1UP
15th April 2009, 04:28 AM
"It's the Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread!"
What did people say before sliced bread was invented?
I'm being serious, this expression has always confused me.
I hear this saying used frequently enough to think the value of its meaning has dwindled over the years. First off, sliced bread was invented around the year 1928 or so, and I can assure you, that many things have been invented since then, that have greatly surpassed the usefulness, practicality, and creative design of sliced bread. Such inventions include the ballpoint pen, electron microscope, frozen dinners, the atomic bomb, Velcro, microwave, and the internet.
Of course, it should be called into question how exactly this "sliced bread" is to be defined, as many may argue it is when people first started using sharpened edges of metal such as knives to split their loaves of bread into straight smaller sections of what it once was, rather than breaking it apart by other means. For the sake of discussion and accuracy, I would it assume it would be better to consider sliced bread to be when people could go out to the market and buy a loaf worth of bread that was already pre-cut into slices by either a man-powered or electric-powered machine.
As stated before, other inventions have already surpassed the greatness of sliced bread, so as soon as that second other great invention existed, this saying immediately became void. But another reason is to blame for this statement, which is how often this expression is tossed around.
Literally everything new that comes out that is cool, useful, unique, or hip is automatically referred to as "the greatest thing since sliced bread," and if so many things belong in this category, what does that really say about them? If such a large majority of things that may or may not be good are all called by a similar term, it only makes sense that the term doesn't really mean much.
Now, what made sliced bread so great to begin with? This invention was created in the tail end of the decade know as the "Roaring Twenties." This age was essentially a time of prosperity as well as celebration for those living in the US, UK, and Canada. World War I had ended about a decade or so earlier, and had created a huge economic boom. This meant more people had more money to spend and were therefore able to afford more luxuries and conveniences.
Yes, people loved having things convenient, a trend still present in today's society. The big thing about sliced bread was that it was extremely convenient, not terribly expensive, very useful, and incredibly practical. If someone wanted a sandwich (a convenient and accessible food choice), they could make one almost instantly.
It also came out at the best possible time frame. People were willing to buy it, and it was right before the Great Depression. If this had been created just one year later, no one would talk about it, since no one would be willing to go out on a limb to buy it, due to a lack of money. But since it had been out beforehand, it had been able to become integrated into the life of the average person, leading it to continue selling throughout the depression.
So this poses a question; is it the actual pieces of sliced bread that are great, or the fact that it is simple food product that is readily available to everyone and will continue to thrive and outlive every other invention that may threaten to dethrone it from its greatness?
What did people say before sliced bread was invented?
I'm being serious, this expression has always confused me.
I hear this saying used frequently enough to think the value of its meaning has dwindled over the years. First off, sliced bread was invented around the year 1928 or so, and I can assure you, that many things have been invented since then, that have greatly surpassed the usefulness, practicality, and creative design of sliced bread. Such inventions include the ballpoint pen, electron microscope, frozen dinners, the atomic bomb, Velcro, microwave, and the internet.
Of course, it should be called into question how exactly this "sliced bread" is to be defined, as many may argue it is when people first started using sharpened edges of metal such as knives to split their loaves of bread into straight smaller sections of what it once was, rather than breaking it apart by other means. For the sake of discussion and accuracy, I would it assume it would be better to consider sliced bread to be when people could go out to the market and buy a loaf worth of bread that was already pre-cut into slices by either a man-powered or electric-powered machine.
As stated before, other inventions have already surpassed the greatness of sliced bread, so as soon as that second other great invention existed, this saying immediately became void. But another reason is to blame for this statement, which is how often this expression is tossed around.
Literally everything new that comes out that is cool, useful, unique, or hip is automatically referred to as "the greatest thing since sliced bread," and if so many things belong in this category, what does that really say about them? If such a large majority of things that may or may not be good are all called by a similar term, it only makes sense that the term doesn't really mean much.
Now, what made sliced bread so great to begin with? This invention was created in the tail end of the decade know as the "Roaring Twenties." This age was essentially a time of prosperity as well as celebration for those living in the US, UK, and Canada. World War I had ended about a decade or so earlier, and had created a huge economic boom. This meant more people had more money to spend and were therefore able to afford more luxuries and conveniences.
Yes, people loved having things convenient, a trend still present in today's society. The big thing about sliced bread was that it was extremely convenient, not terribly expensive, very useful, and incredibly practical. If someone wanted a sandwich (a convenient and accessible food choice), they could make one almost instantly.
It also came out at the best possible time frame. People were willing to buy it, and it was right before the Great Depression. If this had been created just one year later, no one would talk about it, since no one would be willing to go out on a limb to buy it, due to a lack of money. But since it had been out beforehand, it had been able to become integrated into the life of the average person, leading it to continue selling throughout the depression.
So this poses a question; is it the actual pieces of sliced bread that are great, or the fact that it is simple food product that is readily available to everyone and will continue to thrive and outlive every other invention that may threaten to dethrone it from its greatness?