When my grandmother was born the doctor arrived at the family home on horseback (That’s one horsepower!). Now, the “average Joe” can buy a car with an average of 180-200 horsepower!
Sometimes I find myself musing about the massive changes that have taken place in our own lifetimes.
When I was a young boy, my mother flew to New York to help her sister when she delivered her 9th child. I remember standing at the departure gate with my dad and siblings. We were waving at mom as her bi-prop commercial airplane was pulled from the gate.
Since then, the propeller powered airplanes have morphed into jets, then jumbo jets, supersonic jets and, who knows, what will follow.
The horse and buggy has been replaced by the automobile. Early cars created less than one horsepower (per AI Overview, The Benz Patent Motorwagen had an engine that produced 0.75 HP). As noted above, the average car sold in 2025 can produce as high as 200 HP with the Porsche Panamera leading all 2025s at 670 HP (Per Kelly Blue Book). The Porsche is definitely not an “average” car!
I started my life listening to AM radio. When we were doing yard work my dad and I would listen to the Chicago Cubs on his portable battery-operated radio. FM radio was invented in 1933 by Edwin Howard Armstrong (Per “How Stuff Works”), but I don’t recall any real FM radio listening audience until around 1971 or ’72- at least not among my group. At that time, we were all driving around in our own, or our parents’ cars with standard AM radios that provided us with 3 local rock and roll stations. The emerging FM stations that played rock music were coming on strong playing a much wider variety than the AM stations and, with a real FM radio, the music was available in stereo!
My buddies were replacing their AM radios with FMs, those of us that couldn’t afford a “real” FM radio installed FM adaptors- they didn’t give us stereo, but we did get the larger selection of songs. Now, of course, all of the new cars have FM radios and, some manufacturers, are considering eliminating AM radio capabilities.
The reception with AM radios was often scratchy and the FMs were much clearer. This was because of how AM radio waves are received and that has not improved. One AM station in my area that I still listen to is making their programing available in other forms- via computer etc. – in an attempt to save listenership.
Not all of the changes are great as I grow older. My memory used to be as good as anyone’s. Now I have to write notes to remind myself of why I am going into a different room!
I hope you enjoyed my rambling. Thank you for reading to the end
Phil