75 years ago most people pierced their ears at home, young girls going so far as to organize "piercing parties" with their friends; 500 years before that, earrings were the mark of nobility. So while the modern age hasn't brought us the rocket cars we were promised in our youth, we can at least be thankful that the new generation isn't getting together on a Friday night to push hot metal through their earlobes--although they might still put on princely airs from time to time.
