History is ofte thought of a team sport. In school, we study history so that we don't repeat it.
In society, research and breakthroughs made by a certain team will help unlock answers for the next group of people.
However, there are some historical inventions, advancements, or even failures that come down to the actions and decisions of just one person. These historical figures are still talked about today.
Curious to learn more, Redditor MisterDecember asked:
"What decision by a single person had the biggest impact on human history?"
Words On A Page
"My man, Johannes Gutenberg. This was also my answer as he ushered in the modern period of human history. His work developed the Renaissance, Reformation, Age of Enlightenment, and Scientific Revolution (as well as laying the material basis for the modern knowledge-based economy and the spread of learning to the masses)."
"He also never profitted from his invention and died in poverty."
– unclejarjarbinks
"GUTENBERG, DARN TOOTENBERG. Pretty cool dude. More people need to know his story. They even made a musical!"
– RonnieRegan10
Medical Marvels
"Jonas Salk who invented the vaccine for polio refused to commercialize the patent for it. Decades later it is estimated that the vaccine had cured millions and he forfeited billions in potential income."
– Status_Ad8334
"Frederick Banting, the discoverer of insulin did the same."
– EverydayEverynight01
"Alexander Fleming was a sloppy medical researcher in the 1920s who returned from a 2 week vacation to find he had left out one of his culture plates and it had grown over with mold."
"Most lab technicians would never have allowed this to happen in the first place. If it did happen, they would have immediately scrapped the mess and thought nothing else of it. Fleming decided to take a close look out of curiosity ... and discovered that this mold made destroying bacteria its business. And business was good."
"He had discovered penicillin. And birthed essentially the entire field of successful, safe antibiotics, revolutionizing medicine the world over practically overnight."
– redkat85
Poor Military Decisions
"The decision of John F Kennedy to ignore the unanimous recommendation of his military advisors to launch air strikes on Cuba in October, 1962. Close second, the decision of Nikita Kruschev to offer a deal to Kennedy as a way out of the Cuban Missile Crisis."
"The biggest event of of the 20th century (and arguably ever) was the one that didn’t happen: global thermonuclear war."
– CSWorldChamp
The Dangers of Lead
"Thomas Midgley Jr. He put lead in gasoline which led to a measurable decrease in IQ and a probable increase in crime rate."
– Hungry_Treacle3376
"This guy KNEW about the dangers of lead and still used it. Lead-based items were already known to be toxic at this time, but despite that, he had said at a public health conference he said, "we do not feel justified in giving up what has come to the industry like a gift from heaven on the possibility that a hazard may be involved in it", which is absolutely evil."
– Njumkiyy
Filling The Need For Food
"Norman Ernest Borlaug: an American agronomist, who improved wheat production, called the Green Revolution. He probably saved more than a billion lives, who otherwise would have died from food shortage."
– jta54
A Religious Decision
"Henry the 8th creating the church of England just so he could get a divorce"
– currypoo
Nikola Tesla. Enough Said.
"Without a doubt it's the one and only:"
"--== Nikola Tesla ==--"
"He invented:"
- AC Power
- Induction Motor
- Radio Remote Control
- Tesla Coil
- Bladeless Turbine
- Steam-powered oscillating generator
- The Magnifying Transmitter
- Radio Transmissions
- Whilst he didn't invent neon and fluro lights, he invented the first Neon Light Sign
"His invention of AC power has literally changed the world. This is utterly the biggest impact on humanity, ever."
– JJisTheDarkOne
Another Reason Water Is So Important
"Thomas Newcomen, who needed to find a way to get water out of his tin mine. Invented a steam-powered pump in the early 18th century, and viola, ushered in the Industrial Revolution. Which by the way is still continuing. It is just in its latest computer phase."
– lacks_imagination
Birth Of The USA
"So there is this thing called butterfly effect. The older someone is, the bigger impacts they have had. Therefore my answer is the first homo sapien that qualifies making a simple decision of who to mate with."
– Vigorous_Piston
"One more. Henry VIII created the Church of England in order to divorce his wife and marry Anne Boleyn. This union resulted in Elizabeth I who sent Walter Raleigh to claim land in the new world. Boom………USA."
– Myfourcats1
Possibly The Best Invention Yet
"Recent, but the invention of the internet."
– PermabannedX4
"Yeah the digital revolution had been pretty mad. So much of the world immediately at out fingertips now. So much knowledge, so much art, so much beauty and science with SO much potential."
