Over a hundred years ago, virtually every American city had public streetcars that people took to work. That includes cities we don’t think of as hubs for mass transit today, like Atlanta, Raleigh, and Los Angeles. Today, just 5 percent of U.S. workers commute via via public transit.
history of USA
In 1948 in the US, pregnant women…
In 1948 in the US, pregnant women were not allowed to be teachers in 57% of public school districts because “the sight of pregnant women would unfavorably influence students” and because “pregnant teachers’ minds would not be on their work.”
There were at least seven…
There were at least seven types of alcoholic beverages in the Americas before European contact. One of them is made from pineapple, and another is made from the honey of a domesticated stingless bee.
“Breaker boys” between age 8-12 were…
“Breaker boys” between age 8-12 were employed to work 10 hours a day, 6 days a week to separate impurities from coal. Despite public disapproval, the practice of employing children in this line of work lasted for decades, only finally ending in the US in the 1920s.
When the Lenni Lanape Indians agreed to give the amount…
When the Lenni Lanape Indians agreed to give the amount of land that a man could walk in 36 hours to Pennsylvania, the governor hired a team fast runners, resulting in Pennsylvania taking an area of 1,200,932 acres.
From 1933 to 1974, it was generally illegal…
From 1933 to 1974, it was generally illegal for individuals and corporations to possess gold in the United States.
The Radium Girls were factory workers who contracted radiation poisoning…
The Radium Girls were factory workers who contracted radiation poisoning from painting watch dials with self-luminous paint. The women were told the paint was harmless, and ingested deadly amounts by licking their paintbrushes; some painted their fingernails and teeth with the glowing paint.
In 1898, the United States government annexed the Kingdom of Hawaii despite…
In 1898, the United States government annexed the Kingdom of Hawaii despite protestation from Queen Liliuokalani.
California paid $1M towards the extermination…
California paid $1M towards the extermination of Native American tribes. Later, CA paid a bounty of $5 a head for any Native.
After WWI, the US began forced sterilization…
After WWI, the US began forced sterilization to prevent ‘imbeciles’ and ‘promiscuous’ individuals from having children in order to clean up the gene pool.