December 27, 2004

Some interestin' facts I read

Things really have changed in the last 100 years. Why, I read that 100 years ago, there were only 8000 cars in the United States.

The states of Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, & Tennessee had higher populations than California.

Even more shocking, I read that marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter. One pharmacist was quoted as having said, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives bouyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health." [Bouyancy???]

The average U S worker made between $200 & $400 per year. Dentists earned about $2500 a year, veterinarians between $1500 and $4000, and mechanical engineers about $5000.

The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.

Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea had not been invented.

The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was 30.


Posted by Susan R at December 27, 2004 10:23 AM
Comments

Too bad we can't go back.

Posted by: GrumpyBunny at December 27, 2004 10:34 AM

Even more shocking, 200 years ago there were ZERO cars in the United States!

Posted by: Irate Savant at December 27, 2004 12:57 PM

I actually have an ol' Rand-McNally map of the State of Texas from 1905 on the wall at my office which shows only railroad routes. To me, the most novel thing about this map is that that it broke the population figures down into different categories. I have always wondered why they listed those 3 Japanese citizens separately from the several hundred Chinese citizens of the time.

Posted by: Tig at December 29, 2004 09:20 AM