Here are some statistics for the Year 1909 :
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 1909 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.
Ninety percent of all doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION! Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which Were condemned in the press AND 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 were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke
The American flag had 45 stars.
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 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 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’
Eighteen 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. !
Oh yeah, and guns were worn on the hip in most places West of the Mississippi.
I don’t even want to THINK about what it will be like 100 years from now…
The average wage in 1909 was 22 cents per hour.
The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year ..
I’ve got the sinking feeling that may be the averages again, at the rate we’re going anyway.
Snigs–
Pretty much, I figure we’re going to be millionares in a couple of years; millionares that can’t afford breakfast.
One of my older relatives told me he was blessed because he’d seen the Wright brothers fly, and lived to see men walk on the moon.
The first 5 statistics made me do a double take. It sounded like our Province of Newfoundland TODAY!!!
you’re right … the world in 100 years will probably be unrecognisable from today … not sure if it will be for better or worse.
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Whoops! Had to correct a typo!
And, my Aunt Anna May was born on April 22, 1909. She still alive and active living with her Son and Daughter-in-law. She has her own garden and has a small flock of hummingbirds living in her honeysuckle.
She’s tended the honeysuckle and the H’birds for decades. Last time we were there, she had over twenty, as best we could count, in her flock.
She’s been thinking about a new hip so she could work her garden a bit easier. The garden is a mile down the road and she walks to it twice a day, weather permitting.
The difference back then was that Lawyers weren’t looking out to make a quick buck off of suffering. There weren’t any community organizing groups, (There were but they were called what they were; Radical Anarchists) and nobody expected a living for free.
Envy and hate got us where we are today.
Blame the Reds who got into Government in the early 30’s and their so called Social Security.
Snigs/Rick- Agree with both of you, millionaires, but devalued to .22 cents/hr…sigh…
drjim- Yes, more technological advances in the 20th century than all recorded history to that point.
Police- If you’re a Newfie, y’all are probably STILL waiting for the pay raises from the 60’s… 🙂
Crucis- That is SUPER! Get her on tape for her memories of the century!
Barco- AGREED in spades!!!
As I have been thinking, the culture changed right under my nose – all that I thought was America, isn’t all there anymore. Somewhere back there it changed and I didn’t.
Thanks for the history lesson.
Thanks for visiting my blog. I snagged this post for it, and it will be published tomorrow.
I put you on my blog roll. You have posted so interesting things.