Section Warm-Up
Are you connected? Chances are, the connections in your life would boggle the mind of an American who lived in 1815. If you want to contact a friend or relative living in another state, all you have to do is pick up the phone and dial her number. Or you could send an email or a text message. She could read your note and send a reply in less time than it will take you to finish this page. With Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites, you can instantly tell people around the world what you just ate for breakfast.
The commercial connections available to you would be nothing less than amazing to an observer from 1815. With the Internet, you can visit one of the thousands of online retailers, enter your payment information, and order a product from a company 1,000 miles away. If you select overnight delivery, the item you ordered could be on your doorstep tomorrow. And the news? You can pretty much learn about events around the world almost immediately after they happen.
Consider how much communications have changed in the last 195 years.
1815 |
2010 |
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|---|---|---|
Communication |
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Travel & Transport |
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News |
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