Date in History: 1906
In 1906, Theodore Roosevelt was in his fifth year as President of the United States and was the first American to receive the Nobel Peace prize. Among the major legislation passed that year, the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act were inspired by Upton Sinclair’s book “The Jungle,” an expose of the filthy conditions in Chicago slaughterhouses.
Oklahoma was a year away from becoming the 46th state. The population of the United States was about 85 million and the life expectancy of Americans averaged about 50 years. The fare to ride the newly built subway system in New York was a nickel, and it cost two cents to mail a letter. San Francisco residents continued to recover from the earthquake and fire that devastated their city.
In 1906 President Roosevelt pushed through the passage of the Antiquities Act to allow the president to designate areas of scientific, historic or archeological significance as national monuments without the approval of Congress.
This historic document aired on the radio as an Historic Minute on 12/26/2005.