As the years roll by and we get firmly planted in 2007, it’s good to reflect on what has transpired in the last 100 years. Here are some of the U.S. statistics for the Year 1907: What a difference a century makes!
The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47.6 years.
Only 14 percent of the homes in the U.S. had a bathtub.
Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars.
There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S., and only 144 miles of paved roads.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
California had an estimated popluation of 2.2 million people, and the United States had 8.7 million.
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!
The average wage in the U.S. was 22 cents per hour.
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2,000 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.
A loaf of bread cost 5 cents.
A gallon of milk cost 31 cents.
A Hershey bar cost 5 cents.
A stamp cost 2 cents.
A car cost $500.
A house cost $4,500.
The average household income was $897 a year.
Unemployment was at 2.8 percent.
The federal government spent $0.58 billion.
More than 95 percent of all births in the U.S. took place at home.
Ninety percent of all U.S. doctors had no college education.
Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were
condemned in the press and by 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 in the U.S. were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis?
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke
The American flag had 45 stars.
Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaska hadn’t been admitted to
the Union yet.
Only 8 percent of all dwellings were using electricity.
The population of the country was 87,008,000.
The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30!
Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn’t been invented yet.
There was no official Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.
Two out of every 10 U.S. 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 the pharmacist 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 in the U.S. had at least one full-time
servant or domestic help.
There were about 230 reported murders in the entire U.S.
Sometimes I sit back and try to imagine what it will be like in 2107…….wow! my brain hurts trying to comprehend the change that will occur by then. Here is a PDF summary of 1907 – check it out!
that is crazy to think about when you consider how fast our culture is changing and adapting so rapidly these days. you can only wonder what the future will look like.
Oklahoma was admitted to the US in 1907. These stats are more reflective of 2003 than 2007. But it is still amazing how things have changed!