21 Common Sounds People Grew Up Hearing All The Time, But No Longer Do Today
If you're over a certain age, then you probably have a distinct memory of what it sounded like to blow into one of your Nintendo cartridges — and while it was something you heard regularly, it's also a sound you probably haven't heard in 30-plus years.
React / Via youtube.com
Well, recently, Reddit user u/Ms_Mosa was curious about just that when they asked: "What's a sound you heard when you were young that you no longer hear?"
Of course, thousands of people chimed in to recall all the sounds they heard growing up that all but have disappeared today. Here are some of the best and most top-voted comments:
1."The white noise sound of the TV when a channel had no reception."
@justin / Via giphy.com
"Remember falling asleep with the TV on and waking up to that weird-colored picture with a BEEEEEEEEEEP."
2."The absolute obliteration coming from THX intro."
"Played a DVD yesterday for my kids 'cause my parents' internet sucks.
But, of course, my dad has the Cadillac of surround systems with a huge sub woofer behind the couch.
THX came up on the screen, and I was convinced it was another earthquake for a second."
3."Camera flash charging sound."
"Amazing how you can instantly 'hear' a sound you've not even thought about for years, just by someone saying it. And who would have thought these sounds would be nostalgic one day. :')"
4."Sit, Ubu, sit. Good dog."
5."Weird waterbed sounds..."
"We had a waterbed growing up, and I remember those weird whooshing sounds...until the bed popped. Then, I remember the squishy sound that carpet made for a long time after."
6."The telephone ringing with an actual metal bell, not a recorded sound played through a speaker."
7."The 'ka-chunk' of credit card imprint machines."
"A few years back, I was working at a gas station, and 'some crazy sunspot interference' (to quote my boss) knocked out all our electronics. We had to bring out the manual credit card imprinter, and it was such an eargasm moment."
8."In elementary school, we'd watch movies on projectors with film reels. So...the sounds of a film projector and also the white screens they'd pull down."
"The 'slap-slap-slap' of the loose film end when it was done rewinding."
9."Dot matrix printer printing."
"They had these at my local library when I was a kid. It was a strangely comforting sound. They don't have 'em anymore, of course, and I miss it. That, and the Ka-CHUNK of those big mechanical stampers they used to date the sheet on the books when you checked them out. Those are gone now, too. All computerized."
10."Dial-up connection."
AOL
"BIIIIUBRRRRRDUURRRRRRTTDINGDINGDING. That is why I always snuck on the internet at night. No one calls, LMAO."
11."The instant message sound on AIM."
"Or, that door opening sound when someone got online. Man, I’d get butterflies hoping it was my crush. Then, you’d hear that door slam, LOL."
12."VHS tapes rewinding in the VCR."
13."The invalid phone number tone."
Fox Television
"'We're sorry, your call cannot be completed as dialed.'
Also, the sound the phone made when you left it off the hook too long."
14."Random pay phones ringing when you walked by."
15."The actual coins coming out of the slot machines."
"Oh, gawd yeah. I just get no charge from a printed ticket.
The ones that used real coins were the best."
16."A manual typewriter being typed on."
NBC
"We still use one for labels at my office, and when I have a hangover, it sounds like machine gun fire."
17."The sound of a packed arcade and, in particular, pinball machines. Now, I'm middle-aged, and I'm seriously eyeing a used pinball machine for my office."
18."The Game Boy sound."
"All those random sounds those older gaming consoles make is why I collect them and still use them all the time. I have an old Game Boy I put a new light-up screen into, and putting a game in is just such a satisfying feeling and sound to me. So much nicer than putting a CD in or even worse, just downloading it."
19."You’ve got mail!"
Warner Bros.
"I needed a client's wife's email today, and he was reading it to me, and when he got to the domain, he got really quiet and was like '... @aol.com', and then, he says, 'Sorry.'"
20."The iPhone 'slide to unlock' sound."
21.And lastly: "Waking up in the middle of the night to: 'ALL MY FRIENDS KNOW THE LOW-RIDER.'"
Warner Bros.
"I think most millennials had this experience of falling asleep knowing George Lopez would wake you at 2 a.m. on full blast."
You can read the full thread of responses on Reddit.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
