Chairs have a history going back to the ancient Egyptian Pharaohs, or even earlier in antiquity. But a couple of variants that no one was anxious to try out debuted this month in the 19th century. In 1890, the electric chair was used for the first time in Auburn, New York, to carry out a death sentence. Scarcely more alluring, a special dental chair was patented on this date in 1848 by Waldo Hanchett. His innovation was a wooden recliner with an extending headrest, and a tray-like footrest, so patients could open wide in somewhat greater comfort. Most furniture isn’t so specialized and American manufacturers of chairs, tables, beds and all other household furniture and related products ship over $85 billion worth of goods annually. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at <www.census.gov>.