March/April 1997
Utne Reader
1876
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Wind-up alarm clocks are introduced by Seth Thomas. Punctuality takes a big stride forward now that there's no longer any excuse for being late to work.
1883
Life in the U.S. is still slow-paced enough that each town sets its own time. New Orleans, for instance, is 23 minutes behind Baton Rouge. Under pressure from the railroads, the federal government creates time zones, and soon everyone's watches are synchronized.
1883
Fredric W. Taylor pioneers industrial time management, a system that allows bosses to dictate workers' movements, down to the smallest twist or turn, to maximize efficiency and boost speed.
1890s
The golden age of the bicycle. Some warn that these new vehicles, which move at a pace four times faster than walking, will bring about an epidemic of "bicycle face" (permanent disfigurement caused by pedaling into the wind at high speeds). Others are more concerned about the moral implications, since bicycles make it easier for young lovers to rendezvous out of sight of parents and guardians.
1892
An English medical study notes a leap in deaths from cancer and heart disease between the 1860s and 1880s, a period that corresponds with a dramatic increase in the tempo of English life.
1896
Guglielmo Marconi unveils his wireless telegraph, which makes it possible to speak to millions of people at the same moment.
1898
There are fewer than 30 working automobiles in the United States. A decade later there are at least 700 car factories nationwide and the pace of life goes into overdrive.
1899
The leisurely 3/4 time of the waltz is on the way out as Scott Joplin publishes the bouncy ragtime classic "Maple Leaf Rag." Ragtime will be followed by ever-accelerating forms of music: jazz, boogie woogie, rock 'n' roll, disco, punk, speed metal, and, finally, techno (which races along at 200 beats per minute).
1909
Futurist poet Filippo Marinetti declares a new aesthetic: "We say that the world's magnificence has been enriched by a new beauty; the beauty of speed. A racing car whose hood is adorned with great pipes that seems to ride on grapeshot is more beautiful than the Victory of Samothrace."
1913
Henry Ford introduces the assembly line, cutting the time it takes to produce a car from 14 person-hours to just 2.