In 1917…
One hundred years ago, things looked a little bit different.
1. World Literacy Rates
– 1917: The world literacy rate was only 23%.
– Today: Depending on estimates, the world literacy rate is 86.1%.
2. Travel Time
– 1917: It took 5 days to get from London to New York; 3.5 months to travel from London to Australia.
– Today: A nonstop flight gets you from London to New York in a little over 8 hours, and you can fly from London to Australia in about a day, with just one stop.
3. Average Price of a U.S. House
– 1917: The average price of a U.S. house was $5,000. ($111,584.29 when adjusted for inflation)
– Today: As of 2010, the average price of a new home sold in the U.S. was $272,900.
4. Average Price of a Car in the U.S.
– 1917: The average price of a car in the U.S. was $400 ($8,926.74 when adjusted for inflation).
– Today: The average car price in the U.S. was $34,968 as of January 2017.
5. The First Boeing Aircraft
– 1917: A Boeing aircraft flew for the first time on June 15.
– Today: In 2015, there were almost 24,000 turboprop and regional aircraft, as well as wide body and narrow body jets, in service worldwide.
6. Telephones (Landlines vs. Cellphones)
– 1917: Only 8% of homes had a landline telephone.
– Today: Forget landlines! In the U.S., nearly 80% of the population has a smartphone (a supercomputer in their pockets). Nearly half of all American households now use only cellphones rather than older landlines. And as far as cost, today, you can Skype anywhere in the world for free over a WiFi network.
7. Traffic (Horses to Cars)
– 1917: In 1912, traffic counts in New York showed more cars than horses for the first time.
– Today: There were approximately 253 million cars and trucks on U.S. roads in 2015.
8. U.S. Population
– 1917: The U.S. population broke 100 million, and the global population reached 1.9 billion.
– Today: The U.S. population is 320 million, and the global population broke 7.5 billion this year.
9. Inventions and Technology
– 1917: The major tech invention in 1917? The toggle light switch.
– Today: The major tech invention of today? CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology, which enables us to reprogram life as we know it. And we are making strides in AI, robotics, sensors, networks, synthetic biology, materials science, space exploration and more every day.
10. High School Graduation Rates
– 1917: Only 6% of all Americans had graduated from high school.
– Today: Over 80% of all Americans graduated high school this past year.
11. Cost of Bread
– 1917: A loaf of bread was $0.07 ($1.50 when adjusted for inflation).
– Today: A loaf of bread costs $2.37.
12. Speed Limits
– 1917: The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
– Today: The maximum speed limit in most cities is about 70 mph.
Imagine the next 100 years! Or even the next 20!
The sense of scaling is incredible, especially with technology. It feels as if it is progressing at an exponential rate.
Excellent points! A couple of notes:
These numbers make bread seem more expensive, but if you calculated hours worked by a typical laborer to pay for a loaf of bread, I’m sure it would be much cheaper today.
The speed limit is now 70 on highways, but surely not “in” most cities.
For more on this topic, read PROGRESS by Johan Norberg and visit http://www.HumanProgress.org.
In the last 100 years Technology has far surpassed the Humanities to the point where it’s an afterthought. Are people happier, more fulfilled than 100 years ago? How do they feel spiritually, do they go to church more or less, believe in God more or less? If you scoff at the idea, you’re a product of a culture where the traditional God has been replaced by the God of Science. Indeed, where will we be in the next 100 years?