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The world we live in moves so quickly — there are things we use today that will be obsolete by 2020 — that it’s no surprise that it was completely different a mere century ago.
Take a look around your home — 100 years ago, there were no fridges, or microwaves, or hairdryers, and very rarely did someone have a bathroom, let alone two or three. Your medicine cabinet wouldn’t be filled with Advil or Tylenol, but over-the-counter heroin or mercury.
Keep scrolling to see 16 things that were the norm in the US in 1918.
There was essentially only one type of car, the Model T, and barely anyone drove.
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Before the invention of the Model T (also known as a Tin Lizzie) in 1908, car ownership wasn’t feasible for the everyday American. But, once the somewhat affordable, $ 850 car hit the streets, people all over the country began learning how to drive.
It’s hard to imagine almost no one learning how to drive, and only having one real option to choose from — in 2009, 87% of the driving-aged population had driver’s licenses, and today there are hundreds of car brands and models to choose from.
Horse and buggies were commonplace.
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It apparently took cars 50 years to fully unseat horses as the preferred mode of transportation.
One of the reasons why is that horses were also useful in rural areas, where they doubled as both transportation and work hands — cars aren’t exactly helpful in that way.
Now, riding in a horse and buggy is mainly just a tourist activity.
Letters and parcels were largely mailed by trains, trucks, or even motorcycles — the first airmail ever was sent in May 1918.
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Today, communication can be transmitted instantaneously by email or phone, but back in 1918 that luxury didn’t exist.
While the US Postal Service is still around today, it’s continually losing money as less and less people are mailing things. One hundred years ago though, people were marveling at the idea of flying mail across the country.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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