Category: Culture
Chicago Heiress Took Vows of Silence Hoping to Cure Her Deaf Brother
Mary Holway had wealth, youth, and a comfortable place in Chicago society. Then, at twenty-five, she gave it all up. Before the altar of a…
The Unsung Operators Behind the Knickerbocker Theatre Rescue
When the roof of Washington’s Knickerbocker Theatre collapsed under the weight of heavy snow, the first alarm came through an ordinary telephone call. A man…
“Hello Girls” Stayed at Their Switchboards While Disaster Closed In
Before emergency alerts, automated warnings, and instant messages, disaster news often passed through the hands of a telephone operator. They were known as “hello girls,”…
Ohio Movie Censors Decided Long Kisses Had to Go
In 1913, Ohio movie censors faced a pressing moral question: how long was too long for a kiss on screen? A quick stolen kiss might…
Grieving Mother Digs Up Son’s Bones and Flees Into the Woods
Some grief does not stay buried. In France, a destitute woman named Alice Gillet became so overcome by the thought of losing her dead son…
Queen Victoria Was Too Busy to Pose, So the Painter Used a Dressmaker’s Dummy
Queen Victoria Was Too Busy to Pose, So the Painter Used a Dressmaker’s Dummy Painting a queen sounds glamorous, but for the artist, it could…
Teen Girl Arrested After Saying “Damn” to Atlantic City Beach Censor
In 1923, Atlantic City’s beaches were watched by more than lifeguards. Beach censors patrolled the sand, enforcing rules of modesty and proper conduct, right down…
Pennsylvania Woman Tied Up, Covered in Molasses and Feathers by Four Women
In the early 1900s, “whitecap” attacks were acts of vigilante intimidation, often carried out by groups who believed they had the right to punish or…
San Francisco Judge Backs Handshake Marriage
A judge was asked to decide whether a marriage could begin with nothing more than a handshake back in 1915 San Francisco. Frank Wells said…
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…
