[Loch-Ruadh] 100 years ago

[Madelina de Lindesay]

Some of this doesn't sound so bad to me, honestly (especially the part about the scarcity of cars!).  And some things, we haven't made much progress in.  According to your list, the literacy rate was 80%.  Now it's reported as 97%.  The US is hearalded as the greatest nation in the world, yet if any of the statistics at http://www.mrdowling.com/800literacy.html can be believed, around 50 countries have a higher literacy rate than we do!

I won't get on my soapbox except to say that I believe what my mother used to say -- an educated person may not have all the answers, but he knows where to look for them.

Take care,
Madelina

-----Original Message-----
From: Terry Varner <tdv250 at hotmail.com>
Sent: Jan 5, 2005 3:34 PM
To: loch-ruadh at ansteorra.org
Subject: [Loch-Ruadh] 100 years ago


100 Years
=========

THE YEAR 1904

Maybe this will boggle your mind, I know it did mine!

The year is 1904, one hundred years ago.  What a difference a century makes!

Here are some of the U.S. statistics for 1904:

The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47 years.

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 eleven dollars.

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 $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 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 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 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, Nevada, was 30.

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

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

Two of 10 U.S. adults couldn't read or write.

Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated 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 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.

There were only about 230 reported murders in the entire U.S.

And I forwarded this from someone else without typing it myself, and sent it 
to you in a matter of seconds!   Try to imagine what it may be like in 
another 100 years .... it staggers the mind.


Tegwared McAuley(mka Terry Varner)
Loch Ruadh Archery Marshal
You need only two tools: WD-40 and duct tape. If it doesn't move and it 
should, use WD-40.
If it moves and shouldn't, use the tape