A Century Ago...

• The average life expectancy for men was 47 years.

• Only 14 percent of the 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 US wage in 1910 was 22 cents per hour.

• The average US worker made between $200 and $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 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 the government as 'substandard.'

• Sugar cost four cents a pound.

• Eggs were 14 cents a dozen.

• Coffee was 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 that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.

• The five leading causes of death were:
  1. Pneumonia and influenza
  2. Tuberculosis
  3. Diarrhea
  4. Heart disease
  5. Stroke

• 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 six percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.

• Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.

• There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE USA!

Backstep said:

Back in '05, I spent a little time at the kitchen table with the grandmother of one of my in-laws; her name was Rose. She was born in 1915 and she told me a few stories about growing up in the south.

My favorite story was about seeing her grandmother when she was a girl. Her grandmother talked about how she missed her 'helpers' that assisted her in her youth (slaves, obviously) and about how she didn't want to have one of those 'filthy things' installed in her home (an indoor toilet).

Rose also talked about being a teenager and utterly gloomy that she didn't have as pretty things to wear during the Great Depression and the fact that she was able to marry a handsome man before she became a spinster (in her early 20's!).

Rose died a few years ago, sadly.

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Mirage said:

Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.


I am so happy I am not living in that era!!....But guess what our great granchildren will also receive news letter of this kind 100 years from now and will be saing on the forums...MAN how world has changed....unless they will think up of something cooler than internet...

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