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[light buzzing]
[gentle music]

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- [Henry] Remember back when
saying a dirty word got you a

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good, clean punishment?

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[bleep]

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- I have never seen
him move as quickly

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as he did than when
he shoved a full bar

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of Irish Spring into my mouth,

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like putting a VHS
tape into the machine.

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It was just.

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[commentator gargling]

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- Or when drinking while
pregnant was your doctor's idea?

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- Doctors say that pregnant
women should have a half pint

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of beer every night.

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- It got to the point where
they would actually be handing

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out these beers to
women in the hospital.

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[bright music]

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- Or when a kid's balanced
breakfast required

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heaping piles of sugar?

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- Every day started with
a bowl of fruit loops

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and eight scoops of sugar.

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And my mom would be like,
"How's your breakfast?"

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And I'd be like, "Everything's
great over here, mom."

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- It was the golden
age for being a kid.

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Just sugar.

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Enjoy.

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- These are the things we
used to do for fun, for money,

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or maybe out of boredom
that we'll never see again.

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Were they dangerous?

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Certainly.

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Deadly?

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Occasionally.

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But boy, wasn't it exciting?

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[music ends]

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[logo swooshing]

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[gentle music]

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Every generation swears
their parenting style

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is the right one.

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Today, that means buying
sunscreen with an SPF higher

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than your credit score.

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But 100 years ago, parents were
given very different advice

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about kids and the sun.

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- At the beginning
of the 20th century,

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many children develop
something called Rickets,

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which is a bone disease
that stunts growth.

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It leaves them with
bent, wobbly legs.

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- Scientists and
doctors don't quite know

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what's causing Rickets,

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but kids in cities are
getting Rickets way more

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than kids in the country.

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Plus, once a kid gets Rickets,

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if they spend a lot
of time outside,

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they get better a lot faster.

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- They believe it's
because these kids

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that are in cities aren't
getting the same amount

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of sunlight exposure.

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So maybe sun is
the big difference.

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- [Lance] Physicians come up
with a cheap and easy solution.

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Put your baby in the sun.

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- [Rutledge] Today, parents
travel with everything to block

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the sun, but in the '20's, they
were just like, no.

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No, just get 'em out there
right out in the sun.

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- [Dan] Everybody's so worried
about the lack of sun for babies

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that the US government
dedicates an entire chapter

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to sunbathing your baby
in its official guide

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to infant care.

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- [Rutledge] Naked as the day
they were born,

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just out there soaking
up rays on everything.

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I can smell this kid's
skin burning from here.

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- [Lance] This manual is sent
out to new parents,

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and it's written by some

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of the government's
best physicians.

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It gives you a list of do's
and don'ts for sun care,

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and among the do's is to
start putting your baby

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out in the sun at the
age of just three weeks.

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- [Henry] Doctors even
suggest putting your baby

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outside midday when
the sun is hottest.

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Just be sure to
flip them halfway

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through their tanning
session, like a hamburger.

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- [Lance] Parents are told,
you'll know that it's working

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if your child
turns slightly red.

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Or in other words, if they're
still just a little pink,

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leave them in the
oven a little longer.

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- [Henry] Of course, sun
baths only work when it's sunny

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and your child is outside.

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So inventors have an idea.

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Why not bring the sun indoors?

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- A few years earlier, German
researchers had invented

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a new kind of lamp
that runs electricity

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through mercury vapors.

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It's brighter and more efficient
than traditional bulbs,

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but there's a catch.

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It gives off a huge amount
of ultraviolet radiation.

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- [Dan] That's when somebody
realizes, maybe instead

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of selling these as
lamps, we could sell them

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as artificial sunshine.

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And just like that, artificial
sun tanning was born.

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[gentle music]

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- [Rutledge] Doctors start
prescribing UV lamps for all

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sorts of stuff, acne, sunlamp.

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I've got a bad back, sun lamp.

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UV light feels like the future.

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It's something that's
really gonna help people.

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- [Dan] Parents routinely
send their kids

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for treatment at these
helio therapy wards.

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Helios is just Greek
for sun, so sun therapy.

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- [Rutledge] They basically just
load the kids into this room,

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where they turn on this
incredibly bright UV light,

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put some black goggles
over their eyes

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so it doesn't blind them, and
you just let your kids fry

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like french fries.

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You know, for their health.

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- It looks like an illegal
science experiment.

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It looks like something
that would not be happening

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in the United States of America.

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- [Dan] And you've got these
parents who genuinely believe

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that they're giving
their kids the best care

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they possibly can.

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- [Rutledge] Doctors even found

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a non-therapeutic
use for these lamps.

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At a hospital in Brooklyn,
they started taking newborns,

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and they would put
their name on them,

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and then use the UV light to
basically brand their name

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on the baby.

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In their defense, it
seemed like a great way

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to make sure there
wasn't these baby mixups.

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- [Henry] Before long, UV
therapy moves from the hospital

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to the home.

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- [Lance] By the 1930's, home UV
lamps are being marketed to

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parents as health
essentials for kids.

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Brush your teeth, comb your
hair, sit under your lamp.

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When an advertisement brags

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that a model can turn the
skin red in one minute,

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this is about one 12th
the time it would take you

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if you were sitting on the
beach in the middle of summer.

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- [Kavitha] Another one claims
to use a filter

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that removes the harmful
rays so that your kid can sit

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or sleep under it for
as long as they want.

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- [Henry] While these
lamps have a few bright spots,

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it turns out these modern
miracles can do more harm

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than good.

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- [Dan] These lamps are
way too powerful.

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10 seconds of over-exposure
could cause a serious burn

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with blistering and
permanent skin damage,

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not to mention upping the
odds of getting skin cancer

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in the long term.

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- [Kavitha] The bulbs themselves
are also a disaster waiting

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to happen.

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They burn incredibly
hot, up to 1300 degrees,

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and they contain
pressurized mercury vapor.

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- [Dan] If one overheats, it can
shatter, sending glass fragments

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and mercury flying
all over the room.

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[dramatic music]
[glass tinkling]

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Not ideal from a
safety perspective.

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- [Lance] Eventually, people
start to figure out

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it's not the sun
itself that is curing

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or preventing Rickets, it's
the vitamin D that is derived

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from being in the sun,
and so they come up

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with a much simpler solution.

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They just start fortifying
food with vitamin D.

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The strategy is so
effective that by 1945,

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Rickets is essentially
eliminated in the United States.

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- Rickets wasn't
the only disease

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that kept parents up at night.

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In the fight against
tuberculosis in the early 1900s,

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some parents literally
went out on a limb.

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- In tenements, in the earliest
part of the 20th century,

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people are living on
top of other people,

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and you have a
perfect environment

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for a deadly infection like
TB to spread and kill people.

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- Children are particularly
susceptible to tuberculosis,

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and so doctors begin to
advocate, get fresh air

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into these little lungs
as much as possible.

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- They say go in your
yard, or go on the porch,

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but if you live on
the fourth floor

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of a crowded city apartment or
tenement, that doesn't exist.

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- [Henry] So inventors come
up with a creative solution

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that gives kids fresh
air at high altitudes.

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- You can turn your window into
a balcony with a baby cage.

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- A baby cage.

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It's essentially this
wire mesh cube that sits

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outside your window,
hangs over the street,

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and the idea is, you throw your
baby in there with a blanket

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and some toys, and you say,
hey, enjoy getting fresh air

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for the next hour or two.

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- [Natalia] In the 1910s '20s,

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these health window
cribs are really popular.

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They're considered the
cutting edge of child safety.

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- [Negin] I have a kid in New
York City,

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and there are so
many protections

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so that the child does not
come anywhere near falling

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outside of a window.

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The idea that at the time
they would just be like,

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throw your kid on this
makeshift chicken coop,

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which is crazy. [chuckling]

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- [Henry] Surely there
must have been some rules

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and regulations
about this, right?

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- [Jason] Today, installing
anything,

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even like a simple air
conditioner, requires all sorts

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of special equipment,
regulations,

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00:09:04,979 --> 00:09:06,719
brackets, weight limits.

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100 years ago, completely
different story.

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There was really kind
of no regulations.

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- [Henry] So do
you spring for the top

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of the line baby cage model?

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Or go a different,
cheaper direction?

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- [Adam] If you bought a
pre-made baby cage,

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it would be the modern
equivalent of $600.

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People who live in tenements
can't possibly afford that,

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and they need the
baby cages the most.

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So they end up going
DIY, and they find a way

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to make their own baby cages.

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- [Jason] Crafting their own
baby cage with stuff they picked

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up at the hardware store.

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This is DIY
parenting 1915 style.

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- [Henry] A homemade cage
suspended dozens of feet

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in the air, held a loft
by only a few screws.

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What could go wrong?

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00:10:01,165 --> 00:10:04,690
- [Adam] If that toddler starts
playing and rolling around,

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well, that's putting more
stress and more strain,

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not on the cage itself,

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but on the things
that are holding it

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to the side of the building.

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So that window frame
breaks, that wood gives way,

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that wire warps or
bends, a screw pops,

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and down comes baby,
baby cage and all.

