Here are some U.S. statistics for 1904:

   The average life expectancy was 47 years.

   Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.
   Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
   A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars.
   There were only 8,000 cars, and only 144 miles of paved roads.
   The maximum 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 wage was 22 cents an hour.
    The average 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: $5,000 per year.
   More than 95 percent of all births took place at home.
   Ninety percent of all 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 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 prohibiting poor people from entering the 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 Flag had only 45 stars because Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaska hadn't been admitted to the Union yet.
   The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was 30!
   Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented.
   There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
   Two of 10 adults couldn't read or write.
   Only 6 percent had graduated 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."
   Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic.
   There were only about 230 reported murders.