1910 – 2010 History Changes You Can Believe In

Was Joe Biden‘s Grandfather running for office in 1910 for the History Changes(1) You Can Believe In?

How many of us receive viral eMails like this one everyday?

Photo Credit: 1910 Model T Touring Auto

1910 Ford Model R

THE YEAR IS 1910 
This will boggle your mind, I know it did mine! 
************ ********* *********** 
The year is 1910 
One hundred years ago. 
What a difference a century makes! 
Here are some statistics for the Year 1910: 
************ ********* ************ 
The average life expectancy for men was 47 years. 
Fuel for this car was sold in drug stores only.  
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 US wage in 1910 was 22 cents per hour. 
The average US 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. 

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!!!! 
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’ 
( Shocking? DUH! ) 

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. !  
  
I am now going to forward this to someone else
without typing it myself.
From there, it will be sent to others all over the
WORLD – all in a matter of seconds! 
Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.  

IT STAGGERS THE MIND 

Yes, it does stagger the mind that whoever wrote the above Digital Disinformation never fact-checked the ‘facts.’

Ford did Not make a Ford Model R car in 1910.

Photo Credit: 1907 Ford Model R Auto

Ford’s Model R was manufactured in 1907 from April to October. Twenty-five hundred Model R autos were sold.

The first Tin Lizzie (Model T) was produced on August 12, 1908 and left the Piquette Plant on September 27, 1908. Ford manufactured 47 Model T Coupes, 2,885 Model T Roadsters, and 7,728 Model T Touring cars from Oct 1, 1908 to July 31, 1909 for the 1909 Model T year. Ford sold 12,176 Model T’s in 1909 and 19,291 Model T’s in 1910. Source
________________________

The average life expectancy for men was 47 years. <~ false
In 1910, the average life expectancy for men was 48.4 years and 51.8 years for women. Source
________________________

Fuel for this car was sold in drug stores only. <~ false
Sylvanus F. Bowser sold the first gasoline pump on Sep 5, 1885 for kerosene lamps and stoves. Bowser sold an improved pump, which became known as a “filling station,” to the first automobile-repair garages in 1893.

The first gas station was constructed in St. Louis, Missouri in 1905 at 412 S. Theresa Avenue. The second gas station was constructed in 1907 by Standard Oil of California (now Chevron) in Seattle, Washington at what is now Pier 32. They were known to motorists as “filling stations.”

By 1910, many general stores in rural areas also had a gas pump. Since Ford made cars affordable to the middle class, there was a great demand for filling stations which eventually forced the few remaining pharmacies out of their gasoline side business.
________________________

Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub. <~ Suspect
The number of homes with connected bathtubs depended on the presence of indoor plumbing. For example, Bathtubs were installed in 86% of new tenements built in New York City from 1901 to 1910. Source

Whereas, 66% of rural homes did not have indoor plumbing until the late 1930s.
Source
________________________

Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone. <~ false
25% of American Homes had telephones by 1909. Source
________________________

There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved roads. <~ false
According to the government, 469,000 passenger cars were registered in 1910. Source

144 miles of Paved Roads?

In 1904, the federal government discovered only 141 miles of America’s rural roads were paved: 123 miles were brick and 18 miles were bituminous surfaced: 13 miles of bituminous macadam, 3 miles of Asphalt and 2 miles of tarred road in Tisbury, Massachusetts. Source

According to the eMail, 3 miles were paved in 6 years (between 1904 and 1910).

Yet, the Office of Public Roads conducted another Road Census in 1909 and reported 339.62 miles were paved with bituminous-macadam and 64.5 miles were brick. Source

In 1909, 404 miles of America’s rural roads were paved. No national data was found for 1910 yet, New York claims 300 miles of bituminous-macadam roads were constructed in 1910. Source

A fair estimate would be 785 miles were paved by 1910: 404 miles (1909) + 300 miles (NY) + 404 miles / 5yrs
________________________

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph. <~ Suspect

The source of many early motor vehicle-related accidents was noisy automobiles frightening horses. The automobile’s bloody reputation darkened its presence in the city. As a result, many city speed limits were set to the top speed of horse-drawn vehicles of 6 to 8 mph for public safety.

