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Received the following from a friend: The year is 1910One hundred years ago. What a difference a century makes! Here are some statistics for the Year 1910: ************ ********* ************ The average life expectancy for men was 47 years. Fuel for this car was sold in drug stores only. 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 US wage in 1910 was 22 cents per hour. The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year. A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 pe r 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 their country for any reason. The Five leading causes of death were: 1. Pneumonia and influenza2. Tuberculosis3. Diarrhea4. Heart disease 5. Stroke The American flag had 45 stars. The population of Las Vegas, Nevada was only 30 Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced 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 and 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.! I am now going to forward this to someone else without typing it myself.From there, it will be sent to others all over the WORLD - all in a matter of seconds! Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years. IT STAGGERS THE MIND
Very interesting. Some observations:1. So if the average worker's wage was around $300/year, an accountant was at $2000/year (or 6.66 times the average salary) and a dentist $2500/year (8.33 times) and a mechanical engineer $5000/year (16.66)....how would that translate to today? The median now is $46,000. That would translate to an accountant's salary is at $306,000 today, a dentist at $383,000, and a mechanical engineer at $766,000. Do those numbers look accurate for today's salaries? Had the relative rates held constant, that's what they would be paid in modern times. Obviously, the relative rates have fallen. For example, I looked up the average Beverly Hills dentist salary, which is now close to $150,000.What does this tell me? Assuming the data is correct, it means that there is a significantly smaller gap between rich and poor today than there was 100 years ago, and a bigger middle class than there used to be.2. Was it true that only 2 out of 10 couldn't read/write, yet only 6% graduated from high school? I would have thought that there would be more illiterate people at that time.3. The low murder rate (although 230 murders for the country seems like it's too low, doesn't it?), combined with the higher poverty/low standard of living in 1910, tells us that poverty does not necessarily equal higher rates of violent crime. I imagine it was not until widespread drug problems came about that murder rates started to climb.
2. Was it true that only 2 out of 10 couldn't read/write, yet only 6% graduated from high school? I would have thought that there would be more illiterate people at that time.
I can accept that 6% HS grads because of the following. I can tell you this. When I graduated U.C. Berkeley in 1954, only 6% of the population had attended 1 semester of college. I did not see the % who graduated. Eat your hearts out -- tuition at Cal was $37.50 a semester when I was there (no quarters or cost/unit), $12.50 for a student body car that allowed us into games for free, room and board in a typical frat around $75/month, and during my last year there when I lived at International House, it was $62.50/month for room, board, and maid service.My immigrant mother went from the 8th grade to secretarial school and my father dropped out in the 10th grade. During the 1920s and perhaps after one could go to night school and earn a license to practice Dentistry and Law. Up to the 1950s and 60s and perhaps beyond, a degree from a Jr. College could get you into some law schools. Hastings in San Francisco was one. Its faculty was made up of great professors who had been forced to retire at age 65.Cancer was known to the medical profession many centuries ago.
I'm kind of surprised at the diseases. Was cancer discovered yet?
....Cancer was known to the medical profession many centuries ago.
It is only in the last 100 years or so that we have had all the other things that were killing us under control enough to life long enough for most cancers to get us. 😮
2. Was it true that only 2 out of 10 couldn't read/write, yet only 6% graduated from high school? I would have thought that there would be more illiterate people at that time.
I can accept that 6% HS grads because of the following. I can tell you this. When I graduated U.C. Berkeley in 1954, only 6% of the population had attended 1 semester of college. I did not see the % who graduated.
To add to that thought, something like only 28% of Americans over the age of 25 hold a college degree (or higher) - and that is as of, I think, 2007.
From 1949 memory of student populations.Cal ---20,000Stanford ---5,000UCLA ---- 7,000 No other schools in U.C. SystemState Colleges --- average 6,000 and fewer of themForgot to mention that San Francisco Jr. College was part of the public school system, and tuition was $2.00/semester --- yes, two dollars.
More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME.
Going back to this alone could probably solve our health care issues. i mean if those who could not afford to have children were forced to DIY :-...if you think this sounds wacky i implore anyone who disagrees with this concept to read chapter 5 "Planning and Democracy" of Hayek's The Road to Serfdom
