Boring History for Sleep Boring History For Sleep | What People Did All Day in 1900 (It Wasn’t Fun) 😬🏠
Jan 10, 2026
Discover the gritty realities of life in 1900, where coal smoke and overcrowded tenements intertwined with emerging technology. Learn about the burdens of class displayed through fashion, while children labored in factories and farms. The discussion highlights the stark contrasts between rural isolation and urban pollution. It explores the dangers of medical care, food safety, and the economic struggles faced by many. Amidst hardship, glimpses of hope and community entertainment emerge, foreshadowing the progress to come.
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Smell And Momentum Of 1900 Cities
- Cities in 1900 smelled of coal smoke, horse manure, and industrial waste that coated everything in soot.
- The urban environment was alive but visibly poised between 19th-century dirt and looming modern change.
Horse Power's Hidden Costs
- Horse transport dominated cities, producing millions of pounds of manure and thousands of dead horses annually.
- This reliance created sanitation, traffic and environmental crises before automobiles became common.
Designs Built For Profit, Not People
- Tenement architecture squeezed light and air to maximise rent, creating interior rooms with no windows and thin walls.
- Overcrowding made privacy meaningless and amplified disease transmission and noise.