Many cities restricted top speeds to 6 to 8 mph speed limits within business sections, 10 to 12 mph in other parts of the city, and speeds should not exceed 4 mph when crossing certain intersections, approaching curves, or meeting other vehicles. Source
________________________

The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower! <~ True
________________________

The average US wage in 1910 was 22 cents per hour. <~ false
The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year. <~ false
In 1910, the average American worker earns $750 per year or 26.7 cents per hour. Source

The average Ford worker earned $2.34 per diem (@ 9 hours per day) x 6 day work week = $14.04 per week x 52 = $730 per year
________________________

Ninety percent of all Doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION! <~ Surprisingly True

According to the 1910 Flexner Report, 90% of Doctors did Not have a College Education and most of them attended sub-standard medical schools. Source

Abraham Flexner published “Medical Education in the United States and Canada,” known today as the Flexner Report, in 1910.
________________________

Sugar cost four cents a pound. 
Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen. 
Coffee was fifteen cents a pound. <~ false

Sugar was 6 cents a pound.
Eggs were 40 cents a dozen.
Coffee was 20 cents a pound.
Source
________________________

Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo. <~ True?

No Qualifying Context to determine who and where.

For example, women who lived in homes without indoor plumbing infrequently washed their hair.
At the time Madam C. J. Walker created her ointment and system to stop hair loss in 1905, most women only washed their hair once a month. Source

After marrying newspaperman Charles J. Walker in 1906, Madam C. J. Walker and her new husband began selling her wares door-to-door. Their success enabled her to open stores, a beauty college, and relocate her factory to Indianapolis in 1910.
Unfortunately, no evidence that Madam C. J. Walker’s shampoo success increased the frequency of washing hair in four years has been discovered to date.

The New York Times published a shampoo article on Aug 2, 1914 to instruct women on how to shampoo their hair while on vacation in a remote place. According to the New York Times, a egg shampoo mixture was used for dry hair: one raw egg was beaten and mixed into a pint of lukewarm rain water and one ounce of rosemary spirits. A lotion mixture was recommended as a cleanser for oily hair: one-quarter ounce of Borax, one-quarter ounce of Bicarbonate of soda, 2 oz. of cologne water, 1 oz. of rectified spirits, half ounce tincture of cochineal, 16 oz. of distilled water, mixed and shaken thoroughly. Source
________________________

Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason. <~ Partly True?
Apparently, a measure was introduced where immigrants to Canada needed to prove to the government that they weren’t destitute by possessing $25 minimum in 1910. Source
________________________

The Five leading causes of death were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza… <~ false

In 1910, Heart disease was leading cause of death:
1. Heart disease followed by
2. Pneumonia (all forms) and influenza
3. Tuberculosis (all forms)
4. Diarrhea, enteritis, and ulceration of the intestines
5. Intracranial lesions of vascular origin
Source
________________________

The American flag had 45 stars …. <~ false
In 1910, the American flag had 46 stars.
New Mexico (47th) and Arizona (48th) became states in 1912.
Alaska (49th) and Hawaii (50th) became states in 1959.
________________________

The population of Las Vegas , Nevada , was only 30!!!! <~ false
According to the 13th Census, The Population of the Las Vegas precinct of Clark County was 945. Source

On May 15, 1905, the Salt Lake City Railroad sold Clark’s Las Vegas Townsite during a land auction. Clark’s Las Vegas Townsite became the incorporated city of Las Vegas on March 16, 1911.
________________________

Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn’t been invented yet. <~ false and partly true

In the 1860s, iced tea was known as a warm weather drink which became common in America during the 1870s.
According to the Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America, iced tea was sold at hotels and railroads. Source

Although Giuseppe Airoldi published the first crossword puzzle in an Italian magazine on September 14, 1890, the Boston Globe may have began publishing crossword puzzles in 1917.

