10 things still manage to survive the relentless march of time, proving that not every system upgrades at warp speed. While tomorrow becomes yesterday, certain people, places, and whole institutions cling stubbornly to methods forged decades—or even centuries—ago, refusing to trade in their legacy gear for shiny new tech.
Why 10 Things Still Matter Today
10 In 2024 the San Francisco Subway Is Still Running on 5 ¼” Floppy Disks
Public transit in any sprawling metropolis has become a tangled web of coordination, timing, and high‑tech wizardry. Planners juggle routes, schedules, and a mountain of digital tools to keep the wheels turning, especially in cities where the original transit blueprint never imagined the modern commuter surge. Over the years, countless upgrades and expansions have forced systems to evolve—or risk obsolescence.
Imagine the surprise when you learn that San Francisco’s subway network still relies on good‑old 5 ¼‑inch floppy disks. The city, home to more than 800,000 residents, sees upwards of 80 million rides annually, all orchestrated by a control system that still spins on those relics from the Reagan era. In 2023 reports confirmed that the Market Street line’s command centre was driven entirely by those antique floppies, even as a brand‑new 1.6‑mile extension—costing a staggering $1.6 billion—opened its doors. Until the transit authority swaps the disks for something a bit more contemporary, like CD‑ROMs, the archaic media will keep humming along.
9 The IRS’s Computers Run on 60‑Year‑Old Code
Ever grumble about the endless paperwork required for filing taxes, wondering why the IRS can’t just magically know your earnings? Part of the answer lies in the fact that the agency’s core processing software dates back six decades. While the IRS poured $2.8 billion into maintaining its IT infrastructure in 2020, the cornerstone system—the Individual Master File—was originally built in the 1960s, when computers filled entire rooms and data lived on magnetic tape.
If that vintage code were to stumble, the fallout could affect as many as 100 million Americans. Plans are in motion to modernize the platform, but progress is glacial: a component slated for completion in 2014 finally rolled out in 2023, and the whole system isn’t slated for retirement until 2030. Until then, the tax‑collecting behemoth continues to run on software that predates the moon landing.
8 Peru Has a 150‑Year‑Old Hospital Ship
The modern world’s obsession with the newest gadget makes it easy to forget that some communities still depend on century‑old solutions. In Peru, a floating clinic that first set sail 150 years ago continues to provide medical care on Lake Titicaca. Powered by a steam engine that runs on llama dung, the vessel—known today as the BAP Puno, formerly the Yavari—has a storied past that includes service as a British gunship and a museum exhibit before its conversion to a hospital ship.
Commissioned by the Peruvian Navy in 1861, the ship’s hull was fabricated in England, broken down, and hauled over 200 miles of rugged terrain by mule teams before being reassembled on the lake. Even now, locals rely on the Puno for essential health services, a testament to the durability of 19th‑century engineering.
7 McLaren Still Uses an Early ’90s Laptop to Service The F1
When you think of McLaren, you probably picture cutting‑edge supercars costing well over $300,000. Yet, when it comes to maintaining the legendary McLaren F1—a hypercar produced in the 1990s with only 106 units built (72 of which were road‑legal)—the company still leans on a relic from the era. The service team relies on a Compaq LTE 5280 laptop, a chunky early‑’90s machine running a DOS‑based program, to diagnose and repair these rare beasts.
Even though the F1 stopped production in 1998, McLaren’s dedication to preserving the original diagnostic workflow means that this decades‑old notebook remains the sole gateway to the car’s intricate systems. It’s a quirky juxtaposition: a multi‑million‑dollar masterpiece serviced by technology that predates the internet’s mainstream adoption.
6 The US Nuclear Arsenal Was Run on Floppy Disks Until 2019
Even the most critical national security systems can cling to antiquated hardware. Until 2019, the United States’ nuclear weapons arsenal—comprising 5,244 warheads—relied on 8‑inch floppy disks from the 1970s to manage launch protocols and command functions. Those massive, square‑shaped disks, reminiscent of vinyl record sleeves, fed data into an IBM Series 1 computer first introduced in 1976.
