Fuses

A small part of the fuses in our house. We still have some cartridge fuses, but only for the main, incoming cable. The wiring inside the house is protected with some RCDs (residual-current devices) and a lot of fuses like the above.
The invention of this kind of fuse was a big relief, compared to the old cartridge fuses. Anytime the fuse "burned through" (the little coloured plate in the middle jumped out to show it was "dead"), the fuse had to be replaced. Hopefully you had one of the same type at home, otherwise you would have to wait before your lights went on again :).
Nowadays, if the fuse breaks, the switch turns, and the only thing you have to do is turn it back. But more often, at least in our house, the RCD catches the leakage. And that is just a button.