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- [Natalia] Believe it or not,
baby cages stick around

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until the 1950s, and the
reason that they go away is not

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because of safety concerns
about the cages themselves,

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but because the TB
vaccine shows up,

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so people have another
way to protect their kids.

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- Today, we still want
our kids to get fresh air,

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but it's mostly to get
them off the screens.

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And we also prefer to
keep them at ground level.

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- Today, car seats are a
billion dollar industry,

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and they're required until
your kids are almost old enough

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to drive.

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But back in the day,
we weren't concerned

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about keeping kids safe.

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We wanted to keep
them out of our hair.

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00:11:06,578 --> 00:11:07,883
- As a child, driving in the car

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00:11:07,884 --> 00:11:09,363
with your parents on a
road trip is something

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00:11:09,364 --> 00:11:10,886
that every family experiences,

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and in the 1930s, there
are big questions about

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what do you do with
the kids in the car?

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- [Rutledge] There's no safety
standards yet.

246
00:11:17,677 --> 00:11:21,375
So the basic seatbelt
was just a mom's arm.

247
00:11:21,376 --> 00:11:22,942
Just, okay, hold on.

248
00:11:22,943 --> 00:11:24,160
We're slowing down.

249
00:11:24,161 --> 00:11:25,727
[gentle music]

250
00:11:25,728 --> 00:11:26,685
- You wanted your kids
where you could see them,

251
00:11:26,686 --> 00:11:28,251
where you could keep them safe.

252
00:11:28,252 --> 00:11:31,907
For families with babies,
the answer was simple.

253
00:11:31,908 --> 00:11:34,954
You're upfront on mom's lap,
or wedged between mom and dad

254
00:11:34,955 --> 00:11:35,825
on the bench seat.

255
00:11:36,957 --> 00:11:38,479
- [Rutledge] Toddlers though are
a little bit tricky,

256
00:11:38,480 --> 00:11:40,829
because they're in
that space and time

257
00:11:40,830 --> 00:11:42,744
where they just wanna
to explore constantly.

258
00:11:42,745 --> 00:11:45,573
They're gonna get into
something all the time.

259
00:11:45,574 --> 00:11:49,577
- [Natalia] For a toddler, a car
is like a jungle gym on wheels,

260
00:11:49,578 --> 00:11:51,579
so they're gonna be
grabbing the steering wheel,

261
00:11:51,580 --> 00:11:53,537
probably grabbing that
cigarette lighter,

262
00:11:53,538 --> 00:11:58,325
just generally wreaking havoc
in a very high risk space.

263
00:11:58,326 --> 00:12:00,544
- [Henry] In the
1930s, a new product

264
00:12:00,545 --> 00:12:02,851
offers the ideal solution not

265
00:12:02,852 --> 00:12:04,984
to safely secure your
roaming toddlers,

266
00:12:04,985 --> 00:12:07,552
but to restrain them.

267
00:12:08,640 --> 00:12:10,903
- [Martin] In 1933, a company
called Bunny Bear

268
00:12:10,904 --> 00:12:14,210
introduces a child
restraint system.

269
00:12:14,211 --> 00:12:18,040
The first model is basically
a folding lawn chair

270
00:12:18,041 --> 00:12:20,434
with some straps to
hold the child into it.

271
00:12:20,435 --> 00:12:22,915
- [Natalia] Parents love this
because for the first time,

272
00:12:22,916 --> 00:12:26,266
kids are restrained just
like the ads promised.

273
00:12:26,267 --> 00:12:28,007
Some of these little
chairs actually come

274
00:12:28,008 --> 00:12:30,574
with a little steering
wheel so the kid can pretend

275
00:12:30,575 --> 00:12:31,880
like they're driving.

276
00:12:31,881 --> 00:12:34,013
It creates almost
like a game out of it.

277
00:12:34,014 --> 00:12:35,188
- [Martin] It even had a little
horn in the middle

278
00:12:35,189 --> 00:12:36,580
[horn honking]

279
00:12:36,581 --> 00:12:37,930
where you could beep,
beep and honk at traffic.

280
00:12:37,931 --> 00:12:39,409
It was a company's way
of figuring out how

281
00:12:39,410 --> 00:12:42,499
to make toddlers more annoying.

282
00:12:42,500 --> 00:12:44,414
- [Henry] Early car
seats are a delight

283
00:12:44,415 --> 00:12:49,464
for kids and parents until you
have to make a sudden stop.

284
00:12:50,117 --> 00:12:51,030
[tires screeching]

285
00:12:51,031 --> 00:12:52,422
- It's not latched into the car,

286
00:12:52,423 --> 00:12:55,077
there are no seat
belts to attach it to.

287
00:12:55,078 --> 00:12:57,993
In a screeching halt, the
kid will hit something.

288
00:12:57,994 --> 00:13:00,822
<i>- [Commercial Announcer]
What if this had been Nancy?</i>

289
00:13:00,823 --> 00:13:02,824
- [Martin] God forbid, you
should stop short at some point.

290
00:13:02,825 --> 00:13:05,261
Ah, but wait, you've got
your father's right arm

291
00:13:05,262 --> 00:13:06,176
to save the day.

292
00:13:07,656 --> 00:13:10,484
- [Don] By the 1940s, a new
model comes out with these

293
00:13:10,485 --> 00:13:12,486
clamps that hook
onto the seat back.

294
00:13:12,487 --> 00:13:16,142
- [Rutledge] It's basically a
small basket with two holes cut

295
00:13:16,143 --> 00:13:18,927
out for legs that's then
hooked to the seat.

296
00:13:18,928 --> 00:13:21,538
So if there's any
sort of impact like,

297
00:13:21,539 --> 00:13:23,453
that thing's just
gonna go flying.

298
00:13:23,454 --> 00:13:26,108
- [Henry] As time goes
by, some entrepreneurs think,

299
00:13:26,109 --> 00:13:30,373
"Hey, maybe we get rid of
the seat part all together."

300
00:13:30,374 --> 00:13:32,854
- [Natalia] In 1961, you get
the auto strap,

301
00:13:32,855 --> 00:13:35,117
and that's almost like
a harness leash thing

302
00:13:35,118 --> 00:13:38,991
that attaches the kid to the
seat, but they're not seated.

303
00:13:38,992 --> 00:13:40,514
They can just run around.

304
00:13:40,515 --> 00:13:42,124
It's just short enough that
they can't get in the way

305
00:13:42,125 --> 00:13:43,778
of the driver.

306
00:13:43,779 --> 00:13:46,781
- [Rutledge] Imagine you have a
tether ball set up

307
00:13:46,782 --> 00:13:48,348
in the backseat.

308
00:13:48,349 --> 00:13:51,873
of your car with like four foot
of rope, and just the ball.

309
00:13:51,874 --> 00:13:53,527
So if you hit something,

310
00:13:53,528 --> 00:13:56,095
it's still gonna bounce all
over the place. [chuckling]

311
00:13:56,096 --> 00:13:58,533
But you'll at least be
like, oh, there's Tommy.

312
00:13:59,664 --> 00:14:01,013
- [Austin] Then there's the baby
hammock,

313
00:14:01,014 --> 00:14:02,492
which is exactly
what it sounds like.

314
00:14:02,493 --> 00:14:06,888
A basket with a mesh
suspended from the car ceiling

315
00:14:06,889 --> 00:14:10,500
that will gently rock with
the automobile's motion.

316
00:14:10,501 --> 00:14:13,852
It'll also violently
bang the kid back

317
00:14:13,853 --> 00:14:16,333
and forth if there
is a sudden stop.

318
00:14:17,334 --> 00:14:19,553
- [Don] Finally, in 1971,

319
00:14:19,554 --> 00:14:22,556
the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration sets

320
00:14:22,557 --> 00:14:25,646
the first federal standards
for child restraints.

321
00:14:25,647 --> 00:14:29,041
Folding chairs and
ceiling hammocks are out.

322
00:14:29,042 --> 00:14:32,871
Hard plastic shells, seat
belts, anchoring car seats

323
00:14:32,872 --> 00:14:35,786
and harnesses within
car seats are in.

324
00:14:35,787 --> 00:14:37,397
- [Rutledge] In a real short
amount of time,

325
00:14:37,398 --> 00:14:41,227
we went from zero child
safety standards in a car,

326
00:14:41,228 --> 00:14:43,229
to now you gotta
replace a kid's seat

327
00:14:43,230 --> 00:14:44,970
like every three years.

328
00:14:44,971 --> 00:14:46,233
That's pretty wild.

329
00:14:47,538 --> 00:14:51,019
- Just when American cars
started to strap down the kids,

330
00:14:51,020 --> 00:14:55,546
another vehicle rolled in and
said, hey, what if we didn't?

331
00:14:57,026 --> 00:14:59,854
- [Don] When you picture the
ultimate 20th century

332
00:14:59,855 --> 00:15:01,377
family car,

333
00:15:01,378 --> 00:15:04,206
you probably picture a station
wagon, or maybe a minivan.

334
00:15:04,207 --> 00:15:07,427
But in the 1970s,
another type of car

335
00:15:07,428 --> 00:15:11,344
quietly becomes a favorite
with American parents.

336
00:15:11,345 --> 00:15:13,041
The pickup truck.

