"Keith G" wrote in message

I remember in 1968 or '69 an American girl landed in the
UK to accept a friend of mine's invitation to stay (they
had been on the same kibbutz in Israel) and she was
astounded to find that he didn't have a phone when she
tried to contact him!

Telephones are another modern convenience that were at or near the 90%
penetration level in the US since the 1950s. Automobiles are another modern
convenience that have enjoyed far greater market penetration in the US. I
believe that we've had more automobiles than people since no later than the
1970s.