20 Outlandish and Extravagant Facts from the Gilded Age

The Gilded Age, an 1873 Mark Twain novel that caricatured greedy businessmen and dirty politicians, lent its name to an era of great transformation. A period of gross materialism and massive political corruption, the Gilded Age was marked by the rise of a new class of ultra-rich entrepreneurs. Their wealth eclipsed anything seen before and allowed them to collect, and pocket politicians by the dozen. The period was also one of extravagance and outlandish behavior. Below are 20 things about some fascinating but lesser-known Gilded Age facts.

[@grapeshot]

Yeah back then when you were rich you didn't always shy away from it, you flaunted it and dangled it in front of the very faces of the poor.

[@tahlulabang]

Thomas Edison was the Elon musk of his age, stealing other people's inventions and selling them off as his own

[@josh656]

Not the dog! There were hundreds of large skeletons unearthed in North America and these were widely reported up throughout the 1930’s.

[@tamaraprentice9280]

Those skeletons were massive!

[@josh656]

@@tamaraprentice9280 There’s a museum in Chile or Peru that has a 17 foot skeleton on display.

[@tamaraprentice9280]

@@josh656 wow! I would love to that! We have all kinds of museums in California, but now with the bones of giants. I’m certain if they have any? They are Locke away under the museums.

[@tamaraprentice9280]

Yes I am sure of it. But, they were quickly hidden away from curious eyes!

[@josh656]

@@tamaraprentice9280 It’s funny bc it was commonly reported in media like NYT until someone decided it was not to be discussed.

[@d.h.601]

Low budget film