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On the date

Wednesday, December 15, 1909

From the day

Perspective: The Teenager · Sound

The slush beneath my boots is drowned out by the metallic clatter of the new electric trolley and the constant, rhythmic whistling of "Put On Your Old Grey Bonnet" from every street corner. Some blockhead is shouting about Hearst and political graft, but I’m too busy blocking out the racket by ducking into the local apothecary for a five-cent loaf. Only a total chump would care about the Board of Estimate when the air smells of fresh soot and someone’s cranking a gramophone nearby. I just want to slip home, ignore the winter chill, and see if my brother finally figured out how to use that newfangled electric toaster without burning the kitchen down.

Memories from that day

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The Headlines

HEARST ASSAILS BOTH OLD PARTIES; Independent Leader at the Dinner in His Honor Says They Are Equally Venal. McANENY TO FIGHT GRAFT New Borough President Declares He Will Vote to Investigate This Board of Estimate's Contracts.

Read in The New York Times →

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

42,541 days ago

(116 years, 201 days)