History

10 Dirty History Facts That Got Skipped In

Class
Radu Alexander September 30, 2016

History is full of salacious moments, but most of them arent likely to make their way to a
history class anytime soon. Fortunately, this is the perfect place to highlight naughty but
overlooked moments from history.

10The Spanking Squad

Photo credit: New York Tribune

Spanking children isnt the disciplinary measure it used to be. One New Jersey mayor was such a
fan that he organized a special spanking squad for young criminal offenders.

Arthur C. Whitaker was mayor of Bridgeton, New Jersey, during the 1910s. He had an automated
spanking machine installed at City Hall and sentenced young offenders to it instead of sending
them to reformatory schools. Once he passed down sentence, the squad would carry it out. They
could regulate the duration and intensity of the spanking based on the harshness of the crime.

According to Whitaker, over 100 boys and a few girls faced the machine during his seven years
in office. He labeled the experiment a success, with parents even voluntarily bringing children to
him when they misbehaved. Despite this, Whitaker still saw it fit to keep the device a secret
while it was in operation.

9The Bawdy House Riots And The Whores Petition

Photo credit: Elizabeth Cresswell and Damaris Page

In 17th-century London, Shrove Tuesday riots were common. These occurred during Easter
Week as the devout attacked places of ill-repute such as playhouses, taverns, and the like. They
were usually let off without severe consequence, but that wasnt the case in 1668. That year,
King Charles II banned conventicles, which caused thousands of dissenters to unleash their fury
on brothels. Samuel Pepys recorded the whole thing in his famous diary. That year, the
ringleaders were tried for treason and four were drawn and quartered.

In response to the riot, several madams and their workers wrote The Poor-Whores Petition and
addressed it to Countess of Castlemaine, the kings mistress. It was a mocking letter that was
widely distributed and openly referenced the kings promiscuous ways as well as those of other
high-profile courtesans. The letter ended with a plea to Lady Castlemaine to help her sisters.

8Cocaine Tampons

Historically, humans dont have a stellar record when it comes to treating female-specific
ailments. As far back as ancient Greece, vaginal pains were relieved using tampons soaked in
opium and belladonna. And while you might expect this to be just another absurd ancient
medical practice, similar techniques survived well into the 19th century.

When cocaine began being used as a surgical anesthetic in the mid-1800s, it often came in the
form of an antiseptic tampon that was applied to bullet wounds. Toward the end of the century,
cocaine was regarded as a valid treatment for gynecological illnesses, so women were prescribed
cocaine tampons. Soon enough, cocaine absorbed vaginally became a panacea that could treat a
wide range of ailments. These included inflammations, uterine diseases, cervical endometritis,
painful childbirth, and even sore nipples.
7Desecration Of Constantinople

Photo credit: Eugene Delacroix

The Latin Empire of Constantinople is not well known today because it only lasted for about 50
years. After the Fourth Crusade, many crusaders led by Baldwin of Flanders mutinied against the
Byzantine Empire, laid siege on Constantinople, and sacked the city in 1204. Baldwin
proclaimed himself Emperor Baldwin I and declared his new Latin Empire as the true descendant
of Rome.

The sacking of the city was recorded by Byzantine historian Niketas Choniates. He wrote how
the crusaders plundered every religious artifact they found. They stole reliquaries, vessels, and
utensils made of precious metals while breaking everything that wasnt of monetary value. The
sacred altar in the Hagia Sophia was broken down into small bits and distributed among the
soldiers. Even so, Choniates considered the greatest desecration when the crusaders placed a
naked prostitute on the patriarchal throne and had her sing and dance for entertainment.

6Czarinas Official Foot-Ticklers

Photo credit: Georg Christoph Grooth

A lot has been said over the years about Catherine the Greats sex life. The most famous myth
about her involved the czarina dying while having sex with a horse. While that might not be true,
it is true that Catherine had a rich love life with many courtiers. She also appointed official foot-
ticklers who would pleasure her by tickling her feet while telling salacious stories or singing
songs.

