Per Mother Jones, birth control was often difficult to obtain in the first half of the 20th century. It was expensive, hard to access, and required the intervention of doctors who often didn't want to provide contraceptives to their patients. This left people to devise their own methods.
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Alcatraz had one luxury that most other prisons lacked: "reasonably hot" showers. Showers weren't private, and had to be quick, but they were at least not frigid. It's suspected that this gesture was merely an attempt to prevent prisoners from getting acclimated to the cold water of the Bay.
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The Gulag was one of the most powerful organizations in the Soviet Union. But the messed up truth of the Soviet Gulag is still not widely known.
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Ancient Greeks took the cosmetic use of dangerous lead a step further, favoring a white lead face cream that was meant to clear up blemishes and even the tone and texture of skin. Unfortunately, lead causes health problems ranging from infertility to dementia.
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The U.S. Army deployed around 600 carrier pigeons, according to the World War I Centennial Commission, and one stood out as heroic. The pigeon's name was Cher Ami -- French for "dear friend."
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The electors represent the choice of the majority of their state -- whoever wins the popular vote in their state. To put it simply, when you vote on November 3, you're voting for your candidate's electoral representatives, explains the website of the US House of Representatives.
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The truth of life in the Wild West was rarely easy for the people who actually had to live there. Things like medical care or law enforcement could be hard to find. To be a woman there was even more difficult. These women were some of the toughest to make their mark
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In the cowpoke getup, the 100-pound Pearl looked like more like a young boy playing sheriff than a menacing highway robber, but the clothes -- and the .38 revolver she took with her -- were enough to scare the daylights out of the passengers on the stagecoach bound for Florence, Arizona.
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Kipling wrote his most famous novel in a place about as far removed from India as you can get.
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Have you ever noticed an obvious typo in an important document just seconds after you submitted it? The answer to that question is probably "Yes"; it's a terrible moment that unites us all. Humans are imperfect, so unless we get replaced by robots, it's unlikely that we'll ever stop making typos.
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Twain basically invented himself as a public figure, and both he and his irreverence infiltrated social circles, from Nikolai Tesla to abolitionists to suffragettes. Twain did have a private life, however, and it centered around his wife Olivia ("Livy") and their children.
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It's plain that a not insignificant number of those trailblazing frontiersman were really just a bunch of pugnacious lowlifes always on the lookout a chance to steal something, most often after shooting something or someone. One such scoundrel was Warren Earp, the youngest brother of Wyatt Earp.
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The coronavirus (COVID-19) is the latest in a litany of pandemics that have been unleashed upon society, a powerful threat with a global impact. It's no wonder that pandemics throughout history have more often than not coincided with significant civil unrest.
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One of the most horrific and brutal outcomes of the KKK's efforts of voter intimidation and suppression occurred in 1920 in Ocoee, Florida.
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Serial killings had to have started somewhere — they weren't birthed by some mystical demon. This is a very human problem that started somewhere in our history, and the earliest known serial killer may have been the child butcher Gilles de Rais. Was this man history's first recorded serial killer?
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The Kennedy family was iconic, glamorous, and very polarizing and saw many individuals as enemies. Here are some famous people the Kennedys couldn't stand.
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Spencer Silver discovered that his glue had microspheres that retain stickiness. He couldn't think of a use for his invention; after all, the goal was to find a new adhesive that could stick anywhere. So his microsphere-filled, removable adhesive sat on a shelf for several years.
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The bounty hunters that were despised by outlaws, lawmen, and citizens alike for making a living off hunting down fugitives isn't really historically accurate.
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The Amish have a bit of a reputation as a devoutly religious group who live simply, without modern conveniences. But there is a dark truth to the group.
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Though each of the knights that took his seat at the table was considered equal in voice, their stories and personalities were anything but. Well, some of them.
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At the age of 77, Joe Biden would be the oldest president in United States history were he to win the 2020 election. That's why many wonder if Joe Biden would run for president in 2024 if he loses to President Donald Trump.
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A lot of people are unfamiliar enough with the Bible that filmmakers can throw pretty much anything in a movie. Here are some fake bible verses used in movies.
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If President Donald Trump loses the 2020 US election, what happens then? Some think he'll refuse to peacefully hand over the presidency. Others think he'll try to become president again in 2024, which begs the question: Can Donald Trump run for president in 2024 if he loses to Joe Biden?
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In the constitution, the rules for future presidents were outlined, including a natural citizenship requirement and an age requirement. The age requirement to run for president of the United States starts at 35. The president's age was of great debate in the 1700s.
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Some candidates try again and again to be president, but success forever eludes their grasp. So you might be wondering, what's the most times someone has run for president of the United States?
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Hundreds of years ago, though, our ancestors made up their own mythology about the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis.
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Christmas will never be immune to buzz-killing shortages. These are the worst Christmas shortages in history.
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