In the United States, the idea seems to date back at least to the early years of independence: "I accost an American sailor, and I inquire why the ships of his

In the United States, the idea seems to date back at least to the early years of independence: "I accost an American sailor, and I inquire why the ships of his country are built so as to last but for a short time; he answers without hesitation that the art of navigation is every day making such rapid progress, that the finest vessel would become almost useless if it lasted beyond a certain number of years." Alexis de Toqueville, "Democracy in America," 1840