SPRAGGETT ON CHESS
THE YEAR IS 1909
One hundred and two years ago. What a difference today!
Here are some statistics for the Year 1909:
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 pneumonia and influenza, tuberculosis, diarrhea, heart disease and 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 no Mother’s Day or 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 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.!
Plus one more sad thought: 95 percent of the taxes we have now did not exist in 1909.
Thanks Betsy!
CATHOLIC LAST RITES?!
A bus on a busy street struck a Catholic man. He was lying near death on the sidewalk as a crowd gathered.
“A priest. Somebody get me a priest!” the man gasped.
Long seconds dragged on but no one stepped out of the crowd. A policeman checked the crowd and finally yelled, “A PRIEST, PLEASE! Isn’t there a priest in this crowd to give this man his last rites?”
Finally, out of the crowd stepped a little old Jewish man in his 80s.
“Mr. Policeman,” said the man, “I’m not a priest. I’m not even a Christian. But for 50 years now, I’m living behind the Catholic Church on Second Avenue , and every night I’m overhearing their services. I can recall a lot of it, and maybe I can be of some comfort to this poor man.”
The policeman agreed, and cleared the crowd so the man could get through to where the injured man lay.The old Jewish man knelt down, leaned over the man and said in a solemn voice:”………………………..B-4 … I-19 … N-38 … G-54 …. O-72….”
SPRAGGETT ON CHESS
Spraggett on Chess 