Here are some U.S. statistics for 1902: The average life expectancy in the US was forty-seven (47).
Only 14 Percent of the homes in the US 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 US 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 residents, California was only
the
21st most populous state in the Union. The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower in Paris,
France.
The average wage in the US was 22 cents an hour. The average US 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 in the US took place at home. Ninety percent of all US physicians had no college education. Instead,
they
attended 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 cost 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 prohibiting poor people from entering the country
for
any reason. The five leading causes of death in the US 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 30. Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented.
There were no Mother's Day or Father's Day. One in ten US 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
corner drugstores. According to one pharmacist, "Heroin clears the
complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and the
bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health." Eighteen percent of households in the US had at least one full-time
servant or
domestic. There were only about 230 reported murders in the entire US.
....What a difference a century makes.
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