1902

Just came across some US statistics for 1902.  Thought of publishing it here:

• The average life expectancy in the US was 47.
• Only 14% of the homes in the US had a bathtub.
• Only 8 % of the homes had a telephone.
• A 3-min call from Denver to New York City cost $11.
• There were only 8,000 cars in the US & 144 mi. of paved roads.
• The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
• Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, & Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California. With 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 in Paris, France.
• The average wage in the US was 22 cents an hour.
• The average US worker made between $200 & $400 a 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 yr.
• More than 95% of all births in the US took place at home.
• 90% of all US 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 4 cents a pound. Eggs were 14 cents a dozen.
• Coffee cost 15 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 US were:
  1. Pneumonia and influenza
  2. Tuberculosis
  3. Diarrhea
  4. Heart disease
  5. Stroke
• The American flag had 45 stars. Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mex-  ico Hawaii & 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.
• One in ten US adults couldn’t read or write.  Only 6 % 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 stomach & bowels, &  is a perfect guardian of health.”
• 18% of households in the US had at least one full-time servant.
• There were only about 230 reported murders in the entire US.