13 "Ordinary" Household Items From 1900 That Were Quietly Lethal

A house in 1900 was full of things that could kill the people living in it. Nothing in that house looked dangerous. The danger was in the wallpaper, in the paint, in the lamp on the table, and in the comb on the dresser. Thirteen of them, drawn from coroners' notices, insurance records, and the advertisements that sold these things. Arsenic in the green wallpaper. Lead paint sold specifically for nurseries. Celluloid combs that caught fire. The last one killed more American women than any factory ever did, and it was in the middle of the kitchen. Harlan Fenwick keeps an almanac of things America stopped writing down. Harlan Fenwick is a character. The records are real. #americanhistory #victorian #1900s #historyfacts