Cornflakes were not invented until 1906. (Dr. Pepper was developed in 1885 and Coca Cola the following year. The Cadbury brothers debuted solid chocolates in heart-shaped boxes in 1868. Everybody from the ancient Greeks to early American settlers have enjoyed chewing tree sap. In 1869, Santa Anna introduced Thomas Adams to the sap of the sapodilla tree, which was called “chicle.” Adams went on to invent a machine for manufacturing gum and in 1888 began selling Tutti-Frutti from vending machines in the New York subway. For a more complete history of bubble gum, visit http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blgum.htm)

In 1900, tonics such as Pal-Pinto Water were very popular, if often ineffective.  Dr. William Halsted pioneered the use of rubber surgical gloves in 1890.   (Leeches were no longer used. Both wooden Q-tips and Band-Aids weren’t invented until 1920.)

Galveston policemen would carry off the clothes of unlucky boys caught skinny-dipping, who would have to go down to the police station to get them back. (I imagine a few boys got whippings, too.)

Roller skates, wooden tops and bicycles were popular toys at the turn of the century. (Crayons were not invented until 1903, and Teddy Bears in 1902.)

Cherry Jello was not invented until 1904. Jello debuted in 1845, but it didn't really catch on until manufacturers started adding fruit flavors in 1897.

Only the Brownie camera was available the summer of 1900. (Spiral-bound notebooks were developed in 1924, and crossword puzzles and zippers came along in 1913.)

The Houston “Mud Cats” were a very popular baseball team.

The first U.S. roller coaster opened at Coney Island, New York, in 1884. (The Ferris Wheel did not debut until the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.)

The Singer sewing machine was invented in 1851. (Barbed wire came along in 1873, toilet paper in 1880, and paper drinking straws in 1888)