What Hygiene Was Like in Colonial America

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  • čas přidán 2. 05. 2020
  • Personal hygiene in the 1700s was heavily maintained through a complicated balance of practicality, religious belief, and social position. Men and women living in colonial America washed their bodies and clothes with varying degrees of regularity, often falling victim to disease and disorder as a result.
    Despite the differing attributes of the original colonies, colonial hygiene in the earliest cities and rural settlements in America always left a lot to be desired, with odors, dirt, and waste being inescapable parts of daily life. Middle- and upper-class people tried to avoid or mask common nuisances like insects, usually to no avail, while lower classes simply struggled to survive.
    #ColonialAmerica #Hygiene #WeirdHistory
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Komentáře • 4,2K

  • @Housewarmin
    @Housewarmin Před 4 lety +7037

    Everyone always says romanticizes the past. “What time would you go back?!!” Umm I love running water, modern medicine, electricity and technology, and no slavery. Thank you.

    • @batman5224
      @batman5224 Před 4 lety +411

      Well, I’m sure that several hundred years from now, people will view this time period in a similar way. You can’t judge the past by modern standards. Some things are obviously better now, but not everything.

    • @swagfeller
      @swagfeller Před 4 lety +543

      Slavery still exists

    • @caleb2507
      @caleb2507 Před 4 lety +87

      Sincerely Eccentric running water to varying degrees has existed throughout history (Rome). Modern medicine is as much of a sham as colonial was. Electricity has been around for a 130 or so years, technology has existed since the first caveman created fire. Slavery has and always will exist in one form or another. Soooo.... what time period are you talking about?

    • @pollypurree1834
      @pollypurree1834 Před 4 lety +69

      Plumbing has been around since Ancient Rome. They had running water. They thought back then if you got water in your ears, it could travel to your brain and kill you. They called this Water On The Brain and it was listed on many death certificates as the cause of death. That's why they avoided bathing and washing their hair. Modern medicine isnt much better and most of it is a sad joke. MS, which is clearly some form of repeated chemical poisoning from, perhaps, pesticide residual on foods such as wheat, is the modern era's version of Water On The Brain.

    • @Kusunoky
      @Kusunoky Před 4 lety +11

      @@pollypurree1834 and not so long the amalgam on teeth, it got banned or at least in many country's because of the mercury poisoning, specially on your brain.

  • @jamesferris4573
    @jamesferris4573 Před 4 lety +3401

    I am an older man, and I was raised in a small farming area in Oklahoma in the early 60's. My father was a WWll vet, and like many didn't have a high school diploma. He was a poor peanut farmer, and we were surrounded by relatives, and friends who were in the same financial boat. No one in that area had indoor plumbing, and all knew poverty. I lived in a four room house without indoor plumbing, and inadequate heating until I was a teenager, and my parents fortune changed. We were self sefecient, and grew our own vegetables, and fruit, which my mother would can in fruit jars, and store in the cellar. My father, and uncles would butcher hogs, and cure the meat in my grandfathers smokehouse. My parents would have a calf butchered, and stored at a local meat locker until we needed it. The only thing that was purchased was some clothes, and material, thread, patterns, and staples such as sugar, salt, and things one can't grow.
    My grandfather was born in 1880, and his father was a U.S. marshal in what is now S.W. Oklahoma, and West Texas. My grandfather passed in 1976, but left many stories of his father, and the time spent with him traveling the country. I was raised in what was more like the 19th. century, and although there were rough times we were always clean. My mother was a very hard working, strong woman, and watching how hard she worked gave me a healthy respect for strong women. My mother cooked three hot meals a day, no t.v. dinners, or fast food, she heated the water to wash the dishes, and for the bath water. She did all of the gardening, picking fruit, vegetables, canning, house cleaning, and helped in the fields The bath tub was a galvanized tub, which was carried into the kitchen, and filled with water, which my brother, and I carried from the windmill. It took time to heat the water on the propane stove for the bath water, but it was done regularly. Our clothes were old, but always clean, and the outhouse was no different than an indoor toilet. It was a lot colder in Winter, and you had to knock the black widow spider webs out from under the rim in the Summer, but if you were a clean person you were still clean. Some people are not clean, and have lived their entire lives in luxury. There seems to be a misconception that people who use an outhouse were nasty, and couldn't get clean, but this is not true. My father kept lime in the bottom to keep it from smelling, and other than the inconvenience, ours was clean. I have experienced a lot in my life, as my grandfather before me did, and people were no different then, than now, some are clean, Some are not. Indoor plumbing, and modern facilities make it easier, but the desire to care is in each person. My father was taught to believe that all household work was women's work. He was a good man, but misguided like many in that era. After watching my mother work I told my wife when we got married over 45yrs. ago that there was no women's work. We have always shared the house work, and I believe you both live there, and mess it up, so you should share the work. Stay safe everyone.

    • @maddison5120
      @maddison5120 Před 4 lety +367

      You sound very strong! I need to stop taking my middle-class life for granted. I enjoyed reading your story. Your mother was one hardworking lady!

    • @emmy1868
      @emmy1868 Před 4 lety +152

      Thank you for sharing !

    • @jamesferris4573
      @jamesferris4573 Před 4 lety +147

      Waffle Cakes. Thank you. She was a very strong, hard working, wonderful woman.

    • @shebamaree9026
      @shebamaree9026 Před 4 lety +57

      James Farris hello fellow Oklahoman

    • @jamesferris4573
      @jamesferris4573 Před 4 lety +43

      Sheba Maree. Hello yourself. How are things in your part of the sooner state?

  • @casspeich926
    @casspeich926 Před 3 lety +2194

    suddenly i don’t feel like complaining about 2020 anymore

    • @James_Philip915
      @James_Philip915 Před 3 lety +97

      tbf they didn't know better so it was normal. Imagine 100 years from now, people watching a video about the 21st century and seeing how filthy we are.

