Forgotten Jobs

A historical look at weird, lost professions: leech collectors, knocker-uppers, human computers No Longer Accepting Applications

Ice Harvesters vs. Refrigerator Men: The Cold War of Cooling 08/20/2026

Ice Harvesters vs. Refrigerator Men: The Cold War of Cooling Before your fridge had a freezer, two competing armies battled to keep your food fresh: the rugged ice harvesters who sawed massive blocks from frozen lakes each winter, and the mechanical refrigerator men who hawked electric cooling as the future. This is the story of how a centuries-old seasonal trade vanished almost overnight, taking with it ice houses, sawdust insulation techniques, and an entire winter economy. /episode/index/show/8a5b51df-63d8-4d4b-a41f-254396d9ae36/id/42496790

7 Railroad Jobs That Vanished With the Steam Age 08/04/2026

7 Railroad Jobs That Vanished With the Steam Age Before modern trains, entire crews of specialized workers kept the rails running—from ice cutters who stocked dining cars to brake runners who leaped between moving freight cars. We're counting down seven death-defying, bizarre, and utterly essential railroad jobs that vanished when steam power died, taking with it a whole world of forgotten labor. /episode/index/show/8a5b51df-63d8-4d4b-a41f-254396d9ae36/id/42311700

The Rat Catcher of Hamelin: When Vermin Control Was an Art 07/16/2026

The Rat Catcher of Hamelin: When Vermin Control Was an Art In Victorian London, one man held the strangest royal warrant ever issued: Official Rat and Mole Destroyer to Her Majesty. Jack Black didn't just kill rats—he caught them alive, bred exotic colors, and sold them as pets to the aristocracy. This is the story of how rat catching evolved from essential pest control into a bizarre blend of showmanship, science, and high society scandal. /episode/index/show/8a5b51df-63d8-4d4b-a41f-254396d9ae36/id/42110575

Knocker-Uppers vs. Town Criers: The Battle to Wake Britain 06/19/2026

Knocker-Uppers vs. Town Criers: The Battle to Wake Britain Before alarm clocks, two professions battled for the ears of British townspeople: knocker-uppers who tapped on windows at dawn, and town criers who bellowed news through the streets. Discover how these human alarm systems competed, overlapped, and ultimately faced extinction as technology rendered their voices obsolete. /episode/index/show/8a5b51df-63d8-4d4b-a41f-254396d9ae36/id/41700655

5 Bizarre Food Jobs That Fed America 06/08/2026

5 Bizarre Food Jobs That Fed America Before refrigerators and food safety laws, America's dinner tables depended on jobs that sound almost unbelievable today. We're counting down five forgotten food-related professions that kept the nation fed, from the ice cutters who braved frozen lakes to the human alarm clocks who woke up bakery workers. These jobs disappeared with technology, but their stories reveal how dramatically our relationship with food has changed. /episode/index/show/8a5b51df-63d8-4d4b-a41f-254396d9ae36/id/41570010

The Lamplighters of Victorian London 05/23/2026

The Lamplighters of Victorian London Before automatic switches and electric bulbs, thousands of men climbed ladders through London's fog-choked streets each evening, carrying long poles to ignite gas lamps one by one. We explore the rigorous routines, hidden dangers, and surprising social role of lamplighters—the timekeepers of the Victorian city who vanished almost overnight when technology caught up. /episode/index/show/8a5b51df-63d8-4d4b-a41f-254396d9ae36/id/41401525

Forgotten by Time 01/07/2026

Forgotten by Time Glad we don't have to these anymore! /episode/index/show/8a5b51df-63d8-4d4b-a41f-254396d9ae36/id/41090850

Winter's Forgotten 12/24/2025

Winter's Forgotten Glad we don't have to these anymore! /episode/index/show/8a5b51df-63d8-4d4b-a41f-254396d9ae36/id/41090855

Best of pt2 11/26/2025

Best of pt2 Forgotten Jobs best of episode! /episode/index/show/8a5b51df-63d8-4d4b-a41f-254396d9ae36/id/41090860

Best of 11/11/2025

Best of Forgotten Jobs best of episode! /episode/index/show/8a5b51df-63d8-4d4b-a41f-254396d9ae36/id/41090865

Obsucre and Forgotten 10/28/2025

Obsucre and Forgotten We actually had to do this!? /episode/index/show/8a5b51df-63d8-4d4b-a41f-254396d9ae36/id/41090870

Strange Occupations 10/15/2025

Strange Occupations We actually had to do this!? /episode/index/show/8a5b51df-63d8-4d4b-a41f-254396d9ae36/id/41090875

Rail Signalman 09/30/2025

Rail Signalman It's a wonder more trains didn't collide! /episode/index/show/8a5b51df-63d8-4d4b-a41f-254396d9ae36/id/41090880

Future Forgotten 09/16/2025

Future Forgotten Say cheese! /episode/index/show/8a5b51df-63d8-4d4b-a41f-254396d9ae36/id/41090885

Daguerreotypist 09/02/2025

Daguerreotypist Say cheese! /episode/index/show/8a5b51df-63d8-4d4b-a41f-254396d9ae36/id/41090890

Odd and Dangerous pt2 08/19/2025

Odd and Dangerous pt2 Odd and Dangerous pt2 /episode/index/show/8a5b51df-63d8-4d4b-a41f-254396d9ae36/id/41090895

Odd and Dangerous 08/05/2025

Odd and Dangerous /episode/index/show/8a5b51df-63d8-4d4b-a41f-254396d9ae36/id/41090900

Tinker 07/22/2025

Tinker /episode/index/show/8a5b51df-63d8-4d4b-a41f-254396d9ae36/id/41090905

Fletcher 07/09/2025

Fletcher /episode/index/show/8a5b51df-63d8-4d4b-a41f-254396d9ae36/id/41090910

No Longer Accepting Applications pt4 06/25/2025

No Longer Accepting Applications pt4 /episode/index/show/8a5b51df-63d8-4d4b-a41f-254396d9ae36/id/41090915

No Longer Accepting Applications pt3 06/11/2025

No Longer Accepting Applications pt3 You can still do it if you want con't /episode/index/show/8a5b51df-63d8-4d4b-a41f-254396d9ae36/id/41090920

No Longer Accepting Applications pt2 05/28/2025

No Longer Accepting Applications pt2 You can still do it if you want con't /episode/index/show/8a5b51df-63d8-4d4b-a41f-254396d9ae36/id/41090925

No Longer Accepting Applications 05/15/2025

No Longer Accepting Applications You can still do it if you want /episode/index/show/8a5b51df-63d8-4d4b-a41f-254396d9ae36/id/41090930

Forgotten Jobs

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