100 YEARS AGO -  THE YEAR OF 1902

The year is 1902 ... One Hundred Years Ago ... What a difference a century makes! 
Here are some of the U.S. statistics for 1902:

  • The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47 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.
  • 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 U.S. was 22 cents an hour.
  • The average U.S. 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 U.S. took place at home.
  • Ninety percent of all U.S. 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 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.
  • The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was 30.
  • Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented.
  • There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
  • One in ten U.S. adults couldn't read or write. Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
  • 18 percent of households in the U.S. had at least one full-time servant or domestic.
  • There were only about 230 reported murders in the entire U.S.
  • Just think what it will be like in another 100 years.......It boggles the mind.
NOTE - This information was received by e-mail - AUTHOR UNKNOWN. If anyone knows the author or source of this information, please advise so we can give CREDIT to the author on this website!
Back to Home