    • @uwewinkler2820
      @uwewinkler2820 Před 3 lety +19

      wonder what animal teeth george washington did wear ...beaver perhaps

    • @notthisguyagain2269
      @notthisguyagain2269 Před 3 lety +5

      @Layla Forrest and as the guy who doesnt mind going diving for oysters on occasion with the right lady i appreciate you

    • @bennugent7206
      @bennugent7206 Před 3 lety +17

      James Philip I doubt that but I wouldn’t be surprised if modern medicine techniques are seen as “barbaric”. I bet once they find a half decent cure chemotherapy will looks like a better torture method than medicinal practice.

    • @avalonpage5985
      @avalonpage5985 Před 3 lety +2

      try 563

  • @mailtojarriya
    @mailtojarriya Před 3 lety +430

    We are living better than all kings in the past.

  • @spj2000
    @spj2000 Před 4 lety +5414

    I can't imagine living in a world where you just throw shit out the window every morning

    • @bellamaster6876
      @bellamaster6876 Před 4 lety +410

      People just post it on Twitter instead now

    • @sarahprince2412
      @sarahprince2412 Před 4 lety +290

      @Sinister Veritas Of course someone has to make a stupid comment about Trump that has nothing to do with this video. Shut up on Trump already. What about all the stupid whiny bullshit coming from Liberals? I hate to break it to you but unlike other Presidents Trump has actually kept a bunch of his promises and has accomplished them. If Liberals would learn to work with Trump instead of trying sabotage him every step of the way and think only of themselves then maybe we would get a lot more stuff done here. Trump came in as a businessman and not a politician which is why Liberals hate him. We can make our country great but it’s dumbass Liberals who want to destroy our country and would rather have socialism than a democracy. Stop watching the fake news and get your head out of your ass. Stop letting the scare mongering media tell you what to do and learn to think for yourself.

    • @krioni86sa
      @krioni86sa Před 4 lety +81

      @@sarahprince2412 I completely agree

    • @MCGrassblock210
      @MCGrassblock210 Před 4 lety +124

      Sinister Veritas Why is there always some asshole making something political?

    • @christianroach8105
      @christianroach8105 Před 4 lety +28

      You would love New York

  • @atompunk456
    @atompunk456 Před 4 lety +1514

    Imagine walking pass a house and some shit falls on your head

  • @davidharris3728
    @davidharris3728 Před 3 lety +273

    I sometimes find myself daydreaming about living in another period of human history, but in reality, we as humans have never lived in a more comfortable, prosperous, or safe time. Videos like this really put into perspective how much we take for granted now-a-days.

    • @mackmulhall7595
      @mackmulhall7595 Před rokem +3

      we live in the worst time ever , over the last 100 years we have fought 2 world wars, committed mass genocide across the planet and have created the end of humanity and sparked undeniable mental illness crisis

    • @davidharris3728
      @davidharris3728 Před rokem +11

      @@mackmulhall7595 I'm talking about the 21st century my friend. The death rate due to violence is 1 per 100,000 deaths, making this by far the most peaceful century in human history.

    • @Nunyabiznez976
      @Nunyabiznez976 Před 4 měsíci

      Well stated 🤙🏼

  • @nekowaseigi8618
    @nekowaseigi8618 Před 3 lety +500

    "women didn't shave at the time"
    damn am I supposed to rn?

    • @thetillerwiller4696
      @thetillerwiller4696 Před 3 lety +48

      Right I hardly shave my underarms, I don’t even have my legs and stuff ever 😂 too much work for it to grow back

    • @ianmomanyi3266
      @ianmomanyi3266 Před 3 lety +21

      Yes! Shave

    • @bucketonfoot
      @bucketonfoot Před 3 lety +102

      @@ianmomanyi3266 or they could not. It’s a choice...

    • @Jack_Horner
      @Jack_Horner Před 3 lety +3

      @@bucketonfoot I think that was sarcasm...... 😕

    • @evagwennie
      @evagwennie Před 3 lety +27

      @@Jack_Horner i saw some of his other comments and i don’t think he’s joking lol

  • @flaviosaucedo4553
    @flaviosaucedo4553 Před 4 lety +1599

    Some people i work with still think they’re in a colonial Era 🤮🤢🤭

  • @BeckVMH
    @BeckVMH Před 4 lety +918

    I have always believed a hot shower is one of the life’s greatest luxuries. This video is just another illustration.

    • @rj9617
      @rj9617 Před 4 lety +33

      As an otr truck driver I can attest to the fact that a hot shower is indeed one of life's greatest luxuries.

    • @alexmercer5414
      @alexmercer5414 Před 4 lety +11

      Or a cold shower

    • @johnyurick8785
      @johnyurick8785 Před 4 lety +1

      Stevee Wonders ........fake news!!!!!!

    • @mussolinibikini1869
      @mussolinibikini1869 Před 4 lety +5

      Alex Mercer or a shower

    • @ebonimom6964
      @ebonimom6964 Před 4 lety +20

      Dude a hot shower is wonderful.... hell hot water in general! We just recent purchased a hot tub to put inside of one end of our gazebo. We put up a screen and hung a projector. So every night we literally sit in 100 degree bubbling water, drink wine and watch movies. We have only had it for 3 weeks so each time I'm out there, I feel like a queen and nobody can tell me anything different. We put in a nice outdoor couch, a nice rug, some lights and close all of the nets so no bugs come in... its absolutely amazing. Then come in the house and have a hot shower and straight to bed!! Literally the high point of my day!

  • @eligreg99
    @eligreg99 Před 3 lety +101

    The thing is they probably didn’t even realize they all stunk like that because all of their noses got use to that smell. Who’s to say in 100-200 years they think we are dirty and smell bad as well lol.

