November 22, 2008 8:32 PM
The difference a century makes
From my Inbox:
THE YEAR 1908One hundred years ago.
What a difference a century makes!
Here are some 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
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. StrokeThe 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.
Now I forwarded this from someone else without typing it myself, and sent it to you and others all over world in a matter of seconds!
Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.
Comments
For the high school graduation, yes, but an eighth grade education was worth more than today's high school diploma. For not being able to read, considering how many were immigrants that is not a bad percentage. Googling today - 20% of graduating seniors are considered funtionally illiterate. The diploma doesn't seem to have changed much.
And I googled in seconds so I could be certain that my memory wasn't failing yet. : )
Posted by: Stephanie in AR | November 23, 2008 3:34 PM
"The average life expectancy was 47 years."
"More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME"
Could there have been a correlation between these two statistics? What was the infant mortality rate, do you know?
Posted by: Shirley Anderson | November 24, 2008 12:16 AM
I'm only 44 and am astounded at the changes in my lifetime! I can only imagine what it must be like to be 80 or more years old today. The changes they have witnessed!
Posted by: Elizabeth M Thompson | November 24, 2008 2:43 PM
