In Windham, 100 years ago, the population was just about 2,000. We all know how the town has grown – but here are some other things that might make you appreciate how things change – and sometimes improve.

On the Internet (that font of knowledge of all types), we found the following snapshot of life in 1915. Picture Windham, or your hometown, with the following statistics:

In 1915, life expectancy for men was 47. Only 14 percent of homes had a bathtub – only 8 percent had a phone. If you owned a car, there were no gas stations – you bought gasoline at a drug store and the maximum speed limit was 10 mph.

Also at the corner drug store, you could buy marijuana, heroin and morphine. Back then pharmacists said, “Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health!”

Wages averaged 22 cents an hour and average worker’s income was between $200 and $400 annually. Mechanical engineers averaged $5,000 a year; dentists, $2,500 and a veterinarian could earn $4,000 in a year.

More than 95 percent of all births took place at home. Most women washed their hair once a month and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.

Sugar cost 4 cents a pound, eggs were 14 cents a dozen and coffee cost 15 cents a pound.

Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.

The five leading causes of death were pneumonia and influenza, tuberculosis, diarrhea, heart disease and stroke.

The American flag had 45 stars; the population of Las Vegas was only 30. Two out of every 10 adults could not read or write and only 6 percent of Americans had graduated from high school.

Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn’t been invented yet. There was neither a Mother’s Day nor a Father’s Day. Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.

There were about 230 reported murders in the entire United States.