Happy Birthday, Hazel!

Shorty's Mom would have been 100 years old today. She was a great lady. My Grandparents' house was the place people liked to drop in to because there was always a sincere welcome, plenty of food and drink and a card game could break out at any moment.

While she was called Grandma or Mom sometimes, mostly it was just Hazel. Hazel loved kicking our butts at cards and cribbage...that woman owned me in cribbage. I swear she got a double run on every hand. And, yes, even as a child I was bitter about that. Clearly, I still am.

My Aunt Joan sent us all an email reminding us that today was Hazel's birthday and also forwarded some data from 1907, the year she (Hazel, not Aunt Joan!) was born.

Here are some of the U.S. Statistics for the Year 1907 :

• The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47 years old.
• Only 14 percent of the homes in the U.S. 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 in the U.S. 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 people, California was only the 21st most populous state in the Union.
• The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower !
• The average wage in the U.S. Was 22 Cents per 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 made $2,500 per year. A veterinarian $1,500 per year. And a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
• More than 95 percent of all births in the U.S. took place at HOME .
• Ninety percent of all U.S. 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.
• Five leading causes of death in the U.S. Were: 1. Pneumonia and influenza 2. Tuberculosis 3. Diarrhea 4. Heart disease 5. 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 only 30!!!!
• Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn't been invented yet.
• There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
• Two out of every 10 U.S. Adults couldn't read or write.
• 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.'
• There were about 230 reported Murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A. !