Wednesday, December 21, 2005

One hundred years ago

1905 carThe year is 1905.
One hundred years ago.
What a difference a century makes!
Here are some of the U.S. statistics for the Year 1905:

  • The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47 years.
  • Only 14 percent of the homes in the U.S. had a bathtub.
  • Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
  • A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars.
  • There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S., and only 144 miles of paved roads.
  • The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
  • Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California.
  • With a mere 1.4 million people, California was only the 21st most populous state in the Union.
  • The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!  
  • The average wage in the U.S. was 22 cents per hour.
  • The average U.S. 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 in the U.S. took place at home.
  • Ninety percent of all U.S. doctors had no  college education.
  • Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and by the government as "substandard."
  • Sugar cost four cents a pound.
  • Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
  • Coffee was fifteen 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 in the U.S.  were:
              1. Pneumonia and influenza
              2. Tuberculosis
              3. Diarrhea 
              4. Heart disease 
              5. Stroke
  • The American flag had 45 stars.
  • Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaska hadn't been admitted to the Union yet.
  • The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30!!!
  • Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn't been invented yet.
  • There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
  • Two out of every 10 U.S. adults couldn't read or write.
  • Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
  • Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores.
  • Back then pharmacist said, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health."  (Shocking!)
  • Eighteen percent of households in the U.S.  had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.
  • There were about 230 reported murders in the entire U.S.

Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.

Thanks Phyllis
It staggers the mind. 

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