- The year is 1902, one hundred years ago ...what a difference
a century makes. Here are the U.S. statistics for 1902. (This is not
exactly 125, but close)
-
- The average life expectancy in the US was forty-seven
(47).
-
- Only 14 percent of the homes in the US had a bathtub.
-
- The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per
year.
-
- Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone. A three-minute
call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars.
-
- 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.
-
- There were only 8,000 cars in the US 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 US was 22 cents an hour.
-
- More than 95 percent of all births in the US took place
at home.
-
- Ninety percent of all US 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 four cents a pound. Eggs were fourteen cents
a dozen. Coffee cost 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 prohibiting poor people from entering
the country for any reason.
-
- The five leading causes of death in the US 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 30.
-
- Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been
invented.
-
- There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day. {Clearly,
no Hallmark Card Company, either}
-
- One in ten US 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 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."
-
- Eighteen percent of households in the US had at least
one full-time servant or domestic.
-
- There were only about 230 reported murders in the entire
US.
-
- http://125th.ivnet.com/one_hundred_years_ago.htm
|
