Detailed Instructions: Given a text, write a compressed version of it in a single sentence.
Q: Forty years ago, home economics courses in high schools across the country taught cooking, nutrition, and sewing to most schoolgirls. The sewing machine, in its polished wooden cabinet, was an expensive and valued wedding gift.
A:
40 years ago, home economics courses in high schools taught cooking, nutrition & sewing to schoolgirls. The sewing machine was an expensive & valued wedding gift.