The Myth of Gatsby’s Suffering Middle Class

The New York Times reports:

In 1920, scholars surveyed companies and found that only 32 had cut back to five-day workweeks. By 1927, 262 large companies instituted five-day workweeks. Henry Ford solidified the trend when the automaker moved to five days in 1926. The 1920s are the decade that signaled the arrival of a gift that still means a lot to us: Saturday. What did people do with their free Saturday? They drove their new toy, the automobile. In 1920, a quarter of families had cars. By 1930, more than half did.

Progress without big government mandating hours. Imagine that.