Don Patterson writes:

Out on the web today, I found this item posted on a University of Maryland website by a college student in connection with a college course in American Studies at the University. The class seems to have been sent to the Smithsonian to write about and take photos of aspects of American history.

So much for the educational preparation students get in high school, but this was not an entry level college course either. To me the story is more sad than funny, but I do have to laugh. It will make a story to tell about the tractor.

“The third exhibit that I took a picture of was a 1486 International Harvester tractor owned by Gerald McCathern of Hereford, Texas. Early in America’s culture and in some areas today, agriculture was prevalent. Farmers had to find effective and productive ways of producing crops upon huge masses of land. As a result, McCathern’s creation of a tractor with one hundred and fifty six horsepower was one of a kind. It was the most reliable and effective model, unlike in the past.

I was surprised to see that the idea of tractor existed back in the late 1400’s. Visitors that paused to observe this exhibit showed interest in the tractor, but they had no other clear reaction. It does not have the emotional ties that slavery and segregation have, so it did not cause a strong reaction in the visitors.”