Demographic Statistics from circa 1900
1907 Ford
To give you an idea what it was like, here are some statistics circa 1900. The accuracy of these statistics has not been confirmed.
- The average life expectancy was 47 years.
- Fuel for a 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 in the entire USA.
- The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
- The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.
- The average wage in 1909 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 $.04 cents a pound.
- Eggs were $.14 cents a dozen.
- Coffee was $.15 cents a pound.
- Most women only washed their hair once a month and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo. Soap was made at home from lye.
- The top five leading causes of death were:
- Pneumonia and influenza
- Tuberculosis
- Diarrhea
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- The American flag had 45 stars.
- The population of Las Vegas, Nevada was 30. The population of the entire USA was about 76 million in 1900.
- 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, cocaine and morphine were all available over the counter at 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'.
- 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.
- 95 percent of the taxes we have a century later did not exist.
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Crystal River Jeep Tours
Marble, Colorado 81623
PUC 3790
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