12 Practices That Were Totally Normal In The Past But Seem Crazy To Us Now
7. Knocker-Uppers or in-person alarm clocks: From the 1750s through the 1950s, many folks employed personal alarm clocks in the form of people who would knock on their clients’ windows using long sticks. They would also shoot at them with peashooters.
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8. Practicing poor hygiene: During medieval times, many people commonly believed that water would bring on illness. So showering was totally out of the question. Furthermore, many people also believed that lice were special and even referred to them as “the pearls of God.” Yuck.
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9. Using heroin as a cough suppressant: Everyone knows the dangers of using hard drugs, like heroin, but in the 1800s up until the 1920s, it was commonly used as a cough suppressant. In fact, it was considered harmless, was actually recommended for children, and was sold in pharmacies around the world.
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10. Taking photographs with deceased loved ones: It might seem morbid by today’s standards, but during the 19th century it was somewhat common for families to preserve their memories of their deceased loved ones by taking photographs with their dead bodies. The only stipulation was that the person had to be dressed to appear alive in the picture. It was also common for the family to draw eyes on their eyelids so as to make them appear awake.
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11. Boys wearing dresses: Sure, many boys and men can wear what they want even in modern times, but during the 16th century, it was customary for children between four and eight years old to wear dresses. This was because boys tend to grow at a faster rate than girls, so they were able to grow into the dresses, rather than spending lots of money on pants they would outgrow in months. Sounds reasonable, really.
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12. Using rocks as toilet paper: Nowadays, you can get toilet paper in a number of varieties—the softer the better. Yet, for the ancient Greeks, this wasn’t the case. In fact, they commonly used pebbles, rocks, and even sharp shards of pottery to clean themselves. Yikes!
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Things sure have changed over the years. Can you imagine someone tapping on your window to wake you every morning? So much for the snooze button.