"Knocker up", the human alarm clocks

Admit it.Have you ever been late for work because your alarm clock has not sounded? Have you forgotten maybe to set the alarm on your mobile and have arrived late? It has happened to all of us on more than one occasion to sleep more than the account.We rely too much on technology, on that alarm clock, on the engineering of our phones capable of making us open our eyes to the rhythm of our favorite music.

But how did our ancestors manage? What did all those workers who daily had to do their shifts in the factories in full industrial revolution? Today we will talk to you precisely about it.From an original and respectable trade that Charles Dickens himself once described to us in many of his books.We are talking about the "Knocker up".

Toc-toc, someone knocks on your window...

We are in full industrial revolution. Endless shifts, and hard work for the whole family, including children.If one committed the carelessness of arriving late to his position at the factory, he was quickly fired and replaced, labor was never lacking...The fear of falling asleep was thus a shadow of terror that no one could afford.What to do then?

In England and Ireland became an original and practical profession: they were the "Knocker up".Their task was very simple, the previous night one agreed with them the exact time at which he wished to be awake Afterwards, once they had received the agreed pennies, the Knocker up acted with rigorous punctuality to hit the window pane of our room, and of course, he would insist until he got the answer that indeed, the person had woken up.

You might think it was a job associated with the lower classes of British and Irish society, but in reality many of these Knocker up were police who took advantage of their work shifts to take a bonus.Something easy and effective that helped them stay comfortably.

Apart from the police were also those people who had perfected their work to the fullest.They built long sticks with which to reach the necessary height to access any window.Sometimes, t enian as a task to wake up all the tenants of the same street, workers who lived in the same urban nucleus and who had to fulfill the same work shift.

At the end of the day, the Knocker up, took a Good salary to spend the day with total peace of mind.As a curiosity we will tell you about the famous Mary Smith , which you can see in the image below.I get to be well known for her ability as Knocker up.This woman had a refined technique that was based on using a blowgun to hit the windows.She only had to put her eye, place her blowgun, blow and launch an authentic pea bombardment with which to wake up all her clients.failed.

Mary Smith

At this point you will surely be wondering, «but who woke up the« Knocker up? «Surely another Kn ocker up, who knows.But there was the simple charm of these forgotten professions that are worth remembering in our space.Discuss this article with us through Facebook, Twitter and Google+

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