What a difference a century makes

@emeraldisle (13139)
United States
June 14, 2007 9:16pm CST
I got this in an email and thought I'd share it with you all. It's a lot of statistics but it's very interesting. Makes one wonder what the next 100 years will bring. Here are some of the U.S. Statistics for the Year 1907 : ************************************ The average life expectancy in the U.S. Was 47 years old. 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 made $2,500 per year, A veterinarian $1,500 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 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 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." There were about 230 reported Murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A. ! Amazing isn't it? When you think about how things were back then. Kind of makes you wonder about things right now doesn't it? Would you want to live back then? I mean there are some things I like from back then but over all I think I prefer this century over that one.
5 people like this
6 responses
• United States
15 Jun 07
Whoa.. 1907? Nineteen?! Oy, that sounds more like 1807! It's certainly amazing the technological and advances in general that man has made in some centuries...definitely makes you wonder and makes me excited to see what else the future has in store! Thanks for posting, that really puts things in perspective. I cannot even imagine how I'd manage living back then. We get so easily used to our comfort, I'd pass out right there if my house didn't have a bath! Lol!
3 people like this
@emeraldisle (13139)
• United States
15 Jun 07
Hehe I agree. Give me my bath and my shower. Running water is a must in my opinion. It's not something I can do without.
2 people like this
@AmbiePam (85484)
• United States
15 Jun 07
I think some of my doctors went to those "medical schools." One thing, Oklahoma became a state in 1907. I know not just because I live there, but because this is our centennial and I'm constantly hearing stinking Oklahoma songs! LOL
3 people like this
@emeraldisle (13139)
• United States
15 Jun 07
Yeah it became one in November of 1907 so at the beginning of the year it wasn't. That's probably what the list went by. I agree with you on the doctors. I think I've had a few like that as well. Actually several, sad huh?
2 people like this
@aprilgrl (4460)
• United States
15 Jun 07
Wow thanks for the information.
2 people like this
• United States
17 Jun 07
It's such a shock to see all the changes that have happened over the last 100 yrs. I love watching the History Channel a lot and I get such a kick out of the shows that show how people lived in the past. I think sometimes how far technology has come just since I was in high school. We all still had record players, we didn't have handheld calculators, no digital watches, our idea of a computer was a machine so big it wouldn't fit into your livingroom, 8-track tape players were the "next big thing", etc. The next hundred years are going to be amazing.
1 person likes this
@emeraldisle (13139)
• United States
18 Jun 07
Oh I know what you mean. It has changed so much since I was in high school as well. We were just starting to have computers and they were nothing like the ones today that's for sure. It makes me wonder what will happen in the next hundred years that's for sure.
• United States
15 Jun 07
my grandmother told me they used egg yolks to set their hair also.all i can think of is how stinky and nasty that must have been after awhile..especially in july..
• United States
15 Jun 07
Makes me wonder what our kids will say about how we grew up?? my 87 year old grandmother lives with me and she sometimes tell me what it was like when she was a kid! she was born in 1919 and they didnt have toilet paper for rual areas you used newspaper and magazines!!! They was happy when they came in! They still had an out house... and not alot of people had cars then either!! It is so interesting to hear her and my great uncle talk! No tv just radio and that wasnt till later when they could afford one! But one thing I am thankful for she was raised on a farm so the great depression didnt affect my family as it had others thank god! They had their gardens and livestock to live off of! Grandma tells me how they helped others sometimes with food! I wonder what will we be telling our kids when we get old... I know i help my neighbors when they need food or a quick sitter if something happens! But how many people are truely altruistic in todays world...... something to think about!
1 person likes this
@emeraldisle (13139)
• United States
15 Jun 07
My grandmother was born in 1914 and I know she would make comments about different things and how everything has changed over the years. I hear stories from my parents about rationings during World War 2 and that is hard to imagine or when margerine first came out it was white and came with a little yellow dye packet to mix into it to make it look like butter.
• United States
16 Jun 07
wow thats something i didnt know!! Thanks for telling me... we (even I) was raised churning our own butter!! I was raised on the farm!! could ride a horse before I could walk.. and have pictures to prove it!! :D I love hearing the old stories... so thanks so much for all the information I truely appreciate it!!
1 person likes this