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- The year is 1909.
- One hundred years ago.
- What a difference a century makes.
- Here are some statistics for the Year 1909
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- The average life expectancy for men was 47 years.
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- Fuel for this car was sold in drug stores only.
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- Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.
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- Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
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- There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved
roads.
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- The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
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- The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.
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- The average US wage in 1909 was 22 cents per hour.
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- The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per
year.
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- A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per
year.
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- 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.
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- More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME.
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- Ninety percent of all Doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION.
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- Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many
of which
- Were condemned in the press AND the government as 'substandard.'
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- Sugar cost four cents a pound.
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- Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
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- Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
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- Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used
Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
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- Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from
entering their country for any reason.
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- The Five leading causes of death were:
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- 1. Pneumonia and influenza
- 2. Tuberculosis
- 3. Diarrhea
- 4. Heart disease
- 5. Stroke
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- The American flag had 45 stars.
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- The population of Las Vegas , Nevada , was only 30.
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- Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been
invented yet.
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- There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
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- Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write and
- Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high
school.
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- Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over
the counter at the local corner drugstores.
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- 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'.
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- Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time
servant or domestic help.
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- There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE USA.
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- One more sad thought...
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- 95 percent of the taxes we have now did not exist in
1909.
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