Sunday, November 9, 2008

The Year 1908~




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. !

Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.

IT STAGGERS THE MIND!!!!!!!!!!!




I added some photos of the 1900's. My great grandmother's Era. I like to read about the older days. Have a great week . Lisa

3 comments:

Tammy said...

That was so facinating! I have always been intrigued by times past, too...My mom has gotten the magazine "Good Old Days" for about 20 years, and I've always loved reading it- even back when I was in my 20's!

This was actually her mom's era...she would have been 20 then. The generations in our family are spread out a lot, so that my mom was born in 1927, and my grandmother 1888! Amazing when I wasn't born until 1963...

Thanks for sharing these facts from 1908- it is incredible how far we've come in such a short time!

Debbie said...

What?!!! No ice tea? and shampoo with eggs or borax?!! YIKES!!

We are a blessed people! Thank you Lord, for all of our many blessings!

All My Blessings said...

WOW! I think I'm glad I won't be around. I have enough trouble dealing with some things today...Happy Thanksgiving...Kae