Single Women and the Telephone: From “Hello Girls” to Tech PessimismThe telephone was wildly disruptive. It was a radical innovation that brought change, not the least for single women, both in the workplace…Nov 4, 2021Nov 4, 2021
Sex in Baltimore: Shocking Report Kept from the PublicIn 1915 a government study on illicit sex left Baltimore “naked and exposed.” The Maryland Vice Commission, in the words of one excitable…May 10, 2020May 10, 2020
Have There Always Been People on the Autism Spectrum?What we now call autism has long existed among humans. But medicine only began noticing the particular set of physical and mental traits…Apr 8, 20201Apr 8, 20201
Rats, Cops, and Punks: Criminal Slang From 1908 Lives OnThe popularity of these terms in American English is due, in part, to an obscure Boston lawyer who, perhaps as a lark, published a slim…Mar 25, 2020Mar 25, 2020
The Coronavirus Could Mutate Into Something Far Worse: Lessons From the 1918 Flu PandemicWe have plenty of good reasons to worry about the coronavirus (COVID-19). It spreads rapidly. There is no vaccine. People die from it. Yet…Mar 7, 2020Mar 7, 2020
Women Doctors Faced Profound Discrimination a Century AgoWomen now make up about 60 percent of doctors under 35. The situation was very different in the past.Feb 23, 2020Feb 23, 2020
A viral song from 1909 turned American music sexy, rude, and violentPosted on February 20, 2020 by Bill LeFurgyFeb 21, 2020Feb 21, 2020