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Notice something missing? Here are 19 of the biggest things that 'disappeared and no one noticed.'

"Somewhere along the way, 9-5 turned into 8-5."

reddit, things going away, things missing

via Joe/Flickr, Kara/Flickr, and Valerie Everett/Flickr

There are some things that have just quietly slipped into history.

Earlier this month, Netflix announced it would send out its last DVDs to customers on September 29. Over its 25-year history, the company sent out over 5.2 billion DVDs, and in its peak year, 2010, it had over 20 million subscribers to the DVD service.

It’s incredible to think how ubiquitous those red envelopes were just a few years ago, and in a few months, they’ll be history.

Netflix’s announcement made headlines worldwide, but not every cultural staple has its moment in the sun before it's gone. There are a lot of things that come in with a bang and go out with a whimper. Many of them are never thought about again.

A Reddit user named Musicmaniac247 asked the online forum, “What eventually disappeared and no one noticed?” The question received over 23,000 responses in just one day. The reactions ranged from natural phenomena to cultural habits to things you used to be able to pick up at the store but are permanently out of stock.

Things always come and go with the times, but these days, more cultural touchstones are going by the wayside due to rapid changes in the environment and technology.

Here are 19 of the biggest things that “eventually disappeared and no one noticed.”

1.

"Our need to know who our neighbors are. I listened to a podcast about human interaction recently and the host said that the internet slowly made it possible to live without knowing who the people are next door. It used to be that we would hang out with people in our street or attend dinners, birthdays, and whatnot. Now, everyone seems to have no need to even so much as introduce themselves. The only time we do get to know each other is if we have a complaint." — Anima99

2.

"Toys in cereal boxes." — getupk3v

3.

"Somewhere along the way 9-5 turned into 8-5." — nocerazbj·

4.

"We're in the process of full size can of Arizona teas for $.99 disappearing. I'm seeing a lot of places starting to carry the smaller plastic bottles for $.99 or the larger plastic bottles for more. I'm honestly surprised that they've lasted for this long at the same price." — WeirdJawn

[Note: As of October 2022, the Arizona company stated that it has no plans to raise prices on its $.99 full-size cans of tea and will keep them at that price as long as possible.]

5.

"CD/DVD drives in laptops." — DVLCINEA

6.

"Longevity in careers has largely gone away. People used to get a job and after being there for decades reap the benefits of being seasoned employees (higher salaries and better perks)." — arthurdentxxxxxii

7.

"People fainting when something unexpected happens. And people carrying smelling salts for just such an occasion. It’s so 19th century." — CobaltNebula

8.

"TV bumpers. There used to be a little sequence between the show and commercials. Some of them were really interesting and creative. I think my generation remembers the 'wand IDs' on the Disney channel (where a Disney celeb would use a wand to make the logo). There were also bumpers that were PSAs or other actual content." — LtCommanderCarter

9.

"Having many family photographs in homes. Not completely gone, but homes used to be plastered in them. The only times I really notice them is in homes of older people." — boxoffingernails

10.

"3-D television." —1feralengineer

11.

"Someone answering the phone at businesses." — suffaluffapussycat

12.

"Blimps, helium is expensive and drones can do some of their missions." — Loki143

13.

"Fireflies aka lightning bugs. I live rural and I used to see hundreds on a warm summer night. Now I get excited if I see just one. I mentioned it to other people who live in the same area as I do and they were just like 'Huh. Yeah. You're right!'" — ZookeepergameSea3890

14.

"Privacy in your daily life." — Annoyedatreddit1

15.

"Lobster tanks in grocery stores! Not that I particularly want them back, but those are nostalgic af." — BIGPOOPYTYME

16.

"A common pop culture (in the U.S., at least). Until at least the '80s, most people watched the same TV show, saw the same movies, listened to the same music, could recite the same commercial slogans or jingles, bought into the same fads. I don't know when it happened, but now we are all siloed into highly specific subcultures." — Choreplayed

17.

"Color from the world. Everything is becoming grayscale. Look at commercial buildings and fast food buildings. McDonald’s used to look fun and exciting, now they’re all gray and boring." — Sosantula21

18.

"The need to remember phone numbers." —imcoolmymomsaidso

19.

"The COVID quiet. You remember how quiet things were? When we all just took a chill pill? I remember. Everything is loud again. From streets to stores. Sidewalks. Everything is loud. I couldn't point to when it happened, it just disappeared. And nobody seems to talk about how nice the quiet was." — RubSalt1936

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How a warm bowl of Korean curry came to represent love and sacrifice

Food can mean so many things.

