> The year is 1902 , one hundred years ago ... what a difference a century > makes. Here are the U.S. statistics for 1902. > > The average life expectancy in the US was forty-seven (47). > > Only 14 Percent of the homes in the US 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 US and only 144 miles of paved roads. > > The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph. > > Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated > than California. With a mere 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. > > The average wage in the US was 22 cents an 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 in the US took place at home. > > Ninety percent 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 four cents a pound. Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen. > Coffee cost 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 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 Mexico, Hawaii and > 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 were no Mother's Day or Father's Day. > > One in ten US 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 > corner drugstores. According to one pharmacist, "Heroin clears the > complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and the > bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health." > > Eighteen percent of households in the US had at least one full-time servant > > or domestic. > > There were only about 230 reported murders in the entire US. >