Wednesday, December 01, 2004
The year is 1903, just 14 years before my father, the first Samuel Anderson Brumit, was born. He is still living now. What a difference a 101 years makes!
Here are some of the United States statistics for the year 1903:
The average life expectancy in the U.S. is 47 years.
Only 14 percent of the homes in the country have a bathtub.
Only 8 percent of the homes have a telephone. For those that do, a three-minute call from Denver to New York City costs eleven dollars.
There are only 8,000 cars in the U.S., and only 144 miles of paved roads. City speed limits are 10 miles per hour. Of course, 10 miles per hour sounds pretty good during rush hour today!
The average wage is 22 cents an hour, and the average worker makes between $200 and $400 per year.
Sugar costs four cents a pound. Eggs are fourteen cents, and coffee costs fifteen cents a pound. There isn’t any Starbucks.
Most women wash their hair only once a month, and use borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, is 30. Very few residents are showgirls.
There are only about 230 reported murders in the entire United States. v - And for those who think that the past is always better, remember this: In 1903, there is no such thing as Mother's Day or Father's Day.
Clearly, a great deal has changed in the past century, not the least of which is the huge leap in life expectancy from 47 years to almost 77 years. But, you know, some things never change, and back in 1903 it was no doubt true that:
Nothing is as easy as it looks.
Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
Left to themselves, things tend to go from bad to worse.
It is impossible to make anything foolproof because fools are so ingenious.
You will always find something in the last place you look, and
The other checkout line always moves faster.
Here are some of the United States statistics for the year 1903:
The average life expectancy in the U.S. is 47 years.
Only 14 percent of the homes in the country have a bathtub.
Only 8 percent of the homes have a telephone. For those that do, a three-minute call from Denver to New York City costs eleven dollars.
There are only 8,000 cars in the U.S., and only 144 miles of paved roads. City speed limits are 10 miles per hour. Of course, 10 miles per hour sounds pretty good during rush hour today!
The average wage is 22 cents an hour, and the average worker makes between $200 and $400 per year.
Sugar costs four cents a pound. Eggs are fourteen cents, and coffee costs fifteen cents a pound. There isn’t any Starbucks.
Most women wash their hair only once a month, and use borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, is 30. Very few residents are showgirls.
There are only about 230 reported murders in the entire United States. v - And for those who think that the past is always better, remember this: In 1903, there is no such thing as Mother's Day or Father's Day.
Clearly, a great deal has changed in the past century, not the least of which is the huge leap in life expectancy from 47 years to almost 77 years. But, you know, some things never change, and back in 1903 it was no doubt true that:
Nothing is as easy as it looks.
Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
Left to themselves, things tend to go from bad to worse.
It is impossible to make anything foolproof because fools are so ingenious.
You will always find something in the last place you look, and
The other checkout line always moves faster.