The ticklers were selected from women of aristocratic birth. It was a highly coveted position due
to the intimate relationship they built with the czarina. The ticklers might even have been present
during some of Catherines sexual dalliances and refreshed the czarina between sessions by
tickling her feet or giving her a smack on the bottom.

5The Warren Cup

Photo credit: Marie-Lan Nguyen

In 1865, the British Museum created the Secretuma private section of the museum housing all
the artifacts deemed obscene in Victorian society. Most of them came from George Witt, a
London doctor with an extensive collection of phallic memorabilia. The Secretum soon became
off-limits to the average museumgoer as people needed special permission to view the exhibits
during a private tour.

During the secret collections 100-year existence, there was one object deemed too obscene even
for the Secretumthe Warren Cup. It was a silver Roman cup that depicted homosexual sex
between two men on one side of the cup and a man with a young boy on the other.

The museum had the opportunity to purchase the Warren Cup in the 1950s for a small sum. It
turned it down. The British Museum later changed its mind in 1999 and paid 1.8 million for it, a
record purchase for the museum at the time.

4Porta Tosa
Photo credit: G.dallorto

For centuries, one of the first things that many people entering Milan saw was a bas-relief of a
woman shaving her pubic hair. This carving was placed on the eastern gate of the city named
Porta Tosa, later changed to Porta Vittoria. The bas-relief remained there until the 19th century,
when the gate was demolished and the obscene carving was moved to a museum.

There are several legends surrounding the origins of the bas-relief, and they all have to do with
Holy Roman Emperor and enemy of Milan Frederick Barbarossa. One story says the carving
simply portrays Barbarossas wife in a shameful position. Another says the bas-relief is of a
Milanese woman who exposed herself to Barbarossas army in defiance. It is also possible the
carving faces east as an insult to the Byzantine Empire for refusing to help Milan after
Barbarossa sacked the city in 1162.

3Caesar, Queen Of Bithynia

Photo credit: Polari Magazine

Julius Caesar is remembered today as one of the greatest conquerors the world has ever seen. In
his day, though, he had his fair share of political enemies who took advantage of a rumor to label
Caesar Queen of Bithynia. Rumor was that Caesar had been the secret lover of Nicomedes IV,
king of Bithynia. This would have happened around 80 BC when a young Caesar traveled there
as an ambassador to raise a fleet.

While its impossible to determine whether the rumor was true or not, Suetonius treated it as fact.
He mentioned Caesars relationship with King Nicomedes as the only stain on his reputation. He
also talked of several instances where it was brought up. A certain Octavius called Pompey
king and Caesar queen during an assembly, and a poem had the line All the Gauls did
Caesar vanquish, Nicomedes vanquished him.

2Molding Cockle Bread

Photo credit: HESO Magazine

Cockle bread was, most likely, a type of bread present in England centuries ago. However,
molding cockle bread was an erotic dance that could be looked at as a primitive form of
twerking. According to 17th-century writer John Aubrey, young wenches would indulge in this
wanton sport by getting up on a table, lifting their coats as high as possible, and shaking their
buttocks back and forth as if kneading dough with their arses. It was also customary for them
to sing or recite some rhymes as they were doing it.

The term has appeared in several other works of that time. While nobody gives a colorful
description of molding cockle bread like Aubrey, they imply it to be something shameful or
with sexual connotations. Some consider that molding cockle bread was more than just a
movement, and the technique was actually used to prepare bread young women would give to
their lovers.

1What The Butler Saw

William Dickson is not as well remembered as he should be today given his contributions to
early motion pictures. Starting out as an assistant to Thomas Edison, he helped design and built
the Kinetoscope, Edisons motion picture device. Dickson later formed his own company and
built the Mutoscope, a rival to Edisons machine.
The Mutoscope used larger images to improve picture quality and was hand-cranked so viewers
could control the speed. In the UK, the device became known as a What the Butler Saw
machine, named after its most popular film.

What many consider the first peep show in history, What the Butler Saw was a softcore porn
film where the viewer watched through a keyhole as a woman slowly undressed in her bedroom.

+ Further Reading

The bawdy side of history is seldom talked about so it is always a pleasure to publish lists on the
subject. And, for those who are desperate for more, here are some other similar articles from the
archives.