26 Things That Existed Way Before You Think

Nathan Johnson Published 06/11/2021 in Funny

We have a lot be thankful for. The digital age has given us the power to transmit information at nearly light speed. The creature comforts afforded to us by the invention of things like air conditioners, washing machines, and dishwashers give us more time in the day that would otherwise have been lost. The internet gives us access to daily doses of dank memes and fun pics. Indeed, next time you're not gathering your ash to mix with pig's fat to make yourself some soap or trying to get upstream of the battlefield to wash your clothes, be thankful for life's modern pleasures.

That said, you'd be surprised just how much you'd get to keep even if you went a few centuries back -- from roman slave-powered social media to 4000-year-old flushing toilets, there's a lot of things around us that are a lot older than you think.

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1.
The ancient Romans (well, the wealthy ones) had central heating in their homes. You can actually still see the pipes in some of the buildings at Herculaneum!
2.
Ancient Egyptians who built the pyramids. The Ancient Egyptians were as old to the Ancient Romans as the Ancient Romans are to us.
3.
I don't know if this counts but Dinosaurs lived on the earth a lot longer than most people think. When you think of dinosaurs, you think of their extinction but they roamed the earth for 165 million years. Compare that to our 6 million and it's almost mind boggling, at least imo. The modern form of humans is 200,000 years old but if we include our humanoid ancestors, we've been here 6 million years.
4.
Sharks. Sharks as a family are older than trees
5.
Flushing toilets date all the way back to the Indus River Valley civilization, back in 2000 BC
6.
The fact that the lighter is older than the match shook my head as a kid. It also gave me the curiosity to question things that seems obvious.
7.
Beer is thought to be older than bread. It's much easier to fill a jar with wheat and water, let it ferment, and brew beer than it is to grind grain, mix it, and bake it.
8.
I was really surprised to discover when Oxford university was founded. They don’t know the year for sure, but they know there was definitely teaching going on there in 1096.
9.
Contact lenses. Leonardo da Vinci had the idea of contact lenses in 1508 and the first successful contact lenses were made in 1888.
10.
Wristwatches. Queen Elizabeth I got one in 1571.
11.
Fax Machines. They were invented in 1843. Before the telephone.
12.
The Aux connector that we still use for headphones and speakers was invented in 1877. There have been improvements since, but the basics of it are pretty much the same.
13.
The sentiment that modern society is degenerate and that the youth are to blame is, iirc, one of the oldest things we have written down. That I can remember off the top of my head, Cato the Elder complained that the younger generations were becoming too greek, and Socrates used to complain that the younger generations were ruining their brains by writing instead of memorising information. There are far more older examples, but those are the oldest I remember (maybe Socrates was onto something)
14.
Oreos. I was shocked to learn that Oreos predate chocolate chip cookies, sliced bread, and my 100 year old Great Grandmother.
15.
Escalators have been around since 1859, though they were called rotating stairs.
16.
Nintendo. This company was actually created in 1889.
17.
Brain Surgery In 1997, archaeologists discovered an ancient tomb in the French village of Ensisheim from 5,000 BC, which contained the decomposing body of a 50-year-old man with holes in his skull. After a thorough examination, it was determined that the holes, located near the frontal lobe, were caused by a type of surgery, not by forced trauma, and the operation appears to have been successful because the wounds healed before the patient's death. To this day, however, researchers cannot say for sure what exactly the surgery was trying to fix.
18.
Social media - wealthy ancient Romans had a system where they used slaves as scribes and messengers in order to share gossip and art/poetry and news updates with friends in their social circle.
19.
Stonehenge. It predates the oldest Pyramid in Egypt by nearly 300 years.
20.
The idea that everything's getting worse and that the world's coming to an end soon. Sure, there's new vocabulary and new science involved, but people have been sounding that pessimistic alarm throughout history.
21.
Beer. It’s one of the oldest prepared drinks in the world. It not only predates every civilization but actually contributed to their creation.
22.
The use of concrete. It's use goes as far back as the Mayans, but more notably in Egyptian construction as well as in Rome. The Romans had an arguably greater concrete mix than we currently have, but that was never passed down. Eventually the use of concrete fell out of popularity for centuries as we seemingly lost the information needed to create it, as if the recipe was thrown out and nobody wrote it down. Also Samuel L Jackson. The man is 71 years old, but looks like he hasn't aged in decades!
23.
Oxford university. It’s older than the Aztec empire
24.
Netflix! i feel like it is only a few years old but it was invented in 1997
25.
The first carbonated drink to be sold to the public was invented by Swiss watchmaker and amateur scientist J. J. Schweppe in 1783, who sold his delicious "sparkling water" to thirsty customers in Geneva. In just seven years, he was doing business so fast that he moved the factory to London and introduced a new flavor, sparkling lemon, to stand out from competitors who were trying to imitate his drink.
26.
Sharks. As a species they're older than the rings of Saturn.

