Google is the foremost search engine in the world. It is so important that many consider it the gateway to the internet. Unfortunately, Google uses its dominant position to determine what we (and its workers) can see, say, do or publish.

Top 10 Ways Google Does Evil

Before we go into the details, we need to understand that Google is not always acting on its own. Sometimes, it is just another puppet on the strings of a more powerful group we call the government.

10 It forces websites to edit or delete their content

Google AdSense is the largest ad network on the internet. It is also one of the most censored. Google forces partner websites to censor their content to its taste. By censor, we mean it forces them to either edit or delete anything it does not like.

Website owners have only one choice and that is to comply, if they still want to remain on the AdSense network.

Google says it only tells website owners to remove content that are not “family-friendly”. However, website owners have pointed out that the meaning of “family-friendly” is at the discretion of Google.

Website owners only receive emails asking them to remove ads from certain content for violating Google’s “Terms and Conditions”. This is the best a website owner will receive from Google. Requests for more information will always hit a brick wall.^[1]

9 It almost created a censored search engine for China

Google was a major force in the Chinese search engine market until it exited the country in 2010. Google said it left because it could not cope with China’s censorship laws. It appears, however, that Google had a change of heart few years later.

In 2017, The Intercept revealed Google was planning to return to China and was willing obey the Chinese government this time. It was developing a search engine that censored results on democracy, human rights, religion and protests. Google called the search engine Dragonfly.

Google only canceled the project after series of protests. It appears, however, that we have not heard the last of it. While appearing before the US Senate, Karan Bhatia, Google’s vice president of public policy, said he could not confirm that Google will not build another censored search engine for China.^[2]

8 It censors search results and YouTube videos for politicians and billionaires

Many governments, including those of the so-called free world, often direct Google to censor certain contents on blogger, search and YouTube. Governments (and political parties and billionaires) tell Google to remove content for a variety of reasons. Defamation, privacy, hate speech, national security and copyright infringement are some well-grounded reasons we know. Winning elections and swaying public opinion in political matters is another (that is most definitely not well-grounded).

There are many illogical reasons a government will ask Google to remove something from the internet. Governments can (and do) ask Google to remove anything they find offensive. It doesn’t need to break any law. The government just needs to hate it.

Argentina made Google remove content exposing a government official for sexual harassment. Brazil made Google remove blog posts and search results that criticized court judges and exposed fraud.

Germany asked Google to delete a Google Maps review involving two government officials working with the child protective service. The officials had allegedly sexually abused two children. However, the district administration transferred one of the affected personnel from the region instead of sending them to court.

There are many more and this is just a tip of the iceberg. Google says it doesn’t always comply with these requests, but we do not how true this is.^[3]

7 It ended its weekly TGIF meetings

In 2019, Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai, canceled the weekly Thank God Its Friday (TGIF) meetings. Going forward, the meeting will hold once a month and discussions are restricted to Google’s business.

The weekly TGIF meeting was a Google tradition that dates back to 1999. Google was a small company at the time and the meetings were what you will expect from a close-knit community.

The meetings got tensed as Google grew larger. Discussions often revolved round workplace issues. Employees complained about Google’s censorship, close relationship with the US government, sexual harassment and so on.

The meetings strained the relationship between employees and management. Even Page and Brin stopped attending because they just couldn’t deal with it. The memos of the meetings also leaked to the press, which was embarrassing for Google.^[4]

6 It stopped the Swedish government from adding a word to its language

In 2012, the Language Council of Sweden added a new word to the Swedish language. That word was “ogooglebar”, which it described as “[Something] you can’t find on the web with the use of a search engine”.

Google took interest in the word and asked the council to replace “a search engine” with “Google”. The council refused, saying Swedes already used it for anything they could not find using any search engine. Google, however, insisted it wanted the word to refer to anything that is not on Google.

The council refused and removed the word from its official list of Swedish words. A spokeswoman said the word remained a Swedish word, even if it was not going to be official. Google may stop the council from using the word, but it cannot stop regular Swedes from using it in their day-to-day conversations.^[5]

Top 10 Disturbing Facts About Google

5 It removed hundreds of Donald Trump ads for no reason

In 2019, YouTube took down over 300 of Trump’s reelection ads for no reason. Actually, it said it took the ads down for breaching “company policy”.

YouTube refused to provide more information about how the ads breached “company policy” or what company policy it breached. It however denied removing the ads for political reasons. Its CEO, Susan Wojcicki, said the ads were unapproved. This is even though the ads had been running for a few days.^[6]

4 It punished employees for protesting against sexual harassment

In November 2018, 20,000 employees and contractors walked out of Google’s offices in 50 cities across the world. They were protesting several issues including worker’s rights, sexual harassment and Google’s poor treatment of contractors.

The protest was a success. Google made some changes to appease the protesters and praised Claire Stapleton and six others for their role in the protest. That was just on the surface. Underground, it declared war on Stapleton and other protest leaders.

Stapleton left Google the following year. She said her career took a downward turn after the protest. Her supervisors shunned and put her under so much stress that she just had to resign.^[7]

They threatened to demote her and only backtracked after she involved her lawyers. However, they got more hostile towards her, gave her work to other people and advised her to go on medical leave.^[8]

3 It blacklisted inoffensive instant search results

Until a few years ago, Google had an instant search feature where it showed you real-time search results as you entered your search term into the search bar. Users soon noticed the feature stopped working when they typed certain words. They later discovered the feature tripped off because Google had censored those words.

