(From a forwarded email - author unknown)

Here are some statistics for the Year 1909 :
******************************
The average life expectancy was 47 years.
fuel for a car was sold in drug stores only
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 1909 was 22 cents per hour.
The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year.
An accountant earned $2000/yr.
A dentist $2,500/yr.
A veterinarian $1,500 to $4,000/yr.
A mechanical engineer $5,000/yr.
More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME.
90% of all doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION!
They attended so-called medical schools which the government called 'substandard.'
Sugar cost 4 cents/pound.
Eggs were 14 cents/dozen.
Coffee was 15 cents/pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
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.
20% of adults couldn't read or write.
Only6 % of all Americans had graduated from high school.
Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores.
18% of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic helper.
There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A.
95 % of the taxes we have now did not exist in 1909.

What will 2109 be like?

back to reference page