How different was the world before today?

Then This Now

How different was the world before today?

Latest Articles

When Borrowing Money for a Car Was Something to Be Ashamed Of
Finance

When Borrowing Money for a Car Was Something to Be Ashamed Of

For much of the twentieth century, financing a car was viewed by many American families as a sign of poor planning — something you did only if you hadn't saved properly. Today, the average new car loan runs longer than six years, and monthly payments have become the default way most people measure what they can afford. The shift in mindset happened gradually, but the distance between then and now is enormous.
Pull Up, Sit Back, and Let Someone Else Handle It: The Lost Art of the Full-Service Gas Station
Travel

Pull Up, Sit Back, and Let Someone Else Handle It: The Lost Art of the Full-Service Gas Station

There was a time in America when stopping for gas meant a small army of attendants descended on your car before you could even roll down the window. No swiping, no pumping, no stepping out into the cold — just genuine, unhurried service. Here's what we traded away when self-serve took over.
Same Yellow Lines, Totally Different Trip: What a Road Vacation Actually Looked Like in 1965
Travel

Same Yellow Lines, Totally Different Trip: What a Road Vacation Actually Looked Like in 1965

The open road has always promised freedom — but the version of that freedom available in 1965 looked almost nothing like the GPS-guided, podcast-soundtracked, lane-assist-assisted journey you'd take today. Buckle up. Or don't, because in 1965, that was still optional.
The 50,000-Mile Throwaway: How Americans Once Accepted That Cars Simply Wore Out
Technology

The 50,000-Mile Throwaway: How Americans Once Accepted That Cars Simply Wore Out

There was a time in America when hitting 100,000 miles on your odometer wasn't an achievement — it was basically a eulogy. Engines burned out, transmissions failed, and rust claimed the rest. The story of how that changed is one of the most underappreciated engineering transformations of the last half-century.
When $2,000 Could Park a Brand-New Car in Your Driveway — Where Did All That Money Go?
Finance

When $2,000 Could Park a Brand-New Car in Your Driveway — Where Did All That Money Go?

In the 1950s, a shiny new American car cost roughly what a decent used smartphone runs today. Decades later, the average new vehicle sticker price has blown past $48,000 — and the reasons why say a lot about who we've become as drivers, consumers, and a society.