For those of you who read and can relate to my column, back in the day is generally a period that does not go back beyond the 1940’s. I am aware, however, that back in the day is relative; it does not necessarily have to be that far back. For some of you, back in the day could be within the past ten years. I recognized this in a few of my previous columns such as those about the absence of computers and the absence of cellular phones. Back in the day could mean my favorite era of the 1950s or it could be as recently as 1996. Thus, I could not resist jumping on a recent e-mail that I received from a close friend, that I later learned came from a Web site, “Forums.dealofday.com,” which addressed a period back in the day that I doubt many of us remember. Therefore, I invite you to take this visit with me down memory lane to a time that our grandparents and great-grandparents knew, 1906. In case you are interested, this was one hundred years ago, a period that truly deserves to be referred to as “way” back in the day.

It may surprise you to learn that the average life expectancy in the United States was 47 years. Only 14 percent of homes in the United States had a bathtub. Eight percent of the homes had a telephone. Now, do not think that we as African-Americans were included in the eight percent that lived in homes with telephones. For us, telephones were probably non-existent. If you made a three-minute call from Denver to New York City, the cost would have been $11. Just try to relate to the value of $11 back then and you will realize that few, if any, people who looked like you and me were making such calls, back in this day.

There were only 8,000 cars in the United States and only 144 miles of paved roads. The maximum speed limit in most cities was ten miles per hour. Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California. California with 1.25 million people, was only the 21st most populous state in the Union.

The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower. For those of you who feel that you are down and out, cannot earn enough money to make ends meet, just think that the average wage in the United States was $0.22 per hour. The average United States worker earned between $200 and $400 per year. Many of you earn this each day. A capable accountant could expect to earn $2,000 per year; a dentist, $2,500 a year; a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year; and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.

If you read my column dealing with pregnancies and childbirth, you recall that I indicated that “some” babies were born at home. In 1906, more than 95 percent of all childbirths in our country took place at home. Ninety percent of all United States doctors had no college education. Instead, they attended “so-called” medical schools; many of which were condemned in the press and by the government as substandard.

Back in the day, 1906, 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. You must wonder what products or techniques our sisters used in washing their hair. Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason. The five leading causes of death in the United States were: Pneumonia and influenza, tuberculosis, diarrhea, heart disease and stroke.

The American flag had but forty-five stars. Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii and Alaska had not been admitted to the Union. The population of Las Vegas, Nevada was only 30. Crossword puzzles, canned beer and iced tea had not been invented. There was no Mother’s Day or Father’s Day. Two out of every 10 adults could not read or write. Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school. A large number of people lived in the country or lived on a farm. They went to town twice a year. It has been said that some of these people did not know that there was a depression because they were so poor until it did not matter in the first place.

Marijuana, heroin and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back in the day of 1906, 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.” I know that you are saying like most of us that such statements are shocking. It was not a big deal, however, as most people treated ailments with old-fashioned home remedies. Rum was the solution to most medical problems, back in this day.

Eighteen percent of households in the United States had at least one full-time servant or domestic help. Most homes had no plumbing; there was no hot water. There was no heat upstairs as the downstairs was heated with a large fireplace or wood-burning stove. In order to keep warm while sleeping upstairs, children slept with one another. Sometimes hot bricks from the stove were wrapped in cloths and placed in bed to help keep family members warm during the night. People washed their clothing by hand and hung them outside to dry. Few people could afford store bought bread so mothers and grandmothers baked their own. With all that is going on in our world and city today, can you believe that there were about 230 reported murders in the entire United States in 1906? While these are numbers and circumstances for average Americans, we can only imagine what life was like for Black Americans. The negatives facing America in general were faced by Blacks tenfold. In 1906, 89 percent of all Blacks lived in the South and 80 percent of them lived in rural areas. With all of the challenges of 1906, Black Americans were confronted with the horrors of segregation and all of the trappings of racism. Lynching was common during this era. We saw the image of silly and exaggerated Black men and women in comic routines, musical acts, songs and skits. The image of Black people in the white mind focused on outrageous depictions of individual Blacks and their assumed cultural practices.

While these conditions for all Americans, and Black Americans in particular, may stagger your mind, just try to imagine what life may be like in another 100 years. Your grandchildren and great-grandchildren will look back to these years in which we currently live in amazement. The changes that will occur over the next one hundred years will cause the events of the year of 2006 to stagger their minds; thus, the year of 2006 will be the year they will refer to as “way” back in the day.

Alonzo Kittrels can be reached at backintheday@phila-tribune.com or The Philadelphia Tribune, Back In The Day, 520 South 16th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146