Hmm... Detroit, home of the Lions and Tigers. . .every citizen, business, household, taking action. . . an ancient sort of device erected, such as a pyramid. . . pyramid power. . .

Electricity had to be installed in every household and business?

garbage collection? (via teenidol's wife)

Maybe this had to do with street numbers for addresses?

Or was this the famous "All Citizens Must Post a Sign on Their Office or Domicile Stating 'I Am a Weinerhead'" fiasco?

No more outhouses. All plumbing had to be indoors.

Just for the record, nobody's guessed it yet.

"Every business and household" sounds like a requirement of property owners.

They had to shovel the manure from in front of each address?

But that would make the referral to sewers plausible rather than bizarre...

Lions and Tigers in every home?

Does "Burning Man" count as an ancient sort of device?

Everybody had to have real floors - no more dirt floors.

Hot and cold running water?

What is meant by "Damn their (your) eyes"?

Daylight Savings Time? And the device was a sundial?

Seems too early in the century, but my Motown roots are not planted deep enough to wrap around this one.

Since Detroit's the Sticks (Motown, House, Eminem and Michael Jackson not having blessed it with funkification yet)the Victorian influence was late in coming. But by 1900, the prudes of the town were in firm control; therefore they called up on all the good folk to cover up the Extremities of Indianan Furniture in the Great Pantalooning. All chairs, sofas, pianos, secretaries, credenzas, tables, and yes, even some livestock, were to have their legs discreetly clocked by little aprons, chaps, and the like. The cheif doyennes were emphatic about this dictact, and branded anyone not Talibaning their furniture as a "witchy deviant." That is why the progressives derisively alluded to the stockades.

These stockades, of course, were also to be covered up.

Since Detroit's the Sticks (Motown, House, Eminem and Michael Jackson not having blessed it with funkification yet)the Victorian influence was late in coming. But by 1900, the prudes of the town were in firm control; therefore they called up on all the good folk to cover up the Extremities of Indianan Furniture in the Great Pantalooning. All chairs, sofas, pianos, secretaries, credenzas, tables, and yes, even some livestock, were to have their legs discreetly clocked by little aprons, chaps, and the like. The cheif doyennes were emphatic about this dictact, and branded anyone not Talibaning their furniture as a "witchy deviant." That is why the progressives derisively alluded to the stockades.

These stockades, of course, were also to be covered up.

You know, if you're going to double-post, you could at least leave a name...

Mr. Fracture is right about the sundial. Not about the larger answer.

Sorry. Double posting is usually my fault. it was me.

The whole town was required to give up its Judeo-Christian origins and begin worshipping the Sun God, Ra?

Everyone was required to submit to time standardization.

When it was noon, it was noon all around town.

The exactly right answer still has not been posted.

Was the whole town shifted from one time zone to another?

(And why would the sewer committee be responsible for sundials?)

There was some dispute over what time the Bob Hope show started?

All household and business clocks were required to be synchronized, so as to effectuate a flawless caper -- I mean, so as to support the efficiency of the capitalist enterprise.

They went to Eastern Standard Time.

Boxjam has it. Detroit was a holdout to time standardization, which largely took place in the 1880's, as the result of the need for the railroads to be able to regularize schedules. All Detroiters were told to set their clocks back 28 minutes, in a change from the local Detroit time to Eastern Standard time.

Here's a followup: if you fly from Anchorage, Alaska, to St. John's, Newfoundland, how far ahead do you set your watch?

Up my ass!

Next he's going to ask us if we know how many times zones there are in the Soviet Union (not even funny...) :>}

Uh, yessir. Uh, four ... uh, nosir. I never really studied that up.

me links no linky!

http://pesenki.by.ru/internat/negativland/songs/270.shtml?lg=en

That's why we have to have computers, because man, nobody is perfect.

The answer, as if anyone cared, is five and a half. Newfoundland is a half-hour ahead of everyone else.

This is cool, you have to try it. I guessed 33135, and this game guessed it! See it here - http://www.funbrain.com/guess/