Here There and Everywhere

Expat wanderer

1906

This was a forward I received today. I don’t know where the statistics come from, so I can’t verify. If true, it is pretty amazing what a difference 100 years can make.

The year is 1906.
One hundred years ago.
What a difference a century makes !
Here are some of the U.S. statistics for the Year 1906
************************************

The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47

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 US 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 $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 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 “sub-standard.”

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.

The 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.

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 in the U.S. had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.

There were about 230 reported murders

in the ENTIRE U.S.A. !

January 8, 2007 - Posted by | Cross Cultural, Generational, Living Conditions, Shopping, Social Issues, Uncategorized

2 Comments »

  1. Cause of death: diarreah.

    Seriously?

    1001 Nights's avatar Comment by 1001 Nights | January 9, 2007 | Reply

  2. Zin – At one time I was a volunteer for a history museum and did bus tours for school children on an old west location. Children there used to die of ear infections! Women used to die of childbirth fever, because doctors didn’t wash their hands.

    Diarrhea still kills many children in Africa.

    intlxpatr's avatar Comment by intlxpatr | January 9, 2007 | Reply


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