12 Common things that have changed in an incredible way over time
A few decades ago, people could not even think of a laptop or a touch-screen phone, because the first computer barely fit in one room and cell phones were a luxury item, with a form very different from those nowadays.
1. Swimsuit
The first appeared in the eighteenth century, and had nothing to do with modern bikinis. Put on a dress with ruffles, pants and a cap: your swimsuit will be ready! Fringes and stockings disappeared only at the beginning of the 20th century, when they were replaced by knitted swimsuits. However, the bikini as such did not appear until 1946.
2. The iron
The first plates appeared in ancient Greece, and they were not even that, but simply hot metal rods. In Russia, that role was played by a wooden roller, on which the clothes were wrapped and rolled on a fluted board. The usual gadgets that remind us of an iron as we know it today appeared in Europe in the 18th century. They were loaded with coal or heated on the stove. They were made of cast iron and weighed 5 kilos or more.
3. Cinematography
Thanks to the green screen and computer graphics, you can make a movie by recreating impossible things or cities that no longer exist. Sometimes, a team of several hundred people works on the creation of a single tape. The first films were primitive, filmed at one time and without montage, without camera turns or illuminations. And the operator himself, then, played the role of both the director and the operator, editor and director of photography.
4. Razor blade
The cave paintings suggest that the first razor blades appeared in prehistoric times. They were made of sharp animal teeth or seashells, which were later replaced by flint knives. In the first millennium before Christ they were already used and practically did not change until the middle of the 19th century. The usual razors for us today, with replaceable multi-blade blades, entered the market not so long ago, in the 70s.
5. Data storage
Modern hard drives can keep terabytes of information and store millions of files. At first, magnetic tapes or punched cards were used. But one of the massive carriers was, of course, the floppy disk. I could hold only a couple of photos, but how many memories!
6. Video games
In 1940, the first Nimatron slot machine came to light. The more or less decent graphics appeared 20 years later, in 1961, with the game Spacewar. This was a schematic representation of two spacecraft fighting in a sky of pixels. Over time, the creators have also learned to model faces based on real people. For example, that is the case of Max Payne, whose design was based on the scriptwriter of Sam Lake's game.
7. USB flash drive
Continuing with the issue of data storage, the flash drive for the camera now fits over a finger. But there was a time when it was very cumbersome, it was attached to the top of the camera replacing the lid of the same and loaded in a special metal cassette. This device weighed a lot, besides it was uncomfortable to hold it with your hands.
8. Baby carriage
Baby cars appeared in the 18th century, in the United Kingdom. They differed notoriously from those that are habitual today. The stroller was a small copy of the adult carriages, and it was necessary to use a pony or a donkey to throw it away. It was only possible to go sitting in them.
9. Camouflage
The first military camouflage was used intentionally by the armies at the end of the 19th century, and actively used during the First World War. It hid not only people, but also ships. Modern camouflage clothing has many different colors and patterns, depending on the terrain and the countries where it is used.
10. Laptop computer
The first mass laptop appeared not so long ago, in 1981. It weighed 11 kilos and cost almost 2 thousand USD. Its RAM was 64 KB, and it had three ports (including a modem connection) and a 5-inch monochromatic screen.
11. Touch screen
The touch screen was invented in the United States in 1972, as part of a study on programmed learning. It consisted of a grid of infrared rays of 16 by 16 blocks. Even such low accuracy allowed the user to choose the answer by pressing in the right place. And after 10 years, the company Elographics presented the world with a touch screen television. But, unfortunately, the panels with the sensor did not reach the consumer market for a long time, but were used in medicine.
12. Cosmetology
Looking at the cosmetological devices of the last century, one might think that they were tools of torture. But no, they are only freezers of freckles and masks that open the pores. Modern cosmetology has advanced a lot. There are no longer all those terrible and cumbersome machines, and some procedures can be carried out quietly at home.
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