My wife Jennie is always vigilant for possible column fodder for her very own husband. What follows she sent to me on April 6, 2004 at 9:24 a.m. If it is all true it would be very interesting reading. If it isn’t true, it is still interesting.
So, as we say ciao to the year 2004, let’s take a look at the past century, in particular the year 1903.
Where we were a century ago. This ought to boggle your mind. The year is 1903, one hundred and one years ago . . . what a difference a century makes.
Here are the U. S. statistics for 1903 . . .
The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47.
Only 14% of the homes in the U.S. had a bathtub.
Only 8% of the homes had a telephone.
A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost $11.
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 residents, 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 an hour.
The average U.S. worker made between $200-$400 per year.
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2,000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500-$4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
More than 95% of all births in the U.S. took place at home.
90% of all U.S. physicians had no college education. Instead, they attended medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and by the government as ‘substandard.?
Sugar cost 4 cents a pound. Eggs were 14 cents a dozen. Coffee cost 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 prohibiting poor people from entering the country for any reason.
The five leading causes of death in the U.S. were: 1. Pneumonia & 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 30.
Crossword puzzles, canned beer and iced tea hadn’t been invented.
There was no Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.
One in ten U.S. adults couldn’t read or write.
Only 6% of all Americans had graduated from high school.
Coca Cola contained cocaine.
Marijuana, heroin and morphine were all available over-the-counter at corner drugstores. According to one pharmacist, ‘Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and the bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health.?
18% of households in the U.S. had at least one full-time servant or domestic.
Anyone could own and carry any gun they could afford, and there were only about 230 reported murders in the entire U.S.
Just think what it will be like in another 100 years. It boggles the mind!
Will libraries be converted to museums? Will books be downloaded straight into your consciousness? Will there be newspapers? It would be interesting to see.
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