This January coming up would have been my dad’s 113th birthday, He was born in 1903. I remember hearing of eggs being a penny a piece and Coffee being 12¢ a pound. I remember him saying he worked for $1-$1.50 a day when he wasn’t farming. Those prices amazed me in 1950-55 when I was listening to the OLD people.
Here are some facts from that early period. 100 years ago.
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The average life expectancy for men was 47 years.
Out of 100 houses, only 8 had a telephone.
The average US wage in 1910 was 22 cents per hour.
The average US worker made between $200 and $400 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.
Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.
The 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.
There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A. !
And most everything we consumed was made in America...
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I said mom & dad’s prices shocked me. but in 1956 my first w-2 form for the year was less than $900.
A coke & a Milky Way was still 5¢ each. A new Chevy/Ford was less than $2000.
Times change, we earn more and pay more to live. As the old Beatles song Says,
“Life goes on, yeah, na na na na Life goes on!”
Nite Shipslog
PS: Were you born at home?
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1915 Model T $440.00
2015 Ford Focus $17,000 About 37 times the cost.
Eggs cost 20 times as much, but the Chicken with two legs still lays them. 
We make 54 times the hourly wage. 22¢ to $12.00
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6 comments:
No I wasn't born at home, but I'm thinking my mom and her siblings and my hubby's parents and their siblings were born at home :)
That was interesting comparing things from 100 years ago. Goes with my theory that one should be a veterinarian; they made good money then and good money now.
I like too that so much was made in America back then; sadly that is not the case these days.
betty
Isn't hindsight a hoot?
My parents used to document so much; I didn't understand it at the time, but now I appreciate looking back and marveling how far we've come. (For instance? A 'paid-in-full' receipt from St. Barnabus Hospital for my birth and mother's aftercare; another for the purchase of a new 1960 Ford Fairlane.)
One of my most treasured possessions is the journal and expense log mother kept on a 1956 cross-country road trip. I posted about it here.
http://mevely317.blogspot.com/2012/06/road-trip.html
I enjoyed your statistics, Jack!
Yes I was born at home, as was my siblings . Dr. Ware from Poteet, Texas came out to our house. One day I was walking in the cemetery here in our town and came upon his grave. I wish I knew how much he charged or if they gave him a watermelon or a sack of peanuts. Interesting post Jack.
We have sure come a long way. I rem I remember party lines and you had
a certain ring to let you know it was your number. Willene Our first cousin was the operator that said number please.I also remember Mother had her groceries delivered. When you needed gas for your car you got the works. So many things have changed...Life is just a bowl of cherries and there's a pit in it sometime. That is the song I sing.
It was a lot cheaper to live then but wages were lower too. I think it all evens out in the end with things costing more and wages being higher now. It does seem that we got along with a lot less though in those days and were happier for it. I was born in a hospital right here in the town where I've lived most of my life. But how things have changed! Some good and some not.
Prices and wages are somewhat tied to each other. As we make more, things cost more. It would be interesting to look at the relative buying power through the years.
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