My last post was about laying my G/mother to rest one year ago today. It reminded me of the e-mail I got from a friend a couple of days ago.
In 1906 my g/mother was 4 years old. This is what was going on back then:
- 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 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.!
- Now I forwarded this from someone else without typing it myself, and sent it to you and others all over the United States, & Canada possibly the world, in a matter of seconds!
- Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.
IT STAGGERS THE MIND, EH?
And my Grandmother saw it all.
it truely is amazing.
the average age of death amazes me. did you get my phone msg?
jb
Can’t believe I let you get by with calling me Sandra Beth….John Patrick.
hey..did you get the pics?
Please don’t tell me i’ve got to go to ao(Hel)l.
i sent them to jcoftw@aol.com
is that right?
lmao – read your e-mail. You are a goof. No wonder you’re such a great friend! 😀
at first i thought i clicked on the wrong page, hey i want mails & pics too 🙂
btw if i can have internet & earn as much as i do now, i’ll live at that time, probably a noble man with a better wife 🙂
Keith I gave John your e-mail address to let you know when he updates his blog.
http://1steak.wordpress.com
thanks 🙂
Heroin is totally awesome for the complexion! I’ve seen heaps of junkies lying in the gutter with clean, unblemished skin. Oh, wait a minute…
Not only did she see it all. . . That lady knew where the bodies where buried! It is interesting to hear the stories from people who lived it, rather than history books. More often than not it is quite a different picture. You are lucky to have the stories first hand from someone who was there. I bet she was a neat lady!