Stable prices created a sense of predictability, allowing Americans to think ahead about how to spend their extra cash. Homeownership spiked: more Americans owned their own homes in 1960 than in 1950 (53 percent compared to 48 percent). The newest appliance in those homes was the television, which was present in 87 percent of American households by 1960. As the suburbs expanded, Americans bought more cars. In 1950, 59 percent of families owned a car, but by 1960, 73 percent did. And most of those cars were made in America by one of three companies: General Motors, Ford, or Chrysler. And of
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