People sometimes say that you can’t live in the past but is that true? Today is tomorrow’s past. It’s all a matter of how you look at it. That said, there are some people, places and even entire organizations in this world that learned how to do things one way a long time ago and have no desire to change no matter how much time marches on.
10. In 2024 the San Francisco Subway is Still Running on 5 ¼” Floppy Disks
In any major city, public transit is some kind of modern nightmare. Entire teams of people need to collaborate to organize routes and schedules and technology all based on specific timing and practicality, often in places where the idea of mass transit was never factored into the city’s development. And even when it was, like in the case of subway systems, years of additions and increased usage have made it necessary to change and adapt again and again.
With all that in mind, learning that a city like San Francisco has a subway system running on floppy disks is somewhat shocking. San Francisco has a population of over 800,000 but their subway system can see well over 80 million users in a year. All of it is coordinated on a system using 5 ¼” floppy disks from the Reagan era.
In 2023 it was reported that the control system for their Market Street subway system was all on old-school floppy disks. That same subway system was also opening a brand new, state-of-the-art line that was about 1.6 miles long and cost $1.6 billion while still using those disks. More money for updates was requested but until they switch to something more modern, like CD-ROMs, the disks will have to do.
9. The IRS’ Computers Run on 60-Year-Old Code
Have you ever heard someone complaining about having to do taxes based on the idea that the IRS already knows what you made and what you owe, so why are you wasting your own time filling out paperwork for it? Maybe it’s for the best since their computers are running software that is, sometimes, 60 years old.
Even though the IRS spent $2.8 billion to maintain and update its IT system in 2020, things like the Individual Master File system, which processes all individual taxpayer data, date back to the 1960s when computers were the size of rooms and data storage was done on magnetic tape. If the software were to fail, it could affect up to 100 million Americans.
The IRS has plans to update the software, of course, but it’s a plan that will take years to roll out and so far it’s been going poorly. One component was supposed to be ready in 2014 but didn’t get finished until 2023. The entire system is supposed to be retired in 2030 so time will tell if that works out or if the entire tax system just crumbles into some Mad Max dystopia.
8. Peru Has a 150-Year-Old Hospital Ship
The way people view progress is kind of strange. When it comes to your phone, many people want the latest one, and will even line up outside of an Apple store to get it. And then there are those people who feel like modern medicine is all a scheme and they’re only interested in trying to heal themselves with herbs and methods that somebody came up with 500 years ago.
If you’re a fan of old-school healthcare, you might head to Peru where they still use a hospital ship that was built 150 years ago. The steam engine inside of it is fueled by llama dung.
The BAP Puno, once called the Yavari, can be found on Lake Titicaca, South America’s largest and most hilariously named lake. In its life, it’s been a British gunship and a museum before being converted to a hospital vessel.
Both the Puno and a sister ship were commissioned by the Peruvian Navy back in 1861. The ship was initially assembled in England and then broken down into parts to ship to Peru where mules had to carry them over 200 miles to the lake for reassembly. Those who live in the area can still use the ship for medical services today.
7. McLaren Still Uses an Early ’90s Laptop to Service The F1
If you’re a fan of rare, expensive sports cars, you might be a fan of McLaren. you can get a brand-new McLaren 750S for about $324,000. However, if you are a fan of the classics, you might be interested in a McLaren F1. The very first McLaren was produced throughout most of the 1990s though they only made 106 of them and only 72 were made as road cars. They stopped production in 1998.
Exclusive cars come with exclusive care. Although these vehicles haven’t been made in over 20 years, McLaren still offers service for them. However, since the technology is so old, they actually have a ‘90s laptop that is still operational which the company will use to service your classic F1 if need be.
The laptop is a Compaq LTE 5280 and uses a DOS program to keep your multi-million dollar auto antique in running order.
6. The US Nuclear Arsenal Was Run on Floppy Disks Until 2019
You’ve had time to adjust to the idea of how important things are run on old technology. This one gets a bit of a pass because it has been updated. As of 2019, you don’t need to worry about the United States nuclear arsenal because that was when it finally stopped running on floppy disks. That’s right, up until 2019, the 5,244 nuclear warheads owned by the United States were all controlled by floppies.
Before the 2019 update, the nuclear system was being run on 8-inch floppy disks from the 1970s. If you don’t recall the 8-inch discs, those were the truly floppy ones that looked like they were cases for vinyl records. The control system itself was a giant wall of computers that looked like a background feature of Star Trek: TOS.
An audit of the systems in 2016 found that the system that “coordinates the operational functions of the United States’ nuclear forces, such as intercontinental ballistic missiles, nuclear bombers, and tanker support aircraft,” was using an IBM Series 1 that first hit the market in 1976.
This was par for the course for the nuclear program in the US. In 2014 it was revealed that three separate nuclear bases only had access to one single specialized wrench that could put warheads on or take them off. The three bases had to share the wrench between them.
