The Year 1904

• Average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47 years.
• Only 14%of the homes in the U.S. had a bathtub.
• Only 8% of the homes had a telephone.
• A 3-minute call from Denver to NYC cost $11.
• There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S. and only 144 miles of paved roads.
• The max 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 residents, California was only the 21st most populous state in the Union.
• The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.
• The average U.S. worker made between $200-$400/year.
• A competent accountant could expect to ear $2,000/year, a dentist $2,500/year, a vet between $1,500-$4,000/year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000/year.
• More than 95% of all births in the U.S. took place at home.
• 90% of all U.S. physicians 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 4 cents/pound.
• Eggs were 14 cents/dozen.
• Coffee was 15 cents/pound.
• Most women only washed  their hair once a month and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
• Canada passed a law prohibiting poor people from entering the country for any reason.
• The 5 leading causes of death in the U.S. were:  (1)  pneumonia & influenza,  (2)  tuberculosis,  (3)  diarrhea,  (4)  heart disease, and  (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 was 30.
• Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented yet.
• There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
• 2 in 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 corner drugstores.  According to one pharmacist, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health."
• 18% of households in the U.S. had at least one full-time servant or domestic.
• There were only about 230 reported murders in the entire U.S.