    • @johngriffith7226
      @johngriffith7226 Před 2 lety +16

      In the future they might think we all smelled like diesel, gasoline, fried catfish, coal smoke , exhaust fumes,McDonald's, asphalt, used motor oil and burnt plastic. I think they would be right

  • @JNeil1975
    @JNeil1975 Před 3 lety +106

    I've often said that I'd love to go back in time.....but after watching this video....I've changed my mind! haha

    • @victoriachapman5674
      @victoriachapman5674 Před 3 lety +4

      Me and you both

    • @newyorkusa9155
      @newyorkusa9155 Před 3 lety +1

      Facts bro lol

    • @RachelG1979
      @RachelG1979 Před 3 lety +4

      Have to be very specific in where you go. Rome during its peak would have been a decent hygiene place to be with their millions of gallons of fresh water coming into the city. Bath houses existed. Many other cons, of course, but for cleanliness its a pro.

  • @butterfIyy1
    @butterfIyy1 Před 4 lety +1125

    When someone has access to water and soap in 2020 and still don't take advantage of it is what I call a tragedy to humanity 😭

    • @jeancarlosartist
      @jeancarlosartist Před 4 lety +14

      Diana Theu would rather have access to nasty ass cologne that mutates with shit.

    • @ms.trashcan8187
      @ms.trashcan8187 Před 4 lety +20

      jean moreno *hint*hint middle school football and basketball player

    • @CosmicHarmony58
      @CosmicHarmony58 Před 4 lety +2

      Stfu and kiss me

    • @susanfurlong2002
      @susanfurlong2002 Před 4 lety +17

      Many people still do the......only water splash and no soap!! YUCK!😳

    • @chadbearden6997
      @chadbearden6997 Před 4 lety

      Diana hahahahaha

  • @jahsei7269
    @jahsei7269 Před 4 lety +1944

    Imagine walking up to Benjamin Franklin..and he stinks I’d be like “instead of discovering electricity you need to discover some soap”.

  • @raystaar
    @raystaar Před 3 lety +94

    Dear Voice Over Artist: You're the best announcer I've yet heard on CZcams. Your tone, while light and humorous, remains professional, never boorish or overly broad, even though the topics you cover could easily lead you down that road. While I'm at it, I'd also like to compliment Weird History on its scripts and production value. Both are excellent. It's not for nothing you have amassed over 2 million subscribers. Congratulations and keep up the good work.

  • @judyhansel8000
    @judyhansel8000 Před 3 lety +23

    The most startling thought? No birth control. Each of my grandmother's had 9 children. My farm grandma had no electricity,, indoor plumbing, central heat until late 1940's. Seven miles from town: no car til 1920.
    I found it a very peaceful place as a child living in a city.

  • @BW-uq7tw
    @BW-uq7tw Před 4 lety +2235

    Anti-Vaxxer: “The good old days.”

  • @shawnmichaelduncan5951
    @shawnmichaelduncan5951 Před 4 lety +572

    Just recently we had to have doctors going on television telling people how to wash their hands. In 2020.

    • @__jolynn__5120
      @__jolynn__5120 Před 3 lety +22

      Sad really 🤷‍♀️

    • @__jolynn__5120
      @__jolynn__5120 Před 3 lety

      @Richard Head oh my gosh that is discusting 😱😱😱 !! Best of luck with that, you might have to say something to them !! Have a blessed weekend 😇 !!

    • @Teewriter
      @Teewriter Před 3 lety +11

      They THOUGHT they had to tell people how to wash their hands.

    • @susanfurlong2002
      @susanfurlong2002 Před 3 lety +3

      @mustapha saeed Hahaha........ you are so right! Just like some people dress up and don't fucking use soap & shower!!!!

    • @jenniferbeathea7906
      @jenniferbeathea7906 Před 3 lety

      😣😕

  • @KR-xn8xr
    @KR-xn8xr Před 3 lety +6

    Our Standard of Living has literally improved by like 1 Billion times, another reason to be greatful to be alive today.

  • @Zanechr
    @Zanechr Před 4 lety +68

    1:07 Imma call it a "caca-rooch" from now on😂

  • @AbeFrancis
    @AbeFrancis Před 4 lety +1209

    would have been interesting to hear about how women of the time dealt with their periods, considering they’ve been a main part of 50% of the population’s hygiene routine...

    • @kellyalves756
      @kellyalves756 Před 4 lety +221

      Watch the Medieval video on hygiene- probably not much different. Women kept a pile of rags handy that they would wear and wash ( or burn, if they were too soiled). I’ve heard that sometimes they’d wrap the rags around moss or grass to make the rag bundle more absorbant. ( This is where we get the expression, Get Off The Rag.)
      I read in another book that 18th Century Western Civilization women swore by gin as an aid for cramps, but they insisted it was the medicinal qualities of the juniper berries that solved the problem, and not the high alcohol content of the medicine.😁
      In the book “ Alias Grace” ( set in the early 19th century) the protagonist talks about being given a red petticoat, meaning I guess that there was special underwear or even second layer garments laid aside specifically for menstrual use, as backup in case the rags shifted.

    • @AbeFrancis
      @AbeFrancis Před 4 lety +44

      Kelly Alves that was really helpful, thank you so much!

    • @ambermaloof7177
      @ambermaloof7177 Před 4 lety +67

      @@kellyalves756 juniper berries are actually known for helping with bloating and abdominal pain!! But I'm sure the alcohol didn't hurt at all 😜

    • @destineetwilight609
      @destineetwilight609 Před 4 lety +20

      This was clearly researched by a man

    • @kellyalves756
      @kellyalves756 Před 4 lety +25

      Destinee Twilight ... I’m assuming it was the same person who did the medieval hygiene video. There just weren’t a whole lot of significant innovations after that in the area of feminine hygiene until we hit the 19th century or so.

  • @Big_E_Soul_Fragment
    @Big_E_Soul_Fragment Před 4 lety +1226

    "Those who bathe are less likely to engage in other sins and less likely to be poor"
    brb gonna take _yet another_ bath

    • @themrdeadlift
      @themrdeadlift Před 4 lety +26

      Clearly they cant see what I'm doing when I'm bathing...

    • @dachimneysmokerc7621
      @dachimneysmokerc7621 Před 4 lety +14

      @@themrdeadlift doing a pee in the bath ?

