Hey there!
Welcome to Life Noggin.
A few weeks ago, we made a video about some
unbelievable myths that people thought were
true in the 1950's.
And you all loved it so much that we decided
to make another one.
This time on some of the wacky beliefs of
the 1920's.
Exhibit A: Female hysteria.
Back in the 20’s, people were convinced
that any woman with an increased libido, bad
language, and the tendency to get into mischief
had a disease they called hysteria.
They thought this was a real, biological illness!
Other symptoms included nervousness, headaches
and bodily dis-ease which could literally
be anything.
This theory of hysteria dates all the way
back to Ancient Egypt and was originally believed
to be caused by demons and things of supernatural
nature.
Even after it was recognized these women weren’t
possessed, people still believed that this
was a legitimate medical problem for a longgg
time.
It was even listed as a mental illness by
the American Psychological Association until
the mid 20th century!
Another absolutely ridiculous belief running
rampant the 1920s was something called eugenics,
the idea that we should control the genetic
traits passed down in society.
Sure, that may sound like a noble plan but
eugenics spiraled into extreme discrimination
against people deemed “unfit” to procreate.
Think people of color, low-income individuals,
the mentally ill, the disabled, people with
criminal records.
But the problems eugenics supporters wanted
to rid from society actually relied on a mix
of environmental and biological factors, rather
than just genes themselves.
That didn’t slow the movement though.
The US government supported this mission and
even went as far as forced sterilization of
populations they deemed unworthy!
This dark chapter of US history actually inspired
the Nazis and often isn’t discussed.
But it’s important to acknowledge this when
we’re looking at crazy ideas from this time
period.
On a brighter note, well kind of…
A very special kind of energy drink was all
rage in the 1920s.
Nowadays, energy drinks get their energy from
some kind of neurological stimulant, but back
in the 1920s, they used real, radioactive
energy from the element radium.
It was the roaring 1920s and people were literally glowing!
These radioactive drinks promised to boost
energy levels and cure a number of physical
ailments.
Some even claimed to be aphrodisiacs.
These beverages were the drink of choice for
wealthy Americans who were unaware of the
horrible side-effects, like holes in the skull
and jaw bones.
And it didn’t stop with drinks.
Radium was added to butter, paint, even clothing
before these products were made illegal in
the 1930s.
It’s wild to think that some things we believe
so strongly now may eventually be proven completely wrong
maybe one day they'll prove that there actually is life on mars.
or that animals CAN understand us.
you are a very good boy, and i just want you to know that!
What decade do you want us to look at next?
Let us know in the comments.
If you enjoyed this episode, check out the video we did on the scientific myths of the 1950s.
As I mentioned earlier, people didn’t always think that smoking cigarettes was bad for you.
Cigarette companies used to boast that their brand wouldn’t hurt your throat and sinuses.
Some advertisements even claimed to have scientific proof
As always, my name is Blocko, this has has been Life Noggin, don't forget to keep on thinking!
