When the Discovery of Insulin Changed Lives
In a Toronto hospital ward in 1922, a group of children lays comatose and nearing the end of their lives from diabetic ketoacidosis. With their families already believing them terminal, in walked a group of scientists – including the famous duo of Banting and Best, who just that past summer had been working on an insulin extract. They began to inject the children, and as they moved from bed to bed, each child gradually emerged from their coma!
The scientists had spent the summer working on extracting insulin from pig and cow pancreas for the treatment of diabetes. Just try and imagine the parents’ reactions in that hospital room.
Mom and Son Celebrate Pride in 1985
Back in 1985, the mom in this photo had nothing but unconditional love – and some excellent homemade T-shirts – for her son on their way to an LGBTQ+ Pride walk. Pride parades and walks began small with community support in 1970, a response to the Stonewall incident of 1969, when police raided a gay bar on Christopher Street, NYC. Fast forward to the Pride parade of 2016 in New York City, which saw 2.5 million attendees!
This awesome mom and son duo with a sense of humor turn history on its head – not all parents in the 80’s rejected their LGBTQ+ – and beautifully articulates what unconditional love and support look like.
A Peek Into the Past of the World’s Oldest Living Person
Kane Tanaka turned 119 in January 2022, making her the world’s oldest living person, according to the Guinness Book of World Records! Kane was born in Japan, where she lives today. She was married at 19, had five children, and worked in her family’s noodle shop until age 103. She was due to take part in the Olympic torch relay of 2021 but was worried about spreading Covid-19 to the other residents in her nursing home.
Kane, who has lived through two World Wars, enjoys solving arithmetic problems and playing Othello. To mark her birthday, the Coca-Cola company made Kane a personalized bottle with her name and age on it – apparently, she is still drinking it at age 119.
One of the “Harlem Hellfighters” Cuddles a Dog
Have you ever heard of the Harlem Hellfighters? This may only have been a nickname, referring to the 369th Infantry Regiment who fought in both world wars. Many African-Americans were keen to fight in WWI but were turned away by the US military. In 1917, all decorated soldiers were called up to fight, and the 369th was formed – made up mostly of African-Americans but also men from Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the West Indies.
During WWI, the ‘Harlem Hellfighters’ fought in US uniforms but on French soil. There, they experienced less racial hatred. The 369th is recorded as the unit that served the longest in the frontline trenches and also experienced the greatest number of casualties during WW1.
Dental Patient in 1920 Calls It Like He Sees It
This little fellow clearly felt called to spread the word! This dentist who claimed to be “painless” was apparently far from it, and so this child vandalized his building with the word “liar.” Given the dental practices of the 1920s, his protest was more than likely justified. In one area of history that has changed quite dramatically, people used to wait years to see a dentist. Bear in mind that they also didn’t have toothpaste back then!
Then when they finally did go see a dentist, there were no painkillers involved! Novocaine and laughing gas were sometimes used after they were introduced in 1905, but not always. For the little graffiti artist pictured, a tooth extraction without anesthetic was just one step too far.
Even Cats Wore Masks Back in the Day
That’s right; we’re not the first to wear masks during a pandemic! The influenza pandemic of 1918-1919, or ‘Spanish flu,’ which killed over 50 million people, included some markers of our current pandemic – including stores and schools closing, mask mandates, quarantine, and the eventual rollout of inoculations. Masks were made mandatory when the Spanish flu arrived in California, and refusal to wear a mask could result in a fine or jail time.
With the world still involved in World War I, mask mandates were taken seriously in 1918, as evidenced in this family photo by the cat in a teeny tiny cat mask.
Doggy Portraits of the 19th Century
It’s reassuring to know that people were still obsessed with their pets even a century ago. The dog in this photograph was obviously loved so dearly that their human simply had to have an early photograph of them – and was even given a prop to pose with! Unfortunately, in early pet photography, animals were often sedated in order to pose for their picture.
As photography only began in 1816 with the invention of the camera, the desire for pictures of pets was a very early trend. The very first photo of a dog was taken in the early 1850s and was entitled ‘Poodle with Bow, on Table.’