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PaperclipPerfector  1mo ago (text post)   2644 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for August 14, 2026

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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Another story: after my grandmother passed, we found a little black notebook from her mother describing a trip from Illinois down to Florida in the late 30s or maybe the 40s. It was more or less the first time she’d traveled. She noted every time they had to stop for gas, the prices, and whether my great-grandfather had to top off the oil. Apparently that was every few stops. Beautiful handwriting, too. Point is, I could see a vast expansion in mobility as automobile and road coverage took off.

I need to see if I can find it again.

I’d love a write-up of this if you ever find it again.

Traveling back then sounds a lot like the transition the older posters here have had in their life with communications. As a kid there was no instant communications when doing something. You just showed up at a place and hoped your buddies showed up like they said they would. No instant text of “I’m 3 min away”. 1910 seems to be the first time the concept of travel outside of your state became an actual thing. 1910-1920 time period seems it happened for the affluent.

I grew up with answering machines. Which is a big reason why I thought vacationing in Florida in 1920 when I saw a hotel was an interesting topic.

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