https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1109475677893381&set=pcb.1109478661226416Interesting in addition to the Mckeen, is the Portland cement, I was just discussing that with someone last week.
When quantities of Portland cement were first imported to the United States in the 1880s, its principal use was in the construction of sidewalks. Its name is derived from its similarity to Portland stone which was quarried on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England.
It was named by Joseph Aspdin who obtained a patent for it in 1824.
Portland cement is one of the lowest-cost materials widely used over the last century.
Concrete produced from Portland cement is one of the world's most versatile construction materials.
Portland cement had been imported into the United States, but in the 1870s, was being produced near Kalamazoo, Michigan until the need for importing it disappeared and now it's made domestically
When quantities of Portland cement were first imported to the United States in the 1880s, its principal use was in the construction of sidewalks. Its name is derived from its similarity to Portland stone which was quarried on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England. It was named by Joseph Aspdin who obtained a patent for it in 1824.
Sidewalks often were made in Ohio as a result of the urban postmasters insisting that before they would deliver mail for free in a city the city had to put in sidewalks.
Before agreeing to establish free city delivery, postmasters could ask that the city's sidewalks be paved, the streets lit, the houses numbered, and that street names be placed at intersections.
Rural postmasters would later demand that roads be easy to travel and free of obstructions before service could begin.
The founding fathers of the United States believed the delivery of mail to be so essential to a healthy democracy that the establishment of Postal Offices and Post Roads was enshrined it in Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution
so there you are, why Portland cement is important, because of postal delivery, and the side effect is that traffic crashes decreased by 74 percent, and postal delivery was the root cause of it all, because communication over long distances with friends and relatives is crucial to human mental health.
Yes, I often feel like I'm doing a similar journalistic thing to "Connections" by James Burke, a fantastic show for history and trivia fans
Good piece of history and your opinion of what you do is accurate.
ReplyDeletethank you!
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