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Women routinely caught fire in the mid-19th century
boingboing.net ^ | 12/22/17 | CORY DOCTOROW

Posted on 12/24/2017 9:18:45 PM PST by Rebelbase

The mid-19th century vogue for flowing, diaphanous women's garments made from open-weave fabrics like "bobbinet, cotton muslin, gauze, and tarlatan," combined with gas lighting, candles, and open fires meant that it was extremely common for women to literally burst into flames: on stage, at parties, at home.

So flammable were these garments that when other women would rush to the aid of a blazing friend, they, too, would go up in flames.

All of these women burned to death in front of their families or friends. None of them were doing anything particularly risky at the time except for wearing clothes around a source of light or a cigarette — something men could do without the same risk. “There is a burden on women to think about their bodies in space in a way that men don’t have to,” Matthews David says. “The only fire I found for men really was a guy who left a lit pipe in his suit because woolen suits were pretty flameproof.”

The problem was exacerbated by the fact that the flame-retardant compounds of the day would cause these flowing, white garments to stiffen and yellow, meaning that many women rejected them.

Among the women who died this way was Archduchess Mathilde of Austria, who hid a cigarette behind her back when her father walked into the room and caught fire.

(Excerpt) Read more at boingboing.net ...


TOPICS: History; Weird Stuff
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To: bagster

In the 1800s? They didn’t even have functional toilets and plumbing back then.


21 posted on 12/24/2017 10:14:20 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist (10% pure, flat income tax for everyone. No deductions, credits, or loopholes.)
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To: Rebelbase

Most of them still managed to outlive the men though, didn’t they?


22 posted on 12/24/2017 10:21:28 PM PST by smokingfrog ( sleep with one eye open (<o> ---)
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist
They didn’t even have functional toilets and plumbing back then.

Whoa, what? Then how did people go poo.

Outrageous. I'm glad I didn't live back then. I enjoy a good dooky.

23 posted on 12/24/2017 10:31:36 PM PST by bagster (Even bad men love their mamas.)
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To: bagster

Note to self: Don’t eat while reading FR. :-ppp


24 posted on 12/24/2017 10:42:49 PM PST by Flaming Conservative
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To: Vendome

The story that the name nylon came from combining the names of New York and London has been around for a long time – almost as long as nylon itself. It’s a good tale, and one with possibly even a little romance to it. Unfortunately, however, it’s not true


25 posted on 12/24/2017 10:53:10 PM PST by sparklite2 (I hereby designate the ongoing kerfuffle Diddle-Gate.)
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To: Rebelbase
Little girls, too. It was dairly common still when I was a child. Then it became law for flame retardants in a lot of clothing fabric.

I think it still could happen with some nylon, polyesters or similar fabrics, burns and fuses to the skin.

All horrible. What was the saying, "Stop Drop and Roll?"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop,_drop_and_roll

I believe it was a Christmas Eve dinner, and my mother had candles lit on the server. My one daughter who was about 7 or 8 who was directly across the table from me near the hostess seat and had medium-long straight hair that caught fire.

It happened so quickly most of us at the table didn't notice to react, but thanks to my Uncle Charles and before my daughter could panic, he immediately smothered the fire with his bare hands. Everyone registered shock after that. And awe at the actions of my uncle. And gratitude.

Something to warn girls (and anyone with long hair) about, haven't heard of an incident since the one with my daughter.

26 posted on 12/24/2017 10:58:15 PM PST by Aliska
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To: Rebelbase
My Grandmother (Father’s Mom), burned to death. Her dress caught on fire as she was cooking. I guess her burns were terrible. She lived for 3 days. This was right after the war.

Ed

27 posted on 12/24/2017 11:29:31 PM PST by husky ed (FOX NEWS ALERT "Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead" THIS HAS BEEN A FOX NEWS ALERT)
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist

There’s room for a bucket under there...


28 posted on 12/24/2017 11:30:07 PM PST by piasa (Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge)
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To: Rebelbase

There’s a lot to be said for buckskin dresses...


29 posted on 12/24/2017 11:32:46 PM PST by piasa (Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge)
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To: Daffynition

Whew....


30 posted on 12/24/2017 11:33:38 PM PST by wardaddy (As a southerner I've never trusted the Grand Old Party.....any questions?)
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To: Rebelbase

Ferengi had the right idea: they don’t let their women wear clothes, so they never catch on fire.


31 posted on 12/24/2017 11:38:20 PM PST by fieldmarshaldj ("It's Slappin' Time !")
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To: bagster
My wife is a red head. Brother if I forget to do some chore around the old hacienda here she bursts into flame!
32 posted on 12/24/2017 11:40:11 PM PST by jmacusa ("Made it Ma, top of the world!'')
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To: Yaelle

You know now someone is going to have to post a ‘’daisy duke’’ photo. *hint hint*


33 posted on 12/24/2017 11:41:22 PM PST by jmacusa ("Made it Ma, top of the world!'')
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To: smokingfrog
Most of them still managed to outlive the men though, didn’t they?

No, the longer life expectancy of women is a modern phenomenon, due chiefly to the fact that, in earlier days, a large percentage of all women died giving birth (or shortly thereafter).

Regards,

34 posted on 12/25/2017 12:06:48 AM PST by alexander_busek (Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.)
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To: Rebelbase
Synthetics are the worst. They melt and stick to you. Welders are urged to only wear cotton or wool—no synthetics like polyester, nylon, etc.

Wool in particular is naturally fire resistant.
 

35 posted on 12/25/2017 12:07:43 AM PST by Governor Dinwiddie (CNN is fake news.)
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To: jmacusa
My wife is a red head. Brother if I forget to do some chore around the old hacienda here she bursts into flame!
My lovely wife is too. Plus not only does she have Irish ancestry, some of her great grandparents came over from Sweden. At times I gotta deal with that Irish temper and the Nordic Warrior Princess thing. Good times ;)
36 posted on 12/25/2017 12:12:55 AM PST by Impala64ssa (Islamophobic? NO! IslamABHORic)
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To: Aliska

Don’t forget to remind those of long hair to similarly exercise extreme caution when working around machinery and looking at the car engine while it’s running!


37 posted on 12/25/2017 12:22:46 AM PST by Axenolith (Government blows, and that which governs least, blows least...)
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist
"what if they had to go......."

Since you asked, here is the answer https://youtu.be/NUHeSTDv_24

38 posted on 12/25/2017 3:08:24 AM PST by Apple Pan Dowdy (... as American as Apple Pie)
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To: Rebelbase

Don’t forget those polyester leisure suits of the 1970s that could deliver near lethal static electricity shocks while disco dancing


39 posted on 12/25/2017 4:00:56 AM PST by The Great RJ ("Socialists are happy until they run out of other people's money." Margaret Thatcherhttp://www.stone)
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To: Rebelbase

We have central heating and electric lights.


40 posted on 12/25/2017 4:20:42 AM PST by Tax-chick ("It is better to have a home full of misbehaving children than a silent house."~Kevin Williamson)
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