101 years ago!

[suburban george3]

Thought I'd post this, it's interesting to see how things change, here is some snippets of trivial facts from 1907.. hope you enjoy...

THE YEAR 1907

This will boggle your mind, I know it did mine! The year is 1907. One hundred years ago. What a difference a century makes! Here are some of the U.S. Statistics for the Year 1907: ************************************

The average life expectancy in the U.S. Was 47 years old.

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 dentist made $2,500 per year, A veterinarian $1,500 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. 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 ce nts 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 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, Nevada, was only 30!!!!

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.

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." There were about 230 reported Murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A.!

[Raintree21]

Ah, the good ol days! It's always interesting to read these kind of things, especially the ones from the year you were born.

[tamias6]

Allot of people including some here on UP may gripe about current issues, like urban sprawl, the Iraq War, incompetence in our government etc. But judging by that trivia I think I'd rather live in today's world than the one 101 years ago hands down.

[Cadeho]

Ah, the good ol days! It's always interesting to read these kind of things, especially the ones from the year you were born.

[wolverine]

Imagine what they would think of our world today. We look at the past with such nearness because we are constantly surrounded by its remnants in cities such as New York, Detroit, or Chicago. We are also ignorant of what they didn't have because the technology timeline is somewhat blurred. However, they would see our world as alien. Giant transparent, curving, skyscrapers. Massive paved belts nearly 200 feet wide, with super futuristic cars going at unimaginable speeds, drugs that seemingly cure anything, people living in factories (aka lofts), hypnotic mechanical-sounding music, and these weird rectangles with images and words that appear and disappear at a glance!

It's weird living in a house built in the 1880's wired with technology of 2008.

[monsoon]

Interestingly all of the materialism and cheap food that we have today is leading to a decline in the American lifespan. It just came out this year that someone living now will have a shorter lifespan on average than their parents. This is because our environment is polluted by our technology, food is generally over processes and full of ingredients that are bad for you, the wrong kinds of food are very cheap, and of course we get no exercise. (especially relative to a person in 1907)

Another interesting factoid. In 1907 Americans moved forward to have the highest standard of living in the world. Just this past week it came out that American has lost this lead to the UK. The first time in 100 years.

[Justadude]

I couldn't live in a world without AC... I'm glad I was born when I was. But I wish America had maintained its innocence of yestercentury.

[Raintree21]

Interestingly all of the materialism and cheap food that we have today is leading to a decline in the American lifespan. It just came out this year that someone living now will have a shorter lifespan on average than their parents. This is because our environment is polluted by our technology, food is generally over processes and full of ingredients that are bad for you, the wrong kinds of food are very cheap, and of course we get no exercise. (especially relative to a person in 1907)

Another interesting factoid. In 1907 Americans moved forward to have the highest standard of living in the world. Just this past week it came out that American has lost this lead to the UK. The first time in 100 years.

[runawayjim]

Interestingly all of the materialism and cheap food that we have today is leading to a decline in the American lifespan. It just came out this year that someone living now will have a shorter lifespan on average than their parents. This is because our environment is polluted by our technology, food is generally over processes and full of ingredients that are bad for you, the wrong kinds of food are very cheap, and of course we get no exercise. (especially relative to a person in 1907)

Another interesting factoid. In 1907 Americans moved forward to have the highest standard of living in the world. Just this past week it came out that American has lost this lead to the UK. The first time in 100 years.

[suburban george3]

the one thing about that list i find interesting is that people died of diarrhea!

[Raintree21]

They didn't actually die from the diarrhea itself, they died from the side effects of diarrhea: dehydration, metabolic imbalances, toilet paper rash, etc.

[runawayjim]

toilet paper rash

[suburban george3]

They didn't actually die from the diarrhea itself, they died from the side effects of diarrhea: dehydration, metabolic imbalances, toilet paper rash, etc.

[Raintree21]

OK, sorry, my mistake. A common side effect in this case would be Sears Catalog rash. I believe that was the wiping agent of choice back then.

[suburban george3]

OK, sorry, my mistake. A common side effect in this case would be Sears Catalog rash. I believe that was the wiping agent of choice back then.

[runawayjim]

i guess scott toilet paper hasn't changed much since 1867.

[JDC]

Thought I'd post this, it's interesting to see how things change, here is some snippets of trivial facts from 1907.. hope you enjoy...

Five leading causes of death in the U.S. Were: 1. Pneumonia and influenza 2. Tuberculosis 3. Diarrhea 4. Heart disease 5. Stroke

[Justadude]

Diarrhea is one of the primary symptoms of ebola, which has a fatality rate as high as 89% in some places. Had it existed 101 years ago it probably would've killed a good number of Americans.

[skylinefan]

It is amazing how things have changed in the last 101 years. In 1907 Washington's Union Station was under construction. Here are some photos I found on the web:

1907

Present Day