Give It A Century

by Liv Stecker

As we leave 2015 behind us, with all of its triumphs and pitfalls, it’s easy to forget how far we’ve come in the last hundred years. As the United States tottered on the brink of entering World War I, President Woodrow Wilson spoke to his constituents in the State of The Union Address on December 7th, 2015. 

"The moral is, that the states of America are not hostile rivals but cooperating friends, and that their growing sense of community or interest, alike in matters political and in matters economic, is likely to give them a new significance as factors in international affairs and in the political history of the world.” The 48 states of the union listened with rapt attention as the issues of the war, alchohol prohibition, gender and race equality were picking up steam. 

 To put some of the “inconveniences” we face today into perspective, here are some statistics from 100 years ago:

The average life expectancy for men was 47 years old. Compare that to the national average of 78 years in 2015, and give a nod to the advancement of modern medicine and safety standards!

Fuel in 1915 averaged 15 cents a gallon, contrasted to the average of $2.29 per gallon in 2015 - these numbers mean that we are actually paying almost 75% less per gallon than drivers in 1915 based on percentage of income. 

Keep in mind, looking at gas prices, that the average household income prior to 2015 was just over $50k, whereas the median household income in 1915 was $687, which would be the equivalent of just over $16,000 today. 

Only 14% of households in 1915 had a bathtub. In 2015, the average household has not one, but multiple tubs, showers or some combination thereof. 

In 1915, only 8% of households had telephones. Fast forward to 2015, and after the rise of the telephone to multiple lines in every home, the popularity of the land-line is now de-escalating as cell phones are replacing Bell’s contraption across the nation in homes and cars and bedrooms. 

Speed limits in urban areas in 1915 were 10MPH, now, we drive 25-35 or even faster in city limits. On a related note, motor vehicle deaths have increased almost ten fold in 100 years. 

In 1915, 95% of all births happened at home. Now that statistic is reduced to less than 1% in the United States. 

The population of Las Vegas, Nevada was 30 in 1915. Today, Las Vegas boasts 583,756 residents. 

According to the CDC, leading causes of death in 1915 included Diseases of the heart; Pneumonia (all forms) and influenza; Tuberculosis (all forms); Nephritis (all forms); Intracranial lesions of vascular origin; Cancer and other malignant tumors; Accidents excluding motor-vehicle; Diarrhea, enteritis and ulceration of the intestines;  Premature birth, and senility. This year, the leading causes include heart disease; Cancer; Chronic lower respiratory diseases; Accidents (unintentional injuries); Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases); Alzheimer's disease; Diabetes; Influenza and Pneumonia; Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis; Intentional self-harm (suicide). So while we’ve kicked some major killers with immunizations and treatments, many of the same ailments haunt us today. 

Six percent of the population in the U.S. had graduated from high school in 1915, and two out of every ten adults were unable to read or write. By 2015, the U.S. reported a 99% literacy rate among adults.

 

Heroin and morphine were available over the counter at drugstores in the U.S. in 1915, although marijuana had just been outlawed in California, and a few years earlier, cocaine became illegal, subsequent to the invention of the stimulant laden new soft drink, Coca-Cola. In 2015, cocaine, heroin and morphine are all illegal, but marijuana is enjoying a rapid restoration to over-the-counter status across the United States. 

In 1915 most women washed their hair only once a month using borax or egg yolks as shampoo. 

Eggs were 34 cents a dozen in 1915, sugar was 4 cents a pound and coffee was 15 cents a pound. Bread was 7 cents a loaf and a quart of milk was 4 cents. Making the average hourly wage of 22 cents, groceries took a chunk of change out of a paycheck. 

Harvard College charged $150 a year in tuition, and most other colleges were free in 1915. College enrollment leapt to 350,000 that year. The most expensive textbook in any field was $2.50. Today’s tuition rates are a staggering 42,830% higher than they were in 1915, as compared to the average 2,263% increase in cost elsewhere in society. 

Three hundred thirty-six new words appeared in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1915, including “cushy,” “human resources,” “narcissistic,” and “wino.” 

The U.S. house rejected a proposal that would have allowed women the right to vote. That didn’t stop them from raising their hemlines to a scandalous mid-calf length and bobbing their hair up to their chins. 

Babe Ruth hit his first home run for the Boston Red Sox in 1915, the team would go on to win the world series, which was the first ever attended by a U.S. president (Woodrow Wilson). Players on the winning team received $3700 apiece. 

A mid-range pair of ladies shoes cost $7-$10 in 1915, which would be about $163-$233 in today’s dollar. 

Maybe things were better back in the “good old days”, but unless you like washing your hair with egg yolks once a month in the back yard wash basin, or paying outrageous amounts of money to stay shod, our modern day conveniences are a vast improvement. At the very least, we owe a hundred years of innovation and growth as a nation a debt of gratitude for loaning us a few extra years to live, the miracle of modern travel, and instant global communication with the people we love. Women and minorities have voting rights, tuberculosis has all but vanished from our society, and education is a universal expectation now. Maybe we have too many laws and rules pervading our culture but we’ve spent the last century chasing bigotry and ignorance back into the cave of shame where they belong. We’ve come a long way, baby, and for the most part, it’s good.