1.
The ancient Romans (well, the wealthy ones) had central heating in their homes. You can actually still see the pipes in some of the buildings at Herculaneum!
2.
Ancient Egyptians who built the pyramids. The Ancient Egyptians were as old to the Ancient Romans as the Ancient Romans are to us.
3.
I don't know if this counts but Dinosaurs lived on the earth a lot longer than most people think. When you think of dinosaurs, you think of their extinction but they roamed the earth for 165 million years. Compare that to our 6 million and it's almost mind boggling, at least imo. The modern form of humans is 200,000 years old but if we include our humanoid ancestors, we've been here 6 million years.
4.
Sharks. Sharks as a family are older than trees
5.
Flushing toilets date all the way back to the Indus River Valley civilization, back in 2000 BC
6.
The fact that the lighter is older than the match shook my head as a kid. It also gave me the curiosity to question things that seems obvious.
7.
Beer is thought to be older than bread. It's much easier to fill a jar with wheat and water, let it ferment, and brew beer than it is to grind grain, mix it, and bake it.
8.
I was really surprised to discover when Oxford university was founded. They don’t know the year for sure, but they know there was definitely teaching going on there in 1096.
9.
Contact lenses. Leonardo da Vinci had the idea of contact lenses in 1508 and the first successful contact lenses were made in 1888.
10.
Wristwatches. Queen Elizabeth I got one in 1571.
11.
Fax Machines. They were invented in 1843. Before the telephone.
12.
The Aux connector that we still use for headphones and speakers was invented in 1877. There have been improvements since, but the basics of it are pretty much the same.
13.
The sentiment that modern society is degenerate and that the youth are to blame is, iirc, one of the oldest things we have written down. That I can remember off the top of my head, Cato the Elder complained that the younger generations were becoming too greek, and Socrates used to complain that the younger generations were ruining their brains by writing instead of memorising information. There are far more older examples, but those are the oldest I remember (maybe Socrates was onto something)
14.
Oreos. I was shocked to learn that Oreos predate chocolate chip cookies, sliced bread, and my 100 year old Great Grandmother.
15.
Escalators have been around since 1859, though they were called rotating stairs.
16.
Nintendo. This company was actually created in 1889.
17.
Brain Surgery In 1997, archaeologists discovered an ancient tomb in the French village of Ensisheim from 5,000 BC, which contained the decomposing body of a 50-year-old man with holes in his skull. After a thorough examination, it was determined that the holes, located near the frontal lobe, were caused by a type of surgery, not by forced trauma, and the operation appears to have been successful because the wounds healed before the patient's death. To this day, however, researchers cannot say for sure what exactly the surgery was trying to fix.
18.
Social media - wealthy ancient Romans had a system where they used slaves as scribes and messengers in order to share gossip and art/poetry and news updates with friends in their social circle.
19.
Stonehenge. It predates the oldest Pyramid in Egypt by nearly 300 years.
20.
The idea that everything's getting worse and that the world's coming to an end soon. Sure, there's new vocabulary and new science involved, but people have been sounding that pessimistic alarm throughout history.
21.
Beer. It’s one of the oldest prepared drinks in the world. It not only predates every civilization but actually contributed to their creation.
22.
The use of concrete. It's use goes as far back as the Mayans, but more notably in Egyptian construction as well as in Rome. The Romans had an arguably greater concrete mix than we currently have, but that was never passed down. Eventually the use of concrete fell out of popularity for centuries as we seemingly lost the information needed to create it, as if the recipe was thrown out and nobody wrote it down. Also Samuel L Jackson. The man is 71 years old, but looks like he hasn't aged in decades!
23.
Oxford university. It’s older than the Aztec empire
24.
Netflix! i feel like it is only a few years old but it was invented in 1997
25.
The first carbonated drink to be sold to the public was invented by Swiss watchmaker and amateur scientist J. J. Schweppe in 1783, who sold his delicious "sparkling water" to thirsty customers in Geneva. In just seven years, he was doing business so fast that he moved the factory to London and introduced a new flavor, sparkling lemon, to stand out from competitors who were trying to imitate his drink.
26.
Sharks. As a species they're older than the rings of Saturn.

The ancient Romans (well, the wealthy ones) had central heating in their homes. You can actually still see the pipes in some of the buildings at Herculaneum!

