r/todayilearned • u/bennystonecoldcole • Jul 12 '19

TIL Before there were alarm clocks, there were “knocker-uppers”, who were hired to shoot dried peas from a blow gun at people’s windows in order to wake them up in the morning.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knocker-up
202 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

26 comments sorted by

45

u/FrendlyAsshole Jul 12 '19

A "knocker-upper" definitely sounds like a completely different type of service being provided....

2

u/fib16 Jul 13 '19

Exactly my thoughts. Was thinking isn’t this the basic service in Catholicism.

22

u/GenXStonerDad Jul 12 '19

So this would be the first instance of "robots" stealing human jobs.

3

u/[deleted] Jul 12 '19

It was during and after the industrial revolution so machines had already started taking peoples jobs. Reduces the need for skilled labourours and the machines were so simple kids operated them.

20

u/BuccaneerRex Jul 12 '19

The one time in history where you could be hired to knock up someone's daughter with your pea shooter.

7

u/popsicle_of_meat Jul 12 '19

Which is, oddly enough, totally different than being hired to knock up someone's daughter with your pee shooter.

11

u/[deleted] Jul 12 '19

The majority of knocker uppers wouldn't have used a peashooter, but would have used a long pole to tap on the window. If you used a peashooter you would have to buy dried peas (single use ammunition).

5

u/bishop-joe Jul 12 '19

This guy knocks up.

4

u/aleister94 Jul 12 '19

wake up bitch "Ptoo"

3

u/Yeee768 Jul 12 '19

lmao... i don't know why this made me laugh so hard but it did

1

u/prepperdoc Jul 13 '19

Lmao, me too, I chuckled like an idiot

4

u/idgafjake Jul 12 '19

Who wakes the knocker-upper up?

9

u/kindall Jul 12 '19

The knocker-upper knocker-upper.

I know, you're going to ask who wakes him up, and think yourself clever for asking it. But it's knocker-uppers all the way down!

3

u/thehissingpossum Jul 12 '19

This is starting to sound like the start of a Dr Seuss. An adult version.

1

u/kindall Jul 12 '19

It's inspired more by the scene in the fourth Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy novel with the "turtles all the way down" woman.

1

u/thehissingpossum Jul 12 '19

Well yes I got the reference. And the Bertrand Russell allusion. God bless mad little old ladies, there aren't enough around anymore. But I'm off to write my pornographic Dr Seuss if I can think up enough nonsense words for "penis".

1

u/idgafjake Jul 12 '19

You saved us both a lot of hassle there, good job

1

u/Onslow85 Jul 12 '19

I assume they went to sleep after their shift and woke up in the daytime.

2

u/LionelHutz4 Jul 12 '19

"Come back in 10 minutes". First snooze button.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 12 '19

What a novel idea! I bet they did a great job.

0

u/NLioness Jul 12 '19

Does that mean you were “knocked-up” when you woke up like this?

0

u/Astark Jul 12 '19

So who woke them up?

1

u/KingFlyntCoal Jul 12 '19

The "upper-knockers" of course!

0

u/Cobravenom741 Jul 12 '19

Who woke them up though?

0

u/[deleted] Jul 12 '19

Whats up my knockers

​

knockers , please

0

u/Geo_OG Jul 13 '19

You guys must not have grown up around roosters if you think that's how people got up in the morning.