The Bizarre and Dangerous Beauty Trends of Ancient Times

The S-Bend Corset

This corset was invented after people realized that the standard corset posed deadly health risks. The s-bend corset pushed women's hips backward instead of cinching their waists in tight, which made them appear that they were nearly falling over.  However, over time, these corsets also caused massive amounts of pain and lifelong medical problems to the women who put them on. 

Skull Shaping

The Mayan people, as well as numerous other tribes around the world, would bind the heads of babies to give them "aesthetically pleasing" skull shapes. This particular person had a wooden board bound to their forehead, causing the top of their head to flatten out. Believe it or not, these alterations did not actually change a person's brain functionality. 

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The More You Know

  • The first American woman to go to medical school was admitted as a joke. Geneva Medical School thought it was joke when Elizabeth Blackwell applied to attend 1847. She graduated in 1849, started her own practice, and opened an infirmary for the poor.
  • Beavers have transparent eyelids so they can see underwater.
  • Armadillos swallow air to become buoyant when they swim.
  • Russia has a larger surface area than Pluto.
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Post originally appeared on Upbeat News.