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THE YEAR IS 1902

JOE and NELLIE
ARE NEWLYWEDS

~November 2, 1902~

Joe was nineteen and Nellie was seventeen whenever they were
married. Here are some interesting facts and bits of trivia to help you
understand what was going on in their world at that time.

Theodore Roosevelt was President of the United States.
1901-1909

He was the 26th President of the United States and the youngest president in
the Nation's history. He liked to quote a favorite proverb,
"Walk softly and carry a big stick..."

The Teddy Bear was born in 1902. It was named after the President.

The population of the United States was 79,163,000.
The Bureau of Census was established in the same year

The average wage in the U. S. was twenty-two cents ($.22) per hour.
The average worker made between $200. and $400. per YEAR.

Unemployment was 3.7%.

The cost of a First Class postage stamp was 2 cents.

Cuba gained independence from Spain.

The average life expectancy in the United States was 47 years.

The 5 leading causes of death in the U. S. were:
1. Pneumonia and Influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart Disease
5. Stroke

90% of all U. S. physicians had NO college education. Instead, they attended medicals schools,
many of which were condemned in the press and by the government as "substandard".

Marijuana, heroin and morphine were all available over the counter at the corner drugstore.
According to one pharmacist, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyance to the mind,
regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health."

More than 95% of all babies were born at home.
(All 14 of the Hagan clan were born at home.)

There were only 8,000 cars in the U. S. and only 144 miles of paved roads.
The maximum speed limit was 10 mph!

In this year, Beatrix Potter wrote her first Peter Rabbit story.
One wonders about her success whenever you look at the following stastics...
2 out of every 10 U.S. adults could not read nor write. Only 6% of all
Americans graduated high school.

Only 8% of the homes had a telephone.
A long distance call from Denver, CO to New York City cost $11.00 for a 3 minute call.

Most women washed their hair only once a month. They used borax or egg yolks
for shampoo. Lemon juice was used for a rinse.

Only 14% of the homes in the U.S. had a bathtub.
Of course, you have to know that means the two-seater was outside!

(Winter or summer...night or day!)

Nellie had her work cut out for her. Can you imagine having 14 babies and NO disposal diapers??!!!
(By the way, Nellie was pregnant a total of 126 months which amounts to 10 and ½ years!)

There were no electric washing machines or clothes dryers.
The clothes were washed in a wash tub with the help of a rub board.
Ouch! This was not very easy on the knuckles.

There were no Microwaves, no Scotch Tape, no Movies, no Cell Phones,
No Television, No Computers.

Air Conditioning was invented in 1902.

Sugar cost 4 cents a lb.
Eggs cost 14 cents a dozen
Coffee cost 15 cents per lb.

Joe had no tractor for his farming. He hitched up his horse to a plow and walked behind
the horse wielding the plow over acre by acre to plant and raise a garden for their food.

Another of Joe's chores was to milk the cows every day in order to have milk for breakfast
and butter for the biscuits! By the way, they had NO boxed cereal other than oatmeal!

Enrico Caruso made his first gramophone recording.

The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.

The American flag had 45 stars. Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaska
had not been admitted to the Union yet.

The population of Las Vegas, Nevada was 30...YES, 30!

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.

These were known as"THE GOOD OLD DAYS!"Do we really want to go back???

More to ponder...
Go to....The World We Live In Today---->

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You are listening to
"In The Good Old Summertime"

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