5. Boeing 737 Planes Run on 16-bit Processors From the ’90s
The Boeing 737 Max has been in the news for unfortunate reasons over the last few years. When the media publishes articles with headlines like “If it’s Boeing are you going?” about the 737, you know things are bad.
Despite the support these planes get from the airline industry, and statistics can show you that overall they are relatively safe, it’s still worth knowing that the computers used in a Boeing 737 are straight out of the ’90s. As noted in an article from 2020 about the 737 Max, it may have state-of-the-art technology designed by NASA, and carbon fiber parts more advanced than any other plane in the sky, but the computer was still about as powerful as a Super Nintendo.
Two crashes had resulted in the deaths of hundreds but Boeing refused to update their computers, instead just adding more and more software to a system not designed to handle it. That resulted in more 737s being grounded because they were unreliable.
The planes use FCC-730 series computers which are 16-bit processors and could, arguably, fly the planes by themselves. But they are low-powered and, even in 1996 when they were introduced, were not as advanced as others available.
Boeing has issued several press releases about upgraded software meant to handle changes in how the computers met the demands of more advanced plane designs but as of 2024, it’s very difficult to find any evidence that hardware upgrades have been made.
4. The Space Station’s Computers Run on CPUs From the ’80s
On shows like Star Trek the computers can be so advanced that they’re actually alive. That’s impressive, right? Well, that’s the 24th century for you. Here in this century, we’re still using computers from the 1990s. Some spacecraft are run on an Intel 386.
Let’s not be too harsh on NASA, however. There’s actually a reason they chose the computer that they did. While the processing speed has been left in the dust since that time, it’s very reliable. The slow processor makes it more suitable for work in space because it’s better able to handle radiation than a faster processor would be. The faster a computer processor is, the more likely radiation is to damage it. So it’s kind of a balancing act between processing power and speed to assure you get the best product without inadvertently destroying it at the same time.
The ISS is using Intel 80286SX CPU from back in the 1980s. Upgrades are needed, of course, and it’s hard to find compatible hardware or software since few people can even write software for stuff this old anymore.
Because planning missions, including designing hardware able to withstand radiation, takes years, by the time any of it gets to space it’s already out of date. And by the time you get your money’s worth out of it, it’s very out of date. But hey, as long as it works.
3. 170,000 Small Planes Still Run on Leaded Fuel
Do you remember leaded gasoline? For a while, back in the day, you had the choice of unleaded versus leaded gas at the pumps. Unleaded is what you’re putting in your car these days unless you’re running on diesel or electric because it’s a lot better for the environment. Leaded mostly vanished in the 80s and was fully banned by 1996. That doesn’t mean that leaded gasoline vanished from the landscape entirely, however. It turns out that some small aircraft still run on leaded fuel. In fact, 170,000 small planes still run on it.
In 2023 the EPA acknowledged that lead pollution from airplanes was a health risk to anyone who was near airfields where these small planes routinely took off and landed. The fuel is a dangerous neurotoxin and there’s a reason we banned it in cars so long ago. That the aviation industry was left out of the loop is sort of a head-scratcher.
Everyone acknowledges the danger, but these aircraft can’t run on other fuel and they offer vital emergency services all around the country. So, for now, and the last 25 years, people just wait around for a better idea.
2. The SS Badger is the Only Coal Burning Vessel Still Operating in the US
While the Auto industry is increasingly moving towards electric cars, and renewable energy is becoming more and more popular for all of our energy needs, there are some holdouts from a bygone era. The SS Badger is still in operation in the United States and is the only coal-burning vessel to make that claim.
Today the Badger is considered a National Historic Landmark and if you’re in Michigan or Wisconsin, you can hitch a ride across Lake Michigan on it. In the year 2022, it was finally acknowledged that perhaps running on coal is not the best way to embrace the future and the owners of the vessel are looking to upgrade the engines to an alternative fuel source.
The ship has been running since 1953, and it ferries people and their cars across the lake. While the company knows that coal is not a sustainable option for the future, it also doesn’t actually have plans for how to upgrade so there’s no telling when it’s going to take place.
1. There Are Boeing 747s in Use That Were Built Before the Moon Landing
We already touched on the Boeing 737 but let’s go with something a little more classic. How about the Boeing 747? Although it is by no means common, there are still Boeing 747s in use, right now out in the world, that were built before man set foot on the moon.
Man first set foot on the moon on July 20, 1969. Caspian Airlines, based out of Tehran, Iran, currently has a 747 in service that had its first flight on July 13, 1969.
Most of the 747s that were built by Boeing have been scrapped or put into storage. By 2019, most countries around the world that had been using them retired them in favor of newer technology. But a small handful are still in use and Caspian is using the oldest of them all.