337
00:15:13,042 --> 00:15:16,436
- [Henry] From
1970 to 1978, sales

338
00:15:16,437 --> 00:15:18,612
of pickup trucks nearly double,

339
00:15:18,613 --> 00:15:22,268
and the pickup truck becomes
the hottest selling vehicle

340
00:15:22,269 --> 00:15:23,661
in America.

341
00:15:25,576 --> 00:15:28,143
- The problem with the pickup
truck as a family vehicle is

342
00:15:28,144 --> 00:15:31,103
that the cab only has space
for three people in the front,

343
00:15:31,104 --> 00:15:32,365
two adults and a kid maybe.

344
00:15:32,366 --> 00:15:34,497
So what are you gonna do
if you have a big family

345
00:15:34,498 --> 00:15:35,629
with multiple kids?

346
00:15:35,630 --> 00:15:37,239
[bright music]

347
00:15:37,240 --> 00:15:40,068
Fortunately, the pickup truck
has an entire other section

348
00:15:40,069 --> 00:15:43,420
that's even bigger than the
cab, and that is the bed.

349
00:15:44,639 --> 00:15:46,292
- Technically, that
truck bed is designed

350
00:15:46,293 --> 00:15:50,644
for hauling things like lumber
and gravel, but in the 1970s,

351
00:15:50,645 --> 00:15:52,472
there are virtually
no laws whatsoever

352
00:15:52,473 --> 00:15:55,518
about putting your kids in
the truck bed and taking off

353
00:15:55,519 --> 00:15:56,911
down the highway.

354
00:15:56,912 --> 00:15:58,478
- Being a kid,
riding in the back

355
00:15:58,479 --> 00:16:00,610
of the pickup truck
was a load of fun.

356
00:16:00,611 --> 00:16:02,308
Just think how fun it
is to just put your hand

357
00:16:02,309 --> 00:16:03,700
out the window
and feel the wind.

358
00:16:03,701 --> 00:16:07,008
Your whole body is
out of the cab now!

359
00:16:07,009 --> 00:16:09,968
- During these times, there
are child restraint laws,

360
00:16:09,969 --> 00:16:13,841
but they only apply to seats.

361
00:16:13,842 --> 00:16:16,713
And because there's no seats
in the back of pickup trucks,

362
00:16:16,714 --> 00:16:18,454
there's a loophole.

363
00:16:18,455 --> 00:16:19,674
You can ride back there.

364
00:16:21,154 --> 00:16:23,982
- [Henry] Soon the truck
bed becomes the mass transit

365
00:16:23,983 --> 00:16:25,461
of country living.

366
00:16:25,462 --> 00:16:27,507
- [Hakeem] Growing up in rural
America,

367
00:16:27,508 --> 00:16:29,161
I did a lot of truck bed riding.

368
00:16:29,162 --> 00:16:31,511
Every community had a
softball and baseball team.

369
00:16:31,512 --> 00:16:33,687
So how are you gonna move
a team worth of people?

370
00:16:33,688 --> 00:16:35,254
Everybody piled up in the
back of the pickup truck.

371
00:16:35,255 --> 00:16:37,691
And you know what was really
fun when everybody was

372
00:16:37,692 --> 00:16:38,953
in the back of the pickup truck?

373
00:16:38,954 --> 00:16:40,607
Driving crazy.

374
00:16:40,608 --> 00:16:42,523
And you were just held on, woo!

375
00:16:44,003 --> 00:16:47,657
- [Lance] We were just left in
the back of a pickup truck

376
00:16:47,658 --> 00:16:50,660
rolling down the highway when I
was three or four years old,

377
00:16:50,661 --> 00:16:52,488
nobody supervising us.

378
00:16:52,489 --> 00:16:55,013
- [Hakeem] At this time, drunk
driving wasn't thought of

379
00:16:55,014 --> 00:16:56,492
the way it is right now.

380
00:16:56,493 --> 00:16:58,494
You know what else was
often in the back with you?

381
00:16:58,495 --> 00:16:59,974
The cooler of beer.

382
00:16:59,975 --> 00:17:03,847
So it was not unusual to
pass your dad a cold beer

383
00:17:03,848 --> 00:17:05,153
from the back.

384
00:17:05,154 --> 00:17:07,764
- [Henry] And many
even turn their trucks

385
00:17:07,765 --> 00:17:09,245
into bucking broncos.

386
00:17:10,333 --> 00:17:11,812
- [Hakeem] There's a thing
that people used

387
00:17:11,813 --> 00:17:14,032
to do called tailgate surfing,
where they attach a rope

388
00:17:14,033 --> 00:17:16,556
to the cab, and they stand
back there in the bed

389
00:17:16,557 --> 00:17:18,732
of the truck kind
of surfing around.

390
00:17:18,733 --> 00:17:21,648
- While the person's driving,
you're being slung around,

391
00:17:21,649 --> 00:17:25,435
and you've got to hold on for
dear life, or get thrown over.

392
00:17:26,784 --> 00:17:28,350
- [Don] So here's the catch.

393
00:17:28,351 --> 00:17:31,614
These vehicles were designed
for cargo, not for people.

394
00:17:31,615 --> 00:17:35,357
One sudden swerve or a
bad pothole, a hard break,

395
00:17:35,358 --> 00:17:37,752
and those passengers
are sent airborne.

396
00:17:39,188 --> 00:17:43,104
- [Lance] As traffic and roads
get busier, in the 1970s and

397
00:17:43,105 --> 00:17:45,759
1980s, accidents involving
people in the truck bed start

398
00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:48,284
to get much more common,
especially among teenagers.

399
00:17:49,503 --> 00:17:52,896
- [Don] One of the worst
incidents is in 1979.

400
00:17:52,897 --> 00:17:56,900
A pickup carrying 12 teens,
eight in the back, is on its way

401
00:17:56,901 --> 00:18:00,034
to a party in Maryland
and gets into an accident.

402
00:18:00,035 --> 00:18:02,646
10 of those kids do not survive.

403
00:18:03,995 --> 00:18:05,344
- [Henry] Because
of these accidents,

404
00:18:05,345 --> 00:18:07,520
about half the states
placed restrictions

405
00:18:07,521 --> 00:18:12,134
on truck bed riding, and a
few ban it almost entirely.

406
00:18:13,396 --> 00:18:15,310
- [Don] On one hand, you
understand the safety

407
00:18:15,311 --> 00:18:17,051
requirements, but on the other
hand, the freedom and the

408
00:18:17,052 --> 00:18:19,053
feeling of danger
was part of it,

409
00:18:19,054 --> 00:18:21,883
and that exhilaration
was irreplaceable.

410
00:18:24,059 --> 00:18:27,496
- These days, if you wanna
feel the wind in your hair out

411
00:18:27,497 --> 00:18:29,804
on the road, you have
to roll down the window.

412
00:18:33,938 --> 00:18:35,504
- A lot of us know that
the most delicate phase

413
00:18:35,505 --> 00:18:38,551
of parenting happens
before a baby is born.

414
00:18:38,552 --> 00:18:42,772
But in the 1950s, doctors
had some relaxed ideas

415
00:18:42,773 --> 00:18:45,384
about what to do
during pregnancy.

416
00:18:45,385 --> 00:18:49,388
- [Austin] In the 1950s,
cigarette smoking isn't

417
00:18:49,389 --> 00:18:50,519
rebellious or even disgusting.

418
00:18:50,520 --> 00:18:52,869
It's classy, it's refined.

419
00:18:52,870 --> 00:18:55,611
Nearly half of
American adults smoke,

420
00:18:55,612 --> 00:18:59,137
and cigarettes are
endorsed in magazine ads

421
00:18:59,138 --> 00:19:02,531
and on television
by actual doctors.

422
00:19:02,532 --> 00:19:04,054
- Stress, you feeling stressed?

423
00:19:04,055 --> 00:19:05,055
have a cigarette.

424
00:19:05,056 --> 00:19:06,144
Weight gain?

425
00:19:06,145 --> 00:19:07,754
Have a cigarette,
you'll eat less.

426
00:19:07,755 --> 00:19:08,885
You're feeling anxiety?

427
00:19:08,886 --> 00:19:10,322
Have a cigarette.

428
00:19:10,323 --> 00:19:14,283
- And that advice extends
to pregnant women.

429
00:19:15,763 --> 00:19:18,895
If you wanna avoid cravings,
if you're a little bit anxious

430
00:19:18,896 --> 00:19:21,682
about what's growing inside
you, just have a cigarette!

431
00:19:22,987 --> 00:19:24,814
- Pregnancy leads to
hormonal changes, which leads

432
00:19:24,815 --> 00:19:26,686
to weird food cravings.

433
00:19:26,687 --> 00:19:30,168
And doctors were like,
dude, have a cigarette.

434
00:19:30,169 --> 00:19:31,908
Nicotine is an
appetite suppressant,

435
00:19:31,909 --> 00:19:34,389
and doctors were
basically prescribing

436
00:19:34,390 --> 00:19:38,088
their pregnant patients to
light up, you know? [chuckling]

437
00:19:38,089 --> 00:19:39,655
Just suppress that appetite.

