Growing up in 1904 was different from growing up today. Girls like Samantha lived without computers, television, or CD players. Proper young ladies wore dresses and stockings, even when they played sports. Explore some of the other ways life has changed in the last century.

You’ve Got Mail

In 1904, people kept in touch by writing letters, sending more than 7 billion pieces of mail through the post office. They sent 63 million telegrams. Telephones were a relatively new invention and only 8 percent of homes had one. Today more than 90 percent of homes in the United States have a phone. There are over 159 million mobile phones, and 33 percent of children have one of their own. In one year, an estimated 9 trillion e-mails travel around the world!

What’s for Dinner?

In Samantha’s time dinner was an elegant affair for well-to-do families. The menu usually included soup, fish, two kinds of meat, potatoes, vegetables, and several desserts. With so much food, a meal could last for more than three hours! Samantha would have made sure her appearance was spotless before joining Grandmary in the crystal- and silver-filled dining room. She practiced her very best manners by tilting her soup spoon away from her soup plate, keeping her elbows close to her sides, and not spilling a drop or a crumb. Dinner today isn’t as formal as it was in 1904. Families don’t always have time to eat together, and sometimes dinner comes from a drive-through restaurant on the way to after-school lessons and games. The idea of eating in an automobile would have shocked Grandmary, but today it’s quite common. What is dinnertime like at your house? How does your family make meals together special?

The Price Is Right

What can you buy for $20 today? In 1904, you could get everything on this list and still have money left!

Bicycle Doll Party dress Camera Ice Cream soda Hot dog

$11.95 $3.75 $2.25 $1.00 $0.10 $0.05

We All Scream for Ice Cream

Vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry were popular ice cream choices in Samantha’s time, just as they are today. Samantha’s favorite flavor was peppermint. Can you guess which of these flavors were popular in 1904?

Clove
Peanut butter cup
Pineapple
Fig
Asparagus
Chocolate chip cookie dough
Cucumber

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Clove was a fashionable spice in ice cream at the turn of the twentieth century. Fig was popular, and the fondness for vegetables meant Samantha may have been served asparagus or cucumber ice cream after dinner!

Making a Splash

Swimming was becoming a popular sport in 1904. When Samantha’s mother was growing up, swimming was not considered proper for girls or women, but people did think bathing—just going into the water—was healthy. By the early 1900s, people realized the benefits of exercise, but modesty was still very important. Bathing dresses looked a lot like party dresses. They covered a girl from head to toe and were made of wool. When they got wet, the dresses could weigh eight pounds. That’s as heavy as a gallon of milk. Imagine how hard it was to swim! Women were first allowed to swim in the Olympic Games in 1912. In the 2004 games, women competed in swimming, diving, synchronized swimming, and water polo.

Do the Subway

The first subway opened in New York City in 1904. More than 30,000 men had spent four years tunneling through solid bedrock and under buildings to provide the crowded city with a new way to travel. On October 27, 1904, 150,000 people—many dressed up in their very best clothes—paid a nickel each to “do the subway.” Today, it costs two dollars to ride the longest subway in the world. Over 7 million people travel the more than 700 miles of track each weekday.

Soup’s On

A cook like Mrs. Hawkins spent all day making meals for a family. She had to make nearly every dish from scratch. There were ice boxes, but no refrigerators or freezers, and there was very little prepared food. Condensed soup was one of the few conveniences available to cooks. Like today, tomato soup was a popular 1904. Can you guess which other flavors may have been in Grandmary’s pantry?

Broccoli and cheese
Ox tail
Mutton
Cream of quail
Minestrone
Baked potato
Mock turtle

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Ox tail, mutton, and mock turtle soups really were available in 1904.

Most Popular Girls Names

Then Mary Helen Margaret Anna Ruth Elizabeth Dorothy Marie Mildred Alice

Now Emily Emma Madison Olivia Hannah Abigail Isabella Ashley Samantha Elizabeth

Most Popular Boys Names

Then John William James George Joseph Charles Robert Frank Edward Henry

Now Jacob Michael Joshua Matthew Ethan Andrew Daniel William Joseph Christopher

To discover more about how life was different in 1904, read Welcome to Samantha’s World or the Peek into the Past essays at the end of Samantha’s books and short stories.

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