    • @JohnGalt916
      @JohnGalt916 Před 4 lety +23

      I kinda get the over all point. Its not the bathing. Its the discipline to wake up early, wash, and work on a farm. Kinda like how Jordan Peterson tells young men "clean your room". Its not the act of cleansing the room. Its the discipline of it. So go take that bath booboo make that money.

    • @cameronmcphee8224
      @cameronmcphee8224 Před 4 lety +5

      @DAChimneySmoker c Yeah, you’ll be so clean then

    • @dachimneysmokerc7621
      @dachimneysmokerc7621 Před 4 lety +1

      @@cameronmcphee8224 it was meant sarcastically

  • @k.de.3838
    @k.de.3838 Před 3 lety +36

    Imagine having a dentist (back then) examining your mouth without latex gloves or without washing his hands first. 😳

    • @asnider3155
      @asnider3155 Před 2 lety +3

      I would be soooo much more worried about the lack of an anesthetic.

  • @miked848
    @miked848 Před 3 lety +7

    The weird history collection has reignited my interest in history. A safe place to re- learn the basics from my forgotten formal education. The videos prompt me to look a little deeper online. Keep up the good work!

  • @EzGrimzz
    @EzGrimzz Před 4 lety +847

    1000 years later : what hygiene was like in 2020

    • @jackbtingey
      @jackbtingey Před 4 lety +49

      Ryo not even a 1000 years. Really just 300

    • @Grasp54
      @Grasp54 Před 4 lety +224

      "Middle school boys often would dump entire canisters of Axe body spray instead of showering"

    • @missScarlatine
      @missScarlatine Před 4 lety +87

      They used toilet paper instead of the three shells we use today.

    • @spookyspider2820
      @spookyspider2820 Před 4 lety +25

      Trevor Lowe Beg to differ.

    • @Grasp54
      @Grasp54 Před 4 lety +2

      @@kevinsedwards who isn't funny?

  • @itskinaraaa
    @itskinaraaa Před 4 lety +490

    I *LEGIT* took a shower after this video; Had me itching the WHOLE TIME... ✌🏾😂💯🚿🛁🚿🛀🏾

  • @Natas_Nico08518
    @Natas_Nico08518 Před 3 lety +26

    Narrator: “Many died from Dysentery”
    Me: Duh, I played Oregon Trail. 🤭🤣

    • @cvj2003
      @cvj2003 Před 2 lety

      This comment should have way more likes 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

  • @CrazyUncleChris
    @CrazyUncleChris Před 3 lety +49

    "Would you have liked living in colonial times?" HE asks as I'm sitting on a toilet with a heated, nicely pressured bidet gently yet effectively showering the dookie off my bum with fresh, clean, hot water only to be followed by a lovely warm blow dryer before the automatic sanitizer system cleans the entire toilet and all the robotics...

    • @lewisaino
      @lewisaino Před 3 lety +1

      I like having soap and shampoo so no thxs.

    • @witr.7241
      @witr.7241 Před 3 lety +3

      Tell me you’re rich without telling me

    • @kelsey2333
      @kelsey2333 Před 3 lety +2

      @@witr.7241 lol

  • @aaaron4749
    @aaaron4749 Před 4 lety +1156

    Just imagine how bad it smelled... Our founding fathers were gross.

    • @Littlekidlover22
      @Littlekidlover22 Před 4 lety +14

      Aaron Laine I cannot imagine it

    • @8bennaboo
      @8bennaboo Před 4 lety +47

      Although if you lived ther,e likelyh you would not have noticed.

    • @karenbrown4524
      @karenbrown4524 Před 4 lety +7

      PU, for sure!

    • @waybogus
      @waybogus Před 4 lety +62

      If you lived in those times, you'd probably be a lot dirtier than them.

    • @garrettallen7427
      @garrettallen7427 Před 4 lety +8

      pastrychef2201 found the Catholic

  • @cmck17
    @cmck17 Před 4 lety +457

    You don’t need 12 minutes to say: “gross”.

    • @TheBleepings
      @TheBleepings Před 4 lety +9

      Lmao

    • @jeiyxx
      @jeiyxx Před 4 lety +2

      Dead😂

    • @globe255
      @globe255 Před 4 lety +4

      Colin McKinnon If you lived back then, you would most likely stink yourself.

    • @jos3ph.d
      @jos3ph.d Před 4 lety

      Globe255 Ikr

    • @Daniel-hc8rg
      @Daniel-hc8rg Před 4 lety +2

      @@globe255 he still does now

  • @TheNYCndn
    @TheNYCndn Před 3 lety +56

    Many of my people were killed due to Colonists poor hygiene.
    In my tribe daily bathing (fully immersed) even in winter was mandatory or you’d be physically punished. All that Euro technology yet no priority for hygiene. Not surprised.

    • @CuckHunt
      @CuckHunt Před rokem

      Done being a lying cretin?

  • @codyecherd8504
    @codyecherd8504 Před 3 lety +19

    Just think of no toilet paper, no bathing, no shaving, and the smell! Plus, everyone wore lots of clothing for days or weeks at a time.

  • @MellieMonroe
    @MellieMonroe Před 4 lety +1304

    I’ve always wondered how humans didn’t go extinct just thinking about how bad they smelled back in the day lol 😖
    I’m surprised they continued to pro create. I can’t even imagine what sex smelled like back then 🤢🤢

    • @gracytoyschultz4416
      @gracytoyschultz4416 Před 4 lety +251

      Probably like a dumpster on a 100 degree day.

    • @ahhwe-any7434
      @ahhwe-any7434 Před 4 lety +166

      They went down on each too 🤢😁 . 🤔🤷🏻‍♀️. They said in old English, you smell like ass.

    • @MellieMonroe
      @MellieMonroe Před 4 lety +186

      Ahhw E-Any omg 🤢🤢🤮 I can’t even begin the to imagine the smell like alone the TASTE!!!! 🤮

    • @MellieMonroe
      @MellieMonroe Před 4 lety +125

      Ahhw E-Any how the hell did the men keep an erection thru that??

