March/April 1997
Utne Reader
1914
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Swift new communications technology helps ignite World War I. After the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in Sarajevo, Serbian diplomats, who were raised in the slow-moving era before telegraphs, are stymied by an ultimatum from the Austro-Hungarian Empire to give an explanation for the shooting within 48 hours or face invasion. The Serbs miss the deadline, and the war is on.
1922
The 1920s roar forward, with advertising setting the pace. A Dupont ad celebrates the time-saving genius of the chemical engineer: "It is he who has helped make your minutes as long as your great grandfather's hours."
1931
The legendary "Speed Ball" is held at London's Dorchester Hotel to celebrate the fact that Britons hold world speed records on land, air, and sea. The old nobility of landed gentry mix with new nobility of mobility, including Sir Malcolm Campbell, who will later set both land and water speed records.
1937
Dale Carnegie's book, How to Win Friends and Influence People, is a phenomenal best-seller, in large part because it shows time-starved readers how to make friends in a hurry.
1940s
The advanced mass production techniques that helped win World War II are applied to civilian life. Now even towns can be quickly mass produced, notably instant suburbs such as Levittown, Pennsylvania. But some critics complain that these new towns aren't really communities; they're merely a collection of houses thrown up hastily without paying attention to the important connecting tissue of neighborhood shops and public life.
1951
Long-distance dialing is introduced, bringing the whole nation within earshot.
1953
Carl Swanson introduces the first TV dinner: turkey, gravy, cornbread, peas, and sweet potatoes.
1958
Cosmopolitan predicts that in the future we will spray the aroma of bacon frying or fresh-baked bread around our kitchens as we prepare dinner in the microwave. They're only half right. Everyone's in too much of a hurry to bother with the smells.
1960s
People are beginning to wonder what happened to all the leisure promised by time-saving devices. Studies show that the amount of time spent on household chores has dropped a bit since the 1930s, but driving, shopping, and longer hours at work have more than filled up the time.