“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” -John D. Rockefeller
Throughout history there have been small ideas and inventions that turned out to bolster our U.S. Economy. Some of these things happened without a lot of fanfare and in most cases we didn’t realize them at the time. Here are just a few things that happened that really made an impact on how we live:
- The Cotton Gin in 1793. Using a machine to separate cotton seeds from fiber made harvesting fifty times more efficient. The one thing it also did was expanded slavery. Too bad.
- Barbed Wire in 1876. “Lighter than air, stronger than whiskey, cheaper than dust.” This was how John Wayne Gates described his invention. This made it possible for ranchers and homesteaders to keep their livestock fenced in.
- Prepared Foods in 1954. In the mid-1960s, the average American woman spent four hours a day cooking and cleaning. Thanks to TV dinners and other prepared foods, this time decreased to 45 minutes.
- Shipping Containers in 1956. Ports were dangerous and keeping track of items was tedious and very time consuming. Trucking executive Malcom McLean put everything in standardized boxes, which reduced costs and vastly expanded global trade.
The one-cent copper penny is becoming a collector’s item. I can’t think of anything you can buy for just a penny. As a kid, I would often buy candy that would sell for two pieces for a penny. A Hershey chocolate bar was five cents. It’s not uncommon to pay over two dollars for a Snickers candy bar today. Here’s an example of uncommon currency:
The $2 bill is ordered from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing only every two to four years. This might be a self-fulfilling prophecy, because people think the bills are uncommon and are treated differently.
See you Out and About!