    • @switchlite44
      @switchlite44 Před 4 lety +108

      Could you imagine eating a bitch out during those days especially off her period

  • @spacegoat4018
    @spacegoat4018 Před 4 lety +1289

    Alcohol or opium for toothaches sounds great.

    • @shebamaree9026
      @shebamaree9026 Před 4 lety +59

      The second is better

    • @nadacolic7775
      @nadacolic7775 Před 4 lety +7

      In my country we use rakija(schnapps, i think) for toothache

    • @aprilleerose
      @aprilleerose Před 4 lety +9

      Nada Colić it is a great way to relieve pain from toothaches, temporarily of course

    • @justapetrolhead9509
      @justapetrolhead9509 Před 4 lety +1

      @@nadacolic7775 balkan gang

    • @mats7492
      @mats7492 Před 4 lety +18

      chasing the dragon...

  • @GemmaJadeYT
    @GemmaJadeYT Před 4 lety +13

    Again I say... SO EXCITED TO HAVE STUMBLED ACROSS THIS CHANNEL!! I love history and this is just so incredibly interesting to me!! Thanks for the great content’b

  • @PandoraKyss
    @PandoraKyss Před 2 lety +8

    One of the things that left me shook was where the term 'rat's nest' supposedly originated from. Those tall, glorious hairstyles worn by women were usually fashioned using animal fat as a kind of hair gel and a grain based powder. Some of them were even decorated with real fruits, vegetables, and flowers. The hairstyles, usually a combination of the wearer's real hair and a kind of wig, would sometimes be worn for weeks. Lice was so common that tall, elegantly carved scratchers were used to penetrate into the inches of hair to scratch the scalp. Have any of you ever had a whiff of rancid cooking grease? Ain't even orange flower water in the world to cover that stench. Apparently, when the wig pieces were taken off and set aside, they'd attract mice and rats. I couldn't find any documentation of a woman actually finding a live animal in her hair, but it wouldn't surprise me.

  • @nijihime8342
    @nijihime8342 Před 4 lety +116

    **Shuts laptop off and gets up** "Excuse me, I have to go and take a shower now."

  • @bossmoeproduction9884
    @bossmoeproduction9884 Před 4 lety +1313

    Native Americans said they smelled so bad teeth was rotten

    • @TheAaronChand
      @TheAaronChand Před 4 lety +664

      Native Americans had way better hygiene than whites

    • @dmhibb
      @dmhibb Před 4 lety +62

      🤣🤣🤣 sounds about right.

    • @ogsupremelyvida
      @ogsupremelyvida Před 4 lety +60

      Aaron Chand LMFAOO but the offended ppl r gonna run in 😂😭

    • @prieltheprune1302
      @prieltheprune1302 Před 4 lety +96

      Aaron Chand and Africans lmao I heard that they said they smelled like raw or rotten chicken and I swear I’m not lying like wtf😂💀

    • @SOPHIA-wh6uq
      @SOPHIA-wh6uq Před 4 lety +2

      Aaron Chand be carful but ya know

  • @debboyea9567
    @debboyea9567 Před 2 lety

    I am so happy I clicked on this video...the commentary from James Ferris and all the rest are just amazing!!

  • @tobychew100
    @tobychew100 Před 3 lety +2

    I love this channel. I've always loved learning about history.

  • @veilentines
    @veilentines Před 4 lety +522

    Please do a video about what life was like for Latin American natives during the Spanish conquest!

    • @starlight.genesis
      @starlight.genesis Před 4 lety +64

      Funny enough, the natives (at least around the mexica) bathed regularly while the colonizers barely did.

    • @LedosKell
      @LedosKell Před 4 lety +41

      Natives here in the US did too. Plains Indians farther from rivers and lakes had a smoke bath ceremony too if I remember right. They thought the Europeans just didn't care about how they smelled. Though between the English and French, the French apparently smelled worse.

    • @lauraeblanco
      @lauraeblanco Před 4 lety +17

      Yeah, Portugal fucked up Brazil too. We were doing fine with being naked, taking multiple baths a day and having no body hair.

    • @xlReGaRdLeSslx
      @xlReGaRdLeSslx Před 4 lety +23

      @@starlight.genesis Europeans have always bathed and kept clean. Keep your anti white propaganda off of intellectual videos.

    • @waltlikker3988
      @waltlikker3988 Před 4 lety +16

      The conquistadors interrupted the social evisceration, bloodletting, and human sacrifice rituals.

  • @sayhello5377
    @sayhello5377 Před 4 lety +228

    Fun fact: did you know the saying “cleanliness is next to Godliness” is not from the Bible? People always assume it’s a Bible verse, but it isn’t. It is actually a philosophy from the Shakers of Kentucky in the 1800’s, so it came after Colonial America.

    • @marks6663
      @marks6663 Před 4 lety +16

      I would not assume that everyone assumed that. There is no reference anywhere in the bible to the word godliness. That is obviously a puritan expression.

    • @AnubisXII
      @AnubisXII Před 4 lety +6

      I was told that the phrase was a marketing stragety thought up by the early mass producers of body soap.

    • @beanj580
      @beanj580 Před 4 lety +3

      There are several scriptures that speak of taking care of your body physically.

    • @juliehart1934
      @juliehart1934 Před 4 lety +2

      More fun facts?

    • @Gapeaches77able
      @Gapeaches77able Před 4 lety +2

      Mark S There is. It’s all throughout the Bible.

  • @taraking5353
    @taraking5353 Před 3 lety +1

    After watching some of your videos, 2020 doesn't seem so bad. Thank you for the fresh perspective.

  • @abbym613
    @abbym613 Před 3 lety +4

    Recently subscribed to your channel and I'm loving the education and facts about things they never discussed in school!