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NEXT GALLERY 49 Funny Photos To Make Your Work Go Away

1. The ancient Romans (well, the wealthy ones) had central heating in their homes. You can actually still see the pipes in some of the buildings at Herculaneum!

2. Ancient Egyptians who built the pyramids. The Ancient Egyptians were as old to the Ancient Romans as the Ancient Romans are to us.

4. Sharks. Sharks as a family are older than trees

5. Flushing toilets date all the way back to the Indus River Valley civilization, back in 2000 BC

6. The fact that the lighter is older than the match shook my head as a kid. It also gave me the curiosity to question things that seems obvious.

7. Beer is thought to be older than bread. It's much easier to fill a jar with wheat and water, let it ferment, and brew beer than it is to grind grain, mix it, and bake it.

8. I was really surprised to discover when Oxford university was founded. They don’t know the year for sure, but they know there was definitely teaching going on there in 1096.

9. Contact lenses. Leonardo da Vinci had the idea of contact lenses in 1508 and the first successful contact lenses were made in 1888.

10. Wristwatches. Queen Elizabeth I got one in 1571.

11. Fax Machines. They were invented in 1843. Before the telephone.

12. The Aux connector that we still use for headphones and speakers was invented in 1877. There have been improvements since, but the basics of it are pretty much the same.

14. Oreos. I was shocked to learn that Oreos predate chocolate chip cookies, sliced bread, and my 100 year old Great Grandmother.

15. Escalators have been around since 1859, though they were called rotating stairs.

16. Nintendo. This company was actually created in 1889.

18. Social media - wealthy ancient Romans had a system where they used slaves as scribes and messengers in order to share gossip and art/poetry and news updates with friends in their social circle.

19. Stonehenge. It predates the oldest Pyramid in Egypt by nearly 300 years.

20. The idea that everything's getting worse and that the world's coming to an end soon. Sure, there's new vocabulary and new science involved, but people have been sounding that pessimistic alarm throughout history.

21. Beer. It’s one of the oldest prepared drinks in the world. It not only predates every civilization but actually contributed to their creation.

23. Oxford university. It’s older than the Aztec empire

24. Netflix! i feel like it is only a few years old but it was invented in 1997

26. Sharks. As a species they're older than the rings of Saturn.

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eBaum's Picks

1.
The ancient Romans (well, the wealthy ones) had central heating in their homes. You can actually still see the pipes in some of the buildings at Herculaneum!

2.
Ancient Egyptians who built the pyramids. The Ancient Egyptians were as old to the Ancient Romans as the Ancient Romans are to us.

4.
Sharks. Sharks as a family are older than trees

5.
Flushing toilets date all the way back to the Indus River Valley civilization, back in 2000 BC

6.
The fact that the lighter is older than the match shook my head as a kid. It also gave me the curiosity to question things that seems obvious.

7.
Beer is thought to be older than bread. It's much easier to fill a jar with wheat and water, let it ferment, and brew beer than it is to grind grain, mix it, and bake it.

8.
I was really surprised to discover when Oxford university was founded. They don’t know the year for sure, but they know there was definitely teaching going on there in 1096.

9.
Contact lenses. Leonardo da Vinci had the idea of contact lenses in 1508 and the first successful contact lenses were made in 1888.

10.
Wristwatches. Queen Elizabeth I got one in 1571.

11.
Fax Machines. They were invented in 1843. Before the telephone.

12.
The Aux connector that we still use for headphones and speakers was invented in 1877. There have been improvements since, but the basics of it are pretty much the same.

14.
Oreos. I was shocked to learn that Oreos predate chocolate chip cookies, sliced bread, and my 100 year old Great Grandmother.

15.
Escalators have been around since 1859, though they were called rotating stairs.

16.
Nintendo. This company was actually created in 1889.

18.
Social media - wealthy ancient Romans had a system where they used slaves as scribes and messengers in order to share gossip and art/poetry and news updates with friends in their social circle.

19.
Stonehenge. It predates the oldest Pyramid in Egypt by nearly 300 years.

20.
The idea that everything's getting worse and that the world's coming to an end soon. Sure, there's new vocabulary and new science involved, but people have been sounding that pessimistic alarm throughout history.

21.
Beer. It’s one of the oldest prepared drinks in the world. It not only predates every civilization but actually contributed to their creation.

23.
Oxford university. It’s older than the Aztec empire

24.
Netflix! i feel like it is only a few years old but it was invented in 1997

26.
Sharks. As a species they're older than the rings of Saturn.