A friend of mine sent me an email that talked about
what a difference a century makes, he circulated the information, and it is
interesting and some of it is not true. So, here is a table tha it more realistic.
His
original 1925 stats are a colorful mix, some accurate (like home births),
others more legend than fact.

The correct information from Wikipedia so take
with a grain of salt.

 Life
expectancy for men: 47 years

• For
  the total U.S. population, life expectancy in 1925 was 58.5 years,
  according to demographic data Wikipedia.
• The
  “47 years” figure refers to life expectancy at birth in 1900, not
  1925 Wikipedia.
• Thus,
  58.5 is the accurate 1925 figure.

2. Eggs cost 14¢ a dozen

• USDA
  data for 1925 shows average egg prices in Washington state were about 32¢
  per dozen NASS.
• Additional
  sources say 26¢ to 47¢—but 14¢ appears too low FacebookOne Tube Radio.
• A
  realistic average: around 30¢ per dozen.
•  

3. Other claims

• Fuel
  sold in pharmacies, bathtub in only 14% of homes, phones in only 8%, speed
  limits 10 mph, flag had 45 stars, etc.—these all stem from a nostalgic
  “What a difference a century makes” post, probably circa 1917/early-1900s Facebook.
• Many
  are evocative rather than rigorously accurate.
• Without
  independent verification,  treat them as “interesting period
  lore” but flag them as anecdotal or needing confirmation.

4. Average income & wages

• Average
  net income in 1924 was $3,481.26 IRS.
• IPUMS
  data suggests per-capita earnings in 1925 were $1,276 IPUMS USA.
• The
  bold claims of $200–$400/year etc. seem off, likely underestimates or
  misremembered.

5. Home births

• In the
  early 1920s, only around 5% of U.S. women gave birth in hospital—thus,
  about 95% of births took place at home does appear correct

Life expectancy was not 47 in 1925—that was
circa 1900. It had risen to ~58.5 by 1925.

Eggs cost closer to 30¢ a dozen, not 14¢.

Income was in the low thousands
(per-capita/net income ~ $3,500).

Once I found credible information, I created a
 time-traveling thought experiment, inviting
us to stretch our imagination from 1925 to 2125!

The five main causes of death in 1925 were::
1. Pneumonia and flu
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart Disease
5. Stroke

Current  Leading Causes of
Death in the U.S.

The top five causes, based on CDC data and recent reporting,
are:

1. Heart
   disease – the leading cause
2. Cancer
   (malignant neoplasms) – second
3. Unintentional
   injuries (e.g., accidents, opioid overdoses) – third CDC+1New York Post
4. Stroke
   (cerebrovascular diseases) – fourth CDC New York Post
5. Chronic
   lower respiratory diseases – fifth (though Alzheimer’s, Diabetes, and
   others follow closely) CDC+1

A notable shift: COVID-19, once near the top in
2020–2021, has declined to around the 10th leading cause by 2023

Looking ahead here is what one futurist predicted would be
the leading causes of death in 2 Possible
Top 5 Causes in 2125:

1. Neurodegeneration
   (e.g., Alzheimer’s and emerging brain diseases)
• As
  lifespans stretch past 100, age-related neurological conditions could
  dominate.
2. Cardiometabolic
   system failure from Aging (e.g., heart failure, arrhythmias)
• Even
  with gene therapies, wear-and-tear and electrical dysfunctions (like
  advanced AFib) may persist Statesman.
3. Novel
   pandemics or climate-related infectious threats
• Imagine
  engineered viruses, climate-triggered zoonoses, or antibiotic-resistant
  “superbugs” rising.
4. AI/tech-related
   fatalities (e.g., malfunction, autonomous vehicle disasters)
• If
  Technology is deeply embedded—autonomous systems, cyborg implants,
  etc.—risks from malfunctions or cyberattacks could become significant.
5. Mental
   Health crises leading to self-harm
• Loneliness,
  digital dependence, or VR-related dissociation might drive this category.

Here  is he original
post that helped me do some research

The year 1924. Already a hundred years ago

What difference does a century make? Here are some statistics for the
year 1924:

The average life expectancy for men was 47 years.
Fuel for cars was only sold in pharmacies.
Only 14% of houses had a bathtub.
Only 8% of households had a telephone.
The maximum speed limit in most towns was 10mph.
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.
The average wage in the United States in 1925 was 22 cents an hour.
The average American worker earned between $200 and $400 a year.
A competent accountant can expect to earn $2,000 per year.
A dentist earned $2,500 a year.
A veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year and, a mechanical engineer
approximately $5,000 per year.
More than 95% of all births took place at home
Ninety percent of all doctors have attended so-called medical schools, many of
which have been condemned by the press and, by the government as being
“substandard”.
Sugar cost four cents a pound.
Eggs cost 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 enteringtheir country for
whatever reason.
The five main causes of death were:
1. Pneumonia and flu
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke
The American flag had 45 stars…
The population of Las Vegas was only 30 people.
Crosswords, canned beer and iced tea had not yet invented.
There was no Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.
Two out of 10 adults could neither read nor write and only 6% of all Americans
had graduated from high school.
Marijuana, heroin and morphine were all available over the counter in local
pharmacies.
At the time, pharmacists said: “Heroin clarifies the complexion, gives
buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach, intestines and is, in fact, a
perfect guardian of health.
Surprising isn’t it!
Eighteen percent of households had at least one servant or full-time domestic
help… Often it was an aunt single or an immigrant parent newly arrived in
America.
There have been approximately 230 reported murders across the ENTIRE United
States.
ho would have thought that in 1925, that you could receive this text in few
clicks and now you can transmit it to someone else anywhere in the WORLD in
seconds!
Can we imagine today what we will be able to do in 100 years?

Not really. 

See you in 100 years…

Originally Published on https://boomersnotsenior.blogspot.com/

Royce Shook Blogger

I served as a teacher, a teacher on Call, a Department Head, a District Curriculum, Specialist, a Program Coordinator, and a Provincial Curriculum Coordinator over a forty year career. In addition, I was the Department Head for Curriculum and Instruction, as well as a professor both online and in person at the University of Phoenix (Canada) from 2000-2010.

I also worked with Special Needs students. I gave workshops on curriculum development and staff training before I fully retired