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Icelander
The Minstrel in the Gallery



Registered: 03/15/05
Posts: 95,368
Loc: underbelly
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100 years ago.
#7859259 - 01/10/08 12:38 PM (16 years, 22 days ago) |
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At first glance at this list one would conclude that life is much better for most of us today. But is it? Did we give up anything of value for these changes?
?? THE YEAR 1907??
Here are some statistics for the Year 1907 : ************ ********* ********* ******
The average life expectancy was 47 years.
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 wage in 1907 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 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.
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 ice 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. 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. !
-------------------- "Don't believe everything you think". -Anom. " All that lives was born to die"-Anom. With much wisdom comes much sorrow, The more knowledge, the more grief. Ecclesiastes circa 350 BC
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OrgoneConclusion
Blue Fish Group



Registered: 04/01/07
Posts: 45,414
Loc: Under the C
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Re: 100 years ago. [Re: Icelander]
#7859270 - 01/10/08 12:42 PM (16 years, 22 days ago) |
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Quote:
Here are some statistics for the Year 1907 : ************ ********* ********* ******
Icelander was born. Yay!
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Icelander
The Minstrel in the Gallery



Registered: 03/15/05
Posts: 95,368
Loc: underbelly
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-------------------- "Don't believe everything you think". -Anom. " All that lives was born to die"-Anom. With much wisdom comes much sorrow, The more knowledge, the more grief. Ecclesiastes circa 350 BC
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freddurgan
Techgnostic



Registered: 01/11/04
Posts: 3,648
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Re: 100 years ago. [Re: Icelander]
#7859549 - 01/10/08 01:39 PM (16 years, 22 days ago) |
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Most of those wage stats don't mean anything. It's just inflation. Things cost more because we have too much money in circulation.
I know why you posted the numbers though. Shows us just HOW MUCH inflation we're looking at
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Icelander
The Minstrel in the Gallery



Registered: 03/15/05
Posts: 95,368
Loc: underbelly
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You are correct of course.
What I find interesting is that we take for granted a lifestyle that would belong to the richest of the rich in the past and still we often remain unsatisfied with our material lives.
-------------------- "Don't believe everything you think". -Anom. " All that lives was born to die"-Anom. With much wisdom comes much sorrow, The more knowledge, the more grief. Ecclesiastes circa 350 BC
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AnastomosisJihad
Hominid



Registered: 01/01/08
Posts: 700
Loc: Ohio
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Quote:
freddurgan said: Most of those wage stats don't mean anything. It's just inflation. Things cost more because we have too much money in circulation.
I know why you posted the numbers though. Shows us just HOW MUCH inflation we're looking at
Inflation is an important factor, but it does not account for everything. Look at the ratio of pay scales; the numbers are out of proportion with analogous ratios at today's pay scales. Also consider the ratios in prices between commodities. I wounder what gold was trading for in 1907.
-------------------- come together
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EternalCowabunga
Being of Great Significance



Registered: 04/04/05
Posts: 7,152
Loc: Time and Space
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Wow, we live in heaven compared to the past. I for one can at least appreciate this when presented to me, although I'm sure I often take it for granted.
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MushroomTrip
Dr. Teasy Thighs



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And (perhaps - and considering those terms) we're living in hell compared to the future. 100 years ago, people had no term of comparison, they had no notion of what we have now. How many of us, right now, would have a nervous break down if we didn't have internet or a car, and how many would do that because they can't travel to Mars?
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   All this time I've loved you And never known your face All this time I've missed you And searched this human race Here is true peace Here my heart knows calm Safe in your soul Bathed in your sighs
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Huehuecoyotl
Fading Slowly


Registered: 06/13/04
Posts: 10,685
Loc: On the Border
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Re: 100 years ago. [Re: Icelander]
#7861510 - 01/10/08 08:34 PM (16 years, 22 days ago) |
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Quote:
still we often remain unsatisfied with our material lives.
Who is "we"? You can't be speaking for every living human.
-------------------- "A warrior is a hunter. He calculates everything. That's control. Once his calculations are over, he acts. He lets go. That's abandon. A warrior is not a leaf at the mercy of the wind. No one can push him; no one can make him do things against himself or against his better judgment. A warrior is tuned to survive, and he survives in the best of all possible fashions." ― Carlos Castaneda
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PhanTomCat
Teh Cat....



Registered: 09/07/04
Posts: 5,908
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I think the word "often" leaves room for exclusions.... 
>^;;^<
-------------------- I'll be your midnight French Fry.... "The most important things in life that are often ignored, are the things that one cannot see...." >^;;^<
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mushbaby
woodswalker




Registered: 09/30/06
Posts: 2,645
Loc: in my own lil world
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Hot showers at the touch of your fingertips!
That's my favorite advance. Imagine having to heat up water once a week and waiting for your turn in the bathtub.
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WhiskeyClone
Not here


Registered: 06/25/01
Posts: 16,509
Loc: Longitudinal Center of Canada ...
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Re: 100 years ago. [Re: Icelander]
#7863973 - 01/11/08 08:31 AM (16 years, 21 days ago) |
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Quote:
Icelander said:
What I find interesting is that we take for granted a lifestyle that would belong to the richest of the rich in the past and still we often remain unsatisfied with our material lives.
Did riches ever bring happiness?
Did the rich of 1907 have this elusive sense of satisfaction with life?
If they did I would bet it was not a result of the luxuries they had accumulated.
-------------------- Welcome evermore to gods and men is the self-helping man. For him all doors are flung wide: him all tongues greet, all honors crown, all eyes follow with desire. Our love goes out to him and embraces him, because he did not need it. ~ R.W. Emerson, "Self-Reliance"
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Icelander
The Minstrel in the Gallery



Registered: 03/15/05
Posts: 95,368
Loc: underbelly
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Quote:
Huehuecoyotl said:
Quote:
still we often remain unsatisfied with our material lives.
Who is "we"? You can't be speaking for every living human.
No that's why I said "often". I for one am very satisfied with what I have materially. If I have any complaint it's that there is way too much stuff.
-------------------- "Don't believe everything you think". -Anom. " All that lives was born to die"-Anom. With much wisdom comes much sorrow, The more knowledge, the more grief. Ecclesiastes circa 350 BC
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