I attended a wake last evening, and although I have been to many in my 48 years,
this one was a bit different than most. The woman who had died had lived to the age of 99. This in itself didn’t strike me in any particular way, as more and more people these days are living into their 90s, and even beyond. What it was that struck me was in reading the year of her birth on the laminated card that the funeral home had created to commemorate her. It stated that she was born in 1911.
1911. Think about that for a moment.
What was the world like in 1911, and during her early years growing up? She was a child in the 1910s and early 1920s. When I paused for a moment to consider that, I was almost startled by the thought. How much the world had changed in just her lifetime. Wow!
During her early childhood…
….the earliest automobile (known then as the ‘motor buggy’ or ‘motor carriage’) was in its heyday, being manufactured by as many as 75 makers. The Ford Model T was the primary vehicle of this nature being sold in the United States. At this time, roads were not paved, and although some streets were cobblestone or brick, the majority were still dirt.
…the Titanic made its maiden (and fateful) voyage.
…the telephone, although invented in 1879, was still in the process of development for broad use, and was not available to most homes. Mark Twain is said to be one of the first Americans to have his own private telephone.
…the average life span in the United States was about 54 (versus about 77 years today).
…penicillin and other antibiotics did not exist. Also, one of the worst flu pandemics in modern times occurred (1918), taking over 50 million lives worldwide. It lasted three years, and spread to every continent on Earth, even the Arctic and remote Pacific Islands.
…the following medical remedies were common (many of these will make you laugh):
• Earache: blow pipe smoke in the ear
• Draw out infection: turpentine alone or turpentine, sugar, salt pork and soap as a poultice
• Blood poisoning: Potash of Mercury dissolved in water
• Insect sting: apply chewing tobacco, mud, sliced onion and bluing
• Pneumonia: apply a mustard plaster
• Croup: 1-2 drops of kerosene on a tsp. of sugar
• Deep cuts (to stop bleeding): pack flour into the cut
• Diaper rash: burnt flour or cornstarch
• Coughs: whiskey, lemon, and honey
• Sunburn: wring out a cloth in strong tea, vinegar or canned milk; put cloth on skin; or a paste of cornstarch & water
• Toothache: hold vinegar on tooth
• Arthritis: bind potato slices on both sides of affected joint; wear a copper bracelet
• Chronic nosebleed: wear necklace made of lead
• Gallstones: fast for 24 hours; then eat a quart of tomatoes; four hours later, eat a lemon; wait one hour and take a big dose of Epson’s Salts
…the advent of the television was still over 30 years away. The father of television, Milton Berle, was only a child himself (having been born in 1908).
….American Indians were not considered citizens of the United States. It wasn’t until 1924 that they would be granted this designation by way of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.
…commercial transportation was still very limited - only the railroad could carry goods over long distances – so most food was grown and eaten locally. It was also 100% organic.
…Elvis Presley, who died over 33 years ago, was not even born until she was 24 years old.
…airplanes were being used for the very first time. The Wright Brothers famous first flight preceded her by a mere 8 years, and she was 16 when Charles Lindbergh made the first solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean.
…the personal computer as we know it today was still 60 years away. Hewlett-Packard would not introduce the first ‘desktop’ computer until the 1970s.
….women were, for the very first time, given the right to vote in public elections.
…radio first began coming into existence. 1912 marked the year that stations required licensing before being allowed to broadcast. The radio was one of the most popular forms of family entertainment. “AM” radio was the only kind of radio in existence at this time.
…the top film stars in Hollywood were Theda Bara, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin and Clara Bow. You could go watch a movie at the local Nickelodeon for $0.25. In 1907, just a few years before she was born, you could see a movie for about $0.05 (thus the name ‘Nickelodeon).
…the population of the United States was about 92 million. Today, there are about 308 million people. The world map showed such countries as Abyssinia, Austria-Hungary, Formosa, German East Africa, and Upper Volta. The most populous ‘nation’ in the world at the time was the British Empire, standing at approximately 400 million.
It’s amazing how swiftly the world can change in the span of just one person’s lifetime. What year were you born in, and how much has changed since then? And how much will it change during the lifetime of our children? The thought of it is almost incomprehensible.
