Thank you so much. I would like to trace his path through the War and I
don't have too much to go on. He's passed on so I can't ask him. I
know he was wounded and the War was over for him at that point. He was very
proud of his service and attended reunions as often as he could. Any and
all help is greatly appreciated.
Ben,
Could you please put me on mailcall
again? We lost our internet connection and our computer also apparently
got a virus. I believe we have things restored now, but we have a new
email address. It is
jbkrumm@aol.com. I have really missed
reading the mailcall, and would appreciate your help. Thanks.
John Alicki
THE YEAR OF 1904
Maybe this will boggle your brain, I know it did mine! The
year is 1904...one hundred years ago. What a difference a
century makes! Here are some of the U.S. statistics for 1904:
The
average life expectancy was 47 years.
Only 14% of the homes had a bathtub.
Only 8% of the homes had a telephone.
A
three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost $11.00.
There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved roads.
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.
Canada passed a
law that no one could enter their country for any reason.
The tallest structure in
the world was the Eiffel Tower.
The average wage was 22¢ an
hour.
The average U.S. 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% of all births 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¢ a
pound.
Eggs were 14¢ a
dozen.
Coffee was 15¢ a pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used borax or egg yolks for
shampoo.
The five leading causes of
death were:
Pneumonia/influenza/tuberculosis/diarrhea/heart disease/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, Nevada, was
30.
Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced
tea hadn't been invented.
Two of every 10 U.S. adults couldn't
read or write. Only 6% of all Americans 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."
There were only
about 230 reported murders in the entire U.S. ...
And I forwarded this from
someone else without typing it myself, and sent it to all of you in
a matter of seconds! Try to imagine what it may be like in another
hundred years.