Pessimists Archive Newsletter

Share this post

πŸ—ž π™ΏπšŽπšœπšœπš’πš–πš’πšœπšπšœ π™°πš›πšŒπš‘πš’πšŸπšŽ Roundup

newsletter.pessimistsarchive.org

πŸ—ž π™ΏπšŽπšœπšœπš’πš–πš’πšœπšπšœ π™°πš›πšŒπš‘πš’πšŸπšŽ Roundup

Airmail, Electric Cooking and Novel Induced Child Labor Strikes

Pessimists Archive
Feb 26, 2021
1
Share this post

πŸ—ž π™ΏπšŽπšœπšœπš’πš–πš’πšœπšπšœ π™°πš›πšŒπš‘πš’πšŸπšŽ Roundup

newsletter.pessimistsarchive.org

✈️ Airmail

The first official airmail delivery was made in 1911, today we take such a service for granted, but in the first decade of the 1900s it was as strange and unfamiliar as reusable rockets are today. A year prior β€˜The Engineering Magazine’ doubted the commercial viability of these new fangled flying machines.

Twitter avatar for @PessimistsArc
Pessimists Archive @PessimistsArc
πŸ—“οΈThis day in 1911 the first Airmail delivery was made πŸ•‘ A year prior 'The Engineering Magazine' said: "Our skepticism is only as to the utilitarian value of any present or possible achievement of the aeroplane. We do not believe it will ever be a commercial vehicle at all."
Image
3:28 PM βˆ™ Feb 18, 2021
5Likes6Retweets

🏭 Dickensian Move

In 1900 child workers in a factory went on strike demanding a small pay raise. Officials naturally blamed novel reading, rather than their exploitation of the children, for the strikes. At the time novel reading was seen as a corroding influence on children, this was clearly an extension of that attitude.

Twitter avatar for @PessimistsArc
Pessimists Archive @PessimistsArc
πŸ­πŸ‘¦βœŠπŸ‘¦βœŠπŸ“š Dime novels blamed for child workers demanding 0.05Β’ pay increase: β€œAll messenger boys are more or less addicted to the dime novel reading habit.” β€œOfficials say dime novel reading habit is responsible.” (1900)
Image
12:40 PM βˆ™ Feb 17, 2021
26Likes17Retweets

πŸ‘™ OnlyFans 1.0

The rise of OnlyFans is being treated by some as a digital era perversion, eroding our morals and corrupting women, but even in the earliest days of photography analog OnlyFans type businesses emerged.

164 years ago an article titled β€˜Abuse of Photography’ reported on a Paris police bust, noting that jail time was required as fines would be too easily covered by revenue from selling the risquΓ© photographs. The bust β€˜went viral’ appearing in papers across the world.

Twitter avatar for @PessimistsArc
Pessimists Archive @PessimistsArc
These 1857 queens running their @OnlyFans were making so much money police fines didn't matter, so the judge threw them in jail.
Image
10:37 PM βˆ™ Feb 16, 2021
15Likes5Retweets

πŸ“š Book Time

We’ve shared many cries against the over reading of book but this example comes from an unexpected source: a former President of John Hopkins University. He called it β€œA dangerous habit like a stimulant.”

Twitter avatar for @PessimistsArc
Pessimists Archive @PessimistsArc
Former president of @JohnsHopkins on reading in 1901: β€œReading is a kind of craze that has gotten hold of the people. It is a dangerous habit, like a stimulant. The publishers are constantly putting forth new attractions in the field & the reviewers excite our appetite."
Image
8:39 PM βˆ™ Apr 19, 2020
88Likes48Retweets

πŸ”Ž Fun Find

A great find was flagged to our attention on Twitter this week: concerns about the glare of white paper (akin to concerns about screens today.) Another tidbit pointed to an early concept of β€˜night mode’ in the 1870s: "books should be printed in white ink on black paper." We found something along these lines at the start of the year that extended to white ceilings and clothes.

Twitter avatar for @mlsalgarolo
Michael Salgarolo @mlsalgarolo
An odd precursor to modern concerns about screen time: in 1879, the Nation published a letter from an expert warning about the dangers of..."glaring white paper," which was "assailing" children's eyes because of its "intense whiteness" and high gloss
Image
Image
9:04 PM βˆ™ Feb 25, 2021
32Likes18Retweets

πŸ”₯ Fire or GTFO

Once upon a time cooking with electricity was seen as silly and faddish, a newspaper summed up the attitude with this quote from a fictional housewife:

β€œElectricity may be all right for the telephone, the telegraph and the street car, but–well, really, I wouldn’t trust it with one of my cakes in the oven.”

According to the article it seems attitudes began to change in 1921 when which it seemed housewives were coming around to the idea.

Twitter avatar for @PessimistsArc
Pessimists Archive @PessimistsArc
1921: "The housewife of two decades ago would reply, throwing back a non-biddable glance: "Cook with electricity! You're joking!" (via our newsletter: pessimistsarchive.substack.com)
Image
3:09 PM βˆ™ Feb 22, 2021
10Likes4Retweets
Share this post

πŸ—ž π™ΏπšŽπšœπšœπš’πš–πš’πšœπšπšœ π™°πš›πšŒπš‘πš’πšŸπšŽ Roundup

newsletter.pessimistsarchive.org
Comments
TopNewCommunity

No posts

Ready for more?

Β© 2023 Pessimists Archive
Privacy βˆ™ Terms βˆ™ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
SubstackΒ is the home for great writing