I was a linotype operator in the print trade back in the ‘50s and knew a typical “little old lady in sneakers” that ran a Heidelberg press. One time she mentioned that her mother had seen Grover Cleveland when she was a child. I asked her to check with her as to what modern invention impressed her the most, thinking of airplanes, radios, TV, etc.
The next day she said, “You’re not gonna believe this. She said that it was the fact that people could water their lawns. She grew up in a Nebraska sod buster home and said they prayed every day for rain for their crops or face starvation - and now people could just walk outside and turn the tap to water grass.”
One forgets about the simple things.
One forgets about the simple things.
You've got a point, there. How about something as simple as the disposable razor? Such a small thing, but it improved the quality of life for men all over the planet.
Both of my grandfathers had razor strops hanging in their bathrooms, but I don't think they ever used a straight razor in my lifetime.