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We think of 100 years ago as a long time back and in many ways it certainly is. But in other ways it really wasn't that long ago. For example, look how many people are over 100 years old and still around. Actors Dick Van Dyke, Lee Grant, Eva Marie Saint, Jazz musician Terry Gibbs, and bandleader Ray Anthony just to name a few American entertainers. Mel Brooks turns 100 this year too.
Brooks often tells a story of how he was speaking to a person years ago whose mother had recently passed away. When Brooks asked how old see was, he was told she was 98. "Wow," said Brooks, "She was really asking for it!" Well, Brooks is really asking for it now himself.
But think of it, we are all alive with people who were born 100 years ago. Here's what else happened 100 years ago. Walt Disney Studios was started; Rudolph Valentino died; Harry Houdini died; Annie Oakley died; Claude Monet died; the top movies of the year were "The Sheik," "The Black Pirate," "Don Juan," "Beau Geste," and Buster Keaton's masterpiece, "The General."
The founding of Saudi Arabia was established in 1926 unifying the Arabian Peninsula. The Book-of-the-Month club was started. U.S. Route 66 was established. James and Helen were two of the most popular baby names. Bacon cost 50 cents a pound, eggs were 56 cents a dozen, and maple syrup was 49 cents a pint. A new car would cost you about $500. A new home might set you back around $6,296. The average full-time wages for men were $41.51. Women averaged $24.28. Average monthly rent was $15 and the price for a gallon of gas was 23 cents. The cost of a first-class postage stamp was two cents.
The first automatic pop-up toaster went on the market. Babe Ruth was the first ballplayer to hit 3 home runs in the World Series. The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) United Airlines, and the Schick razors all began in 1926. Raison Bran, Camay soap, and Purina Dog Chow were introduced that year.
Some of the things we take for granted today in our lives weren't around 100 years ago. Refrigerators, microwaves, hairdryers, television, computers, internet, dishwashers, washing machines and dryers, and antibiotics were simply not available. And indoor plumbing wasn't common for most households yet.
I'm in my mid-seventies, not nearly 100 years old, but I remember hearing that when I was a little boy there were still a few veterans from the Civil War still alive. That's how close every thing really is. You think the Civil War was so very long ago, but it's really not. I was alive at the same time that some Civil War solders were alive. Amazing!
Teenagers didn't exist 100 years ago. Oh, there were young people between the ages of 13 and 19, but the term "teenager" wasn't used to describe them until the 1940's. You were a baby, then a child, and then a young adult. No teens, no preteens, no teeny boppers. And 100 years ago children actually wanted to grow up, not like today when everyone wants to remain a kid. The thought of 50 and 60 year-olds (and even older) walking round dressed like children would have been laughable in 1926, and yet today that's what the majority of older people dress like.
100 years ago Americans were mostly religious. They believed in G od and family and country. They didn't just say it, they believed it. They taught their kids manners and morals. They didn't have "A Place for Mom," the family took care of their elderly at home. Family was where you received support, understanding, strength and love.
We didn't have social media, chat rooms, Wi-Fi, or smartphones 100 years ago. We had each other. We didn't have Facetime, we communicated by talking face to face. We didn't "hook up" we dated. And if we went out in public, we dressed as nicely as we could.
Yes, in many ways 100 years ago really wasn't so long ago. But in other ways it was a million miles and a million light years away from today.
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