The question “What existed in 1994 but not in 2024?” was posed to the community on Reddit by the user u/FlintTheDad not too long ago. In addition to being extremely entertaining, the responses provoke deep reflection. The following is a list of Fifteen individuals, locations, and things that, depending on your age, you might not remember completely:
1. “Movie rental stores.”
In the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s, movie rental businesses such as Blockbuster and Hollywood Video were considered to be legends in the industry. Through the provision of physical places, individuals were able to peruse shelves containing VHS cassettes, DVDs, and later Blu-rays that were available for rent for a night or a weekend.
Certain businesses also sold video games to their customers. A significant portion of the experience consisted on the thrill of selecting a film, which was typically an occasion for a movie night with friends or family.
2. “Made in Hong Kong.”
“It used to be commonplace on plastic products, toys etc., but no longer.”
“Recently, I was informed that the majority of the things that were labeled as “made in Hong Kong” were really manufactured in mainland China and were only shipped from Hong Kong. My judgment is that this makes perfect sense, given that it most likely came to a stop once the mainland began exporting directly.
A warm greeting from Hong Kong! At this point in time, we have a saying that goes, “The only thing that is manufactured in Hong Kong is deals,” which is really accurate.
3. “Being able to be completely unreachable as soon as you left your house.”
Being absolutely unreachable as soon as you left your house.
4. “World War I Veterans.”
“This is accurate. One neighbor of mine served in World War I.
He lived till 1997; he was born in 1892 I have nice memories of him. He damaged his back, hence at the age of 98 we had to stop him from hand-swinging a scything across his field. Both he and his wife lived to be over a hundred. I still miss stopping to talk with them.
5. “The Montreal Expos.”
Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise Montreal Expos Originally founded in 1969 as part of MLB’s growth, they were the first MLB team outside of the United States. Expo 67, the World’s Fair held in Montreal 1967, inspired the club name.
6. “The Seattle SuperSonics.”
Based in Seattle, Washington, the Seattle SuperSonics—often known as the Sonics—were a professional basketball club in the NBA.
Established in 1967, the squad was among the league’s most recognizable teams for more than forty years. Their home games were mostly scheduled at the Seattle Center Coliseum, subsequently changed to Key Arena.
7. “The Hartford Whalers.”
Based on Hartford, Connecticut, the professional ice hockey team Hartford Whalers participated in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Originally established in 1972 as the New England Whalers, one of the World Hockey Association’s (WHA) competing teams against the NHL, the team was initially Their games were staged in the Hartford Civic Center.
8. “The smoking section in the high school I attended.”
Particularly in the 1970s and 1980s, smoking areas at high schools were formerly very frequent sight in many regions of the United States and other nations. Since smoking was more allowed at the time, these specific places were created to serve students and occasionally even staff members who smoked cigarettes.
Many schools let students—generally those of legal smoking age, which was commonly 18—smoke in these designated areas, either outdoors or in less visible sections of the school grounds, as many of them regarded as a means of managing a habit they couldn’t totally avoid.
Rising knowledge of the health hazards connected to smoking throughout time brought about a major societal change. Schools all throughout the United States passed tougher anti-smoking rules and practices in the 1990s; smoking was forbidden totally on school grounds.
9. “Mir Space Station”
An amazing work of engineering despite shortcomings. Anyone in any capacity interested in space flight should definitely investigate Mir.
10. “Netscape.”
Among the original web browsers, Netscape was essential in the early World Wide Web development and Originally known as “Mosaic Netscape,” the browser was first developed by Marc Andreessen, one of Netscape Communications Corporation’s founders, referencing the Mosaic browser.
Launched in 1994 One of the first generally used browsers that made the internet more reachable for common consumers, Netscape helped popularize the online in the 1990s.
11. “Public telephones.”
Once a necessary component of daily life, public telephones—also known as payphones—provided a means for individuals to make phone calls while away from home or without access to a personal cell.
Usually found in public areas such city streets, petrol stations, airports, retail centres, bus or rail terminals were payphones. They may have been wall-mounted or in individual phone booths.
12. “Phone books.”
Once a necessary tool for locating contacts for people, companies, and government agencies, phone books—also known as telephone directories—were Local phone companies routinely sent these big, printed volumes to households and businesses each year. Usually, the directories consisted in two parts:
“Everyone remember using them as a booster seat?”
13. “The ability [for Americans] to go to Canada without a passport.”
For most of U.S. history, Americans could visit Canada without a passport. This resulted from the two adjacent nations’ somewhat slack border policy and tight ties. Many Americans crossed into Canada and back to the United States using just a birth certificate or government-issued picture ID, such a driver’s license.
14. “Concert goers without cell phones.”
Attending concerts was a much different experience before cell phones were so common. There were no interruptions from texting, social media, or filming and videos, hence concertgoers concentrated nearly totally on the event. In hopes of getting an autograph, fans would carry lighters for ballads, throwaway cameras for a few keepsake pictures, and maybe pen and paper.
15. “$1 menus at fast food places.”
A major marketing tactic that first surfaced in fast food restaurants in the late 1980s and grew rather popular in the 1990s and early 2000s was the “$1 menu,” or value menu. Fast-food restaurants such McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, and Burger King debuted these menus to appeal to consumers on a tighter budget and provide reasonably priced meals.
