March 14, 2018

When New York women were banned from smoking in public

On January 21, 1908, it became illegal for women to smoke in public in New York City. That day, the Committee on Laws of the Board of Aldermen unanimously voted to ban females from lighting up in public places. The law, called the Sullivan Ordinance, put the responsibility of preventing women from smoking not on the women themselves but on business owners.
The full history

Our Mission

More than just current events, here you'll learn about the places, people, and ideas that are shaping your city.