12 Unbelievable Things that Were Totally Normal 100 Years Ago

A long time ago, people did things that would seem really weird to us today. Back then, it was normal to use glowing paint that could make you sick, or even to mail kids like letters! This list talks about 12 strange things people thought were okay 100 years ago.

1. Toilet Tragedies

As absurd as it is, you'd be mistaken if you think indoor toilets have always been the norm. Up until 100 years ago, indoor plumbing was a rare occurrence as a user shares their father remembering indoor plumbing getting installed in their house in New Mexico in the 1950s.

2. A Hysterical Hoax

Enter the world of Sylvia Plath's writing or Charlotte Perkins's The Yellow Wallpaper. You'd be struck by how socially acceptable it was to institutionalize women or ban them from any activity because of perceived hysteria. In fact, parents or husbands sometimes would label a woman hysterical if she was being too difficult for them, despite no clinical evidence.

3. A Potion of Fatality

In 2023, it's hard to fathom a time when radium wasn't considered harmful. However, a user narrates the case of Eben Byers, who famously drank radium water in the early 20th century. He was advised to take Radithor, a radium solution, to cure his polo injury. The radium initially left him energized but caused his teeth to fall out soon after, leading to his eventual demise.

4. Anthropometric Abhorrence

Eugenics peaked with anthropometry, where physical traits were often correlated with racial differences in intellect. It involved taking measurements of physical features like cranial size to indicate the size of one's intelligence. Such pseudoscience was frequently employed to argue the intellect of other races fell short; later studies showed no significant correlation.

5. Corporal Punishment Perils

Corporal punishment was legal until recently, and some states still allow this unfortunate practice. A commenter shares how they attended a school in Abu Dhabi where they got smacked for doing the homework assignment a week early. The next time it happened, the user came prepared with their own ruler and dueled with the teacher in class.

6. Racial Segregation Sorrows

It is important to remember that racial segregation ended as recently as the 1960s with the enactment of the Civil Rights Law of 1964. Hence, fewer than a hundred years ago, property laws that prohibited sales to a non-white family were prevalent along with other forms of segregation. While many problems persist today, there is hope for a more equal society.

7. Graduation Gratifications

It wasn't too odd for an average person not to graduate high school a few decades ago. One observes that it was "much more 'normal' for 'good people' to drop out of high school a hundred years ago, to help out on the farm or family small business."

8. Atropine Atrocities

Did you know that in ancient Roman times, women would put the Atropa belladonna in their eyes to achieve dilated pupils? As large pupils were considered a sign of beauty, belladonna would grant a doe-eyed effect often deemed attractive and even seductive. While ophthalmologists still use atropine to dilate pupils, cosmetic usage is no longer standard.

9. A Small Universe

We live in times where it's common knowledge that the universe is ever-expanding and much more vast than human imagination. However, our understanding is recent, as American astronomer Edwin Hubble didn't verify the existence of other galaxies outside the Milky Way until 1924, with Andromeda being the first. So, people at the time still thought that the Milky Way was the entirety of the universe!

10. Dynamite Debacles

We've established that folks from the past had a horrible sense of safety. As if radium wasn't enough, it appears that buying dynamite at the local hardware store was a regular errand. Even in the '90s, a member recalls their uncle blowing up tree stumps to make way for crop fields. "Had to run for it after he lit the fuse. Not sure where he bought the stuff. He was a farmer."

11. An Uninvited Guest

Imagine that stopping by someone's place without asking was a regular occurrence a few decades back. Most users find it unimaginable to visit one's friend, family, or neighbor's house unannounced without asking ahead of time if they feel like having company. To this claim, one person comments, "Please tell my dad this information."

12. Giraffe Sighting

Tying your giraffe to a lamp post or telephone pole is understandably illegal. Brushing aside why someone would have a giraffe in the first place, it's clear that some of these crazy laws exist "because someone did it one time and they couldn't charge him with a crime."

Source: Reddit.

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