1918

What Was Happening in 1918

Armistice and pandemic — the guns fall silent but a deadlier killer sweeps the world.

Born in

By the Numbers in 1918

World Population

UK Life Expectancy

49.8 years

US Life Expectancy

50.9 years

Gold Price (per oz)

$20.68

Dow Jones Index

75

US National Debt

Sovereign Nations

54

How Much Did Things Cost in 1918?

ItemUKUS
Average house price£300$3,500
Average salary£95$700
Pint of milk3½d10¢
Loaf of bread5d
Dozen eggs2s48¢
Pint of beer4d

Technology and Inventions in 1918

Four years of war had transformed technology. Aircraft had evolved from fragile scouts to formidable fighters and bombers. Tanks were now a decisive battlefield weapon. Radio communication was widespread in military use. Medical advances in surgery and blood transfusion saved countless lives.

  • The Royal Air Force formed on 1 April as the world's first independent air force
  • Regular airmail service began between Washington D.C. and New York
  • The superheterodyne radio receiver invented by Edwin Armstrong
  • Mass production techniques refined during the war transformed post-war manufacturing

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More About 1918

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