"So naturally I use all that power to scroll reddit and sh*tpost all day."
– Revolutionary_Elk420
That's definitely the best one! It just goes to show, one person can make a difference.
Whether that difference is good or bad is another story!
Short of having a shopping addiction, no one actually likes spending money on stuff.
Why would you ever willingly give it away? It's your money!
Which might be why it feels so bad when you have to spend money of something that should be free from the beginning. People/ corporations are going to chase that cheddar, though, so there's little you can do besides complain, which frankly might be the best thing the internet is for.
Reddit user, woodside37, wanted to know what we should never have to pay for again when they asked:
"What should be free?"
Let's get these out of the way first...No, let's get this first one out of the way first.
Hidden fees are the worst.
Hidden. F***ing. Fees.
"Transaction/processing fees when you order a digital product online. Such as a concert ticket, where you pay 6 euro extra while you pay online, and have to print the ticket yourself."
rickmitchel
"Or processing fees to pay bills that you need. Duke energy charges a $7 processing fee for you to pay your energy bill. Like wtf."
CrispyCrunchyPoptart
Pay To Pee
"Public bathrooms! The amount of human piles of poop around because the homeless have no where to relieve themselves!"
AuntyMarcy
"Live in a very tourist-y part of the U.K., all public toilets charge and most cafes/pubs/libraries won’t let people use their toilets. As someone who lives here year round it’s really frustrating and doesn’t seem to make sense."
JonesNewport83
Want A Better Society? Educate Them.
"College. Or at the very least, college APPLICATIONS. If you're gonna require it for most careers, atleast make it accessible for people. And I just think it's stupid that people have to pay to get rejected."
callmeventibcimavent
"Oh god I hate that so much. Same with applying to apartments it’s such a waste of money if you don’t get approved. It racks up quickly too."
Kydra96
It does feel grimy when "official documentation" that is "mandatory" has to be bought and paid for not by the people requiring it, but by the people needing it.
Forcing Us To Pay For Something We're Forced To Have
"ID cards issued by the government. Especially since you need them for almost every aspect of daily living."
waqasnaseem07
"I. Exist."
"Birth certificates"
alexchico3
"I'm not the biggest fan of free stuf but having to pay for a piece of paper that says "I exist" is ridiculous."
Spaghetti-Evan1991
It'll never not feel bad having to pay for something we expect to be free, but it feels ten times worse when it's something you need to get by in life. As in, need to live.
Let's All Agree To Take Care Of Each Other
"All base needs up to a level. I mean stuff we need to survive, eg. power, water,... and things we are required to use to be relevant in daily life internet,..."
"Seeing how now power companies are fuel companies are having THE biggest profit in years while more and more families are pushed into bigger and bigger deths just to get by."
"Same goes for internet tbh, poor kids are just not getting by in school becasue they lack the basic stuff every other kid has to get further in life. I am not saying they need the fastest possible internet with unlimited dl, but give them so they can work for school so the vicious cycle can be broken."
Amelsander
We Need It More Than Anyone
"All mental health services. If you don’t have benefits or a VERY good paying job, they are unaffordable for how often most people really need them. At $120-160/ session even once a week is not affordable for most people these days"
pennylayne77
A Fine Line Between Need And Want
"Water"
selfishnerd77
"Drinking water, sure. But water is an expendable resource and it should honestly be more restricted when we think about cases like people watering their lawns."
I_Am_Become_Dream
Paying To Live
"Insulin. People are dying because of greedy pharmaceutical companies."
Astronimus123
"But We're 'Pro-Life'" - Jerks
"Birth control of all kinds."
"For anyone who b*tches about spending taxpayer money, I'd ask whether it costs more to provide condoms or to house prisoners."
AlexReynard
"Giving birth (In the us)"
z0k0n
"As a female US citizen the more I learn about the whole giving birth sh*t the less I want kids. My friend just had a baby, there were some complications. She is now paying off a 14k hospital bill! The lowest I have hears is 8k. 8k just to have a f-cking kid! For a country that is gung-ho about forcing women to have kids they have missed the mark completely."
Main-Yogurtcloset-82
Everyone is looking for their payout, and unfortunately sometimes we're the ones who have to give it to them, whether it makes sense or not.
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Why not?
That's the base question we can start from. "Why not?" There doesn't seem to be any good reason why some magical pill or metal rod we shove in our arms doesn't already exist in some capacity, but that's facts. Male birth control, on the same level as female birth control, is not a thing.
