When being ugly was illegal
Yes, you’re reading it right. It’s not some post-apocalyptic science fiction movie, it was as real as it could be one century ago in dear old America. In many cities in the United States, such as Chicago, it was illegal to be ugly and people “diseased, maimed, mutilated, or in any way deformed, so as to be an unsightly or disgusting object” were not allowed to walk on the street, as reported by the Chicago Tribune.
As per an absurd ordinance implemented by Alderman James Peevey in 1881, anyone considered hideous and ugly was required to pay a fine of $1 to $50 (depending on the level of ugliness) or go to the poorhouse, a sort of mental institution for poor people.
The situation slightly changed after World War I, when soldiers returned home with all sorts of battle scars that disfigured their faces or missing limbs. Being disabled was no longer fined but ugly laws continued to remain in force until the 1950s. As for Chicago, the city finally abolished the ugly law in 1974. We might like to think that we’re a little wiser and open-minded today, but body-shaming is a serious issue in today’s society, so, it seems we still have a long way to go.
See also: 11 Gawk-Worthy Photos From History That Will Leave You Speechless
Next, it was far from child’s play…..
5 thoughts on “8 Baffling Things You Won’t Believe People Did 100 Years Ago”
I’m 80 years old and I’ve NEVER heard of this old law. I was born in the St. Louis, MO area.
Did you know, Rita, that the mayor is defunding the police and St. Louis is beating Chicago in murder rate now?
When I was a little girl
When I was a little girl my mother made my costume, but that was before mothers worked outside the home. Mostly I went as a hobo or a clown.
I started smocking in High school. I remember saying “they” can’t make American’s stop smoking. How can they enforce it ? LOL
“The first orphanage in America was first opened in 1729 for white children”…
Let’s be fair here, in America then there were practically nothing BUT white children. This sounds like it was established as a racist institution. I doubt the Indians were going to put their war orphans in the enemy’s care anyhow.