THE YEAR 1908
This will boggle your mind, I know it did mine! The year is 1908. One hundred years ago.
What a difference a century makes! Here are some statistics for the Year 1908 :
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The average life expectancy 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 wage in 1908 was 22 cents per hour.
The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year .
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 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 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 their country for any reason.
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 ice 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 said, ‘Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind,regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health.’ ( Shocking? DUH! )
Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.
There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE ! U.S.A. !
Now I forwarded this from someone else without typing it myself, and sent it to you and others all over Canada & U.S.A, possibly the world, in a matter of seconds!
Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years. IT STAGGERS THE MIND!!!!!!!!!!!
Until next time, takecare and God Bless,
Judi
Hello Judi,
Happy 2009!! We have been having cold weather! Just a little too cold. Zero is not good. Today it is supposed to be 32 so that will be better! Bill had another PSA & it was zero!! So far, so good. He has had two zero readings. The next two years are very important as cancer is a possibility. But we are not thinking of that. We are focusing on the “now” and celebrating the zero!! He still gets very tired and sleeps a lot!
Through the Silver Sneaker program we joined the Y. I am going there now. I like the stationery bike and elliptical machine. Those are easy on the knees!! The stationery bikes have programs so I like to ride at the speed track and through the Redwood Forest. Those programs are mostly level. You steer the bikes and shift!! Fun! We are flying to Tunica this coming Fri on a “junket” – free flight & room at the Harrah’s Grand. Looking forward to the 4 days! Hope Tunica warms up! The Grand has a new Paula Dean buffet so we will check it out! We have not been going out much this week due to the cold weather. So will be happy for a warm up. Planning our trips. Going to MN, Daytona Beach & Gatlinburg so far. The girls want to go to DC so I will check w/them this weekend. They are spending Sun/Mon (MLK day) so we will see if that is where they still want to go. If so, I need to make reservations. How close are you to Daytona Beach???
Must go! Time to go to the Y! Then Amanda has a volleyball game at 1pm.