Jody's Garage - Changes in 100 Years

Changes in 100 Years

The year is 1902, only 100 years ago ... what a difference a century makes.

* The average life expectancy in the United States was 47. (Wow!)

* 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 $11.

* 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 residents, 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 an 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. 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 14 cents a dozen. Coffee cost 15 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 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, Nev. was 30.

* Crossword puzzles, canned beer and iced tea hadn't been invented.

* There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.

* One in 10 U.S. 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 U.S. had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.

* There were about 230 reported murders in the U.S.