Category: Children
Judge Tore Up the Summons After Learning Why This 14-Year-Old Was Working
In 1908, fourteen-year-old Harold Bothwick was not asking for much. He simply wanted to work. His widowed mother was struggling to support four children in…
Newark Police Cracked Down on Easter Candy Games That Targeted Children
In 1908, Newark police launched a crackdown on a form of gambling aimed at children: penny candy games promising oversized chocolate Easter eggs as prizes….
Child Labor Loophole Let Employers Escape Injury Claims
In 1924, Maryland’s child labor laws contained a cruel loophole. Children could be working illegally. They could be injured on the job. And still, according…
California’s Schools on Wheels Helped 1,000 Children Without Permanent Homes
In 1922, California was experimenting with a new idea: if children could not reliably get to school, then school would have to go to them….
D.C. Children Warned Not to Drink From Horse Troughs
In the summer of 1907, Washington, D.C. officials faced a public health problem that seems almost unthinkable today: children drinking from horse troughs in the…
Girl, 12, Saves Child From Potomac Waters
The old newspapers were full of small acts of courage that were forgotten almost as soon as they were printed. In Washington, D.C., one of…
Fire Wrecks St. Mary’s Industrial School
In April 1919, a devastating fire tore through St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys in Baltimore, leaving behind wrecked buildings, injured men, and two dead…
Child Labor in Biloxi’s Oyster Canning Factories
Between 3 and 4 each morning, while much of the town still slept, a sound rolled out over the Gulf Coast and called the workers…
When Homework Was Called a National Crime
The debate over homework, overworked children, and the need for fresh air is not nearly as modern as it sounds. In 1900, editor Edward Bok…
The 1913 “Toy” That Let Children Shock Their Friends
In the early 1900s, homemade toys often came with a spark of danger, sometimes literally. Long before modern safety warnings and store-bought science kits, young…
