Privately owned, makeshift zoos have been thrust into the limelight with eccentric characters like Joe Exotic the “Tiger King” and his nemesis, Carole Baskin, dominating pop culture. But paying to interact with dangerous animals in shockingly unregulated environments is not exactly new. Welcome to the California Alligator Farm: A rather terrifying tourist attraction that opened in Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles, in 1907. 

While this isn’t the first time we’ve seen animals do the unexpected, the California Alligator Farm is a testament to America’s past – when things got a little wild from time to time…

Meet “Alligator Joe” Campbell

California’s alligator farms were founded by alligator king, “Alligator Joe” Campbell, and Francis Earnest, the man who owned an Ostrich Farm across the street. The price of admission? Just 25 cents!

“Alligator Joe” initially set up shop down south in Hot Springs, Arkansas. But when the bright lights of L.A. – and its hot bed of tourism – were too tempting to pass up, he loaded his gators on a train and headed West. 

In Lincoln Heights, Campbell’s impressive roster of nearly a thousand reptiles became the most complete reptile collection in the world. Over 13,000 visitors soaked in those scales every year. 

A Day at the Farm 

A typical visit to the Alligator Farm included men, women, and young children feeding, touching and even riding alligators. The alligators’ size ranged anywhere from between a few inches and 13 feet in size. 

Visitors could even buy the smaller alligators to take home!

At the nudging of the handlers, the alligators performed for the crowd. The alligators ate live chickens, rode down slides and wrestled with “trainers.” You could even visit the movie star alligator, Billy, who cameoed in various films from 1910-1940. Billy’s “star quality” came from his ability to open his jaw wide whenever meat dangled off-camera. 

Billy was the oldest reptile in the park. Because of this, he had been domesticated enough to wear a saddle that parents gladly placed their children on for a slithery ride.

There’s No Way This Ended Well, Right?

Correct. But not for the reasons you’re thinking!

Yes, it was risky to buy two acres for an alligator farm that was equipped with an incubator house – and then opening said alligator farm to children. But no serious accidents or lawsuits were responsible for the California Alligator Farm’s closure. It was actually poor attendance!

In 1953, tourists started to kse interest. The farm was relocated from LA to Buena Park, California, before closing for good in 1984. 

Even though it shut down, the park has remained a staple of Los Angeles history. Long live the days when you could put alligators on trains, ship them across the country and have people pay to hang out in pools with them. Yikes!

The post California’s Alligator Farms of the 1900s first appeared on History In Memes.

As hard as it is to imagine, this is a real person’s hand. Specifically, this is the hand of X-ray technician Clarence Madison Dally. Clarence worked around X-Rays in their early days of development. Because of this, he was around massive amounts of radiation exposure.

So, how and why did his hand become so deeply decayed and damaged? Let’s dive in!

How Clarence Had His Hands Damaged

Clarence Madison Dally, born in 1865, was born to a family of glassblowers who worked for Edison Lamp Works. Clarence worked with his family after serving in the Navy for six years. He later went on to work as an assistant for Thomas Edison on incandescent lamp and X-ray experiments.

He was working as an X-ray technician when X-rays were an entirely new concept. At the time, people did not know the dangerous effects of massive amounts of exposure radiation on the body. Repeat and excessive radiation exposure from testing lead to Clarence developing cancer and significant radiation damage to his hands and face. 

What Happened to Clarence Madison Dally?

In an effort to stop the cancer and save his life, Clarence had both his arms amputated. These efforts were unsuccessful, as Clarence later died from cancer. As science has evolved, we have become more aware of the harmfulness of radiation and X-rays. We have also learned to limit our exposure and better protect ourselves. Because of his efforts and experimentation, Dally is thought to be the “first American to die from the effects of experimentation with radiation.” 

The Legacy of Clarence Madison Dally

Because of Clarence and his life’s work, we learned more about the dangers of X-rays and have made strides to protect ourselves.

Fast-forward to 2022, we know that excessive exposure to radiation has enough energy in it to cause damage to our DNA and cause cancer. This doesn’t just affect doctors and scientists. Anyone who gets an X-ray or a CT scan is exposing them to a set amount of radiation. 

Also, interestingly enough, when you are diagnosed with cancer you can undergo chemotherapy and radiation therapy to kill the cancer in your body. Depending on which stage of cancer and how aggressive a form it is, the doctor will recommend an appropriate treatment. But in some instances to stop the cancer that is destroying your body you have to expose your body to radiation. We now know that radiation can also lead to a second cancer growing and long term health issues. 

While doctors and the medical field have long advanced from the days of Clarence Madison Dally, we still have a lot of work to do in terms of combatting terminal diseases and radiation exposure.

Like learning about historical photos? Check out the story behind this electrifying photo!

The post See the Harrowing Effects of Radiation in the 1900s first appeared on History In Memes.