  • @finalgeneration1462
    @finalgeneration1462 Před 4 lety +100

    However much I wish I lived in a different time , I have to appreciate the privileges of cleanliness we have nowadays

  • @charissecoal
    @charissecoal Před 4 lety +156

    There are people today that have colonial style hygiene habits 😷

  • @newyorkusa9155
    @newyorkusa9155 Před 3 lety +2

    Damn I'm blessed, living in usa , I'm soo spoiled, showers, food, clothing, not rich, but , normal, thank God, I appreciate everything. !, I'm grateful

  • @Zero2699ko
    @Zero2699ko Před 2 lety +1

    This channel has taught me more about history than school has ever done

  • @brittybrad
    @brittybrad Před 4 lety +459

    "women didn't shave" 😂😅 well damn if I'm still living in the past

    • @love4soapie
      @love4soapie Před 4 lety +22

      Shut up

    • @onespicysauce6599
      @onespicysauce6599 Před 4 lety +94

      Sophia Landskroner who hurt you

    • @love4soapie
      @love4soapie Před 4 lety +19

      Jake Paul LOL no one it’s just kind of offensive because women don’t have to shave

    • @brittybrad
      @brittybrad Před 4 lety +35

      @@love4soapie how's it offensive when a woman says it

    • @brittybrad
      @brittybrad Před 4 lety +10

      Alittle hair pie never killed anyone before

  • @ArceusMaster50
    @ArceusMaster50 Před 4 lety +208

    You should do a video what it was like for the American Indians before Columbus while he was in America and after

    • @ArceusMaster50
      @ArceusMaster50 Před 4 lety +33

      B M-Y I don’t care about political correctness I just want a video

    • @BeckVMH
      @BeckVMH Před 4 lety +3

      Mr Wolf ... Thank you sir for your insight and perspective.

    • @ryanchungus8972
      @ryanchungus8972 Před 4 lety +1

      @Mr Wolf holy fuck based

    • @arx754
      @arx754 Před 4 lety +1

      @Mr Wolf : Okay, but I would like to see the vote you got that enables you to speak for ALL Native Americans.....Shame on you for lumping all of them together.

    • @automnejoy5308
      @automnejoy5308 Před 4 lety +7

      @B M-Y It's funny that people think "Native American" is somehow more correct. "American" is a European term, after all. It's not like Native people were calling each other American. At least "Indian" evokes "indigenous" -- which is an accurate association. The only problem is that it can be confused with Indians from India, but that almost never happens because you know from context who you're talking about. At the end of the day the correct terms were what different tribes called themselves in their own languages.

  • @GemmaJadeYT
    @GemmaJadeYT Před 4 lety +5

    I’ve always wanted to live during the Renaissance era. Could you do something like “a day in the life of the renaissance teenager”?? Or “a day in the life of a Renaissance family”???? Omg when you started talking about teeth cleaning, when I saw that picture with the pick on the teeth I got chills all over my body. Lol “soap for complexion and toilet” giggle giggle 🤭

  • @captainwyattoutdoors1636

    This episode was fabulous...thanks!

  • @wolfiedabrony1802
    @wolfiedabrony1802 Před 4 lety +226

    I think I'm going to show this to my children when they decided to not want to take baths

  • @EricCVoice
    @EricCVoice Před 4 lety +154

    The hot showers would be greatly missed but the lack of toilet paper would be awful. Just look at what happened recently when we had a nationwide panic at the possible absence of TP! We now have 10 super rolls (1000 sheets, the King of TP rolls in 2020!)!

    • @thenarrator2424
      @thenarrator2424 Před 4 lety +38

      Toilet papers aren't the best solution, I would recommend installing a bidet to get the maximum cleaning and some toilets even come with drying the wet part as well after using the bidet.

    • @arrietty1619
      @arrietty1619 Před 4 lety +30

      not me, I could live without toilet paper. I just need soap and water to be able to clean and wash myself. We use bidets in Asia

    • @Mr3344555
      @Mr3344555 Před 4 lety +13

      Man you would not survive if the first thing you think about is TP. What about your meds, food, lifestyle?

    • @LoyaltyQueen
      @LoyaltyQueen Před 4 lety +6

      @@Trafficcoordinator or just wash your ass

    • @josehernandezmartinez8719
      @josehernandezmartinez8719 Před 4 lety +3

      @@arrietty1619 Indeed, people of culture...

  • @valeighh3800
    @valeighh3800 Před 2 lety +4

    sum ppl don’t realize how good we livin rn .. ‼️💯

  • @raymikado
    @raymikado Před 3 lety +1

    Hey, I originally came from a miserable region and an unfortunate country called Lebanon, I am a devoted Weird History subscriber and I follow ALL of your precious informative videos, I would very much appreciated if you collect some information about Lebanon and its capital Beirut. Thanks a million!

    • @sharingcaring800
      @sharingcaring800 Před 3 lety

      I'm so great full I live the 21st century and not in the 18th century.

  • @codq1329
    @codq1329 Před 4 lety +69

    When you have to sleep outside to get away from bugs you know you got a problem.

  • @thetayz72
    @thetayz72 Před 4 lety +197

    Spoiler: Hygiene is hard without good plumbing and convenient products.

    • @jeancarlosartist
      @jeancarlosartist Před 4 lety +5

      TheTayz ...The Nile.

    • @pollypurree1834
      @pollypurree1834 Před 4 lety +21

      Spoiler. Plumbing existed in Ancient Rome and has been around for centuries. What the tape fails to explain is the reason why colonials refused to bathe and never washed their hair except for attending a wedding. Back then, people thought that if water got into the ears, it might go into their brain and kill them. They never went swimming or bathing as a result. Water On The Brain is listed on many old death certificates as the medical reason for the death.

    • @estellaruiz3125
      @estellaruiz3125 Před 4 lety +4

      Hard by yourself but with an entire family working towards hygiene. Anything is possible.

    • @thetayz72
      @thetayz72 Před 4 lety +2

      Dang if only y'all were there, things would've been different for sure.

    • @reidgerholdt6968
      @reidgerholdt6968 Před 4 lety +1

      Polly Purree So did Sailors and Privateers just not care? Or was this a more obscure reasoning?

