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Ridiculous History

Ridiculous History

History

The Orphan Train: That Time the US Auctioned Children Via Rail

The Orphan Train: That Time the US Auctioned Children Via Rail

2024-07-25
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New York was a pretty terrible place in the late 1800s. The population was riddled with disease, crime, and terror -- things were especially bad for the virtual army of street urchins. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max learn how one man created an innovative (and imperfect) system to save New York's orphans: shipping them to the Midwest en masse, and auctioning them off to farmers.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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