1908 One Hundred Years Ago
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: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!
U.S. Capitol in 1908
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.
Women’s Suffrage 1908
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.
Theodore Roosevelt was President
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.
Lyndon Baines Johnson was born.
Ford Motor Company launches the Model T
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is founded.
The General Motors Corporation is founded.
Joseph Raymond McCarthy was born.
Two out of every 10 adults couldn’t read or write.
Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
In Berea College v. Kentucky, the Supreme Court upholds a Kentucky law prohibiting racial integration in private schools.
U.S. Governors Conference at White House 1908
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.!
And organized Barbershop didn’t exist
Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.
Filed under: Inspiration and Humor
Since you may not be around in another 100 years, I will attempt to keep a diary and convey through a spirit what is occuring at that time.
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