438
00:19:39,656 --> 00:19:41,570
They were just like,
it's undignified

439
00:19:41,571 --> 00:19:44,399
to gain so much
weight in pregnancy.

440
00:19:44,400 --> 00:19:46,314
- [Edward] In 1966, "Williams
Obstetrics",

441
00:19:46,315 --> 00:19:47,881
the leading textbook

442
00:19:47,882 --> 00:19:51,537
for OBGYN doctors says
that it's okay for a woman

443
00:19:51,538 --> 00:19:55,280
to smoke up to 10 cigarettes
a day, which is half a pack.

444
00:19:55,281 --> 00:19:58,631
- At this point, 10 cigarettes
per day was seen as,

445
00:19:58,632 --> 00:20:02,635
quote, innocuous for
a pregnant woman.

446
00:20:02,636 --> 00:20:06,465
Just to see it in print,
is like a different level

447
00:20:06,466 --> 00:20:08,118
of reality.

448
00:20:08,119 --> 00:20:10,686
- [Martin] I know for a fact
that my mother smoked while

449
00:20:10,687 --> 00:20:13,472
pregnant with me, and in fact,
I was told stories of

450
00:20:13,473 --> 00:20:16,301
how my mother was pumping
gas pregnant with me

451
00:20:16,302 --> 00:20:18,172
while smoking a cigarette.

452
00:20:18,173 --> 00:20:20,435
- [Rutledge] Not only do doctors
condone smoking,

453
00:20:20,436 --> 00:20:22,916
but also when they're taking
the cart around the hospital

454
00:20:22,917 --> 00:20:25,397
with the snacks, and
the sandwiches where,

455
00:20:25,398 --> 00:20:27,050
there's also packs of
cigarettes on there

456
00:20:27,051 --> 00:20:28,138
if you wanna buy some.

457
00:20:28,139 --> 00:20:30,706
Just light up in the hospital.

458
00:20:30,707 --> 00:20:32,012
[bright music]

459
00:20:32,013 --> 00:20:33,492
- [Henry] Only a few
years later, doctors

460
00:20:33,493 --> 00:20:36,887
and hospitals changed
their tune on lighting up.

461
00:20:37,975 --> 00:20:41,064
- [Martin] By the 1970s, the
research is undeniable.

462
00:20:41,065 --> 00:20:44,416
The harmful effects of tobacco
smoke cross the placenta

463
00:20:44,417 --> 00:20:46,156
and affect the child.

464
00:20:46,157 --> 00:20:49,290
- [Austin] Babies of smokers
face higher risks

465
00:20:49,291 --> 00:20:50,857
across the board.

466
00:20:50,858 --> 00:20:55,863
So by the 1980s, US law requires
a Surgeon General's warning

467
00:20:57,125 --> 00:20:59,474
against the dangers of
smoking while pregnant.

468
00:20:59,475 --> 00:21:02,477
- We're not smoking cigarettes
now when we're giving birth,

469
00:21:02,478 --> 00:21:05,350
we're not even
eating soft cheeses.

470
00:21:05,351 --> 00:21:09,092
That's how much the medical
establishment has changed

471
00:21:09,093 --> 00:21:11,051
on this issue.

472
00:21:11,052 --> 00:21:14,228
- Smoking wasn't the only advice
doctors gave pregnant women

473
00:21:14,229 --> 00:21:16,317
that would raise eyebrows today.

474
00:21:16,318 --> 00:21:20,016
They also had a few other ideas.

475
00:21:20,017 --> 00:21:22,715
- [Kavitha] As hard as pregnancy
is today, it's especially

476
00:21:22,716 --> 00:21:24,238
grueling in the early 1900s.

477
00:21:24,239 --> 00:21:26,022
It's a time when medical options

478
00:21:26,023 --> 00:21:28,329
and nutritional supplements
are pretty limited.

479
00:21:28,330 --> 00:21:30,810
- [Lance] Doctors start to look
for a nutritional supplement

480
00:21:30,811 --> 00:21:34,466
for pregnant women, and they
find it from a strange source.

481
00:21:34,467 --> 00:21:35,467
Beer.

482
00:21:35,468 --> 00:21:37,556
Especially dark beer.

483
00:21:37,557 --> 00:21:39,514
- [Edward] Dark beer is a
particular favorite,

484
00:21:39,515 --> 00:21:41,516
because it actually
has things like iron,

485
00:21:41,517 --> 00:21:43,170
and also it's made
with a lot of barley.

486
00:21:43,171 --> 00:21:46,086
So there is nutritional value
that comes out of dark beer,

487
00:21:46,087 --> 00:21:49,089
leading people to actually
refer to beer as liquid bread.

488
00:21:49,090 --> 00:21:50,351
I mean, that's a bit
of an exaggeration,

489
00:21:50,352 --> 00:21:51,961
but only by a little bit.

490
00:21:51,962 --> 00:21:55,269
- Doctors say that pregnant
women should have a half pint

491
00:21:55,270 --> 00:21:56,879
of beer every night.

492
00:21:56,880 --> 00:21:59,404
- [Brian] It got to the point
where they would actually be

493
00:21:59,405 --> 00:22:03,234
handing out these half beers to
women in the hospital.

494
00:22:04,627 --> 00:22:06,759
I'm just saying if I was a
woman, I might make the argument

495
00:22:06,760 --> 00:22:09,892
to get off my back, and let
me have the half a beer.

496
00:22:09,893 --> 00:22:13,592
- [Natalia] It's unreal, Beer
Garden as labor ward.

497
00:22:13,593 --> 00:22:14,897
- [Henry] And once
the baby is born,

498
00:22:14,898 --> 00:22:18,118
it's not a last call for beer.

499
00:22:18,119 --> 00:22:20,860
Doctors deem it
even more essential.

500
00:22:20,861 --> 00:22:23,471
- [Natalia] Barley is considered
to boost milk production for

501
00:22:23,472 --> 00:22:25,125
moms who are breastfeeding.

502
00:22:25,126 --> 00:22:27,257
So after birth, mothers are
recommended to keep drinking

503
00:22:27,258 --> 00:22:28,650
to keep the milk flowing.

504
00:22:28,651 --> 00:22:31,305
The beer industry really
leans into this idea

505
00:22:31,306 --> 00:22:32,959
that beer is healthy.

506
00:22:32,960 --> 00:22:36,397
They're advertising mothers
and babies posing with beer,

507
00:22:36,398 --> 00:22:37,703
drinking it.

508
00:22:37,704 --> 00:22:39,357
- [Lance] The ad I remember
suggests that,

509
00:22:39,358 --> 00:22:42,098
if you've got a mother who's
breastfeeding, keep a case

510
00:22:42,099 --> 00:22:45,058
of Blatz around the house
to help bring in the milk.

511
00:22:45,059 --> 00:22:48,104
So Blatz for your...

512
00:22:48,105 --> 00:22:49,932
For your new mother. [chuckling]

513
00:22:49,933 --> 00:22:52,587
- [Henry] And beer makers
decide, if beer is good

514
00:22:52,588 --> 00:22:56,722
for nursing mothers, it
must be great for kids.

515
00:22:56,723 --> 00:22:59,420
- [Brian] Now you follow that
chain of logic of beer

516
00:22:59,421 --> 00:23:00,987
being healthy.

517
00:23:00,988 --> 00:23:05,339
to let's give the children these
newborn children some beer.

518
00:23:05,340 --> 00:23:07,776
Again, it's got all the
healthy ingredients in it.

519
00:23:07,777 --> 00:23:09,387
And there's a little
bonus on it too.

520
00:23:09,388 --> 00:23:11,519
It's like the kids
would fall dead asleep.

521
00:23:11,520 --> 00:23:13,478
Now we call that passing out.

522
00:23:13,479 --> 00:23:15,915
- [Henry] Dark beer remains
on the menu for mothers

523
00:23:15,916 --> 00:23:18,831
and children into the 1960s,

524
00:23:18,832 --> 00:23:21,922
but eventually,
studies kill the buzz.

525
00:23:22,836 --> 00:23:24,532
- [Natalia] By the 1970s, it's
confirmed

526
00:23:24,533 --> 00:23:26,969
that alcohol actually
does cross the placenta,

527
00:23:26,970 --> 00:23:29,102
and it affects the brain
development of children.

528
00:23:29,103 --> 00:23:30,973
So those days are over.

529
00:23:30,974 --> 00:23:32,714
- [Kavitha] In 1981, the Surgeon
General

530
00:23:32,715 --> 00:23:35,500
officially advises pregnant
women not to drink,

531
00:23:35,501 --> 00:23:36,805
and then in 1989,

532
00:23:36,806 --> 00:23:38,981
alcoholic beverages must
carry a warning label

533
00:23:38,982 --> 00:23:40,679
for pregnancy risk.

534
00:23:40,680 --> 00:23:44,204
- Thank goodness today,
hospitals no longer serve beer

535
00:23:44,205 --> 00:23:48,469
to new moms, but dad can
still get his pint at the bar

536
00:23:48,470 --> 00:23:49,166
across the street.

537
00:23:53,301 --> 00:23:55,258
- Parents today
obsess over everything

538
00:23:55,259 --> 00:23:58,218
that their kids eat, from
sweets to processed foods.

