What a difference a lifetime makes

Permit me to ponder... I was reading the new Bill Bryson book, and he mentioned that Thomas Jefferson (yes, that one) died in 1826 (on July 4th, incidentally). 75 years later, the car was invented.

Did that just blow your mind a little? It did mine. I mean, if you were born in 1825 or so, you could have totally been born in powdered-wig-time:


and died in Henry Ford time:




I don't know why that surprises me so much. Sweetie said it doesn't surprise him at all. But as much as we know how fast the world moves and how much things change in our own lifetimes, I really think of Jefferson as belonging to a part of history that's far out of reach. I don't want to mis-use the word "ancient," but really, it feels so distant. Whereas the beginning of the 20th century? That's the one I was born in. That doesn't feel so far away at all. My great-grandparents were around for most of it, and I personally knew and loved at least one of them. My grandparents were all around for the depression, World War II, the dust bowl... so it's easy to think of those things as recent. I read a book about the dust bowl, then chatted with my grandma about what it was like. See? Not so long ago. But Jefferson? That dude wore breeches, right? Wrote with a quill pen? Rode a horse?

The year Jefferson died, Beethoven wrote Quartet #13 in B major. 75 years later, "Ain't That a Shame" came out. Go ahead... hum it. You know that one.

In 1826, the year Thomas Jefferson died, the first photograph was taken. It looked like this:


By 1901, they're practically shooting Sports Illustrated:


I mean, 75 years is just not that long! Both my grandmothers are living, and both are over 85. If I was inclined I could probably figure out about how many people were alive in both 1826 and 1901. It's probably a lot.

In comparison, of course, I'm only 35 (well, in two weeks I will be), and when I was born we didn't have microwaves, DVD players, remote controls, the internet, cell phones, personal computers... I sometimes shock my students by telling them about "before the internet," when we had to actually use telephone numbers to dial up BBSs located in people's homes.

And not to age my parents (sorry, guys), but when they were born, most people still didn't have televisions in their homes, private phone lines (they shared with neighbors), central heat or air, velcro, synthetic fabrics, non-stick pans, or margarine. Okay, those aren't all the best examples of innovation, but you know what I'm saying. They were born in Gershwin* and are living happily in middle age in the world of Gaga.

It's just interesting to think how fast the world moves sometimes. Really, I'm so excited to see what else comes along. I never thought I'd be able to blog from a tent in the middle of a campground in Monterey, as I did a couple years ago from my iPhone. What on earth will they think of next?

*Technically, Gershwin died a decade before my parents were born, but I'll be buggered if people weren't still humming "Embraceable You" when they were kids.