Amazing 1915

[F.U.]

I ran across this and found it interesting. So I thought I would share.




The year is 1915 – One hundred years ago.
What a difference a century makes!
Here are some statistics for the Year 1915:


The average life expectancy for men was 47 years.
Fuel for cars was sold in drug stores only.
Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.
Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
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 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 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 into their
country for any reason.
The Five leading causes of death were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. 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 neither a Mother’s Day nor a 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 local
corner drugstores.
Back then pharmacists said, “Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to
the mind, regulates the stomach, bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian
of health!” (Shocking?)
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. !

[ramseycat]

I can't imaging only washing my hair once a month. Ew.

[Duchess]

230 reported murders a year. How 'bout that.

The price of stuff back in the day always amuses me.

[Donovan]

The first American fixed wing airline service was a year old, and the first European fixed wing airline was a year away from being born.

[aussiefriend]

Can't live without a bathtub. I notice no mention of benchtop dishwashers either.

[Donovan]

Some other events of note in 1915:

Alex Bell made the first transcontinental phone call. He repeated his famous first phrase, "Watson, come here, I need you." Watson answered back, "It would take me a week to get to you this time."

Babe Ruth hit his first home run. I hear he hit some more later on. Not for the Yankees though, the Curse of the Bambino had not yet been laid.

Speaking of Yankees, they officially adopted the pinstripes in 1915. It was one of the first decisions made by the new owners, who bought the team for under 500 grand.

Billie Holliday, Les Paul and Frankie Yankovic were born. So was Orson Welles.

Two major film releases, Birth of a Nation and the Tramp, both iconic films. Pretty sure they're still on Netflix too.

[QueenBee]

The price of stuff back in the day always amuses me.

Yeah.. but compare that to their annual salary, which is less that our weekly gross pay today. Unless we work part time. Guess it works out to about what we pay now for some things.

[Duchess]

Yeah.. but compare that to their annual salary

Yup, $200-400 a year.

Sometimes I long for a simpler time...doing my laundry on a washboard down at the creek, cooking in a cauldron over an open fire, carrying a little dog so the cooties stayed on him and not me.

[F.U.]

AWwwww, but cooties are so cute.

[Blindgreed1]

Some other events of note in 1915:

Alex Bell made the first transcontinental phone call. He repeated his famous first phrase, "Watson, come here, I need you." Watson answered back, "It would take me a week to get to you this time."

Babe Ruth hit his first home run. I hear he hit some more later on. Not for the Yankees though, the Curse of the Bambino had not yet been laid.

Speaking of Yankees, they officially adopted the pinstripes in 1915. It was one of the first decisions made by the new owners, who bought the team for under 500 grand.

Billie Holliday, Les Paul and Frankie Yankovic were born. So was Orson Welles.

Two major film releases, Birth of a Nation and the Tramp, both iconic films. Pretty sure they're still on Netflix too.

Also note that there were more dry states and counties in the US than wet, 4 years before the prohibition amendment.