Hacker News Reader

> wrinkles

They go the other way.

The US surpassed the UK in per capita income in the 1880s. However, American yeomen farmers, factory workers etc. were far better off than (non-UK) Europeans even in 1800, hence millions of Europeans immigrating. By 1913, the American was still earning almost twice as much as the German or French: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_regions_by_past_GDP_(P...

"The United States has been the world's largest national economy in terms of GDP since around 1890."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_the_United_States

Huh? During the preceding decades the US invented the skyscraper, was home to the world’s tallest building, invented the light bulb, air conditioning, the airplane, the supermarket, and cotton candy!

some of the ideas were REHASHED from Europe, some were invented by Europe migrants