100 Years Ago

What a difference a century can make.

The average life expectancy 100 years ago in the United States was 47!

Only 14 percent of homes had a bathtub.

Only 8% of homes had a telephone.

We had only 144 miles of paved roads.

The tallest structure in the entire world was the Eiffel Tower.

The maximum speed limit in U.S. cities was 10 mph.

The average wage was 22 cents per hour.

The average worker earned between $200 and $400 PER YEAR!

More than 95% of all births took place at home.

Ninety percent of all doctors had no formal college education. Instead they attended medical schools that were dubbed substandard by the government and press.

Sugar cost four cents a pound, eggs fourteen cents per dozen, coffee fifteen cents a pound.

Most women only washed their hair once a month and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo.

The four leading causes of death: Pneumonia and influenza; tuberculosis; heart disease and 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 thirty. The remote desert community was inhabited by only a handful of ranchers and their families.

Crossword puzzles, canned beer and iced tea had not yet been invented.

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

One in ten 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.

Coca-Cola contained cocaine instead of caffeine.

Eighteen percent of households in the United States had at least one full-time servant or domestic.

Now, imagine what the world will be like in another 100 years.

Author Unknown