539
00:23:58,219 --> 00:24:00,133
But there was a
time when a spoonful

540
00:24:00,134 --> 00:24:03,310
of sugar helped the
medicine go down.

541
00:24:03,311 --> 00:24:05,007
And 10 spoonfuls?

542
00:24:05,008 --> 00:24:08,054
Well, that was just the
way you started your day.

543
00:24:08,055 --> 00:24:09,751
[crowd cheering]

544
00:24:09,752 --> 00:24:13,407
- After World War II, Americans
become obsessed with energy,

545
00:24:13,408 --> 00:24:15,104
and there's this
widely held belief

546
00:24:15,105 --> 00:24:17,193
that breakfast is the most
important meal of the day.

547
00:24:17,194 --> 00:24:19,413
That's where you get
your energy from.

548
00:24:19,414 --> 00:24:23,025
But busy mornings, suburban
commutes, school buses, all

549
00:24:23,026 --> 00:24:26,159
of this means it has gotten
harder and harder for parents

550
00:24:26,160 --> 00:24:29,249
to give their kids the
breakfast they need.

551
00:24:29,250 --> 00:24:32,165
- [Brian] And scientists come up
with this brilliant solution,

552
00:24:32,166 --> 00:24:33,906
and the government
fully endorses it.

553
00:24:33,907 --> 00:24:36,604
Let's give these kids sugar.

554
00:24:36,605 --> 00:24:37,997
[bright music]

555
00:24:37,998 --> 00:24:39,215
<i>- [Commercial Announcer]
Sugar helped in war.</i>

556
00:24:39,216 --> 00:24:42,349
<i>Sugar now plays
its part in peace.</i>

557
00:24:42,350 --> 00:24:44,220
<i>Keep sharing it.</i>

558
00:24:44,221 --> 00:24:46,396
- If sugar can bring strength
and energy to soldiers

559
00:24:46,397 --> 00:24:48,921
in the battlefield,
it must be good enough

560
00:24:48,922 --> 00:24:50,400
for growing children.

561
00:24:50,401 --> 00:24:53,708
And that is where breakfast
cereal companies come in.

562
00:24:53,709 --> 00:24:55,623
<i>- [Narrator] Sugar Crisps tumble
through sugar and honey,</i>

563
00:24:55,624 --> 00:24:58,408
<i>and comes up tasting
like 101 sweet buns.</i>

564
00:24:58,409 --> 00:24:59,888
<i>Sugar Crisp!</i>

565
00:24:59,889 --> 00:25:02,238
- [Jason] By the 1950s, some of
these cereals have more

566
00:25:02,239 --> 00:25:03,805
than 50% sugar by weight.

567
00:25:03,806 --> 00:25:06,852
They've got names like
Sugar Smacks, Sugar Pops,

568
00:25:06,853 --> 00:25:10,116
Sugar Crisp, and they've got
mascots like the Sugar Bear.

569
00:25:10,117 --> 00:25:12,379
Sugar is not something
they're trying to hide,

570
00:25:12,380 --> 00:25:14,250
it is the selling point.

571
00:25:14,251 --> 00:25:15,817
[dramatic music]

572
00:25:15,818 --> 00:25:17,863
- Big industry is suddenly
putting information out saying

573
00:25:17,864 --> 00:25:19,429
that sugar is good for you.

574
00:25:19,430 --> 00:25:24,174
Slogans like, "Sugar puts the
muscle power in sweetness."

575
00:25:25,262 --> 00:25:26,959
Another ad says
"How to breakfast?

576
00:25:26,960 --> 00:25:29,179
Sugar's got what it takes."

577
00:25:30,659 --> 00:25:33,313
- Every day of my life started
with a bowl of Fruit Loops

578
00:25:33,314 --> 00:25:35,707
and eight scoops of sugar.

579
00:25:35,708 --> 00:25:37,926
And my mom in the
kitchen would be like,

580
00:25:37,927 --> 00:25:39,493
"How's your breakfast?"

581
00:25:39,494 --> 00:25:41,060
And I'd be like, "Everything's
great over here, mom."

582
00:25:41,061 --> 00:25:42,583
[charming music]

583
00:25:42,584 --> 00:25:43,889
- [Jason] The sugar train
doesn't even stop

584
00:25:43,890 --> 00:25:45,499
with breakfast.

585
00:25:45,500 --> 00:25:47,588
For lunch, send your kid to
school with a marshmallow fluff

586
00:25:47,589 --> 00:25:50,069
and peanut butter sandwich,
and when he gets home

587
00:25:50,070 --> 00:25:52,985
from dinner, serve him up
some meat glazed with sugar

588
00:25:52,986 --> 00:25:55,901
with a side of jello salad
with whipped cream dolloped

589
00:25:55,902 --> 00:25:57,556
right on top.

590
00:25:59,079 --> 00:26:02,211
- [Henry] By the time many
1950s kids leave for school,

591
00:26:02,212 --> 00:26:05,824
they've already consumed what
today would be an entire day's

592
00:26:05,825 --> 00:26:07,390
worth of sugar.

593
00:26:07,391 --> 00:26:12,308
But that decades long sugar
rush soon comes crashing down.

594
00:26:12,309 --> 00:26:13,875
- [Martin] By the '80s and '90s,

595
00:26:13,876 --> 00:26:15,703
there's an across the board
recognition for the fact

596
00:26:15,704 --> 00:26:18,750
that sugar provides energy,
but it sticks around.

597
00:26:18,751 --> 00:26:20,447
It sticks around in the
system and causes lots

598
00:26:20,448 --> 00:26:23,102
of bad things like
obesity and diabetes.

599
00:26:23,103 --> 00:26:26,627
- [Adam] So people need to cut
back sugar, and advertising

600
00:26:26,628 --> 00:26:29,804
and marketing companies
want to reign in sugar

601
00:26:29,805 --> 00:26:31,545
when it comes to branding.

602
00:26:31,546 --> 00:26:35,593
So sugar Smacks
become Honey Smacks,

603
00:26:35,594 --> 00:26:39,293
Sugar Crisp becomes
Golden Crisp.

604
00:26:40,686 --> 00:26:42,338
- Divorced of the knowledge
that it's bad for you,

605
00:26:42,339 --> 00:26:45,864
it was the golden age for a kid.

606
00:26:45,865 --> 00:26:48,519
Just sugar, enjoy.

607
00:26:49,825 --> 00:26:51,696
- Back in the '50s,
parents poured on the sugar

608
00:26:51,697 --> 00:26:53,001
at every meal.

609
00:26:53,002 --> 00:26:55,917
By the 1970s, they were
pouring something else

610
00:26:55,918 --> 00:26:59,618
for their teenagers, and then
handing them the car keys.

611
00:27:00,967 --> 00:27:04,143
- [Rutledge] In 1971, after
years of protest, the voting age

612
00:27:04,144 --> 00:27:07,668
drops from 21 to 18, and that
was really based around the idea

613
00:27:07,669 --> 00:27:10,410
of Vietnam, that if
you're old enough to die

614
00:27:10,411 --> 00:27:13,239
for this country, you ought
to be old enough to vote.

615
00:27:13,240 --> 00:27:14,588
But then that posed
the question,

616
00:27:14,589 --> 00:27:15,851
well, if you're
old enough to vote,

617
00:27:16,722 --> 00:27:19,332
shouldn't you
be old enough to drink?

618
00:27:19,333 --> 00:27:21,334
- [Austin] And a lot of states
agreed.

619
00:27:21,335 --> 00:27:26,296
By 1973, 16 states lower
the drinking age to 18.

620
00:27:27,863 --> 00:27:31,213
In many states for the first
time since before Prohibition,

621
00:27:31,214 --> 00:27:34,042
a teenager can get
a drink at a bar.

622
00:27:34,043 --> 00:27:37,960
- [Henry] And here's the
twist, a lot of parents approve.

623
00:27:39,614 --> 00:27:41,702
- [Brian] Largely these
parents were on board.

624
00:27:41,703 --> 00:27:43,399
We know where they are,
they're down at the pub,

625
00:27:43,400 --> 00:27:44,749
they're safe.

626
00:27:44,750 --> 00:27:46,839
This was just the American
attitude back then.

627
00:27:48,101 --> 00:27:49,928
- [Rutledge] So for business
owners, this is pretty great.

628
00:27:49,929 --> 00:27:53,583
I mean, they just have to sort
of rethink the mind of an 18

629
00:27:53,584 --> 00:27:56,195
to a 20-year-old, and
really cater to that,

630
00:27:56,196 --> 00:27:58,284
and that's where
the idea comes from.

631
00:27:58,285 --> 00:28:01,287
Maybe we should
design teen bars.

632
00:28:01,288 --> 00:28:05,247
- [Hakeem] So the decor and the
layout of the bars start to

633
00:28:05,248 --> 00:28:06,901
favor what kids like.

634
00:28:06,902 --> 00:28:10,339
They add pinball machines, they
gamify the drinking process.

635
00:28:10,340 --> 00:28:14,256
Where you drink 10 long
necks, you're now in the club.

636
00:28:14,257 --> 00:28:16,650
- [Rutledge] In Minnesota, a
place called the Beaver Pond

637
00:28:16,651 --> 00:28:18,696
says, "Oh, you know what
these teens really need?

