The Book of Ecclesiastes tells us, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” When it comes to technologies from the past believed dead and gone, Ecclesiastes may well be correct. Ships may again cruise the world’s waterways powered by the winds, supplemented by the rays of the sun. Though the use of coal is steadily waning, other sources of power may provide the heat to create steam, allowing trains and other vehicles to again rely on steam as their power source.
The recently revived pleasures of home baking and cooking have already led to an increase in the preservation of foods at home. America’s railroads are in the planning stages for a return to convenient and rapid intercity travel, delivering passengers to city centers, rather than distant airports in the suburbs. From the prevalence of smartphones and other devices one may believe cameras are passe. Yet even the humble Polaroid camera may be poised for a comeback. Here are 10 forgotten technologies which may, and in some cases already have, come back to common use.
This is an encore of one of our previous lists, as presented by our YouTube host Simon Whistler. Read the full list!