2026 is here and we would like to wish everyone a Happy and Prosperous New Year! Before you get too far with all of your new year’s resolutions, let’s go back and see what life was like in 1926.
- The population of the U.S. grew to over 117 million. Our current population is close to 343 million, with a new person being added every 19 seconds!
- Men had a life expectancy of 57 years, and women lived an average of 58 years.
- The U.S. Federal Budget was 3.3 billion dollars, and they had a budget surplus of 370 million dollars. Today, we have a Federal Budget of 7 trillion dollars and a budget deficit of 1.8 trillion dollars!
- About 22 million motor vehicles were registered in the U.S. Today, we have close to 299 million vehicles on the road.
- The price of a Model T Ford was about $360. Ford manufactured about 1.65 million of these cars in 1926.
- 56 to 60 percent of the homes had electricity. It was not until 1960 that virtually all homes had electricity.
- On January 12th, the first episode of “Sam ‘n’ Henry” was broadcast of WGN in Chicago. It is considered to be the first-ever sitcom, and it ran until 1928.
The children’s book, “Winnie-the-Pooh”, was first published on October 14th by English author A.A. Milne. His Winnie-the-Pooh stories have since been
- translated into over fifty languages, and been adapted into other media.
- On March 16th, Robert Goddard launched the world’s first liquid-fueled rocket. It rose 41 feet and went 184 feet in 2.5 seconds. Between 1926 and 1941, he and his team launched 34 rockets that achieved altitudes as high as 1.6 miles, and speeds as fast as 550 mph. During his lifetime (October 1882 – August 1945), he received little public or financial report, and he was ridiculed for his theories of spaceflight. It was not until the Space Age began in 1957 that he was finally credited as one of the founding fathers of modern rocketry.
- Union wages in New York city were:
- Bricklayers at $1.75 per hour
- Carpenters at $1.50 per hour
- Painters at $1.50 per hour
- Plumbers at $1.50 per hour
- Structural steel workers at $1.50 per hour
- American farm workers had an average pay of $39.87 per month, with board. Without board, their average pay was $50.83 per month.
- The minimum wage in California was $0.33 per hour.
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- on October 22nd. By 1983, this book had been in continuous print and became one of the most translated titles in the world.
- The first SAT test was first administered to about 8,000 students on June 23rd.
- On January 26th, Scottish engineer and inventor John Logie Baird gave the first demonstration of his television system to members of the Royal Institution, at his laboratory in London. On March 7th, the first transatlantic phone call, from London to New York, was completed. The first commercial service, using radio, began in January of
- Only one call could be made at a time, and the costs was $75 for the first three minutes!
- The number one hit song was “Valenica”, by Paul Whiteman and his orchestra.
- On November 15th, The NBC radio network opened with 24 radio stations.
- The Ford Motor Company, let by Henry Ford, became one of the first companies to implement the 40-hour work week for factory workers on May 1st.
- The average prices for these items were:
- Round steak sold for 37 cents a pound
- Eggs were 55 cents a dozen
- Milk sold for 56 cents per gallon
- A loaf of bread cost 9 cents
- Coffee was 50 cents a pound
- A ten-pound bag of potatoes cost 60 cents
- Gasoline sold for around 23 cents per gallon
- The price of a first-class postage stamp was 2 cents
- A movie ticket went for around 25 cents
- 1925’s top movie was a silent comedy titled “The General”. Buster Keaton starred in this film as an engineer who recaptured his beloved locomotive after it was seized by Union spies.
- The origins of United Airlines can be traced back to April 6th of 1926, when Varney Airlines was founded by Walter Varney. United acquired this company, which was the first scheduled commercial airline in the U.S.
- On November 11th, the plan for a United States Numbered Highway System was approved by the American Association of State Highway Officials. Prior to this new system, roads were designated as auto trails by private organizations, and they were not done in a uniform manner.
Ernest Hemingway’s debut novel, “The Sun Rises”, was published
As you can see, life in America has changed quite a bit over the last 100 years. Can you even imagine living without electricity and your smart phone?