Surgically, there are options, sure. But ask any man under 40 to get the procedure done and you would not believe the swiftness of which they'll change the subject.
People have a lot of thoughts on this. Let's listen.
Reddit user, Leo_Vandrare, wanted to know what it would take for this happen when they asked:
"What do you think about Male Birth Control pills?"
Right off the bat, you would think this would be something everyone universally wants. A safe way to control who is and is not getting pregnant would make people's lives a whole lot easier, after all.
Apt Analogy
"If they work and are safe then why not?"
ChaosRubix
"i mean it makes more sense to empty the clip than wear a vest, right?"
dentour
Basic Answer: Definitely
"I think that having a male pill would be fantastic, been hoping to be able to get them for years now and i definitely will be when/if they're approved."
luka_sene
"No birth control method (other than abstinence) is 100% effective, so I don't think it's fair to call it a certainty. But to have the human error factor in your own control rather than having to trust another person to take a pill at the same time every day would certainly help."
bismuth92
Snip, Snap, Snip, Snap
"Yes please. Gimme gimme!!"
SchnorpHasPies
"I like the idea as well"
"You have no idea the physical toll, that three vasectomies have on a person"
kroav
While this is a heavy topic with no right or wrong side, it's definitely okay to have some fun.
You Are NOT The Father!
"CAN'T BE MINE, I'M ON THE PILL BABE!"
zbo9
"This is going to happen plenty lol"
Nizidramaniyt
"I can already see Maury salivating"
discerningpervert
Get Marketing On The Phone!
"Should name them Plan C(emen)"
FinancialExternal536
I Want The One Shaped Like A Power Ranger
"ONLY if they're in fun fruit snack shapes."
camm44
"Now now Billy, no PIV until you take your Willy Wonka's Wadstoppers"
StickOnReddit
The debate will go on, and the science will catch up when it catches up, for now though it seems like this is something we can consider a home run.
Magic the Gathering Is A Completely Different Story
"That would be great but in the meantime I'll just use my collection of Yu-Gi-Oh cards. It's still 100% effective anyway."
reallivenerd
"This right here. I invited my fiancé to bed last night for some fun before I went to sleep and instead he stayed up until 2am playing Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel with his buddy." 🤦🏼♀️
Troll101Catz
It's A Trickier Topic Than You Might Think
"Honestly as a female, I wouldn’t trust them. It’s not the man that has to carry the baby if something messes up. It’s a great sentiment but overall (and especially in our current political landscape), the only one paying for f**k ups is gonna be the pregnant one."
quirkstar
"In the situation where a woman can't take them herself for whatever reason it'd be nice for her partner to have the option. Like I dunno if I'd trust a random dude but if it was your partner who's doing it to help you that's a whole different thing"
errant_night
It's All About Control
"Give. Now."
"I got two kids, man. And I know. We are very blessed that we are compatible, healthy, and fertile enough to not have difficulty bearing children."
"That being said. We’re two for two, dammit. And we weren’t even really trying. I’m tired of my spec ops semen c4’ing their way into existence at every damn opportunity. We’re both so done with the new born baby stage so in an effort to maintain status quo my wife’s pleasure palace has been transformed into a wartime bunker. Fml."
squirrelbeanie
"It's gives you more control. Why would you want to risk it by relying on the other person to take bc? What if they.miss a day or want to trap you with a baby?"
aloeattack580
It's really the responsibility of both parties to protect themselves in any kind of sexual conduct. Whether or not the magical pill comes around for men, they should already be taking precautions to safeguard themselves, along with their partners.
Still, it's fun to dream about the future.
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You don't realize you're living in history, until long after the moment is gone.
What can feel like small, mini moments, might add up to something in the long run.
A choice, a decision, an action, all building towards the finality of your life.
Unfortunately, some people's actions might have rubbed others the wrong way, bringing upon themselves mockery and shame.
Why?
For being right, it turns out.
Reddit user AllofaSuddenStory wanted to know who got the last laugh in the long run when they asked:
"Who is someone that was mocked at the moment, but then proven right years later?"
It's hard when the people we once thought of as "heroes" are discovered to kind of suck. Hard.
Live Strong
"Greg lemond. In 2001 he said lance Armstrong was probably doping. He was threatened he took a huge image hit and his business opportunities suffered."
