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Josie (6 years old), Bertha (6 years old) and Sophie (10 years old) worked regularly at the Maggioni Canning Company. Work began at 4 AM and the three would make from $9 to $15 a week. Sophie would do six pots of oyster a day and her mother who also worked with her said "She don't go to school. Works all the time."
Through such photos, Lewis Hine documented the harsh working conditions borne by thousands of children, who were sent to work soon after they could walk, and were paid based on how many buckets of oysters they shucked daily.
Mr Hines wrote of one photograph: ‘All but the very smallest babies work. Begin work at 3:30am and expected to work until 5pm.’
He covered around 50,000 miles a year, photographing children from Chicago to Florida working in coal mines and factories.
These photos helped to raise an outcry against child labor and made the American public become widely aware of the scope of the problem. This resulted in the establishment of organizations such as the National Child Labor Committee, in 1904, which led the fight against child labor.
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The Alleged Cannibalistic Death of Micheal Rockefeller, 1960
Micheal Rockefeller, born in 1938, hailed from a prominent lineage as the grandson of John D. Rockefeller, a renowned figure in the oil industry and one of history's wealthiest individuals. Possessing a deep fascination for indigenous art, Rockefeller embarked on a mission to introduce it to the Western world, leading him to venture to Dutch New Guinea—an expansive island off the Australian coast colonized by the Dutch.
Rockefeller's focus centered on the lives and artistic expression of the Asmat people, an indigenous group whose beliefs attributed supernatural qualities to white individuals. Specifically, Rockefeller immersed himself in studying a particular group of Asmat people residing in the village of Otsjanep.
After his initial visit, Rockefeller returned to the United States but made a subsequent journey to the Asmat region in 1961, accompanied by anthropologist René Wassing. Tragically, their voyage took a harrowing turn when their boat capsized during the journey. Rockefeller valiantly endeavored to swim 12 miles (22 KM) to the nearest shore, while Wassing clung onto the overturned vessel. Regrettably, Rockefeller never resurfaced.
Numerous theories have emerged regarding Rockefeller's fate. Some suggest that he perished by drowning or fell victim to a shark attack. However, the most infamous speculation revolves around the possibility that he was consumed by the Asmat people, renowned for their history of cannibalism and headhunting practices.
Speculations propose that Rockefeller met his demise in a retaliatory act, stemming from the mistreatment of the Asmat people by the Dutch. Within Asmat culture, acts of cannibalism and headhunting often serve as expressions of vengeance. The circumstances surrounding Rockefeller's fate, whether he drowned or became a victim of cannibalism, have since sparked numerous books and documentaries dedicated to unraveling the truth.
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The man who passed away without ever
setting eyes on a woman.
Born in 1856, Mihailo Tolotos faced a tragic start to his life when his mother passed away a mere four hours after his birth. With no father or other family members coming forward, the young boy found himself abandoned on the steps of a monastery situated atop Mount Athos. Fortunately, the monastery took him in and became his new home.
Due to the strict rules in place, Tolotos had limited interaction with the outside world and was never exposed to women, as they were prohibited from entering monasteries or setting foot on the mountain. Although male tourists were permitted, they primarily came to experience the monastic lifestyle or seek a life as monks themselves.
Mihailo Tolotos lived his entire life in seclusion, shielded from the external world, and without ever encountering a woman. Eventually, in 1938, at the age of 82, he passed away, having never laid eyes on the appearance of a woman.
