The year
is 1909.
One hundred years ago.
What a difference a century makes!
Here are some statistics for the Year 1909 :
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The average life expectancy was 47 years.
fuel for this car was sold in drug stores only
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 1909 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. Stroke
The
American flag had 45 stars.
The
population of Las Vegas,
Nevada, 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 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'
( 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.!
Plus one more sad thought; 95 percent of the taxes we have now did not exist in 1909