638
00:28:18,697 --> 00:28:20,480
a beer first thing
in the morning."

639
00:28:20,481 --> 00:28:22,961
So they do breakfast beers.

640
00:28:22,962 --> 00:28:27,095
- [Brian] We may poo poo the
idea of drunk 18 year olds

641
00:28:27,096 --> 00:28:28,488
running around
today, but back then,

642
00:28:28,489 --> 00:28:29,968
even the colleges
were all for it.

643
00:28:29,969 --> 00:28:34,537
They opened up bars on campus
to make money selling it

644
00:28:34,538 --> 00:28:36,322
to their own students.

645
00:28:36,323 --> 00:28:38,628
- [Rutledge] The staff at the
University of Montana decided

646
00:28:38,629 --> 00:28:43,634
to do a keg party, and they
said $5 unlimited beer.

647
00:28:44,635 --> 00:28:48,987
And they raised $400,000
for the library.

648
00:28:48,988 --> 00:28:50,379
It's pretty genius!

649
00:28:50,380 --> 00:28:52,686
That's a ton of beer.

650
00:28:52,687 --> 00:28:55,471
- [Henry] Parents,
educators and local businesses

651
00:28:55,472 --> 00:28:58,953
all raise a glass to
the legal teenagers.

652
00:28:58,954 --> 00:29:02,435
But younger drinkers
come with consequences.

653
00:29:02,436 --> 00:29:03,741
- [Hakeem] I was once 18,

654
00:29:03,742 --> 00:29:05,830
and one thing I know is that

655
00:29:05,831 --> 00:29:08,746
when you're an 18-year-old
dude, you're dumb as hell.

656
00:29:08,747 --> 00:29:11,836
Your priorities are
not in the right place.

657
00:29:11,837 --> 00:29:15,665
- [Rutledge] In this era, there
are a ton of bar fights.

658
00:29:15,666 --> 00:29:17,667
There's just mayhem
in the streets.

659
00:29:17,668 --> 00:29:21,193
In fact, one weekend
at the Jersey shore,

660
00:29:21,194 --> 00:29:25,851
100 kids were arrested
for drunken shenanigans.

661
00:29:27,287 --> 00:29:29,897
- [Austin] Drunk driving arrests
soar nationwide.

662
00:29:29,898 --> 00:29:34,423
In just Michigan alone,
DUI rates double from when

663
00:29:34,424 --> 00:29:36,643
before the drinking
age was lowered.

664
00:29:36,644 --> 00:29:40,081
And by 1984, President
Ronald Reagan says he will

665
00:29:40,082 --> 00:29:43,563
withhold federal highway
funding to any state

666
00:29:43,564 --> 00:29:47,175
that does not revert to
a 21 plus drinking age.

667
00:29:47,176 --> 00:29:50,178
- The teen bars that were
serving alcohol start

668
00:29:50,179 --> 00:29:53,312
to disappear, the
highways become safer,

669
00:29:53,313 --> 00:29:55,967
and these hooligans
are reigned in.

670
00:29:55,968 --> 00:29:59,100
- [Brian] I remember people
still complaining about the fact

671
00:29:59,101 --> 00:30:01,624
that they were able to
legally drink at one point,

672
00:30:01,625 --> 00:30:02,974
and then it got
taken away from them.

673
00:30:02,975 --> 00:30:05,063
And then I started
feeling ripped off

674
00:30:05,064 --> 00:30:07,326
that I wasn't gonna be
able to drink at 18,

675
00:30:07,327 --> 00:30:09,284
even though I was only 10.

676
00:30:09,285 --> 00:30:13,333
- Legal teenage drinking,
let's just say it aged quickly.

677
00:30:17,467 --> 00:30:18,728
- Parenthood comes with
some beautiful memories,

678
00:30:18,729 --> 00:30:21,035
but the pain of childbirth,

679
00:30:21,036 --> 00:30:24,212
that's one memory moms
would like to forget.

680
00:30:24,213 --> 00:30:27,912
Well, in the early 1900s,
doctors came up with a way

681
00:30:27,913 --> 00:30:31,654
for women to give birth
without remembering any of it.

682
00:30:31,655 --> 00:30:33,787
The memory loss was intentional.

683
00:30:33,788 --> 00:30:36,225
The consequences were not.

684
00:30:37,748 --> 00:30:41,534
- [Natalia] Throughout history,
childbirth is this incredibly

685
00:30:41,535 --> 00:30:43,275
painful and gross experience.

686
00:30:43,276 --> 00:30:46,365
[baby crying]

687
00:30:46,366 --> 00:30:49,934
So in 1906, two German
doctors decide it doesn't have

688
00:30:49,935 --> 00:30:51,500
to be this way.

689
00:30:51,501 --> 00:30:55,244
They want to take the pain
and horror out of childbirth.

690
00:30:56,811 --> 00:30:58,986
- [Lance] They come up with what
they see to be a

691
00:30:58,987 --> 00:30:59,769
miracle solution.

692
00:30:59,770 --> 00:31:01,336
A cocktail, a mix of drugs

693
00:31:01,337 --> 00:31:04,339
that can make labor
virtually painless.

694
00:31:04,340 --> 00:31:07,647
- [Natalia] The way this works
is that when a mother is

695
00:31:07,648 --> 00:31:10,259
unconscious, her body can still
work to push out the baby.

696
00:31:11,478 --> 00:31:13,480
- [Henry] Doctors call
it twilight sleep.

697
00:31:14,960 --> 00:31:17,265
- [Negin] Put yourself in the
shoes of these people in the

698
00:31:17,266 --> 00:31:21,574
1910s, and doctors are saying
there's this safe way

699
00:31:21,575 --> 00:31:24,707
of giving birth, and
it's without pain.

700
00:31:24,708 --> 00:31:26,709
You get a couple of injections,

701
00:31:26,710 --> 00:31:28,320
you kind of like fall asleep,

702
00:31:28,321 --> 00:31:30,626
you wake up to a beautiful baby,

703
00:31:30,627 --> 00:31:34,239
and there's no memory of the
stuff that happened in between.

704
00:31:34,240 --> 00:31:36,938
it sounds like a spa day!

705
00:31:38,026 --> 00:31:40,462
- [Lance] The press were calling
it a wonder, a new hope,

706
00:31:40,463 --> 00:31:42,812
a new era for motherhood.

707
00:31:42,813 --> 00:31:44,292
And the parents love it.

708
00:31:44,293 --> 00:31:46,033
- [Henry] But
what actually makes

709
00:31:46,034 --> 00:31:47,906
this twilight sleep possible?

710
00:31:49,516 --> 00:31:53,911
- So they use this cocktail
of morphine and scopolamine.

711
00:31:53,912 --> 00:31:57,740
Morphine helps with the pain,
and scopolamine is capable

712
00:31:57,741 --> 00:32:00,743
of putting people in a
state to where it's almost

713
00:32:00,744 --> 00:32:03,964
like the lights are
on but nobody's home.

714
00:32:03,965 --> 00:32:06,575
It also impairs memory as well.

715
00:32:06,576 --> 00:32:09,448
- One doctor describes it
as uncoupling the brain

716
00:32:09,449 --> 00:32:11,406
from the spinal cord.

717
00:32:11,407 --> 00:32:12,973
- [Henry] But for
many young mothers,

718
00:32:12,974 --> 00:32:17,673
choosing twilight sleep may
turn out to be a nightmare.

719
00:32:17,674 --> 00:32:21,590
- [J Mack] Too much scopolamine
causes temporary insanity.

720
00:32:21,591 --> 00:32:24,419
You reach this state to
where you're hallucinating,

721
00:32:24,420 --> 00:32:26,247
you're seeing things around
you, you're moving around,

722
00:32:26,248 --> 00:32:29,424
you're trying to grab
things in midair.

723
00:32:29,425 --> 00:32:32,819
- [Natalia] The result is that
some patients get really

724
00:32:32,820 --> 00:32:35,256
violent, they start to fight the
staff, they thrash around,

725
00:32:35,257 --> 00:32:37,041
they try to run away.

726
00:32:37,042 --> 00:32:39,304
- [Henry] And the
doctors show restraint,

727
00:32:39,305 --> 00:32:41,915
but not the kind you want.

728
00:32:41,916 --> 00:32:43,177
- [J Mack] Before they end up

729
00:32:43,178 --> 00:32:45,353
administering these
different drugs,

730
00:32:45,354 --> 00:32:49,488
they blindfold the women,
they put them in these sleeves

731
00:32:49,489 --> 00:32:51,620
that wrap around to
the back of the body.

732
00:32:51,621 --> 00:32:53,535
I mean, it's a straight jacket.

733
00:32:53,536 --> 00:32:56,625
- The beds where women lie for
this have these raised sides,

734
00:32:56,626 --> 00:32:58,627
and they're knotted
shut with sheets.

735
00:32:58,628 --> 00:33:01,282
Really looks like some sort of
restraining device you'd find

736
00:33:01,283 --> 00:33:03,545
in an insane asylum at the time.

