Sliced bread was first sold in 1928, and it’s often held up as the gold standard of invention. But truthfully? It showed up after some pretty major breakthroughs.

Here’s what was already changing the world before anyone thought to pre-slice a loaf:

• The Airplane (1903) – The Wright brothers took off 25 years before sliced bread hit shelves.

• The Zipper (1913) – People were fastening up pants before they were slicing bread.

• The Light Bulb (1879) – Homes were glowing decades before factory-sliced toast.

• The Telephone (1876) – Bell was calling people across town long before they had pre-cut bread for sandwiches.

• Cars (1885) – We were driving before we were slicing.

• Movies (1890s) – Film stars were walking red carpets while people still cut bread by hand.

• Bicycles (1800s) – Rolling through towns long before Wonder Bread rolled out.

• Hot Air Balloons (1783) – The French were floating over Paris more than a century before sliced bread.

And just for good measure:

• The word “sandwich”? That dates back to 1762. People were building sandwiches for 166 years before anyone bothered to slice the bread for them.