A safety coffin
The fear of being buried alive was common before the advent of modern medicine.   So common […]
Panic, as a health officer, sweeping the garbage out of Wall Street. Public domain.
The Panic of 1873 was the worst economic depression of the 19th century.  It lasted from […]
Arsenic was in many products including poison wallpaper as satirized in this political cartoon
We are slaves to fashion – both in our wardrooms and in our homes.  This also […]
An Edison lightbulb
This week marks the anniversary of an very momentous event in modern civilization: Dec. 31 is […]
Boss Tweed political cartoon
Corruption always has been a part of American politics. No one exemplifies this more than William […]
The Victorian love of the paranormal lead to these doctored ghost photos
Belief in the paranormal is not limited to modern times.  It began long ago with our […]
1892 Coca-Cola ad
We don’t call the soft drink Coca-Cola “Coke” for nothing.  The original formula contained cocaine, but […]
How the Other Half Lives: a tenement building
Once upon a time in America, a large number of people lived in abject poverty, out […]
An example of a mourning photo
We live in a day and age where sex tapes make people celebrities, and mortality makes […]