Received this from a friend and thought everyone might find it interesting: In the year 1900... The average life expectancy was forty-seven Only 14 percent of homes had bathtubs. Only 8 percent had telephones. (A three minute call from Denver to New York cost eleven dollars) There were only 8,000 cars in the US and 144 miles of paved roads. The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 miles per hour. The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower. The average wage was 22 cents an hour. The average worker made between $200.00 and $400.00 annually. An accountant expected to earn $2,000.00 per year, a dentist, $2,500.00, a vet between $1,500 and $4000. per year. A mechanical engineer, about $5,000 a year. More than 95% of all births took place at home. 90% of all physicians had no college education. Instead they attended medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press by the government as "substandard." Sugar cost 4 cents a pound, Eggs, 14 cents a dozen, and coffee, 15 cents a pound. Most women only washed their hair once a month and used borax or egg yolks as shampoo. Five leading causes of death were, 1) Pneumonia and influenza, 2) TB, 3) Diarrhea, 4) Heart disease, and 5) Stroke. The American flag had 45 stars. Drive-by shootings in which teenage boys galloped down the street on horses, carriages, or anything else, were an ongoing problem in Denver and other large cities in the West. The population of LasVegas was 30. There was no Mother's or Father's Day. One in ten adults couldn't read or write. Only 6% graduated high school. 230 reported murders in the US. Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter, and according to one pharmacist, "Heroin cleans the complexion, gives buoyancy to mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is in fact a perfect guardian of health." Coca-Cola contained cocaine instead of caffeine. Punchcard data processing had recently been developed, and early predecessors of the modern computer were used for the first time by the government to help compile the 1900 census.