What a Difference a Century Makes

This will boggle your mind, I know it did mine! The year is 1910, 106 years ago. What a difference a century makes! Here are some statistics for the year 1910:

The average life expectancy for men was 47 years.

Fuel for the car to the right was sold in drug stores only.

Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.

Only eight 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 miles per hour.

The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!

The average U.S. wage in 1910 was $0.22 per hour.

The average U.S. worker made between $200 and $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 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 $0.04 a pound.

Eggs were $0.14 a dozen.

Coffee was $0.15 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.

The five leading causes of death were: Pneumonia and influenza; Tuberculosis; Diarrhea; Heart disease, and Stroke.

The American flag had 45 stars.

The population of Las Vegas, Nev., was only 30.

Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced 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 and only six 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.” (Shocking? Duh!).

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.!

And, you couldn’t forward this message to someone else without hand writing or typing it yourself. In 1910, it would take weeks to get across the county, while now it is sent to others all over the world – all in a matter of seconds! Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.