All images provided by Kat Chao

A photo of Kat and her mom, and a bowl of her mom's famous curry

True

Whether it’s the mac n’ cheese that reminds you of simpler times, or the exotic spiced chicken recipe you acquired from your travels, every meal tells a story.

This rings especially true for people whose families immigrate to different countries to start a new life. Immigrant parents often not only save every penny, but spend most of their time away working in order to build a future for their children. Each comfort meal they manage to provide their kids in the very few spare hours they have tells the story of love and sacrifice.

For Kat Chao, that meal was her mother’s Korean curry.

korean food A photo of baby Kat and her mom and dad

Growing up, Kat’s mom worked weekends to support her family. But that didn’t stop her from waking up Saturday morning to dice up some beef and fresh veggies and throw them into a large pot so that Kat’s dad could heat it up and serve it with some rice to her and her brothers later.

Curry was a quick, easy and inexpensive way to feed a full house, but it served more than just practical purposes. As Kat would wake up to the enticing aroma, she was reminded that her mom was always taking care of her, even if she couldn’t physically be there.

koran curry YUM

As Kat grew a little older, her attitude towards her mother’s curry shifted. Instead of looking forward to it, she would “roll her eyes at it,” as is customary of the rebellious teen. Those less-than-positive feelings were only exacerbated by the media constantly labeling carbs, therefore rice, as “bad.” As a kid who struggled with weight, her comfort food became a source of discomfort.

But as an adult, and now a mom herself, Kat has reached a full circle moment.

korean recipes, albertsons Kat, all grown up with her own familiy

As she makes her own kids the exact same curry dish (okay, maybe a leaner cut of beef, and organic veggies…but otherwise exactly the same!) Kat finds a whole new appreciation for the recipe, knowing how hard her mom worked to even make it happen.

Kat was lucky to have grown up with a meal to look forward to each night. Other kids aren’t so lucky. 1 in 8 kids currently experience food insecurity in the United States. But there’s an opportunity to decrease those numbers.

For every O Organics product you purchase, the company will donate a meal to someone in need through the Albertsons Companies Foundation—for up to a total of 28 million meals.

Is there a dish from your childhood that you’ve longed to rekindle with? You could do like Kat does and give it an O Organic twist. Luckily, the O Organics brand has a wide array of affordable ingredients, so creating healthy swaps is easier than ever. Plus, you can provide nourishment to another family at the same time.

Just think—the next meal you prepare could make all the difference to someone else. If every meal tells a story, that’s certainly a story worth telling.

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Woman who lives on a cruise ship for free shares the 4 things she can’t do

Living on a ship isn’t perfect. It’s just close to perfect.

via Pixabay/Pexels

A beautiful ocean liner

Upworthy has covered a few stories about people who decided to live permanently on cruise ships because it's cheaper than living on land or in a nursing home. These stories have connected with millions because they say a lot about the modern cost of living but are also aspirational.

Christine Kesteloo has become popular on TikTok with over 680,000 followers because she shares what living on a cruise ship is really like. Kesteloo is the wife of the ship’s Staff Chief Engineer, so she gets to live on the boat for free. She only has to pay for alcohol and soda, which she gets for half off.

“I live on a cruise ship for half the year with my husband, and it's often as glamorous as it sounds,” she told Insider. “After all, I don't cook, clean, make my bed, do laundry or pay for food.“

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1 in 8 kids in the U.S. experiences food insecurity. One simple grocery choice can help.

It's truly a win-win.

Albertsons

No child should have to worry about getting enough food to thrive.

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When you’re a kid, summer means enjoying the fun of the season—plentiful sunshine, free time with friends, splashing in pools and sprinklers. But not every child’s summer is as carefree as it should be.

For some, summer means going hungry. According to Feeding America, food insecurity affects 1 in 8 children in the U.S., largely because families lose the free or reduced-price meals at school that help keep them fed during the school year.

But back-to-school time doesn’t make food insecurity disappear, either. Hunger is a year-round issue, and with the increased cost of groceries, it’s gotten harder for families who were already struggling to put food on the table.

So what can be done—or more specifically, what can the average person do—to help?

The good news is that one simple choice at the grocery store can help ease the burden a bit for those experiencing food insecurity. And the even better news is that it’s also a healthy choice for ourselves, our families and our planet. When we’re out on our regular shopping trips, we can simply look for the O Organics versions of things we would already buy.

But wait—aren’t we all feeling the pinch at the checkout stand? And isn’t organic food expensive? Here’s the thing: Organic food is often much more affordable than you might think. The cost difference between organic and non-organic products keeps narrowing, and many organic and non-organic foods are now almost identical in price. Sometimes you’ll even find that an organic product is actually cheaper than its brand-name non-organic counterpart.