"He never let up on lance despite the media campaigns, threats, damage to his reputation and business, and the recrimination of his peers in the cycling community. Until surprise surprise in 2012 it came out that lance Armstrong was doping. Who could have foreseen that? If only someone had told us."
"Oh wait. Greg Lemond did. A decade ago."
Cheeseyex
A British Gentleman Would Never--Oh Wait, They Did
"John Rae. Very skilled arctic explorer who unlike most of the rest of Europeans at the time wasn’t above learning from the Inuit. He was largely successful because of his willingness to learn from them and use their clothing and diet and techniques."
"Anyway, about ten years after the Franklin Expedition was lost John Rae was out looking for clues what happened because the British Admiralty had a standing reward of £10,000 for anyone who had credible information about the expeditions fate. He found some physical remnants of the expedition and had met with Inuit who’d seen some of the last surviving members of the expedition. They related to him how they’d been taken by disease, lack of food, and how some of them finally succumbed to cannibalism."
"Rae took this information back to England, where society was absolutely outraged how he dared to spin such drivel. Surely no sophisticated gentlemen of the hero’s character that would be in Sir John Franklin’s expedition would act so savagely!"
"John Rae never got the award. Years later someone else did who told of a story that was correct also to some degree, but less than Rae had been."
"In modern times bone fragments have been found with telltale cut marks, thereby proving John Rae and the Inuit right."
rhutanium
Undoing All The Good Work They Did
"Johnny Rotten"
"Banned from the BBC for ousting Jimmy Saville as being a horrendous pedophile."
"Some 500 cases of abuse. Had his own set of keys to a psychiatric hospital where he would frequently abuse vulnerable children."
Danuta_
Some people become so publicized for their mockery, that their situations and scenarios become common knowledge, the butt of jokes, and fuel for feeling bad for being so wrong later.
Don't Joke About It
"Lindy Chamberlain. A dingo really did eat her baby. :("
TinyGreenTurtles
"Even at the time of Azaria's death aboriginal trackers that were brought in said a dingo did it but because they weren't white no one listened and the poor family was put through hell after losing there child."
ipoopcubes
And A String Of Awful Copycats Followed This Legitimate Case
"Stella Liebeck, the lady who got burned with McDonald's hot coffee. The media mocked her and accused her of a frivolous lawsuit but it was an ongoing problem that McDonald's served dangerously hot coffees that had injured many others."
"The coffee was hot enough to cause 3rd degree burns to her pelvic region and she was hospitalized for 8 days while she had to get skin grafts, and continued medical care for 2 years related to the burns. She originally just wanted her medical bills covered but McDonald's tried giving her an insultingly low amount, so then she was forced to open a lawsuit. The courts rightfully sided with her and forced McDonald's to regulate the temperature on their hot beverages."
IdRatherNotNo
Speaking Out To This Day
"Monica Lewinsky. That poor woman was dragged through the mud and seeing everyone reassess what was done to her has been bittersweet."
"ETA: Bittersweet bc more people seem to understand she was a victim (sweet), but she was really young, and decades of her life were spent being a public punching bag (bitter)"
happycos
Some of these stories, when examined with the power of medical hindsight, shows we really don't know anything about medicine.
It's A Wonder All Humans Aren't All Dead
"Joseph Lister"
"First proposed that germs caused post-operative infections, and recommended that surgical instruments be sterilized between operations."
"People thought he was nuts."
Positive-Source8205
"Yep, in addition the this, Joseph’s peers in medical community actively dismissed his suggestions for years due to the fact that they could then be considered culpable in causing harm to patients"
"Ironically, delayed uptake continued to harm patients"
95CJH
How Are We Not All Dead?
"Ignác Semmelweis"
"First doctor to champion hand washing as a means to prevent spreading infection. Everyone made fun of him."
saltyFr3nchFry
"He also noticed out of 2 maternity clinics there was a higher death rate in one because students were doing postmortems and then going straight to the clinic without washing their hands. Who would have thought dead people matter wouldn't go well with pregnant women and new born babies"
OmegaStealthJam
Remove A Handle, Save Lives
"John snow in 1854 tried to tell everyone about cholera, and how it was being caused by the water supply, no one believed him until he took illegal action and saved many lives"
Verticlefornow
"He didn't do anything illegal, he collected evidence and took it to the local government who had the pump handle removed. It was actually late in the outbreak, if not well after the outbreak so how many He saved with that action is questionable, but the methods and the use of spatial epidemiology was groundbreaking."
VectorB
Oh Yeah, Worldwide Pandemic.
