this post was submitted on 30 Jan 2026
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I suppose it would be mostly practical skills, cooking, fixing things. Usually had to be done by people themselves.

Maybe also mental things like navigating (with or without paper map) and remembering their daily and weekly agendas.

What other things would be a big difference with the people today?

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[–] tomselleck@sopuli.xyz 42 points 4 days ago (5 children)

If you knew how to drive, you most likely knew how to use a manual transmission.

[–] SolarBoy@slrpnk.net 18 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (3 children)

This one depends on where you live, I suppose. In some european countries it's still quite common to learn to drive with a manual.

[–] kernelle@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 4 days ago

Quite common as in, I've only met one person here in my life who can only drive automatic. Electric cars being more mainstream means many more people are driving automatic, but if you do your licence in an automatic you are not allowed to drive a manual car. So I'd wager over 99% of people can drive a manual. This is in Belgium btw.

[–] Rothe@piefed.social 1 points 4 days ago

Yes, true here in Denmark for example, but it is slowly changing on account of the rising number of EVs.

[–] gigachad@piefed.social 5 points 4 days ago (1 children)

In Germany nowadays everybody who has a license also know how to drive manual.

[–] Strider@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago

I have to add that you're 99.9% correct, there are rare people who only learned automatic and may only drive those. I know exactly one person, so it might well be 0.1% 😁

[–] Hossenfeffer@feddit.uk 3 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Almost every adult in the UK learns on manual - I've known about three people in my life who learned on automatic and are only licensed to drive automatics - but with the rise of electric cars (and an increase in automatics generally) I wonder if my kids will learn.

What I never learned, but which my parents did was exactly when and to use the choke on a car. I know fuel injection made chokes unnecessary and I've never driven a car that had one.

[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)
[–] sem@piefed.blahaj.zone 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Did u ever use a different kind of motor with one?

[–] Hossenfeffer@feddit.uk 2 points 2 days ago

I don't think so. Oh, wait, I have a petrol strimmer / bushcutter that has a choke! So, yes!

[–] sorghum@sh.itjust.works 3 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (2 children)

Lots of semi truck drivers know how to drive a manual and semi truck driver is one of the most common occupations in the US. Everyone at my company's location knows how even though we have an all automatic fleet.

Edit: Just to address the premise of the question only a couple of us were driving 50 years ago.

[–] sem@piefed.blahaj.zone 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Is it really?

How scary is it to drive down a big hill?

[–] sorghum@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Yeah it really is. Most everyone trained before the last 15 years were likely trained on an asynchronous manual transmission.

In good weather? Only the first few times. In bad weather? I'm on high alert like a dog who knows the mailman is delivering a vacuum cleaner. Take it slow, make sure the brakes work, and know where the runaway ramps are. A manual transmission is usually preferable for mountains for better control or for at least the illusion.

[–] sem@piefed.blahaj.zone 2 points 2 days ago

Stay safe out there! Godspeed!

[–] TheRedSpade@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago

You likely already know this but if anybody else reading is interested, this is because if you test for your commercial license in an automatic then you're restricted to only automatics. The schools are still teaching manual, so it doesn't make any sense to learn that then test in an automatic and get that restriction.

[–] Formfiller@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago

I still have a manual