A whole lot has changed since the dawn of humanity. Instead of grunts and "oog-s" we have complex languages, complete with grammar, syntax and weirdly-spelled words like "February" and "Desiccate." Instead of staring at the fire, we stare at Yule Log videos on our smart TVs. Instead of hunting and gathering as we can now press random locations on a screen and make a pizza materialize at our doorstep.
But even in light of these life-altering shifts, some things manage to stay the same as they've always been. From alligators to dice and even "yo mama" jokes, here are 20 things that have not changed a single bit, ever.
1
Cutlery and Utensils
“Most things you see in your cabinet, plates, bowls, cups etc. whilst the materials have changed and styles have there differences the overall purpose and functionality hasn’t changed in thousands of years. from gourd cups to crystal wine glasses, anyone at anytime could pick it up and know what its used for.”
2
Sliced Bread
“If you're still the gold standard for being so good you're always compared to, Sliced Bread takes the cake!”
3
Sewing Needles
“Sewing needles. Materials have changed, we added more machinery, but the basic needle and thread is the same.”
4
The Wheelbarrow
“The wheelbarrow. The materials might have changed over time, but the device you use to move dirt around your yard is basically the same wheel-axle-container-handle design as the ones used in China in the first century.”
5
The Brannock
“A brannock - it's a foot sizing device. The original design and materials from 1928 are still the exact same used today in shoe stores or custom orthotic shops. What's even cooler is that the inventor, Charles Brannock, was advised to make brannocks out of plastic so they would need to be replaced sooner - he declined the idea, saying you should buy something for life whenever possible. The brannock device has been made out of metal since it's creation in the 30s and generally lasts 10-20 years - it's normally replaced when the numbers on it wear off.”
6
The Cigar
“Cigars themselves haven't changed Just wrapped tobacco.”
7
The Proctor Compaction Test
“The proctor compaction test. It's a test that determined the optimal moisture content at which a given soil will be most dense. Developed in 1933 it is still the gold standard in compaction testing.”
8
The Aardvark
“Fossils from the aardvark have been dated to 5 million years.”
9
The Goblin Shark
“Considered "Living Fossils" they have been swimming in the deep oceans for at least 125 Million Years!!!”
10
The Alligator
“Alligators, the actual taxonomic family, have only been around for about 35my. The superorder, Crocodylomorpha, has been around for the 245my. They experienced quite an adaptive radiation and while I think they would be mostly very recognizable, many might garner a double-take.”
11
Complaints Of Lazy Laborers
“A brief history of capitalists crying that ‘nobody wants to work anymore.’”
12
The New Zealand Tuatara
“The New Zealand tuatara (a rhynchocephalian, not a lizard) has been around in present form for about 80-60my.”
13
Cheese Graters
“Cheese grater. Still the same as when it was invented.”
14
The Horseshoe Crab
“The Horseshoe Crab, which has been around for 450 million years, bleeds blue blood because it has Hemocyanin, which has copper, instead of hemoglobin as a transport protein.”
15
The Shovel
“A shovel. I'd say those were figured out pretty dang early and haven't changed much since, other than maybe different materials for the head/handle.”
16
“Yo Mama” Jokes
“Even in Rome they had ‘yo mama’ jokes scribbled on the walls. As well as stuff like ‘Aranicus has a fat a—‘ Gives me some comfort to know that humans don’t change that much.”
17
Dragonflies
“Dragonflies are older than dinosaurs and used to have a wingspan of 2.5 feet.”
18
New Levels Of Thirst
“Every generation thinks they invented something new in the s—al arena, when in fact, the only thing that's changed since humans lived in caves, is the cleanliness level of the participants.”
19
The D20 Dice
“The oldest D20 dice was uncovered in Egypt and dates back around 30 BC.”
20
The Coelacanth
“The Coelacanth, a prehistoric fish more related to reptiles and mammals than modern fish, was thought to have gone extinct 65 million years ago until fishermen caught one in 1938.”
