From a Google search, 89.3% in the US in 1900, with white people having significantly more than other races.

They’ll say aww Topsy at my autopsy!

It links to this image:

@AxExRx@lemmy.world could have just inserted it inline.

Edit: I can't believe I forgot to jump at the chance to display some nerd cred, but this is an illustration from James Thurber's autobiography, My Life And Hard Times. It accompanies a story about an elderly aunt or similar who is not quite up to speed on how electricity works and goes around tightening all of the light bulbs because she's afraid it's going to "leak."

During the initial electrification of the world, a lot of people apparently didn't understand electricity. Instead they stuck to paradigms that they already knew, which at the time would have been gas or kerosene lamps which can indeed leak — with results that may or may not end in a fireball chasing someone down a hallway. It makes sense in a strange sort of way, but it's also a fascinating case study on just how bad people have been at grasping abstract concepts for centuries and that's not just a recent dumbing down of the populace.

Eww google, a spyware link

That hit me like a much much worse version of the XKCD comic about somebody's workflow and "please add an option to re-enable spacebar heating."

"I am set in my ways and find that my routine maintains my humours most divinely. Please just re-enable sleepy time CO, sandman soot, and funny fumes."

Don't worry, I reprogrammed the bot and they won't harm you anymore. You're safe.

I understand at the existential dread of realizing people are dumber than you can imagine, because we probably don't consider ourselves smart, just average at best, but as the old saying goes, "imagine the average dumbest person you know, and realize that half are dumber than that".

Moving to Finland years ago did wonders for my sanity, because at least people are on average better educated here, and they actually do know basic things about stuff they use daily, like electricity and WiFi.

People really don't know how electromagnetic things work in general though I suppose, especially in the USA.

Using the key ring isn't even a completely original idea - I got it from remembering these "healing bracelets" exist.

That's also why I recommended to Shalafi to just stick a magnet to it. Magnets are magic to a lot of people.

Disco shits

Try to light the match on fire with the key.

oh groos

But when light bulbs were invented, they were incandescent and much redder and dimmer. If you burn them too hot, the filaments would melt. Therefore there wasn't much blue light if any released by early light bulbs

Is that a situation you find yourself in often?