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On the date

Friday, May 31, 1901

From the day

Perspective: The Future Historian · Tactile

The heavy, cold steel of these new Meccano strips stains my fingers with the scent of industrial progress, a sensation quite capital for a boy dreaming of the new century. I run my thumb over the smooth, painted tin of the Lionel locomotive, feeling the rigidity of a world transitioning from steam to electricity. The crust of my afternoon loaf is rough and dusted with flour, a simple comfort that feels substantial for the **$0.05** it cost at the bakery. Beneath my stiff celluloid collar, the humid May air clings to the wool of my waistcoat, grounding me in this moment of quiet, tactile evolution.

Memories from that day

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The Headlines

JUSTICE BREWER ENGAGED.; Is to Marry Miss Emma M. Mott, Principal of Morse Public School, Washington, Next Week.

Read in The New York Times →

Best-selling Sheet Music

Blaze Away

Abe Holzmann

The must-have

Lionel Trains

Slang

Slang of the decade

General

bullyfit as a fiddleblockhead

Aristocrat

capitalmy wordbally

Working Class

gadzooksblimeychump

Catchphrases of 1901

  • Good to the last drop

Tech Check

Transatlantic Radio Signal, Vacuum Cleaner & Meccano.

Cost of Living (1900)

Loaf of Bread

$0.05

Gallon of Gas

$0.10

Average Home

$3,200

New Car

$1,000

Time Elapsed

45,661 days ago

(125 years, 36 days)