Since 2005, O Organics has helped give health-conscious shoppers more options by making organic food more accessible and affordable. And now, it’s helping those same shoppers take action to fight food insecurity. For every O Organics product you purchase, the company will donate a meal to someone in need through the Albertsons Companies Foundation—for up to a total of 28 million meals.

Look for the O Organics label in every aisle.O Organics

Here’s what that means in real-world terms:

Say you’re throwing an end-of-summer backyard BBQ bash. If you were to buy O Organics ground beef, hamburger buns, ketchup and sea salt potato chips, you’d be donating four meals just by buying those four ingredients. If you added O Organics butter lettuce and O Organics sandwich slice pickles, you’d be donating two more meals, and so on.

And where are those meals going? Albertsons Companies Foundation works with a network of national and local charities fighting hunger, and regional divisions choose organizations to fund locally. So every O Organics product you purchase means a meal on the table for someone in your area who might not otherwise have the nourishment they need.

No kid should have to worry about getting enough food to thrive. We all make conscious choices each time we walk down a grocery store aisle, and by choosing

O Organics, we can make a difference in a child’s life while also making healthy choices for ourselves and our families. It’s truly a win-win.

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Dog cries during Mufasa's death in 'The Lion King' and people are swooning

That scene transcends species.

@bosco.and.the.fam/TikTok

We ALL cry at that scene.

For being such a whimsical brand, Disney sure knows how to throw a gut punch. From Bambi’s mom, to Ellie in “Up,” Disney has delivered some truly heart-wrenching death scenes that send everyone straight to tears.

But perhaps the most painful of all comes from a mid-90s Disney classic called “The Lion King.” You know where we’re going with this.

Yep, it’s Mufasa’s death. This one just hurts on so many levels, from seeing a father desperately try to save his son, to the agonizing betrayal, to Simba pitifully attempting to wake his father up, to laying under his paw one last time…sorry,does anyone have a tissue?

Turns out, that scene has an effect on more than just humans.

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World champion pole vaulter delivers a beautiful and logical defense of sharing the gold

"Contrary to popular belief, you do not need a 'win at all cost' mindset to have a champion’s mentality."

jenaragon94/Wikimedia Commons

2018 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships

Everyone loves a champion, especially when the winner represents the country we call home. Seeing a dedicated athlete standing on the tallest podium, a gold medal around their neck, the national anthem playing as the flag is raised—it's enough to inspire a bit of patriotism in even the most hardened of hearts.

But the idea of a champion sharing that top podium with another country's athlete is apparently a bridge too far for some, as American pole vaulter Katie Moon (formerly Katie Negeotte) found out at the 2023 World Athletics Championships.

Moon and Australian pole vaulter Nina Kennedy tied for gold at the competition, each clearing 4.9 meters and and then falling three times on their attempts at 4.95 meters. Rather than continue competing to see who would be the sole winner, both women opted to share the World Champion title.

For some, it was a lovely bit of mutual sportsmanship, but for others, it was an unwelcome concession. In a viral post on Facebook, Moon shared that some people had called her and Kennedy "cowards," "shameful" and "pathetic" for their decision to share the win.

Though she didn't owe anyone an explanation, Moon decided to offer one anyway.

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How 'light pollution' has turned looking at a night sky into an incredibly rare luxury

It used to be something that everyone saw any evening when they walked out their door.

Photo by Warren Wong on Unsplash

When the light is getting in the way of the night.

Wow. I never thought about how rare this is before, but many people literally can go their whole lives without experiencing the vastness of space and their own smallness.

It used to be something that everyone saw any evening when they walked out their door.

It used to be that when you looked up at the night sky, you would see deep into the farthest reaches of space and time, but now...

Nope.

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Notice something missing? Here are 19 of the biggest things that 'disappeared and no one noticed.'

"Somewhere along the way, 9-5 turned into 8-5."

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

Food can mean so many things.

Living on a ship isn’t perfect. It’s just close to perfect.

1. No gambling

2. Can’t leave the ship with the guests

3. Sit in a crowded pool

4. Must have international traveler insurance

It's truly a win-win.

That scene transcends species.

The American Kennel Club has crowned a new favorite.

Social media is his only real connection to the outside world, and TikTok users refused to let him fight the trolls alone.

"Contrary to popular belief, you do not need a 'win at all cost' mindset to have a champion’s mentality."

To say that I’ve seen mixed...

It used to be something that everyone saw any evening when they walked out their door.

Wow. I never thought about how rare this is before, but many people literally can go their whole lives without experiencing the vastness of space and their own smallness.

Not anymore. We're lighting up our cities like never before.

Over 99% of Americans in the continental U.S. live in areas that are considered light polluted.

Are you scared of total darkness?