On 9 September 1835, a new law in Britain outlawed 'sports' such as bull baiting. (A bull was chained to a post and dogs were trained to attack it. Some butchers would not sell bull meat unless the bull had been bitten by dogs. They said it made the meat more tender). The new law also banned cockfighting and dogfighting. Of course, making them illegal and actually stopping them were two different things but it was a step in the right direction.
In 1885, a journalist called W T Stead purchased a 13-year-old girl from a woman for prostitution. (At that time, the age of consent was 13). The girl’s mother sold her for 5 pounds (several weeks' wages for many people). The buyer made it clear that the child must be ‘pure’ i.e. a virgin. But Stead took the girl to safety in France. Stead then wrote about it to show how easy it was to buy a child. Partly as a result, the age of consent was raised to 16.
In 1939, Hitler began a euthanasia programme for the disabled. It was called Aktion T4. Victims were gassed using carbon monoxide gas. The bodies were then cremated. The family were informed that the victim had died of some natural cause. But the news leaked out. On 24 August 1941, Hitler ordered an end to the gassings, partly because of the opposition from the churches. However, euthanasia of the disabled continued ad hoc using drug overdoses, until the German surrender in 1945. About 250,000 people were murdered. Aktion T4 provided a blueprint for the Jewish Holocaust.
In 1935, the Nazis banned broadcasting jazz music and swing music, claiming it was degenerate music created by Jews and black people (The Nazis despised both). The Nazis also banned the saxophone. In 1939, they made it illegal to listen to foreign radio stations. Yet, some brave young people known as 'swings' continued to listen to jazz.
The Nazis also strongly discouraged make-up. While not actually illegal lipstick, hair dye and painted nails were frowned upon. Girls in the Hitler Youth were forbidden to have them.
In contrast, in Britain using make-up was encouraged with slogans like ‘beauty is your duty’. Like most things, cosmetics were in short supply but women improvised, dying their legs brown to make it look as if they were wearing stockings and using boot polish as mascara.
I often hear this myth. This myth refuses to die. In the past, a man had a right to beat his wife provided he did not use a stick thicker than his thumb.
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