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Saturday, May 09, 2009

1909 FORD Model R

1909 FORD Model R
Show this to your children and/or grandchildren
THE YEAR 1909
This will boggle your mind, I know it did mine! The year is 1909. One hundred years ago. What a difference a century makes! Here are some statistics for the Year 1909 :
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The average life expectancy was 47 years.
Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.
Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles
Of paved roads.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!
The average wage in 1909 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.
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 the government as 'substandard. '
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.
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 ice tea
Hadn't been invented yet.
There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write.
Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
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'
( Shocking? DUH! )
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. !
(Mainly becasue there was a firearm of some sort in almost every home! An armed society is a POLITE society!!)
I am now going to forward this to someone else without typing it myself. From there, it will be sent to others all over the WORLD - all in a matter of seconds!
Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.
IT STAGGERS THE MIND

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

You forgot to mention:

100 years ago, that old rusted standpipe in Salisbury was functional and used.

Anonymous said...

Back then much of downtown Salisbury was covered by water -- until the dam failed sometime in 1909.

Is there going to be a centennial celebration of that event?

Anonymous said...

Yes, there was, Barrie Tilghman pissed herself when Joe beat her a$$ in court!

Anonymous said...

Actually, it was at least 102 years ago..the model R Ford was only produced until 1907

ljohnsoi said...

It says in two places on the photo that was used, most likely without permission of the owner, that it is a 1907 Ford.

Anonymous said...

your average wage and average annual income don't compute. in 1909, the average worker spent 9 hours a day, six days a week on the job. At $.22 per hour, this would be a minimum of $617.76 per year. Even if the worker had a job that only demanded today's hours, at $.22 per hour they would gross $457.60 per year.

Anonymous said...

That was worth posting. Think this type of information helps bring the past to life. I also think it helps put modern life in perspective. Thanks.

citizenspeaks said...

There may be a few errors in the list, but they are not major. Photo off by one year. The average wage and average annual income are separate statistics

This is a fun read, and brings back memories of stories told by my dad and granddad.

Anonymous said...

It may be a 1907 Ford, but I'm sure that most of the 1907 models were still on the road in 1909.