Rest in Peace, Dr. Howard Zinn

Dr. Howard Zinn, historian and political activist, died today at the age of 87.

If you’ve not read The People’s History of the United States, I highly recommend you do. History looks so much different from the perspective of “We, the People.”

What a difference a century makes

Disclaimer: I found the material for this post on the internet.  It is not my original work.  If you know the original author, please let me know so I may credit them.  Thank you.

The year is 1906.  One hundred and two (almost three) years ago.

What a difference a century makes.

Here are some US statistics for the Year 1906:

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 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. The AMA had yet to take over medicine and create the medical industry in order to create political and economic power for themselves.  Midwifery was still legal and accepted.

Ninety percent of all doctors had NO college education.   Instead, they attended “medical schools,” many of which were condemned in the press and by 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 yet they had an 80 percent literacy rate.

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 US.

Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.