Electricity was born at the dawn of the last century. Households were inundated with a flood of new consumer durable goods. What was the impact of this consumer durable goods revolution? It is argued here that the consumer goods revolution liberated women from the home. To analyze this...

Growth theory can go a long way toward accounting for phenomena linked with U.S. economic development. Some examples are: (i) the secular decline in fertility between 1800 and 1980, (ii) the decline in agricultural employment and the rise in skill since 1800, (iii) the demise of child labor...