An audit in 2016 revealed that the entire “operational coordination” of intercontinental ballistic missiles, nuclear bombers, and tanker aircraft was handled by a wall of legacy machines that looked straight out of a classic Star Trek episode. Although the system finally migrated away from floppies in 2019, the episode highlighted how deeply entrenched outdated tech can be, even in the most sensitive defense environments.
5 Boeing 737 Planes Run on 16‑Bit Processors From the ’90s
The Boeing 737 Max has dominated headlines for all the wrong reasons, from tragic crashes to software controversies. Yet, beneath the sleek airframe lies a computer system that harks back to the mid‑1990s. The aircraft’s flight‑control computers—FCC‑730 series—are built on 16‑bit processors, delivering performance comparable to a Super Nintendo console.
Despite the planes’ modern aerodynamics and carbon‑fiber structures, the hardware has remained stubbornly unchanged. Instead of upgrading the processors, Boeing opted to layer more software onto the existing architecture, a decision that contributed to the infamous “software‑only” failures that grounded fleets worldwide. As of 2024, there’s little public evidence that the hardware itself has been refreshed.
4 The Space Station’s Computers Run on CPUs From the ’80s
Science‑fiction fans might imagine the International Space Station powered by futuristic quantum processors, but reality tells a different story. The ISS still relies on Intel 80286SX CPUs, a chip first released in the early 1980s, to manage many of its onboard systems. While these processors are far from cutting‑edge, their simplicity makes them remarkably resilient to the harsh radiation environment of low‑Earth orbit.
NASA chose this older architecture because slower, less complex chips are less susceptible to single‑event upsets caused by cosmic rays. However, the antiquated hardware poses challenges: finding replacement parts or engineers familiar with legacy code is increasingly difficult, and upgrades are hampered by the long development cycles intrinsic to space missions.
3 170,000 Small Planes Still Run on Leaded Fuel
Leaded gasoline was phased out of automobiles in the 1990s, yet a surprising number of small aircraft continue to rely on this toxic fuel. Roughly 170,000 general‑aviation planes across the United States still burn avgas containing tetraethyl lead, a neurotoxin that was banned in cars by 1996 for its environmental and health hazards.
The EPA highlighted in 2023 that communities near airports where these planes operate face elevated lead exposure risks. Despite the known dangers, these aircraft remain essential for emergency medical transport, pilot training, and private recreation, and no viable unleaded alternative has yet been universally adopted for high‑performance piston engines.
2 The SS Badger Is the Only Coal‑Burning Vessel Still Operating in the US
While the automotive world races toward electrification and renewable energy gains momentum, a lone coal‑fueled ferry still plies the waters of Lake Michigan. The SS Badger, a National Historic Landmark, has been shuttling passengers and vehicles between Michigan and Wisconsin since 1953, making it the sole coal‑burning vessel still in U.S. service.
In 2022, the ship’s owners acknowledged the need to transition away from coal and began exploring alternative fuels. However, concrete plans for a conversion remain elusive, leaving the historic ferry to continue its soot‑laden voyages while balancing heritage preservation with environmental concerns.
1 There Are Boeing 747s in Use That Were Built Before the Moon Landing
Most people associate the Boeing 747 with the golden age of air travel, but a handful of these iconic “jumbo jets” are still soaring in commercial service despite being older than humanity’s first steps on the Moon. Caspian Airlines of Tehran operates a 747 that first took to the skies on July 13 1969—just a week before Neil Armstrong’s historic lunar landing.
While the majority of the 747 fleet has been retired or stored by 2019, a few operators keep these massive aircraft aloft, showcasing the durability of the design and the lingering demand for high‑capacity, long‑range transport in niche markets.