What a difference a century makes!
Here are some U.S. statistics from the year 1905:
- The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47 years.
- 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 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 U.S. 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 good veterinarian - up to $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer - about $5,000.
- 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 by the press and 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 the country for any reason.
- The five leading causes of death in the U.S. were: Pneumonia and influenza; Tuberculosis; Diarrhea; Heart disease; and 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 people!!!
- 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.
- 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.
- Marijuana, heroin and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstore. Back then
a pharmacist said, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health."
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