The year is 1907...

 

The year is 1907. One hundred years ago. What can happen in just one century (figures are American, unless otherwise stated) ---

*  The average life expectancy in the U.S was 47 years.
* The five leading causes of death were:

1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke

* More than 95 percent of all births took place at home.
* One-hundred in every one-thousand babies died before their first birthday.
* Antibiotics were yet to be invented.
* There was no income tax, no central banks and no passports.
* Only 14% of U.S. homes had a bathtub.
* Only 8% of U.S. homes had a telephone.
* There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved roads in the whole of continental America.
* The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
* The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.
* The average wage in 1907 was 22 cents per hour.
* The average 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.
* Frank Lloyd Wright designed the 'Fireproof House for $5000' (above) for the 'Ladies Home Journal.'
* Meanwhile, timber villas in Auckland's Grey Lynn were changing hands for two hundred pounds.
* Sugar cost four cents a pound.
* Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
* Coffee was 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 that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.
* The American flag had 45 stars.
* The population of Las Vegas, Nevada was only 30.
* Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn't been invented yet.
* There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
* Only six percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.  Nine out of every 10 adults were able to read and write, (nineteen out of twenty native Americans, but only five out of every ten negroes).
* Blacks were called negroes.
* Marijuana, Heroin, and Morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect 'guardian of health'."
* Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.
* There were about 230 reported murders in the entire U.S.A.

Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years . . . and feel free to add your own snippets in the comments.  [Adapted from a post at Earth Changes Media]