The current state of manufacturing in the United States calls for serious attention and action. For many years, U.S. manufacturers have complained of a shortage of skilled workers--and the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics backs up their concerns. One can place blame for reductions in American manufacturing on many things, but certainly the lack…

The 1890s was the heyday for the bicycle in the United States. By 1896, bicycle manufacturing was a major industry with 300 established firms. Interest in bicycling, or "wheeling" as it was known then, grew rapidly into a national craze during the latter part of the 19th century. In 1890, American manufacturers produced nearly 30,000…