  • @Fush1234
    @Fush1234 Před 3 lety +1

    This is an excellent channel. One of the better ones

  • @feyhanemli1507
    @feyhanemli1507 Před 3 lety +1

    Enjoying the channel very much ty

  • @MichaelBarrJr
    @MichaelBarrJr Před 4 lety +69

    How about what hygene was like in Japan/india/china during various periods

  • @NinjaCrosley
    @NinjaCrosley Před 4 lety +77

    Could you imagine going to the dentist 200 years ago? It’s painful and uncomfortable even today

    • @btkganggang8883
      @btkganggang8883 Před 4 lety +1

      I think it would better to not even have your teeth. I’d get them all pulled back then

    • @Hannah-zw9ow
      @Hannah-zw9ow Před 3 lety +3

      If you’re regularly in pain at the dentist, you need a new dentist

  • @jesterfavoriteplay3199
    @jesterfavoriteplay3199 Před 3 lety +2

    I enjoyed learning a bit of this some I sorta learned through history and general curiosity

  • @lindanadeau8742
    @lindanadeau8742 Před 3 lety +1

    I love this channel!!! PLEASE.....keep it up

  • @hanbury22
    @hanbury22 Před 4 lety +62

    They should’ve been cleaning more than their hands and faces. I couldn’t have survived a day in colonial times

  • @charlesdavis1879
    @charlesdavis1879 Před 4 lety +58

    Dysentery was common because of bad hygiene. It's amazing we survived as humans.

  • @m.ccheddarbox874
    @m.ccheddarbox874 Před 3 lety +24

    I always find myself thinking about how bad ladies of the night must have smelled back than! Lolo random yes.

    • @kellydeal72
      @kellydeal72 Před 3 lety +1

      Whew!!!!!! Gross!!!!! I’m sure some people thought they were at the local fish market, but were really at a brothel. 🤮🤮🤮🤮

    • @Armistead_MacSkye
      @Armistead_MacSkye Před 2 lety

      @@kellydeal72 A 🐟, 🧀 and 💩 market.

    • @watchensee
      @watchensee Před 4 měsíci

      @@kellydeal72 Yeah and they got that way from men's stinky sardine smelling penises & semen.

  • @MarvinStoker
    @MarvinStoker Před 3 lety +1

    I just discovered this channel , very interesting , thanks

  • @brilianairlangga1408
    @brilianairlangga1408 Před 4 lety +164

    Do what life was like for mongolian people during mongolian empire era

    • @Jonathan-bu7iv
      @Jonathan-bu7iv Před 4 lety +7

      that's a cool one. Please do!

    • @Righteous1ist
      @Righteous1ist Před 4 lety +8

      Ikr we never hear about how they ruled and enjoyed their empire on all those lands.

    • @DrPlatypus1
      @DrPlatypus1 Před 4 lety +7

      They always knocking down city walls.

    • @jacrispy3275
      @jacrispy3275 Před 4 lety +3

      I know that crime under Mongolian rule was very low. Brutal assholes? Maybe. Knowing how to keep crime low? Yes. I don't know about actual quality of life, though... We know that they raped & murdered as they pleased, so there's that...

    • @shrapnellove2224
      @shrapnellove2224 Před 4 lety

      They lived the steppe life. They didn't choose the steppe life, the steppe life chose them.

  • @brandymoore7191
    @brandymoore7191 Před 4 lety +25

    I’m such a clean freak that I’d set myself on fire each night to kill all the germs. 😷

  • @gingermasse5271
    @gingermasse5271 Před rokem +1

    Love your channel so much! Have learned a lot while laughing a lot at the same time! God bless you always.

  • @barbaracollins1251
    @barbaracollins1251 Před 3 lety

    I really enjoy these videos. I learned a lot. Thanks keep them coming.

  • @markathompson
    @markathompson Před 4 lety +31

    Correction..... George Washington wore the teeth of his slaves --- "George Washington's false teeth were not wooden, as you may have heard. They were actually made from a variety of materials, including human teeth. According to the accounting record in Mount Vernon's Ledger Book B, the teeth may have been pulled from Washington's slaves"

  • @jojolover980
    @jojolover980 Před 4 lety +92

    Good hygiene goes a LONG way people. 🛁🧼🧽

    • @joyceblackmon1745
      @joyceblackmon1745 Před 4 lety +6

      NEVER!!! You can't make me wash!!!
      🚫💦 👎
      💩❤👍

    • @thelivingcactus9348
      @thelivingcactus9348 Před 4 lety +3

      Joyce Blackmon I hope you’re sarcastic

    • @stantorren4400
      @stantorren4400 Před 4 lety +2

      Joyce Blackmon no wonder your doctor thinks you deserve human experimentation

    • @dennis-qu7bs
      @dennis-qu7bs Před 4 lety +1

      Yeah, but foul body odour goes even further.

    • @joyceblackmon1745
      @joyceblackmon1745 Před 4 lety +1

      @@thelivingcactus9348 lol definitely sarcasm

  • @alexandermarquis6197
    @alexandermarquis6197 Před 3 lety +4

    I love this guys voice, and narrating

  • @Natalie-iz9sm
    @Natalie-iz9sm Před 2 lety +2

    I like this channel. I am always learning something new

  • @ashleyviso6070
    @ashleyviso6070 Před 4 lety +16

    "So that the whole thing was a bit of a *ahem* 𝕨𝕚𝕘𝕘𝕚𝕥𝕪 𝕨𝕒𝕔𝕜" I LOST IT🤣🤣

  • @drummattk
    @drummattk Před 4 lety +31

    Would be interesting to see a video about how restaurants ran back in the colonial period and/or around that time

    • @fraudbuster5232
      @fraudbuster5232 Před 4 lety +5

      That would lead to a follow up video of the birth of hepatitus A.

