i thought this might be fun as you shake the leaves of your family tree! >Fun Reading! anad maybe some interesting facts, too. > > > >In the summer of 1900... > > > >The average life expectancy in the United States was 47. > > > >Only 14% of the homes in the United States had a bathtub. > > > >Only 8% of the homes had a telephone. > > > >A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost $11. > > > >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 populated 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 $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. > > > >More than 95% of all births in the United States took place at home. > > > >90% 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 14 cents a dozen. Coffee cost 15 cents a pound. > > > >Most women only washed their hair once a month and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo. > > > >The five leading causes of death in the US were: > > 1. Pneumonia and influenza; > > 2. TB; > > 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. The remote desert community was inhabited by only a handful of ranchers and > >their families. > > > >Plutonium, insulin, and antibiotics hadn't been discovered yet. > > > >Scotch tape, crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented. > > > >There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day. > > > >One in 10 US adults couldn't read or write. > > > >Only 6% of all Americans had graduated from high school. > > > >Some medical authorities warned that professional seamstresses were apt to become sexually aroused by the steady rhythm, hour > >after hour, of the sewing machine's foot pedals. They recommended slipping bromide, which was thought to diminish > >sexual desire, into the women's drinking water. > > > >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." > > > >18% of households in the United States had at least one full- > >time servant or domestic. > > > >There were about 230 reported murders in the US annually. Texas is neither Southern nor Western. Texas is Texas Anna Houston Price, FLMI, ACS FiServ NDP - Client Services Off: 512-345-1922