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dyeing clothes or preserving food. Some drysalters also traded hemp, flax, logwood, and potash. Mid 1800’s Leech Collector- In the mid-1800s when medical professionals believed that bloodletting could cure an illness or disease, leech collectors were re sponsible for retrieving the blood-sucking insects from their natural habitat for doctors to use. People with this job would use the legs of animals, or even their own legs, to attract leeches from rivers and creeks. Eventually, medical research advanced, and this profession became obsolete. Linotype Operator- Long before the age of digital printing, linotype oper ators were responsible for arranging the hot-metal type on presses to pub lish printed newspapers. In the 1960s, faster phototypesetting, which re quired less-skilled workers, rapidly rendered linotype obsolete. Nowadays, the decline of print means all typesetting jobs are moving toward extinction. Knockerupper- Before there was the alarm clock, there was a human alarm clock. People would hire “knocker uppers” to tap on the glass of their window with a long pole or shoot peas at the glass to wake them up. The job eventually fell to the wayside when the mechanical alarm clock was invented in 1847.

were popular from about 1839 to 1860. The daguerreotype would be printed on a heavy, mirror-like material and would be presented in a special case that preserved the metal plate. As technology developed, the process be came outdated and too expensive. Scissors Grinder- Scissors grinders would sharpen scissors, knives, or oth er tools using an abrasive wheel, and would often go door to door perform ing the service. The practice became obsolete by the 1970s because most people found it easier and cheaper to buy new tools instead of sharpening their old ones. Today, some people refer to cicadas as scissors grinders be cause of the similar sound they produce. 1900’s Deer Culler- In the 1930s, the government was concerned about the sharp rise in the deer population and hired professional deer cullers to hunt the deer and slow their spread. Government-funded culling went to the wayside in the 1970s with the rise of commercial hunting. Ice Cutter- When reliable refrigeration and freezing didn't yet exist, ice cutters were tasked with cutting up the ice on frozen lakes. To do this, they would score the ice and then use a horse-powered device to cut the ice block

free. However, this was a dangerous job—not only did it come with biting weather that cultivated frostbite, ice cut ters and their horses also faced the danger of falling into the bone-chilling waters. Thankfully, mechanical refrigera tion came about in the 1930s, and this job became obsolete. Cigarette Girl- Cigarette or cigar girls worked at bars and clubs beginning in the 1920s. They would usually sport a pillbox hat and a tray around their neck with a selection of cigarettes for patrons to purchase. The cigarette girl be came a popular cultural icon, and by the 1950s, cigarette girls could also be found at sporting events. However, as Americans' attitudes toward smoking changed, she became a thing of the past. Breaker Boy- A breaker boy was a young coal miner who was tasked with separating impurities from coal. The breaker boys were often as young as 5 years old and would

Gandy Dancer- Gandy dancers were railroad employees who would perform any task related to the railroad track, including laying, spreading, replacing rail, hammering spikes, and setting ties. Gandy dancers were an integral part of railroad maintenance from the time the railroad indus try started in the 1820s. Many immigrants or former slaves were employed as gandy dancers, and the job drew tens of thousands of people looking for work. Resurrectionist- As modern medical science grew into a true profession in the 18th century, so too did demand-for corpses. Medical students and practicing anatomists need ed bodies to dissect to learn the inner workings of the hu man body. Resurrectionists were all too happy to oblige, digging up freshly buried bodies and delivering them, for a fee of course, to medical colleges and doctors’ offices. Phrenologist- Beginning in the 1820s, phrenology came

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work up to 10 hours a day and six days a week. The work was extremely dangerous, and many children lost fingers or limbs in factory machinery. A member of the National Child Labor Committee took photographs of breaker boys, which prompted the public to demand that labor laws be re formed. Soda Jerk- Beginning in the 1940s, half of a million people were employed as soda jerks. They would wear white coats and be responsible for maintain ing the popular soda fountains and dispensing glasses of soda from a spigot behind a counter. They were also tasked with remembering orders and mak ing complicated milkshakes and egg creams. Billy Boy- Billy boys were young men charged with making tea for men working at building sites, blacksmiths, and railway yards. During break times, the billy boys—who were considered apprentices—would light a fire and boil water in “billy cans” to make tea. Billy boys often also performed other odd jobs like delivering messages or running errands. Physiognomist- In the early 1900s, physiognomy was a popular theory that was based on the idea that you could discern a person's personality or character from their physical appearance. Physiognomists based their principles on racist ideals, believing that traditional features of Western Eu ropeans represented sincerity and features associated with other races and ethnicities, such as hooked noses and almond eyes, represented deceit. Pinsetter- In the early 1900s, young men were hired as pinsetters in bowl ing alleys to reset the bowling pins after they had been knocked down by

about as a study of the brain based on the shape and size of a person's head. Phrenologists would examine the protuberances on a skull and diagnose people with different personality traits. They would tell clients which career paths were favorable for a person based on their head shape and traits they should look for in a love interest. However, this practice became widely dis credited and the job of a phrenologist became obsolete. Lamplighter- Before lightbulbs and electric streetlights, lamplighters would go around town lighting and extinguishing gas-burning streetlamps. When electric light bulbs were invented and used in place of gas lamps, lamplighters became jobless. Mud Clerk- Mud clerks were apprentices on steamboats and were in charge of making bank landings when steamboats would get stuck in the mud. The profession was common during the American Civil War period. Mud clerks would also be charged with all-around menial tasks to upkeep steamboats. Baked Potato Seller- In London in the mid-1800s, baked potato sellers were a common sight on the streets. While most were purchased for con sumption, baked potatoes were sometimes purchased to warm cold hands during harsh city winters. In the summer, many baked potato sellers would switch to selling raspberries or strawberries. Daguerreotypist- A daguerreotypist was essentially a photographer, and they used the process of the daguerreotype to print a unique image on a sil vered copper plate. Because daguerreotypes were incredibly expensive, only the wealthiest people could afford to pay for a portrait when daguerreotypes

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