100 Years

This reporter thought that many of our readers would enjoy interesting facts from 100 years ago.  In 1916, which was also a leap year and the year of the dragon, the President of the United States was Woodrow Wilson.

Our golfers should be interested to know that The Professional Golfers Association of America (PGA) was formed in 1916.

Food prices have really increased since then but one has to consider that one hundred years have passed.  A loaf of bread was 7 cents, a dozen eggs 20 cents, a can of tuna 14 cents, the cost of a stamp 2 cents, and sugar 4 cents per pound.

One could buy a mop for 25 cents and a ticket to get into a baseball game was 15 cents.  The average price of a car was $400 and if one wanted a bungalow by the lake, he would have to come up with $3000. The average price of a home was $5,000 and only 8% of homes had a telephone.

Only 6% of all Americans graduated from high school.  A few of those born in 1916 made it big later in their lives in the entertainment world.  Jackie Gleason, a comic, had his own TV show; Dinah Shore, singer, made records and hosted a variety show on TV. Remember the song she always closed with: “See the USA in your Chevrolet!” Then, also born in 1916 were Gregory Peck, actor, and Olivia de Havilland, actress, who starred in “Gone with the Wind.”

The Boston Red Sox won the World Series in 1916. The hamburger bun was invented by a cook, Walter Anderson, who later co-founded White Castle in 1921. I guess the hot dog bun was already in use since everyone enjoyed baseball and hot dogs are usually eaten while watching a game.

All-Bran cereal was introduced by Kellogg’s in 1916 and is still a good seller. The first self-service supermarket, Piggly-Wiggly, opened in Memphis, Tennessee.  Up until then, customers were helped in general stores by clerks.

Mr. Peanut was created in 1916 and J.L. Kraft received his first patent for making processed cheese.  Thanks from this reporter to Mr. Kraft for creating Kraft cheese! Yum, yum!

The tow truck was invented in 1916 by a mechanic after he had to use certain equipment hooked to a car to get vehicles out of ditches. He figured that there must be a better way and came up with the tow truck.

The cloverleaf interchange was first patented in the United States by civil engineer, Arthur Hale.  The state of California couldn’t exist without cloverleaf interchanges and most other states have followed suit.

In 1916, the electric refrigerator was first offered for sale for $900. No wonder the country folks used ice in their iceboxes!

Prohibition began in our beloved state of Virginia in 1916.

Lincoln Logs, a children’s toy of notched miniature wooden logs used to make miniature cabins, forts and buildings was invented by John Wright, son of famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

Britain introduced Daylight Saving Time in 1916.  The tallest building in the world then was the Eiffel Tower.

The Saturday Evening Post published its first cover with a Norman Rockwell painting.  Impressionist painter Monet painted his famous Water Lilies series.

In 1916, Ruth Handler was born. In 1942, she co-founded the Mattel Company and in 1959 created the Barbie Doll which has recently been in the news. It seems that Barbie is getting a realistic make-over!