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On the date

Saturday, May 15, 1909

From the day

Perspective: The Future Historian · Sound

The rhythmic clatter of horse-drawn cabs over cobblestones competes with the mechanical hum of the city’s growing wealth, a cacophony that tells me exactly who owns these multi-million dollar streets. I hear a newsboy shouting about taxable property over the tinny refrain of "Put On Your Old Grey Bonnet" drifting from a nearby gramophone. A group of clerks on a lunch break huddle over a frantic match of Rook, the snapping of the cards punctuating their laughter as they argue over a misplayed bird. One winner stands up, looking fit as a fiddle in his starched collar, boasting that he’s far too sharp for the rest of those blockheads.

Memories from that day

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Best-selling Sheet Music

Put On Your Old Grey Bonnet

Percy Wenrich

The must-have

Rook (Card Game)

Slang

Slang of the decade

General

bullyfit as a fiddleblockhead

Aristocrat

capitalmy wordbally

Working Class

gadzooksblimeychump

Catchphrases of 1909

  • Peary to the Pole

Tech Check

Toaster, Silencer for Guns & Instant Coffee.

Cost of Living (1900)

Loaf of Bread

$0.05

Gallon of Gas

$0.10

Average Home

$3,200

New Car

$1,000

Time Elapsed

42,756 days ago

(117 years, 51 days)