The year is 1902, 100 years ago

* The average life expectancy in the United States was 47. (Wow!)

* 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 $11.

* 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 residents, California
was only the 21s! t 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 an hour. The average
U.S. worker made between $200 - $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 in the U.S. took place at home.

* Ninety percent of all U.S. 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 14 cents a d! ozen. Coffee
cost 15 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 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, Nev. was 30.

* Crossword puzzles, canned beer and iced tea hadn't been! invented.

* There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.

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

 

Yep, I remember those days.

I think it would have been interesting to live during those days, except the part about dying from "Diarrhea"

 

Great stuff, wonder what they'll write about us in 100 years?

 

yeh that mexican food still kills me

 

If only engineers were paid more than doctors or dentists now....

 

I was surprised at how many old houses I've seen that have two sets of staircases. They aren't always big houses. One staircase is large, in or near the foyer, the other is tight and steep that usually goes into the kitchen (servants stairs). Often old houses have had the servants stairs converted into other usable space such as closets or pantrys.

 

My Great Aunt Lucy's (R.I.P.) house has two sets of stairs, of course her house was built in the 1700's too.

 

And here we are today:

homo of the day...

"PARIS (AFP) - Macho man is an endangered species, with today's male more likely to opt for a pink flowered shirt and swingers' clubs than the traditional role as family super-hero, fashion industry insiders say."

It is a sad day when a man wears his suspenders back-wards...

runnert

 

Yeah, Maybe in Paris, but I doubt even in the rest of France would that fly.

 

not to mention how kids act these days... violence in schools and over all people worked harder back then and kids respected their elders. police had policing abilities... world was over all in better shape... and look what happend...criminals have more rights to protect them then the people they harm. childeren spit on their parents and teachers and never get one rule of punishment. i do wish things would go back to how they were back then especially gas prices!! 2 cents a gallon woot!!

 

Pretty interesting and amazing how far we've come in such a relatively short time, a little scary too.