Americas
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Typhoid Mary
There were many ways to die in the overcrowded disease ridden cities of the late 19th century and early 20th century. Typhoid was one the most terrifying ones simply because of the speed it could spread through a household. It’s initial symptoms could be anything- fever and some abdominal cramping. Then the fever got higher and blood clots formed under the skin. The patient becomes delirious and the brain and the intestines hemorrhage. The death rate was recorded anywhere from one in ten to three in ten. It was frightening. Doctors were building on the advances in the young science of epidemiology led by pioneers like Dr. John Snow. (For…
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The Current Wars
AC/DC- It’s not just a band. It was the culmination of the struggle between two geniuses. In the late 19th century, electricity was the hot new technology. Thomas Edison had begun work with this field and in the 1870’s invented the first practical light bulb. Arc lamps were used in cities on larger scales, but were not suitable for a business or a home. Edison’s light bulb filled that niche. To power all these new electric light bulbs, Edison created the investor-owned Edison Illuminating Company. One problem. These all used direct current or DC, which had a major drawback of a very short transmission range. Customers had to be less…
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The Fox Sisters
Spiritualism was sweeping the United States in the late 1840’s. As discussed in the book Occult America, this was the first chance for women to exercise any type of religious or political leadership. There were many women who were involved with the Spiritualist practices of seances and spirit channeling. The first American-born woman to become a recognized public preacher was Jemima Wilkinson or the Publick Universal Friend as she preferred to be called (For more on her, please see this post: http://www.historynaked.com/publick-universal-friend/ ) The Fox Sisters were American women that took up the mantle o f Spiritualism and their legacy is shrouded in accusations of fraud. In March 1848, strange…
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East St. Louis Riots of 1917
The Great Migration saw great numbers of Southern African Americans who traveled north to find jobs and opportunities. One of the places that became a stopping point was the industrial city of East St. Louis. In Illinois across the Mississippi river from St. Louis, East St. Louis was booming due to increased production for World War I. The Aluminum Ore Company and American Steel Company were prominent among those hiring. However, tensions were running high as up to 2,000 people a week were arriving from the South. The rate was so high that Marcus Garvey actively tried to discourage migration to East St. Louis, but still people came. In February…
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The Great Balloon Hoax
No, I am not talking about that family who pretended their little boy was caught in a homemade balloon to get a reality show. This was perpetrated by none other than the great author, Edgar Allan Poe. (For more on him, please see this post: http://www.historynaked.com/edgar-allan-poe-mystery-even-death/ ) Poe brought the New York Sun and exciting account of balloonist, Monck Mason. He claimed Mason was famous in Europe and had successfully crossed the Atlantic Ocean in a mere seventy-five hours. This was done by using the first steam powered airship, invented by William Samuel Henson. Originally the journey was supposed to be between London and Paris, but was blown far off…
