15 Once-Useful Skills Tennesseans Have Forgotten How to Do

When was the last time you sent a fax, balanced a checkbook, or developed film?

If you can’t remember, you’re not alone.

Many skills that Tennessee residents needed only a few decades ago have become all but obsolete today. In most cases, technology has made these skills redundant, replacing tasks that people used to do manually.

How many skills on this list did you used to know but no longer need?

1: Using a Fax Machine

Some younger Americans have never used a fax machine for work or personal use.

That’s because many modern businesses and organizations have shifted to electronic document signing and online file sharing.

However, faxing hasn’t become entirely irrelevant in today’s digital age, particularly in the healthcare sector.

A 2021 report found that 70% of healthcare providers continue to send medical information by fax.

2: Writing in Cursive

Today, many Americans primarily exchange messages electronically, such as through email, social media, and text messaging.

As a result, the art of cursive writing has become a lost skill.

Some schools are trying to change that, though. Nearly half of all states require public schools to teach cursive to children, despite its downward trend.

3: Reading a Map

Before smartphones came equipped with GPS navigation, people needed to use a paper map or an atlas to find their way around new areas.

Many Americans used to store a map in the glove compartment for easy access during road trips.

Map reading has become a long-lost skill thanks to technological advancements.

But if you find yourself lost in a remote area without an internet connection, you may be out of luck.

4: Using a Landline Phone

Nearly three-fourths of Americans have ditched their landlines and now use only wireless phones. With so few landlines left in existence, knowing how to use one feels irrelevant.

Landline-only households began declining in 2002, with usage dropping steeply over the next five years.

Since then, the number of landline-only households has continued to decrease each year.

5: Knowing Phone Etiquette

The decline of landlines may have caused another skill to become extinct: phone etiquette.

Today, a cell phone typically shows you who’s calling, so you can answer with a familiar greeting, like “Hey, you” or “Hi, Jessica.”

In the so-called olden days, people needed to call a household phone and politely ask to speak with the person they wanted to reach.

This phone etiquette has become nearly obsolete in America.

6: Remembering Phone Numbers

Without cheating, answer this question honestly: How many people’s phone numbers do you know by heart?

If you’re embarrassed to admit the answer, don’t be. Smartphones have essentially replaced the need to memorize phone numbers.

That is, until you lose your phone and no longer have access to your contacts.

At that point, you may wish you had memorized a number or two. 

7: Balancing a Checkbook

Before electronic banking, people needed to balance their checkbooks by hand. You would record your deposits and withdrawals, making sure the ending balance matched the amount on your bank statement.

Today, people write fewer checks, preferring to use more secure payment methods instead.

You should still monitor your bank account for potential errors or fraud, but there’s no reason to balance your checkbook by hand anymore.

8: Doing Basic Math

In elementary school, you may have spent hours learning the multiplication table and converting fractions into decimals.

These days, most people use calculators, often on their phones, to perform these types of basic equations. 

That said, knowing how to do math is certainly not a skill that’s become less important over time.

In fact, mathematics has become increasingly important in the global economy, and unfortunately, the United States continues to fall below other countries in this area.

9: Knowing How To Spell

Many older Americans grew up memorizing words for weekly spelling tests. These spelling lists have become less common in today’s classrooms.

Students now have the ability to check for mistakes with built-in spell checkers and online grammar tools.

There’s some research to suggest that lower spelling skills may have an impact on students’ language, reading comprehension, and literacy skills.

10: Growing Food

Some Americans used to garden out of necessity, growing vegetables, fruits, and herbs to feed their families.

While gardening continues to be a popular hobby today, fewer people grow their own food.

However, that trend may be changing in the post-pandemic era.

Researchers found that the number of U.S. homes participating in food gardening increased from 33% in 2019 to nearly 42% in 2020.

11: Driving a Stick Shift

Over the last several decades, driving a stick shift has become a dying art. According to one report, only 18% of U.S. drivers knew how to drive a stick shift in 2016.

At the time, only 5% of all cars sold in America had manual transmissions.

This trend seems likely to continue as car manufacturers continue to release vehicles with automatic transmissions.

12: Developing Film

Older photographers may remember the days of developing film. It involves using a chemical solution to process the film and produce negatives.

Today’s digital cameras have largely replaced the need to know how to develop film.

Many amateur photographers even use their smartphones to take pictures.

13: Referencing an Encyclopedia

Before Wikipedia, there were print encyclopedias, a series of books separated into alphabetical volumes. When you had a question you couldn’t answer, you would reference the appropriate volume to find the information you needed.

The internet has largely replaced print encyclopedias, with one exception.

World Book says it publishes the only remaining general reference encyclopedia.

14: Sewing

When a button pops off your shirt, what do you do? For many Americans, the answer might be, “Buy a new shirt.”

Sewing is a skill that has become less widely used in today’s culture.

Fast fashion and ready-made clothing may have replaced the need for people to know how to sew their own clothes.

15: Handwriting Letters

Sadly, writing letters by hand has become a lesser-known skill in today’s world.

This decline in letter writing has occurred across all age groups in the United States.

One study found that 37% of Americans say it’s been over five years since they wrote a personal letter to a friend or family member.

Around 15% say they’ve never written one at all.

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