737
00:33:03,546 --> 00:33:06,244
- [Lance] There are even cases
where a woman gives birth

738
00:33:06,245 --> 00:33:09,725
and everything seems fine,
and then a few days later,

739
00:33:09,726 --> 00:33:11,989
they lose their minds.

740
00:33:11,990 --> 00:33:14,600
This is painless
childbirth every time.

741
00:33:14,601 --> 00:33:16,515
It's a roll of the die.

742
00:33:16,516 --> 00:33:18,430
- [Henry] Despite
the obvious risks,

743
00:33:18,431 --> 00:33:22,521
twilight births stick
around well into the 1960s,

744
00:33:22,522 --> 00:33:26,003
when a big push for
natural birth takes over.

745
00:33:26,004 --> 00:33:28,005
- [J Mack] And nowadays,
we have epidurals,

746
00:33:28,006 --> 00:33:31,486
which is arguably the best
combination of pain relief,

747
00:33:31,487 --> 00:33:34,272
plus keeping mother
alert, and aware,

748
00:33:34,273 --> 00:33:35,490
and able to help

749
00:33:35,491 --> 00:33:36,884
remember that experience.

750
00:33:38,929 --> 00:33:40,582
- Having a baby is one thing.

751
00:33:40,583 --> 00:33:43,411
Getting it to sleep we
all know is another.

752
00:33:43,412 --> 00:33:45,196
Well, in the 1950s,

753
00:33:45,197 --> 00:33:48,416
one famous doctor claimed
he had the answer,

754
00:33:48,417 --> 00:33:51,899
and it wasn't so
much how, but where.

755
00:33:53,379 --> 00:33:56,946
- [Don] In 1957, Dr. Benjamin
Spock, the most famous

756
00:33:56,947 --> 00:34:00,733
pediatrician and parenting
expert in America, tells parents

757
00:34:00,734 --> 00:34:03,823
not to waste their money on a
beautiful bassinet lined

758
00:34:03,824 --> 00:34:05,303
with silk.

759
00:34:05,304 --> 00:34:07,392
- [Edward] Dr. Spock is all
about keep it simple.

760
00:34:07,393 --> 00:34:09,220
All these fancy thing,
you don't need that.

761
00:34:09,221 --> 00:34:10,699
Babies don't care.

762
00:34:10,700 --> 00:34:14,007
Babies want, you know, a
secure space in which to sleep.

763
00:34:14,008 --> 00:34:16,444
Anything can be rigged
up to be a decent,

764
00:34:16,445 --> 00:34:18,621
perfectly fine place
for a child to sleep.

765
00:34:20,188 --> 00:34:22,320
- [Henry] Need a place
for your infant to sleep?

766
00:34:22,321 --> 00:34:27,369
How about a grocery box, a
crate or a dresser drawer?

767
00:34:28,849 --> 00:34:30,589
- Postwar America is full of
wooden crates and milk boxes,

768
00:34:30,590 --> 00:34:33,592
so people are using
these to make baby beds.

769
00:34:33,593 --> 00:34:35,594
- [Brian] Most people's
furniture are fairly sturdy.

770
00:34:35,595 --> 00:34:37,944
It's a box, you line it
with some towels and stuff,

771
00:34:37,945 --> 00:34:39,206
you put your kid there.

772
00:34:39,207 --> 00:34:41,208
That's essentially
what a crib is anyway.

773
00:34:41,209 --> 00:34:42,818
- [Kavitha] It's not just Dr.
Spock.

774
00:34:42,819 --> 00:34:45,908
Federal infant care guides
at the time also say

775
00:34:45,909 --> 00:34:48,868
that a baby would be just
fine in a clothes basket

776
00:34:48,869 --> 00:34:50,349
or a wooden box.

777
00:34:51,567 --> 00:34:53,525
- [Jason] If you're crafty, the
US Children's Bureau

778
00:34:53,526 --> 00:34:56,963
actually recommends a DIY
project called the chair cot.

779
00:34:56,964 --> 00:35:00,271
You push two chairs together,
and forms a little platform,

780
00:35:00,272 --> 00:35:02,142
and then you wrap
that thing in a sheet,

781
00:35:02,143 --> 00:35:05,145
you secure that sheet
with 10 safety pins,

782
00:35:05,146 --> 00:35:07,104
and then all of a sudden you've
got your little chair cot.

783
00:35:07,105 --> 00:35:08,583
It's easy.

784
00:35:08,584 --> 00:35:11,934
- [Henry] One hospital
even takes babies in drawers

785
00:35:11,935 --> 00:35:13,632
to the Space Age.

786
00:35:13,633 --> 00:35:16,635
- [Don] Kaiser Permanente
Hospital in California even

787
00:35:16,636 --> 00:35:21,728
installs permanent slide out
metal drawers next to mom's bed.

788
00:35:22,859 --> 00:35:25,470
It's like a baby filing
cabinet with easy access

789
00:35:25,471 --> 00:35:26,862
for feeding.

790
00:35:26,863 --> 00:35:29,474
- [Henry] The Kaiser
Hospital reached the height

791
00:35:29,475 --> 00:35:31,867
of baby in drawer technology.

792
00:35:31,868 --> 00:35:34,522
But once babies leave
the hospital, it's back

793
00:35:34,523 --> 00:35:37,222
to the milk crate
or dresser drawer.

794
00:35:38,788 --> 00:35:40,920
- [Brian] Look, will it work?
Yes.

795
00:35:40,921 --> 00:35:43,923
Will it probably be okay? Yes.

796
00:35:43,924 --> 00:35:46,186
Doesn't mean it's a great idea.

797
00:35:46,187 --> 00:35:49,320
- [Kavitha] By the 1970s,
research shows that safe baby

798
00:35:49,321 --> 00:35:52,671
sleep requires unobstructed
airflow at all times,

799
00:35:52,672 --> 00:35:54,586
and a dresser drawer
doesn't deliver that,

800
00:35:54,587 --> 00:35:56,936
because they're lined,
and they trap heat

801
00:35:56,937 --> 00:35:58,764
and carbon dioxide.

802
00:35:58,765 --> 00:36:00,679
- [Jason] Dresser drawers are
particularly risky.

803
00:36:00,680 --> 00:36:02,159
There are actually anecdotes

804
00:36:02,160 --> 00:36:03,899
of frazzled parents
shutting the dresser drawer

805
00:36:03,900 --> 00:36:06,075
with their child inside,
and them not realizing it,

806
00:36:06,076 --> 00:36:09,035
only becoming aware when
the baby starts crying.

807
00:36:09,036 --> 00:36:10,776
Pretty terrifying actually.

808
00:36:10,777 --> 00:36:12,081
[pensive music]

809
00:36:12,082 --> 00:36:14,519
- [Don] In 1973, pediatricians
begin pushing

810
00:36:14,520 --> 00:36:18,131
for dedicated cribs with
slats and ventilation.

811
00:36:18,132 --> 00:36:20,264
Mass production makes
them affordable,

812
00:36:20,265 --> 00:36:23,703
and DIY baby beds
quietly disappear.

813
00:36:24,965 --> 00:36:28,010
- These days, cribs come
with breathable materials.

814
00:36:28,011 --> 00:36:29,490
Are they safer?

815
00:36:29,491 --> 00:36:30,883
Absolutely.

816
00:36:30,884 --> 00:36:33,320
But you gotta admit a
bit more complicated

817
00:36:33,321 --> 00:36:34,714
than just opening a drawer.

818
00:36:38,848 --> 00:36:40,675
- Back in the day, parents
were pretty relaxed

819
00:36:40,676 --> 00:36:43,330
about seat belts and
sugar, you name it.

820
00:36:43,331 --> 00:36:46,768
But bad language, that's
where they drew the line.

821
00:36:46,769 --> 00:36:50,859
It led to one of childhood's
most iconic punishments.

822
00:36:50,860 --> 00:36:52,948
Effective? Maybe.

823
00:36:52,949 --> 00:36:54,689
Dangerous? Definitely.

824
00:36:54,690 --> 00:36:56,909
[charming music]

825
00:36:56,910 --> 00:37:00,739
- [Hakeem] In the 1950s,
cleanliness is all the rage.

826
00:37:00,740 --> 00:37:05,222
Clean houses, clean lawns,
clean cars, clean reputations.

827
00:37:05,223 --> 00:37:07,441
- [Don] This is the
golden age of soap.

828
00:37:07,442 --> 00:37:11,445
TV is crammed with
sparkling bath commercials.

829
00:37:11,446 --> 00:37:13,099
<i>- [Commercial Announcer]
No soap cleans so clean</i>

830
00:37:13,100 --> 00:37:15,449
<i>as Vel Beauty Bar.</i>

831
00:37:15,450 --> 00:37:19,236
- [Jason] Soap companies sponsor
entire TV shows, giving rise

832
00:37:19,237 --> 00:37:20,976
to the soap opera.

833
00:37:20,977 --> 00:37:22,935
Soap Companies are
pushing this idea

834
00:37:22,936 --> 00:37:25,067
that soap isn't just
about cleanliness,

835
00:37:25,068 --> 00:37:27,374
it's about moral character.

836
00:37:27,375 --> 00:37:29,942
- Cleanliness is
close to Godliness,

837
00:37:29,943 --> 00:37:32,162
is close to Americanness.

