One hundred years ago.
What a difference a century makes!
Here are a few interesting statistics for the Year 1908:
The average life expectancy was 47 years.
Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.
Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved roads.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.
The average wage in 1908 was 22 cents per hour.
The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year.
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year,
a dentist $2,500 per year,
a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year,
and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
More than 95 percent of all births took place at home.
90 percent of all doctors had NO FORMAL COLLEGE EDUCATION!
Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and the government as 'substandard'.
Sugar cost 4 cents a pound.
Eggs were 14 cents a dozen.
Coffee was 15 cents a pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.
Five leading causes of death were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke
The American flag had only 45 stars.
The average wage in 1908 was 22 cents per hour.
The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year.
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year,
a dentist $2,500 per year,
a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year,
and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
More than 95 percent of all births took place at home.
90 percent of all doctors had NO FORMAL COLLEGE EDUCATION!
Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and the government as 'substandard'.
Sugar cost 4 cents a pound.
Eggs were 14 cents a dozen.
Coffee was 15 cents a pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.
Five leading causes of death were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke
The American flag had only 45 stars.
The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30!
Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn't been invented yet.
(No iced tea!? Kill me now ...)
There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write.
Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
(I'll bet they were prodominately male too.)
Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, 'Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health.' (They just thought that because they couldn't remember anything after clearing that complexion!)
18 percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.
There were about 230 reported murders in the entire U.S.A.!
Amazing, ain't it? History is a wonderful teacher if we'll only listen. I'm so grateful to be born in this era in this country with all our modern conveniences and excellent medical care. ♥ ∞
Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn't been invented yet.
(No iced tea!? Kill me now ...)
There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write.
Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
(I'll bet they were prodominately male too.)
Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, 'Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health.' (They just thought that because they couldn't remember anything after clearing that complexion!)
18 percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.
There were about 230 reported murders in the entire U.S.A.!
Amazing, ain't it? History is a wonderful teacher if we'll only listen. I'm so grateful to be born in this era in this country with all our modern conveniences and excellent medical care. ♥ ∞
Wow, these are amazing facts! I didn't know that drugs were so easily obtainable. I wonder if they rubbed the heroin onto their complexions!
ReplyDeleteFunny about that Canadian law..by the way it doesn't exist anymore...
Jesus said, "The poor will always be with us" and boy was He right about that!
i wish i lived then,,so much easier...or was it?
ReplyDeletei love the fact that you do the 'nude beach' experience...good on ya!!!!!likeminded spirit.
No iced tea??? You'd have to kill me too. Or perhaps we would have invented it and found our names in an Uncle John's Bathroom Reader 100 years later.
ReplyDeleteIt IS amazing! Sometimes I think of just the things my kids have that I didn't, and even that is amazing. So many things, like cell phones, microwaves, VCRs and DVDs and iPods, and on and on it goes. I would be interested to know if it was men that graduated from high school. I don't know, they had to work on the farms and stuff. I wonder how we'd find out?
ReplyDeleteIt feels like 100 years since I've given out Blog in Bloom Awards - come on by - I have one for you.
ReplyDeleteCynthia
I am so happy to have read this! I'm going to read it to my kids when they wake up!
ReplyDeleteI have always loved history. When I taught fifth grade I was in my element! Kindergartners just don't get it. :-)
ReplyDeleteHiya Spark. I read your claims of innocence on muse-swings blog. Please stop by my blog and help me bolster my claims of innocence as I have been conducting my own investigation and reached some startling conclusions!
ReplyDeleteyup i like the new style...are you an aquarian? cos we are sooo fickle. hugs.
ReplyDelete