years old.
