ISSUE: 226
Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws.
- Plato
POTPOURRI

The difference 100 years can make


Here are some United States statistics from 1906:

  • The average life expectancy was 47 years.

  • Only 14 percent of 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 was 22 cents per hour. bThe average worker made between $200 and $400 per year.
  • On an annual basis, a competent accountant could expect to earn $2000, a dentist $2,500, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000.
  • Five leading causes of death were:
    1. Pneumonia and influenza
    2. Tuberculosis
    3. Diarrhea
    4. Heart disease
    5. Stroke.
  • 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 by 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 the country for any reason.
  • 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.
  • 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 claimed, "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 had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.
  • There were about 230 reported murders in the entire United States. Care to guess what another 100 years will bring?
  • 100yearsago.jpg



    More in the section:
    Deft Definitions

    Read also previous issue' articles:
    Bumper Stickers
    Things Found Only in America
    Devil in the Church
    Generosity Begins at Home
    Murphy's Other Laws
    Some Interesting Facts



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