By the Numbers in 1944
World Population
—
UK Life Expectancy
52.6 years
US Life Expectancy
53.8 years
Gold Price (per oz)
$35
Dow Jones Index
161
US National Debt
—
Sovereign Nations
57
How Much Did Things Cost in 1944?
| Item | UK | US |
|---|---|---|
| Average house price | £600 | $3,800 |
| Average salary | £260 | $2,100 |
| Pint of milk | 2½d | $0.14 |
| Loaf of bread | 4½d | $0.10 |
| Dozen eggs | 1s 9d | $0.55 |
| Pint of beer | 8d | $0.17 |
| Cinema ticket | 10d | $0.29 |
Technology and Inventions in 1944
The V-1 flying bomb and V-2 rocket were deployed by Germany, becoming the first cruise missile and ballistic missile used in warfare. The Harvard Mark I, an early electromechanical computer, began operating. Kidney dialysis was performed for the first time. Streptomycin was isolated as the first antibiotic effective against tuberculosis.
- ● V-1 flying bombs and V-2 rockets deployed against London
- ● Harvard Mark I electromechanical computer began operating
- ● Streptomycin isolated as the first antibiotic to treat tuberculosis
- ● First kidney dialysis machine used successfully by Willem Kolff
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