"The doctor in China who was arrested for trying to stop the spread of Covid from the start"
youburyitidigitup
"They knew it was coronavirus by 2nd December 2019. They knew it was a cousin virus to SARS and MERS. They did everything it their power to keep it quiet til January..."
"...Also I do understand looking back that we can seem to trace back the data/ rabbit hole to June/ July 2019, some even can go back to March 2019. I'm pointing out that I simply heard/ read the officially "there's a new coronavirus in Wuhan" in digital print on that date. That's when this all started for me personally."
Turfanator
"And his name was Dr. Li Wenliang. May he never be forgotten. salutes"
safer_than_ever
“delirious ravings”
"Alfred Wagner hypothesized plate tectonics in the 1920’s, but this wasn’t an accepted notion until the 50’s. He was a meteorologist, and copped a lot of flak from the geological community at the time."
SaraBunks
"This is the one I was looking for. He was ridiculed and talked down on because of his plate tectonics theory, calling his ideas 'delirious ravings.'”
Daninumblr
Dingo Trauma
"Lindy Chamberlain. A dingo really did eat her baby. :("
TinyGreenTurtles
"People used to say that 'a dingo ate my baby!' Mockingly as a joke when I was in school. I never knew what it was from, then when I found out I was horrified and completely disgusted that people I knew were running around mocking a woman who lost her baby to a wild animal attack for fun."
CannibalCapra
DNA BEFORE
"Barbara McClintock, she postulated the existence of transposons (certain types of genes) in DNA BEFORE anybody even knew what the actual structure of DNA is like, she was widely mocked by the scientific community at the time. Transposons were later confirmed to exist and she was awarded the Nobel."
ThousandSunnySenpai
Floods
"Duff Roblin, the Premier of Manitoba. After the 1950 flood, Roblin's government initiated the Red River Floodway project. The floodway diverts part of the river around the city. At the time he was mocked and a lot of people thought it was a waste of money, because 'a flood like that will never happen again.'"
"It's been estimated that it's saved $40 billion CAD in flood damages since it was completed in 1968. I was there for the '97 flood. The floodway saved my home and my in-laws' home."
deagh
Depletion
"Sherry Rowland. Discovered the effect of CFCs on ozone depletion and received an immense level of blow back from industry. Not only that, but invited talks and collabs were rescinded within the scientific community. Poor guy was ostracized. 20 years later after his (and Molina’s) discovery, he’s finally recognized with a Nobel prize."
GadgetGo
Allergies
"Alexander Fleming, the man who discovered Penicillin, spent almost 10 years trying to convince the medical bodies of his time that it was worth investing time and resources to experiment with it, but was basically told to pound sand despite the respect he had prior to the discovery. Lot of good it did me, I was lucky enough to be born allergic. Happy for the rest of you at least."
The-BIG-Plant
Capsized
"Henry Freeman, a lifeboatman in Whitby. He tried to get the other lifeboatmen to wear cork lifejackets, but no-one would but him. During a great storm, the lifeboat was launched several times to help struggling vessels and sailors. On their sixth launch, disaster struck and the lifeboat capsized. Only Henry survived thanks to his cork life jacket. They became compulsory for lifeboatmen shortly afternoon."
alizare
80s Noise
"Richard Stallman. Warned us back in the 80s that if we allow corporations to rule the internet that nobody will have privacy or freedom on the web, among many other things. r/stallmanwasright"
ProtonSlack
Truth
"Courtney Love on Weinstein."
lundy7881
"There's a small bit in the book 'The Game' (highly recommend not reading it). The author makes fun of Courtney the whole way through because she's reading books on fraud and alleging that people have stolen her money. At the end, he adds in a sentence or two about how someone in their house looks at her finances and goes, 'Wow, it's true."
SkinHairNails
Concussion
"Dr Bennet Omalu who found that American football players had chronic traumatic encephalopathy/brain concussions which were slowly affecting their neurological and psychological functions. He was strongly opposed at first but then proved right. His biographic movie is named 'Concussion.'"
sweettooth_92
Just keep an open mind going forward.
And wash your hands.
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It's stuff like this which gives birth to the phrase, "This is why we can't have nice things."
Of course, you could always look past the unfortunate history almost every item possesses.
After all, it's not your fault the shoes you might be wearing were invented by Nazis or the car you're about to get into was developed by Nazis or the dealership you drive by was once run by a Japanese company who associated with the Nazis.
