What would we ever do without alarm clocks? One possibility would be to take a cue from Industrial Revolution-era Britain and Ireland and hire a knocker-upper. Back then, alarm clocks were pricey and ...

As the clocks go forward for the start of British Summer Time, many of us will rue the loss of an hour in bed. But how did people get to work on time before alarm clocks? Until the 1970s in some areas ...

Before alarm clocks became a household essential, waking up on time required human effort. In industrial Britain and Ireland, a unique profession emerged to solve this problem. Known as knocker uppers ...

Have you ever wondered how you might have earned your keep if you were born more than a century ago? The early risers among us might have been knocker uppers. It sounds faintly rude, but a knocker ...

Hotel Wake-Up Call By a Pea Shooting Knocker-Upper. This hotel not wanting to be mentioned yet will hire knocker uppers to respond to guests’ requests for a wake-up call. This will be launched in 2024 ...

The knocker upper used a wooden pole to tap on workers' windows. This was essential as alarm clocks were not widely available. The custom is thought to have survived until 1973. This silent archive ...

Did you have to get up for work today and, if so, how did you awaken from your slumber? An alarm clock? A mobile phone? Or a sharp elbow in the ribs from your better half? All of which perhaps begs ...

Knocker uppers, phrenologists, and rat catchers were among the job titles of our ancestors, according to a new study. Genealogy-firm Ancestry has revealed a number of popular occupations from the 19th ...

Imagine life without alarm clocks. Workdays would start at noon, breakfast would be brunch, and no one would make it to class before the first bell. From the early 1800s through the 1960s, factory ...