Thanks to Sybil-Ann (and fact checking by Ed M’s son and others–see below)
The year is 1922, One hundred years ago. What a difference a century makes!
Here are some statistics for Year 1922.
The average life expectancy for men was 47 years.
Fuel for cars was sold in drug stores only.
Only 14 percent of homes had a bathtub.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
Only 8 percent of homes had a telephone.
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.
The average US wage in 1922 was 22 cents per 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 earned $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 took place at home
Ninety percent of all Doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION! Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press AND in the government as “substandard.”
Sugar cost four cents a pound.
Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
Most women washed their hair once a month . and, used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
Canada passed law prohibiting poor people from entering into their country for any reason.
The Five leading causes of death were:
1 Pneumonia and influenza
2 Tuberculosis
3 Diarrhea
4 Heart disease
5 Stroke
The American flag had 45 stars
The population of Las Vegas , Nevada was only 30.
Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn’t been invented yet.
There was neither a Mother’s Day nor Father’s Day.
Two out of every 10 adults couldn’t read or write And, only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were available over the counter at local drugstores. Back then pharmacists said: “Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach, bowels, and is a perfect guardian of health!” (Shocking?)
Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.
There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE US.A.
Now to fact check this, Ed M. sent it along to his son with this reply:
. For example a quick Google search shows there were 48 stars on the US flag in 1922, not 45 (only HI and AK left to go). And a website indicates at least 15,000 gas stations or roadside pumps nationwide. And the reported 1920 population of Las Vegas was over 2,300 and it was over 5,000 by 1930. I doubt it dropped to 30 in between.
Also the “reported” murder rate is highly suspect because a lot of racial and gendered violence did not get reported or was severely underreported back in the day (think lynchings, or Tulsa race riot in 1921).
(The canned-beer-not-invented-yet claim seems to be true! Not till 1935. Good thing they had bottles before that! :). )
I can’t testify to other “statistics” given here, but the American flag in 1922 had 48 stars since Arizona and New Mexico were already states.
Thanks Frank. I think I’ll try to source these submitted “facts” before posting.