Friday, January 8th. The nation’s telephone service options changed forever on this date 34 years ago when AT&T complied with a Justice Department mandate to give up its local Bell System companies. The action came as the result of what has been termed the most significant antitrust suit since the breakup of Standard Oil in 1911. From the late 19th century, the virtual monopoly of what had come to be known as “Ma Bell” controlled America’s telephone equipment and lines. After the breakup, competitive forces have shaped the industry. Of America’s roughly 117 million housing units occupied by owners or renters, only some 2.7 million, or about 2.5 percent, have neither cellular or landline telephone service. You can find more facts about America’s people, places and economy, from the American Community Survey, at <www.census.gov>.
Saturday, January 9th. If you feel a special, hair-raising electricity in the air today, well that’s no wonder — it’s National Static Electricity Day. Static electricity is the result of an imbalance between negative and positive charges in an object. These charges build up on the surface until they are discharged. This commonly happens when you shuffle about when the humidity is very low and then touch a conductor, such as a door handle or your pet’s wet nose. Static electricity has uses in air purifiers, photocopiers and bonding in the painting of automobiles, as well as sticking party balloons onto walls and ceilings. Generating and distributing more practical electricity is a $430 billion a year business for over 10,600 electric power establishments in the U.S. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <www.census.gov>.
Sunday, January 10th. Legislation to grant women the vote was first introduced on this date in 1878 when a California senator proposed the necessary constitutional amendment. Called the Susan B. Anthony amendment, it was buried in committee for years and defeated when finally put to a vote in 1887. But some decades later, the matter was settled rather speedily. The 19th Amendment enfranchising women was proposed in Congress in June 1919 and became law in August 1920. In the 2014 election, nearly 43 percent of female citizens 18 and older reported voting, while not quite 41 percent of males cast a ballot in the election. Additionally, over 66 percent of female citizens reported being registered to vote, while males had fewer than 63 percent registered. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <www.census.gov>.
The tax consequences of this haunted me for eight years. Whenever the “big boys” sniffle, everyone else gets a cold.
The tax consequences of this haunted me for eight years. Whenever the “big boys” sniffle, everyone else gets a cold. I’m of course referring to the AT&T settlement, not women’s suffrage.