In this Strange Country episode, friends Kelly and Beth talk about what smoking meant to women in New York City's Bowery district one New Year's Day in the early 1900's - jailtime! One woman, Kate What's Her Name, was arrested right on the spot for striking a match on a brick building, preparing to enjoy a smoke as one does.
It's another ride down our country's memory lane when a politician named Little Tim, with the urge from righteous religious groups, tried to keep the ladies as pure as...well we don't talk about the pure things so it's hard to come up with a good simile.
But we do talk about how Little Tim, back in the day, is just like all the other men trying to make rules for us ladies...even today...in 2019. Heaven's to Betsy!
Enjoy!
Theme music: Resting Place by A Cast of Thousands.
Check out this online article:
Harris, Karen. Kate Mulcahey and New York's Short-Lived Women's Smoking Ban. August 29, 2018. https://historydaily.org/katie-mulcahey-and-new-yorks-short-lived-womens-smoking-ban. Accessed Feb. 2019.