Category: Culture
Don’t Poison Baby
At the beginning of the twentieth century, exhausted parents could purchase “soothing syrups,” cordials, and drops intended to quiet a crying baby or help a…
4 Women Arrested for Wearing Soldiers’ Uniforms on Halloween in Washington
Four young women dressed in soldiers’ uniforms for a night of Halloween fun never expected their costumes to land them in police custody. In 1919,…
Des Moines Woman Won Divorce After Family Jokes Turned Sour
In 1905 Des Moines, Iowa, Mrs. Roslie Pohlman went to court with an unusual complaint: her husband would not laugh. According to her divorce petition,…
Before Weather Apps, Some Families Watched a Frog Climb a Ladder
Long before modern forecasts were available at the touch of a button, some households in Germany and Switzerland looked to a small green tree frog…
Old Nevada Justice Sent Saloon Thief Walking Into the Desert
In the rough mining camps of northern Nevada, justice did not always wait for a courtroom. In 1908, a man known as “Doc” Phelan was…
Florida Officials Consider Bringing Back the Lash in Prison Camps
In 1925, Florida prison officials were openly discussing whether to bring back one of the state’s most brutal punishments: the lash. Only two years earlier,…
Prohibition Agents Attacked With Bottles During Hell’s Kitchen Raid
Prohibition agents found a hostile welcome in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen in July 1922. When three Federal officers entered Gentilly’s Cafe on Eighth Avenue, they…
1919 Barbecue Boss Shared His Massive Pit Recipe for Feeding 1,000 People
In 1919, Chattanooga’s Charlie Willingham was known as a man who understood barbecue on a grand scale. To Willingham, pit barbecue was not a quick…
Fourth of July Barbecue Turns Deadly After Family Eats Poisoned Meat
A Fourth of July family reunion near Garfield, Georgia, turned into a mass poisoning in 1912 after dozens of relatives became violently ill from barbecued…
1907 Household Hacks Used Spools, Bottles, and Broomsticks to Save the Day
Long before convenience stores, overnight delivery, and endless household gadgets, home makers often had to solve small domestic emergencies with whatever was already close at…
