Great Moments

1967

Bookmobile First Launched

Traveled suburbia promoting reading and literature. By mid-1970s most bookmobiles had hit the scrap heap -- as consumers discovered that, unfortunately, eading takes effort (e.g., keeping your eyes open), and that sitting on your new La-Z-boy in front of your new color TV using that cool new remote control, eating TV dinners, is a lot easier and way more fun.

1700

First Residential Lawn Introduced, In France

Quickly spread to England, then to America. Before that, grounds around homes were unkempt -- tall grasses, weeds, uncontrolled shrubbery. A lot like many suburban homes today.

1986

Movie, The Money Pit Premieres

Visionary cautionary tale starring Tom Hanks...in which Tom's newly purchased dream house "fixer upper" turns to dust literally. And in which, after falling through 3 stories of cracked floors, ceilings and staircases, Tom's character ends up buried neck deep in the basement, only wishing he'd taken his friends' advice and bought the condo.

3000 B.C.

Patio Furniture First Introduced

By Egyptians. Wicker. Used by royalty outside their palaces. Also in burying their dead -- though presumably the dead (and buried) enjoyed their wicker experience less heartily than those who sat in the wicker above ground, on the piazza, served grapes by slaves who would soon join the buried, though in a somewhat lower-grade coffin (i.e., dirt).

1883

1st Landscape Architect Firm Founded

In Brookline, MA, by Frederick Olmstead. Paved way for sweaty dirt-stained bandana-clad leaf blowing gardeners appearing daily (before 8:00 AM) on suburban streets all across America.