{
  "id": 17250374,
  "title": "The Joy of Cranks",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/the-joy-of-cranks",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-30T16:06:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Atlantic",
    "slug": "the-atlantic",
    "url": "https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/2026/10/time-change-rediscover-joy/689221/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "At a local planetarium, I visited the gift shop and encountered a penny-press souvenir machine. Typically, I refrain from carrying cash or coins, yet the machine's giant geared crank caught my attention. Despite not purchasing a pressed penny, I found myself turning the crank, relishing the gratifying ratcheting sensation. Cranking seemingly evokes a sense of delight.\n\nI then reminisced about other mechanisms I had cranked throughout my life. Paper towel dispensers used to offer a satisfying crank, accompanied by a rhythmic \"whoong, whoong\" sound as the cylinder spun. Car windows once cranked open manually, but this practice has since become obsolete, with Jeep being the last to abandon manual windows in 2025 models. In homes and classrooms, wall-mounted pencil sharpeners were standard, until the rise of mechanical pencils and electric sharpeners. Rewinding film cameras required cranking, and tall restaurant-style pepper grinders still feature cranks, although they have become less common in homes.\n\nManual kitchen gadgets such as flour sifters, egg beaters, ice-cream makers, and apple peelers have also been phased out. Cash registers once utilized a crank to tally totals after item pricing, while telephone magnetos rang the operator. Car engines, before the advent of electric starters, relied on cranking. Hospital beds, well buckets, clothes wringers, turn-of-the-century penny-arcade Mutoscopes, and Victorian cuff-rippling fluting irons also featured cranks. Hurdy-gurdies, which produced Occitan folk music, also relied on cranking.\n\nCranking remains present in certain modern contexts. Boat winches and trailer jacks still crank, although motorized systems have largely replaced this method. Fishing reels and music boxes continue to utilize cranks. After my visit to the planetarium, I searched my home for any remaining cranks and discovered that they still exist in hose reels, patio umbrellas, casement-window handles, and can openers.\n\nThe decline of cranks can be primarily attributed to electrification, which made motorized rotation practical, affordable, and convenient. This phenomenon has affected various items, including car windows, pencil sharpeners, and coffee grinders. In other instances, alternative designs emerged, such as lever-push or single-pull paper-towel dispensers. Goods that might have required cranking have also changed, with pre-ground coffee, pre-packaged pepper, and store-bought ice cream now readily available. Canned foods have evolved, with many incorporating pull-tab openers, and non-perishable items often come in more convenient packaging.\n\nThe crank has become largely obsolete, serving mostly as a source of entertainment or diversion. The last vestiges of cranking can be found in hose reels, patio umbrellas, casement-window handles, and can openers. The loss of cranks extends beyond the machines themselves, impacting the physical sensations and experiences associated with their use. Turning a crank allowed for continuous, controlled action, enabling the operator to adjust the rate of rotation for precise outcomes. However, modern motorized systems have largely supplanted this capability.\n\nReflecting on my own experiences, I realized that the loss of cranks represents more than just the decline of specific devices or industries. It also signifies the disappearance of certain movements and actions within my own body. Many everyday motions, such as sweeping an arm horizontally, operating a water pump, or dialing a rotary telephone, have been replaced by motorized alternatives. These changes have left me feeling a sense of loss, as I no longer engage in the familiar physical sensations associated with cranking.\n\nWhile nostalgia for the past may stem from the head and heart, the physical experience of cranking resides primarily in the bones and muscles. As I age, I find myself missing not just the tools of the past, but also the version of myself that could operate them with ease. This realization prompts me to reconsider the significance of cranking beyond its practical applications, prompting me to ponder the broader implications of technological advancement and the gradual erosion of traditional skills and movements.",
  "summary": "Time and change have obscured certain gestures—but we can still rediscover them.",
  "key_points": [
    "Turning giant crank at planetarium gift shop evokes satisfying ratcheting sensation",
    "Cranking now largely obsolete, serving mostly as source of entertainment or diversion"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}