In no particular order:
1) Access to better medicine, especially pediatric medicine.
2) Better diet. Yes they didn't have aspartame, but they didn't have the fresh fruits and vegies we have today. Saturated fats were much more prominent in a diet of 50 years ago. You should see some of the cookbooks from that era. Mindblowing!
3) Safer occupations. Working in a 1940's factory or a mine is more dangerous than working in an office, and working in a 2000's factory is safer than working in a 1940s factory.
4) General and better applied knowledge of disease prevention. Go to some places int the South and they're still eating fried catfish five times a week, and the lower life expectancy there reflects it.
5) Better care for seniors. For example, knee replacement surgery adds hugely to the quality of life for a lot of people who would have been confined to wheelchairs 50 years ago.
6) And this is the big one: General prosperity. This is the root cause for why the above was possible. Think about that one when politicians like Obama do their best to torpedo our national prosperity.
