Ice cutter

These were men who cut the ice from frozen lakes. Once cut up, they will then transfer their product to the ice delivery men. These ice cutters worked in extreme conditions, as we you can imagine. Most of them were probably happy when more and more people started using the refrigerator for keeping their food safe.

Rat catchers

Rat-catching is the occupation of catching rats. Keeping the rat population under control was practiced in Europe to prevent the spread of diseases to man, most notoriously the Black Plague and to prevent damage to food supplies.

Lamplighter

This was the title of a person who would go around the city at night and light all of the lamps by hand. They usually held out a long pole with a wick on the end to light the street lights.

Bowling Alley Pinsetter

Before bowling alleys had machines to reset their pins, there were people who did it called pinsetters. It was typically a teenagers job and paid very little.

Knocker-upper

A knocker-upper’s job was to rouse sleeping people so they could get to work on time.

The knocker-up used a truncheon or short, heavy stick to knock on the clients’ doors or a long and light stick, often made of bamboo, to reach windows on higher floors. At least one of them used a pea-shooter. In return, the knocker-up would be paid a few pence a week. The knocker-up would not leave a client’s window until they were sure that the client had been awoken.

Switchboard Operator

Up until three decades ago, switchboard operators were important players in the telecommunications industry. In fact, they were the people who made use of the telephone smoother. They were needed to make long distance calls and to manage busy circuits. But with the advent of digitized telecommunications, switchboard operators had to find new jobs. These days, making long distance calls can be done on your mobile phone. There is call waiting when lines are busy.