838
00:37:33,033 --> 00:37:35,339
- If a child uses profanity,

839
00:37:35,340 --> 00:37:37,776
it's a negative
reflection on the family,

840
00:37:37,777 --> 00:37:41,301
and there is no greater
sin in the 1950s

841
00:37:41,302 --> 00:37:43,260
than making your
family look bad.

842
00:37:43,261 --> 00:37:45,479
- [Hakeem] So if a child were
to drop a swear word,

843
00:37:45,480 --> 00:37:48,917
parents reach for something
to clean out their mouth,

844
00:37:48,918 --> 00:37:51,094
and that was a bar of soap.

845
00:37:52,618 --> 00:37:55,184
- [Martin] For a child, this is
a great humiliation,

846
00:37:55,185 --> 00:37:57,317
because you have soap
shoved in your mouth,

847
00:37:57,318 --> 00:38:00,320
which is an unpleasant
thing to experience.

848
00:38:00,321 --> 00:38:02,757
And then even after the soap
is removed from your mouth,

849
00:38:02,758 --> 00:38:04,237
soap is stuck in your teeth,

850
00:38:04,238 --> 00:38:05,630
and so it doesn't
go away immediately,

851
00:38:05,631 --> 00:38:08,110
and you get that gross,
soapy taste in your mouth.

852
00:38:08,111 --> 00:38:09,764
It lasts for a few hours,

853
00:38:09,765 --> 00:38:12,114
and you're left with the
longing sensation of,

854
00:38:12,115 --> 00:38:13,725
I wish I had not used that word,

855
00:38:13,726 --> 00:38:16,554
at least not in
front of the parents.

856
00:38:16,555 --> 00:38:19,818
- My dad was an athlete, a
black belt in Judo, whatever.

857
00:38:19,819 --> 00:38:22,560
I have never seen
him move as swiftly

858
00:38:22,561 --> 00:38:27,391
or as quickly as he did than
when he shoved a full bar

859
00:38:27,392 --> 00:38:31,569
of Irish Spring into my
mouth, like putting a VHS tape

860
00:38:31,570 --> 00:38:32,744
into the machine.

861
00:38:32,745 --> 00:38:35,529
It was just. [gargling]

862
00:38:35,530 --> 00:38:37,575
I mean, I guess I gotta be
grateful it wasn't Brillow

863
00:38:37,576 --> 00:38:39,359
or Easy Off.

864
00:38:39,360 --> 00:38:41,709
- [Jason] This punishment is
everywhere in pop culture.

865
00:38:41,710 --> 00:38:43,972
It's mentioned in
"Leave It to Beaver",

866
00:38:43,973 --> 00:38:45,800
it's referenced in
"The Brady Bunch",

867
00:38:45,801 --> 00:38:47,280
in "A Christmas Story",

868
00:38:47,281 --> 00:38:49,935
the lead character actually
becomes a connoisseur

869
00:38:49,936 --> 00:38:51,850
of the different soap bars.

870
00:38:51,851 --> 00:38:54,592
Topps, the baseball card
company, actually comes out

871
00:38:54,593 --> 00:38:58,030
with a soap parody of Jergens
called Jerkens, which is

872
00:38:58,031 --> 00:39:00,599
for cleaning up dirty words.

873
00:39:02,165 --> 00:39:04,079
- [Adam] It doesn't just happen
on TV, and it doesn't just

874
00:39:04,080 --> 00:39:05,864
happen at the home, it
happens at schools.

875
00:39:05,865 --> 00:39:07,648
There's several cases

876
00:39:07,649 --> 00:39:10,999
of teachers washing
students' mouths

877
00:39:11,000 --> 00:39:13,872
out with soap at school.

878
00:39:13,873 --> 00:39:17,658
Apparently in one case, the
word was as benign as "jackass".

879
00:39:17,659 --> 00:39:20,792
- [Jason] School Boards say that
the teachers did nothing wrong,

880
00:39:20,793 --> 00:39:24,056
mouth washing isn't illegal,
and this is an important part

881
00:39:24,057 --> 00:39:26,058
of the teacher's
disciplinarian kit.

882
00:39:26,059 --> 00:39:29,627
Teachers at other schools
all agree with the decision.

883
00:39:29,628 --> 00:39:33,152
- If you did that today, oh
my God, you would get hauled

884
00:39:33,153 --> 00:39:36,416
before a jury, 'cause that
would, I think, be recognized

885
00:39:36,417 --> 00:39:38,462
as abusive to a child today.

886
00:39:38,463 --> 00:39:41,900
Back then, this was an
everyday punishment meted out

887
00:39:41,901 --> 00:39:43,815
at home and at school.

888
00:39:43,816 --> 00:39:45,730
- [Don] Parents underestimate
these products,

889
00:39:45,731 --> 00:39:48,733
because there are no warning
labels on the packaging.

890
00:39:48,734 --> 00:39:50,299
I mean, why would you need one?

891
00:39:50,300 --> 00:39:54,347
No one's supposed to eat
soap, except in this era.

892
00:39:54,348 --> 00:39:56,436
- Today, most bath
soaps, hand soaps,

893
00:39:56,437 --> 00:39:59,134
and even dish soaps
that we use are designed

894
00:39:59,135 --> 00:40:02,137
to be non-irritating, and the
way they accomplish this is

895
00:40:02,138 --> 00:40:04,096
by making them pH balanced.

896
00:40:04,097 --> 00:40:07,099
The soap's pH matches
that of the human skin.

897
00:40:07,100 --> 00:40:09,754
But that wasn't always the case.

898
00:40:09,755 --> 00:40:13,192
- [Don] Post-war soaps are
industrial strength grime

899
00:40:13,193 --> 00:40:16,935
fighters with high pH designed
to strip grease off dishes,

900
00:40:16,936 --> 00:40:18,719
and oil off hands.

901
00:40:18,720 --> 00:40:20,591
- [Hakeem] That soap is
actually dissolving

902
00:40:20,592 --> 00:40:21,766
the protective tissues

903
00:40:21,767 --> 00:40:23,289
in their mouth and
digestive tract.

904
00:40:23,290 --> 00:40:24,856
So if you swallow a little bit,

905
00:40:24,857 --> 00:40:26,945
there could be
vomiting and diarrhea.

906
00:40:26,946 --> 00:40:28,337
It's not just a bad taste.

907
00:40:28,338 --> 00:40:30,862
Chemical reactions
are going to occur,

908
00:40:30,863 --> 00:40:33,168
and they're going
to be aggressive.

909
00:40:33,169 --> 00:40:35,780
- [Martin] I was taken to see my
grandmother at one point,

910
00:40:35,781 --> 00:40:37,303
during which I used some word.

911
00:40:37,304 --> 00:40:39,174
I don't know what word I
used, but it was bad enough

912
00:40:39,175 --> 00:40:42,351
for her to drag me to the
kitchen, and she put dish soap

913
00:40:42,352 --> 00:40:43,657
in my mouth.

914
00:40:43,658 --> 00:40:45,006
And so I ended up
swallowing some of it,

915
00:40:45,007 --> 00:40:47,139
which made me sick for
the rest of the night.

916
00:40:47,140 --> 00:40:48,923
- [Adam] By 1961, there had
been so many cases

917
00:40:48,924 --> 00:40:50,969
of children ingesting
cleaning products,

918
00:40:50,970 --> 00:40:52,971
that they have actually created

919
00:40:52,972 --> 00:40:55,887
a National Poison
Prevention Week.

920
00:40:55,888 --> 00:41:00,893
There are poison consumption
hotlines that parents can call.

921
00:41:01,371 --> 00:41:03,634
- [Hakeem] And it doesn't take a
leap of imagination to realize

922
00:41:03,635 --> 00:41:05,636
that if you shouldn't
be drinking Windex,

923
00:41:05,637 --> 00:41:06,811
you probably shouldn't
be sticking a bar

924
00:41:06,812 --> 00:41:08,900
of soap in your kids' mouth.

925
00:41:08,901 --> 00:41:11,729
- [Jason] School districts
now ban mouth washing.

926
00:41:11,730 --> 00:41:14,514
So groundings replace glycerin,

927
00:41:14,515 --> 00:41:17,865
and the bar of soap quietly
returns to the sink.

928
00:41:17,866 --> 00:41:18,910
[gentle music]

929
00:41:18,911 --> 00:41:20,477
- [Adam] But this happened to
me.

930
00:41:20,478 --> 00:41:23,131
This happened to a lot of people
I know, and it didn't work.

931
00:41:23,132 --> 00:41:25,612
And if anything,
I curse too much.

932
00:41:25,613 --> 00:41:29,050
- As we look back at how
parents used to raise us,

933
00:41:29,051 --> 00:41:33,185
whether leaving us out in the
sun, stuffing us in drawers,

934
00:41:33,186 --> 00:41:36,710
or letting us bounce around in
the back of the pickup truck,

935
00:41:36,711 --> 00:41:39,583
what didn't hurt us,
made us stronger.

936
00:41:39,584 --> 00:41:43,543
And that's why our hazardous
history is one for the ages.

937
00:41:43,544 --> 00:41:46,504
[dramatic music]