Originally Posted by SilentKnight

And btw - average life span averages in 1900 was heavily skewed due to high infant mortality rates. For every 1000 births approx. 100 died.

In contrast - in 2008 the rate was only less than 7 deaths per 1000.

https://thaddeusktsim.wordpress.com/...eople-in-1900/

If a person living in 1900 managed to survive childhood and childbearing, she had a good chance of growing old. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a person who made it to 65 in 1900 could expect to live an average of 12 more years; if she made it to 85, she could expect to go another four years.