The American Can Co. began experimenting packaging beer in cans in 1909. Unfortunately, Prohibition canned their idea until 1931. After two years of research, American Can solved problems of pressure and the beer reacting with the tinplate in 1933. The first beer cans filled with Krueger’s Finest Beer were sold to the public on Jan 24, 1935.
________________________

Mother’s Day or Father’s Day. <~ Partly True and Partly False

Mother’s Day begun on May 10, 1908. In 1910, the Governor of West Virginia proclaimed the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day and holiday was quickly adopted by the rest of the states. Source

The first Father’s Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, in Spokane, Washington. Sonora Smart Dodd thought of the idea during a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909.Source

Apparently, both Mother’s Days and Father’s Days were celebrated nationally well before Congress and Presidents officially recognized the Days honoring parents.
________________________

Two out of every 10 adults couldn’t read or write and Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.. <~ false

According to Government estimates, the Illiteracy Rate was 8.3 percent in 1910 which translates to One out of every 12 adults couldn’t read or write for comparison.

8.8 percent of Americans graduated from high school in 1910. Source
________________________

Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. 

Cannabis Indica fluid extract (Medical Marijuana) was sold under the Food and Drugs Act of 1906. Source

Back then pharmacists said, ‘Heroin clears the complexion… <~ partly True

Considering that Heroin was legally sold over-the-counter as a non-addictive morphine substitute and cough suppressant from 1898 to 1914, this statement sounds like something a snake oil salesman would say to hype the sale of his elixirs and potions.

Bayer also marketed the drug as a cure for morphine addiction before Heroin was discovered that it rapidly metabolizes into morphine. The Harrison Narcotics Tax Act of 1914 regulated the sale of Heroin to medical purpose as prescribed by a Doctor. Congress banned the importation, manufacture, and sale of Heroin in 1924.

Morphine was sold as an analgesic from 1827 to 1914. Under the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act of 1914, Morphine became a controlled substance requiring a prescription for legal use.
________________________

Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time
servant or domestic help …. <~ false

There were 1,867,000 Domestic Servants in 1910 divided by 14.876 million homes = 12 percent Source
________________________

There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A. ! <~false
According to the New York Times, 1,312 Homicides occurred in 30 cities with a total population of 15,879,566 resulting in a Homicide rate of 8.3 per 100,000.
The National Homicide rate was 4.6 per 100,000 in 1910. Source
The U.S. census of 1910 reported a population of 92,228,496 / 100,000 times 4.6 = 4,243 Homicides
________________________

How many Americans fall into the Black Hole of Digital Disinformation every day?

For Music Monday, I’m In a Hurry by Alabama (2)

Footnotes:

(1) Joe Biden believes FDR addressed the nation on television during the Depression (Oct 29, 1929) before FDR (Mar 4, 1933) became President, before Americans had television sets (April 30, 1939 public broadcasts*), and before the first presidential television broadcast by Harry Truman on Sep 4, 1951.

* NBC began television broadcasts in New York on April 30, 1939 to broadcast of the opening of the 1939 New York World’s Fair. 2,000 TV receiving sets were estimated to be in use by the end of the year.

WNBT (known today as WNBC) began the first commercial TV Broadcast on July 1, 1941. Due to World War II, regular commercial network television programming began in 1948.

(2) Since “Twentieth Century” by Alabama reflects the Changes of the Twentieth Century, the message of “Twentieth Century” song harmonizes with this post better. Unfortunately, there is no video or mp3 of “Twentieth Century” online.

Note: Miss Moneypenny posts Political Satire on Twitter at http://twitter.com/moneypenny008 and Twitpic at http://twitpic.com/photos/moneypenny008. Readers can also view my tweets and Twitter conversations at http://tweetree.com/moneypenny008.

My WordPress Blog will be used to archive selected Political Satire tweets.

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Miss Moneypenny reporting for the Undercover Times