[AT] Fwd: 100 years ago

[Mike Sloane]

As far as the fact that 2 out of 10 adults could not read or write, I 
question that, as public schooling, at least through the fifth grade, 
had been around for at least a century in this country. In fact, I 
suspect that, aside from immigrants, most adults were probably more 
literate than adults today - the main source of news and entertainment 
was reading newspaper and books.

Richard Fink Sr wrote:
> Interesting
> R Fink
> 
> 
>> This will boggle your mind, I know it did mine...   The year is 1906. 
>> One hundred years ago. What a difference a century makes!   Here are 
>> some of the U.S. statistics for the Year 1906:   The average life 
>> expectancy in the U.S. was 47 years.   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 $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 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 by 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 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 had not been 
>> invented yet.   There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.   Two out 
>> of every 10 U.S. adults could not 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 the pharmacist said, "Heroin clears the 
>> complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and 
>> bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health."   Eighteen 
>> percent of households in the U.S. had at least one full-time servant 
>> or domestic help.   There were about 230 reported murders in the 
>> entire U.S.   So, to think I forwarded this from someone else without 
>> typing it myself, and posted it to you in a matter of seconds!   Try 
>> to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.
>>
>>
> 
> 
> 
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> Remembering Our Friend Cecil Monson 11-4-2005
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> 
> 

-- 
Mike Sloane
Allamuchy NJ
<mikesloane at verizon.net>
Website: <www.geocities.com/mikesloane>
Images: <www.fotki.com/mikesloane>

Permanent good can never be the outcome of untruth and violence. -Mahatma
Gandhi (1869-1948)


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