  • @colleengreen7829
    @colleengreen7829 Před 3 lety +1

    I enjoy listening to all the information

  • @LilKeezy
    @LilKeezy Před rokem

    Crazy that there are still people out there in the world that still live like this, I promise I will not take anything for granted again

  • @Fighterofthenightman_
    @Fighterofthenightman_ Před 4 lety +31

    Even more respect to all these people I couldn’t imagine living my entire life without the luxury of a hot shower or bath wow

  • @annasahlstrom6109
    @annasahlstrom6109 Před 4 lety +62

    I would have loved to have known the Founding Fathers and Mothers, but I'm glad to live in the time that I do. I couldn't imagine life without Purell and regular bathing.

    • @totallyfrozen
      @totallyfrozen Před 4 lety +3

      Anna C. Sahlstrom
      Plagues on one kind or another were rather common.

    • @miriambarnett2782
      @miriambarnett2782 Před 4 lety +2

      Or shaving!!

    • @Preservestlandry
      @Preservestlandry Před 3 lety +1

      They wouldn't care to meet you. Except to marry you for your inheritance.

  • @kidsspeak
    @kidsspeak Před 3 lety

    I love your channel! three videos in? I was hooked, and subscribed!

  • @scarhatfield8055
    @scarhatfield8055 Před 3 lety +5

    I really don't feel like complaining anymore. Damn we got it great.

  • @ronniebrown2517
    @ronniebrown2517 Před 4 lety +14

    i was born in 1951.....i spent a lot of summers with my mother's parents.....in 58 or 59 a huge festival was held as my grandparents put in a flush toilet, tub, sink INSIDE their house....family members built it all....my grandpa and i would arise and sit in the new indoor toilet which had a gas heater to warm up and get ready for the day.....was a joy to not have to walk to the outhouse which was several hundred feet from the house....get warm indoors, poop and pee indoors, flush indoors, wash face and brush teeth indoors....aahhh, life was good

  • @tjo1976
    @tjo1976 Před 4 lety +11

    6:29 Also powdered wigs became enormously popular for awhile (late 1600's-1700's) mainly because of a syphilis outbreak during a time when there were no antibiotics. Syphilis makes one lose their hair and also causes scalp sores so they used wigs to conceal it. A scented powder was added not only to keep the lice at bay but to try and mask the odor of the open sores. Gross!! Wigs were expensive so the bigger the wig you wore, the more well off you were. Thus the term "big wig".

  • @Christian_Girl120
    @Christian_Girl120 Před rokem +1

    I'm eternally grateful that I live with modern day hygiene and plumbing.

  • @rosemariecomtois2839
    @rosemariecomtois2839 Před 2 lety

    Learning about the past, makes me very grateful to be alive now.

  • @asynjurmidgard
    @asynjurmidgard Před 4 lety +20

    The more I learn from hygiene during these eras, the more I'm thankful for being born on XX century. Not that we are perfect, we are still learning to wash our hands properly 😏

  • @kersh122010
    @kersh122010 Před 4 lety +5

    I could listen to his voice all day long!

  • @MultiSciGeek
    @MultiSciGeek Před 2 lety +4

    Can you cover hygiene in other parts of the world too please? Like China, Arabia, India, Aztecs etc. Amazing series btw!

  • @btetschner
    @btetschner Před 25 dny

    A+ video!
    LOVE IT! What an eye-opening and thought-provoking history!

  • @hkbabel
    @hkbabel Před 4 lety +40

    For some reason using earwax to secure thread made me shudder, hard. Also, I wish shaving for women NEVER became common

    • @jacrispy3275
      @jacrispy3275 Před 4 lety +6

      Well, some guys don't like getting hairballs, Holly.

    • @hkbabel
      @hkbabel Před 4 lety +9

      @@jacrispy3275 Women either! One deals. I hate shaved balls :-) Plus, *trimmimg* areas that might encounter a tongue is just good manners :-)

    • @jacrispy3275
      @jacrispy3275 Před 4 lety +1

      @@hkbabel - I got ya, I was just assing around. Different strokes for different folks.

    • @hkbabel
      @hkbabel Před 4 lety

      @@jacrispy3275 Assing around - ha - now that's another good place for a trim :-)

    • @jacrispy3275
      @jacrispy3275 Před 4 lety +1

      @@hkbabel - yeah. Hairy ass is a bitch regardless of gender.

  • @AntiHydra747
    @AntiHydra747 Před 4 lety +39

    Love this guy's voice

    • @nicolebrown1927
      @nicolebrown1927 Před 4 lety

      I DO TOO. HE'S AWESOME.☺

    • @stephenwoodward8818
      @stephenwoodward8818 Před 4 lety +3

      He kind of sounds like Stephen Colbert

    • @automnejoy5308
      @automnejoy5308 Před 4 lety

      ​@@stephenwoodward8818 You're right, he does. He's got that same dry-humor -inflection thing going on.

  • @CALITO76
    @CALITO76 Před 3 lety +5

    Love you guys. I would love to know what shoe wear was like during these colonial times ? They didn’t have running shoes or sneakers and they had to walk all over the place especially in muddy swampy areas. I always wondered what shoes folks used during these times.can you do a episode please. Thanks. #weirdhistory. The best

  • @muhammadaliosman7841
    @muhammadaliosman7841 Před 3 lety +1

    Very Informative and interesting.

  • @annasherosky
    @annasherosky Před 4 lety +54

    So the situation with the soap back in ye old days.was kind of like the episode of SpongeBob where Mr. Krabs made his own soap out of his Burger Patties to save money

    • @jacrispy3275
      @jacrispy3275 Před 4 lety +7

      Or the one where Patrick & Spongebob both have war over cleanliness VS dirtiness.
      "Wash your hands!"
      *cannon fire*
      "NEVER!!!"

  • @acsentu8
    @acsentu8 Před 4 lety +4

    Finally! A channel whose narrator has a pleasant voice.

  • @laffytiffy4730
    @laffytiffy4730 Před 2 lety +1

    Love this channel

  • @yasminghani2073
    @yasminghani2073 Před 3 lety +1

    Very interesting information thank you