With the way the economy and everything else is going this year, I figured it was time to look back and take inventory. Everyone usually thinks back to the year that just ended and assesses the year. For a moment, think about One Hundred years ago.

What a difference a century makes!

Here are some of the U.S. Statistics for the Year 1908:
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The average life expectancy in the U.S. Was 47 years old.

Only 14 % of the homes in the U.S. Had a bathtub.

Only 8% of the homes had a telephone.

A three-minute call from Denver to New York City Cost eleven dollars.

There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S. , and only 144 miles of paved roads.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.

Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California

With a mere 1.4 million people, California was only the 21st most populous state in the Union

The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!

The average wage in the U.S. Was 22 Cents per hour.

The average U.S. Worker made between $200 and $400 per year .
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year,
A dentist made $2,500 per year,
A veterinarian $1,500 per year,
And a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.

More than 95 % of all births in the U.S. Took place at HOME.

Ninety percent of all U.S. 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 in the U.S. Were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke

The American flag had 45 stars.
Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaska hadn't been admitted to the Union yet.

The population of Las Vegas , Nevada , was only 30 people!!!!

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 U.S. Adults couldn't read or write.

Only 6% 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.'

There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A. !

I Can't help but wonder what it will be like in 2108!!!!!

I am not sure I would want to see what it would be like in 2108 !!!!!!!

Agreed. Maybe we can come with a list of what we think it would be like in 2108, that is IF we are not back living like cave people.

I remember reading somewhere that world war 4 (yes 4) will be fought with sticks and stones. Just think about that for a minute.

Now time to work on my list for the future. With the above war scenario, the present environmental issues and economic issues this should be an interesting list.

Very good thoughts Roy,,,, !!! I often wonder about this because of my grand-kids !!!!! I agree, this list should be interesting !!!

Looking to the future, I am the extreme optimist. I am hoping that good old comon sense makes a strong comeback, and thet people realise that some things are just not worth the price that has to be paid, whether it be war, taking from the planet, or just getting along with each other.

If that happens, we probably will be gathering the "sticks and stones" getting ready for WWIV.

FG, I really hope your right but I have to say I dont think it will happen that way. One word,, "Greed". It will change everything as it has in the past. Also, people just dont seem to care about there fellow man as in the past and seems to get worse all the time. I really do wish that the things you stated would be considered... !!!

I will agree that there is a larger faction today that just doesn't care, and a new faction that wants everything to be politically correct. I do believe that there is STILL a very large silent majority, of which we saw raise its head a little right after 9/11. I think these are the folks that are getting fed up with the way everything is going and will rise upand bring this great country of ours back to its intended path. At least I hope so.

Well, let me climb off my soapbox and get back to normal, and you are right, Greed will blind us if we are not careful.

Very good thoughts and true. There are people left with that belief and I hope they do rise up. The only thing is IMO and I hate to say this is that it seems to take a tragedy before it happens. If we could somehow get back to the days where we stood together it would work for sure.