Manufacturing has a long, complex history.
Reddit user, Stoned_Black_Nerd, wanted to know what we use that comes from a dark place when they asked:
"What everyday item has a sick and twisted origin story?"
We don't have to know where something comes from to enjoy it.
After all, time passes, companies change hands, and the people in charge don't share the same beliefs as their predecessors.
Right?
Big Misstep There, Dr. Kellogg
"Sylvester Graham believed unwholesome foods created "impure" thoughts. So he created Graham Crackers to keep women from becoming sluts."
Superlite47
"Didn't Kellogg invent corn flakes for the same reason?"
theinsanepotato
"Kellogg believed we were facing an epidemic of masturbation that could only be curbed with a widespread combination of bland cereal (corn flakes, invented for this purpose) and.... circumcision. Non-religious circumcision in the US basically originated from Kellogg's campaigns."
wildfire393
The Most Kissable Lips
"The CPR doll that we use to practice CPR in most work places in the UK has the face of an unknown French cadaver found dead in the Seine river in the 1800s. She is known as The Most Kissed Woman in History. Bleugh!"
Adi3m
Let's Overthrow This Government Then Have A Banana. Good Day.
"Chiquita (banana company) is both directly and indirectly responsible for political violence and human rights abuses in south america"
Cheesydilfdog
"And the term "banana republic" comes from these practices. It's synonymous with an economy that almost exclusively produces raw materials, which are then shipped to more "developed" countries, turned into finished products, and sold back to them. Colonial era started it, and it continues to this day. It's part of why the homespun cotton thing was such a big deal in India during Ghandi's time."
WesternTrashPanda
Medical advancements requires years of research, experimentation, and trials done on volunteers, putting their own bodies and health on the line for the greater good of an advanced society.
Most of the time.
When You Need It Absolutely Clean, I Guess
"Lysol was marketed as a feminine hygiene product."
SidAndFinancy
"Listerine was marketed as a floor cleaner and a cure for gonorrhea."
NeedsMoreTuba
Open Wide
"The chainsaw was originally introduced to help during childbirth."
Environmental-Fix-71
"HOW DOES THAT HELP??"
Thick_Flan_7482
"It was a small chainsaw they used to cut away pieces of the pelvis iirc. The outcome is what you would imagine."
burymeinpink
At What Cost Do We Find Medical Breakthroughs?
"The modern speculum was created by a man named J. Marion Sims who performed invasive experimental surgeries on enslaved women without anaesthesia."
beerandbuds
Nazis.
Just, so many things we use come from Nazis.
And cults.
That Thing Your Parent's Are Afraid Of Happening? It Happened.
"The protective seal on OTC medications were a result of a round of murders caused by cyanide-laced Tylenol in the 80s"
throwingplaydoh
Shave And Some Bloodletting. Two Bits.
"Not necessarily "sick and twisted" but the red and white pole outside of barber shops use to be used to identify barbers who could perform bloodletting during the Middle Ages especially through the course of the Black Death."
OneOddOtter
"The red on the pole was originally the bloody bandages wrapped around a pole"
rock374
War Brings About Innovation...? Sigh...
"The founders of Adidas and Puma were brothers and were both Nazis"
Super-Noodles
"Volkswagen was literally, factually founded by Hitler."
DemSumBigAssRidges
"Don't forget Ferdinand Porche he designed and built tanks among other weapons. Also Mitsubishi Heavy Industries maker of the AM6 i.e. the Zero"
sd1360
Check Your Silverware, Folks
"Oneida silverware. Check out the Wikipedia page for The Oneida Community - it’s a real pearl clutcher. It was a religious communal society founded in 1848 in Oneida, New York."
"The community believed that Jesus already came back in AD 70 and they were creating paradise on earth. They practiced complex marriage (free love) and male sexual continence (read: don’t finish). Sex was mostly for pleasure, making babies was on purpose and the children were raised collectively."
"Older men had sex with young girls/women; older women sexually mentored younger boys. A local dad sued to get his daughter out of this scandalous cult, with claims of mental illness and violence surrounding the case. The community supported womens’ suffrage and free divorce. And eugenics."
"Aaaaand when the community split apart, some members moved out West to found… Orange County."
Digressionista
Don't feel bad if something you use in your everyday life was on this list. Like we stated earlier, the people who are in charge of the companies and organizations are not the same as those who developed them.
Life is complicated. You shouldn't have to change your shoes.
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