A look at our weird history, WTF were we doing?

Hi i'm your guest blogger Elisabeth.
I have always enjoyed history and today i was to show you the weirdest parts of it.
i'm only doing Canada and the USA as if i go worldwide you will be reading forever.

So lets start with clothing much was the same for both countries so.
Ill start with the ladies since we did it the weirdest.
first off the layers! why is gods name did we wear so many layers!! i die wearing two layers some days i cant imagine
just getting dressed was a chore.

The First Layer--The Basics:  Stockings reached just above the knee.  Stockings were usually black for daytime wear and white or coloured for evening. They were held up by garters.    Cotton drawers went over the stockings.  Drawers were constructed as two overlapping flaps (one for each leg), leaving a seamless crotch for a lady's toilette.  A sleeveless knee-length chemise completed the basic undergarments.

The Second Layer--Form and Function: A corset, strengthened with steel or whalebone, pulled in a woman's waist and supported her bustline. Women pulled them as tight as possible to achieve a tiny waist, sometimes as much as four inches smaller than their natural shape.  

The Third Layer--Practicality: A Camisole went over the corset.  It served as a shield between the dress and the woman's skin, protecting her expensive garment from perspiration and oils.  A simple petticoat covered the crinoline to protect the skirt from the steel hoops, and to help the gown lay smooth over the form.  A fancier, embroidered petticoat was layered over the first one, the design more intricate when the skirt hem bunched up to reveal the petticoat.  

The Fourth Layer--The Dress: Finally came the gown.  A proper woman wore a high neck and long sleeves during the day.  By dinner time, the neckline dipped, and for elaborate balls, dresses were worn off the shoulder with a mere strap for a sleeve, and necklines plunged to reveal more than just a glimpse of skin.  To save on cost, skirts and bodices for day wear were often interchangeable.  A woman could create a new look without having to buy a new dress.  

The Fifth Layer--Accessories: A Victorian woman was never without gloves and bonnet. Women often wore caps and gloves indoors as well.  Half-boots with thicker soles completed a day or walking outfit, while thin-soled kid slippers accompanied the ball gown. When venturing outdoors, a woman would wear either a shawl or cape, and she carried a parasol to protect her skin from the sun.  Finally, a reticule, or small handbag, completed the outfit.  A lady would carry her perfume, handkerchief or fan in her reticule....

That's just ridiculous 

If all that wasn't enough then there was the odd dressed and hats we wore with these outfits.

i cant begin to understand why everything had to be so huge.

Now as for the men, well i cant complain much because i mean well look at how they dress now, i prefer to see the men in suits! then again 5 layers or more may be a bit much especially when it was +30 outside and everyone have 10,000 layers on and not being allowed to take some off i can imagine the number of people who got heat stroke and some of the men did wore the tallest hats they could find. (maybe they were compensating for something i don't know) 

Last i have to question the swim suits, like how did we not manage to drown so many women in these things, water makes fabric heavier we all know this so why make something heavy to swim in?

did you know In the early 1900s, cultural beliefs required modesty of women. As a result, women’s swimsuits consisted of multiple layers: dark wool tights, knee-length bloomers, a sailor-style blouse with balloon sleeves, a belt, and full skirt. The average woman’s swimsuit used seven to ten yards of woollen fabric depending on the style.Women ventured to bath houses located along river banks and ocean beaches to cool themselves and allow their children to play in the water. Their long, heavy bathing suits permitted frolicking in the shallow water But the full, water-logged skirt often tangled around a woman’s legs and immobilised her. Ironically, the fear of drowning in the swimsuit that cultural etiquette demanded women wear deterred many women from learning to swim.

Even if a woman knew how to swim, the weighted fabric could drag her down. 

Well that's enough weird fashion, now onto some weird ass facts.

first Canada. 

In Vancouver it was illegal to sell a stove on a Wednesday from 1947 to 1986.

In 1642, a group of religious mystics from France were inspired by a vision to build a missionary city in the Canadian wilderness. Led by Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve and an Ursuline nun name Jeanne Mance, they founded Montreal.

Newfoundland was the first part of Canada to be explored by Europeans. Ironically, it was the last area to become a province, in 1949.

Newfoundland was its own country up until 1949, when it joined Confederation with Canada.

The Mounted Police were formed in 1873, with nine officers. In 1920, the Mounted Police merged with the Dominion Police to become the famous Royal Canadian Mounted Police, an organization that now has more than 28,000 members.

I couldn't really find much on Canada i guess were not as weird as i thought, but still weird.

also we don't have igloos and polar bear pets! So now onto the U.S.A

The Founding Fathers penned the first couple of drafts of the Declaration of Independence on hemp paper, since at the time at least 75 percent of all the world’s paper was made from cannabis hemp fibre. 

The Liberty Bell is an iconic American relic. Unfortunately, its tolling hasn’t been heard since George Washington’s Birthday in 1846. The bell, which used to reside in Pennsylvania’s Independence Hall, was erected in August 1752 and was first rung in July 8, 1776, to celebrate the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence.

Though no conclusive evidence exists to determine when the bell first cracked (some argue that Liberty split during the Revolutionary War in 1824, others speculate that it happened during the funeral of Chief Justice John Marshall in 1835),

 On September 25, 1820, Salem, NJ held a trial against… tomatoes. The general populace believed that tomatoes were poisonous, so Robert Johnson stepped in to prove them wrong. To do so, he bravely stood before a crowd at the courthouse and consumed a whole basket of the delectable fruit. Not dying after consumption, the trial was promptly dismissed.

We really are a weird bunch of humans, and i'm sure i could keep going forever if i looked more into it but i'm tired and starting to question our sanity with the more odd things i find, So that's all for now i hope you enjoyed.