Posted on 04/13/2019 7:34:55 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Wow. Someone here on FR always has the answers regardless of the topic. It’s amazing.
I think the invention of Twinkies,Snickers,Whoppers and the accessibility of pizza has increased lifespans since 1935. That and remotes and big screen TVs in combination with lounge chairs.
The American Way of Life. Gotta love it.
Penicillin was introduced in 1941. That and other antibiotics probably had a lot to do with it. And the Salk vaccine. There are millions of healthy older Americans, like me, who would have died decades ago without it.
When I was little, we had an icebox, not a refrigerator. Who knows how many lives have been saved by decreases in botulism and salmonella?
We had a coal fired furnace. As late as the 1980’s burning coal added about an additional 50,000 deaths per year in the United States. Many people didn’t have much heat at all, contributing even more deaths.
Cars didn’t even have seat belts, drunk driving was common. OSHA (I know) did not exist, deaths from avoidable work injuries were commonplace.
Diets were almost certainly no more healthy than today. Oranges in winter were a luxury. Fresh grapes and fruit from Chile and Mexico in the winter were unheard of. Most people ate a lot of canned food like Chef Boyardi. School lunch was peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on Wonder bread. We drank whole milk. There was skim milk, but no 1% or 2%.
True 'nuff. It'll give you a little breathing room for a good while though.
Excellent points.
While risking upsetting some people I think elimination of public smoking is also a factor at least recently. I wonder how much my repeated childhood illness followed by rheumatic fever in 2nd grade were aggravated by closed windows,3 adults smoking a lot and no forced air circulation by hvac. We had no way for all that smoke smoke to get out except in summer.
My rheumatic fever came just in time for penicillin shots daily.
Got an optional seat belt I bought separately at a chain store in 1964 when they had cars starting to add the floor bolts and attachments. Soon belts were an option and then required in cars.
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