While many of the words were vulgar, some were innocuous with no sexual undertone. This includes words like Latina, ectasy, amateur, ball kicking, Asian babe, fantasies, fetal, girl on, incest, licked, lovers, mature, submissive, teen and Google is evil.^[9]

A spokesperson said the search giant had a problem with its algorithm. The algorithm censored a word if previous users used it as part of a sexual term. However, this affected searchers seeking nonsexual results. The spokesperson said Google was working on removing inoffensive words from its list of censored words.^[10]

2 It banned employees from discussing politics at work

Google has mailing lists and forums where employees debate, share information or just discuss random topics of interest. Everyone could discuss anything on the forums and mailing lists until 2019, when executives banned political discussions.

Executives also forbade employees from making statements that “insulted, demeaned or humiliated” other employees or the company’s business partners. The meaning of “business partner” is vague. However, judging by Google’s recent antics (including the firing of two conservative programmers), your guess is as good as mine.^[11]

1 It blacklisted an entire subdomain

Google censors any website it suspects of spamming its users. However, it once took things to the extreme when it blocked every website under the .co.cc subdomain.

The subdomain had over 11 million websites, making it one of the largest domains in the world. It belonged to a South Korean company that allowed users create free websites and up to 15,000 websites for just $1,000.

Google said it blocked the subdomain for hosting many spam websites. While that sounds reasonable, it does not change the fact that Google had taken things too far. That subdomain contained many legitimate websites.^[12]

10 Of The Creepiest Locations On Google Maps

Many people will cringe at the thought of working for free, especially for a trillion-dollar corporation like Google. To summarize the truth in one sentence, we have all worked (and are still working) for Google for free.

Every now and then, Google gives us a few simple tasks to complete. These tasks are so easy that you won’t realize they are part of a larger and more complicated project that would have cost Google billions of dollars in salaries and payments.

Top 10 Ways Google Is Censoring Free Speech

10 Book translators

If you’ve ever solved a CAPTCHA, you know, those annoying curly letters on blurry backgrounds that Google used to ask us to solve to prove we are not robots, then you’ve worked for Google for free. Specifically, you helped Google digitize all the books in its Google Books archive. Thank you!

Every CAPTCHA had two words. One was a control word to prove to Google that you knew what you are doing, while the other was the new word Google wanted to transcribe. Since Google didn’t specify which was which, we had to put equal efforts into solving both correctly.

Google used CAPTCHA to digitize its entire book archive and every New York Times newspaper printed since 1851. It did this within two years and without paying a single cent to anyone. Well done Google, well done!^[1]

9 Autonomous car trainers

If you hated CAPTCHA, reCAPTCHA is worse. It is CAPTCHA on steroids. You see those annoying images of signposts, cars, buses and traffic lights Google occasionally asks you to tag to prove you are not a robot? That is reCAPTCHA.

I may appear to be a bit hard on reCAPTCHA, but if you’ve ever spent a few precious seconds deliberating on whether the traffic light pole is part of the traffic light, or just abandoned Google for a few hours because you kept getting reCAPTCHA after reCAPTCHA, you will understand why I’m pissed off.

Why do you think reCAPTCHA only contains those things you only see while driving down a road, or to be more specific, those things a self-driving car will see while driving down a road?

It’s because Google is using reCAPTCHA to train its artificial intelligence for driverless cars. You are teaching driverless cars how to recognize objects, one reCAPTCHA at a time.

Google confirmed this on its developer blog at the time it introduced reCAPTCHA in 2012. It said it was “redirecting the efforts” we put into solving CAPTCHA into improving machine learning. As if anyone ever said they loved solving CAPTCHA.^[2]

8 Image labeler

Image Labeler is Google’s most shameful attempt at making us work for free. As much as we hate to say this, it worked. Google released Image Labeler as a game. It then used that game to improve its image search result while we had fun while working for free.

Google released the first version of the Image Labeler over a decade ago. The web-based game showed two random strangers the same photo and asked them to tag it before the countdown timer counted down to zero.

The players got some points if any of their tags matched one of the several tags of their partner. There was also a scoreboard where both players could see who was winning.^[3]

Image Labeler is still around today but not as a game. Google just shows you an image and asks questions like “Does this image contain water?” and “Is this a drawing?” You only need to click one of the Yes or No buttons. And while you’re at it, remember that you are still working for free.^[4]

7 Mobile traffic sensors

If you use Google Maps, you would have noticed that Google usually knows the traffic situation of your route. How do you think Google knows this information? It’s with your android smartphone, of course.

Everyone with an android phone doubles as a mobile traffic sensor for Google Maps. When several phones are stuck on a stretch or road, Google knows there is a traffic jam there. When they’re far apart, Google knows the road is free.

German artist, Simon Weckert, manipulated this system earlier this year when he stuffed 99 android phones into a cart, which he pushed through the streets of Berlin. Google Maps instantly listed every road he passed as “congested” even though they were free.

To drive his point home, Weckert even pushed his cart past the front of Google’s offices. No one noticed anything. A Google spokesperson later said they love seeing such creative use of Google Maps because it helps them improve the product. What else could they have said?^[5]

6 Unaware cartographers

A cartographer is someone who draws or makes maps. That includes anyone who ever used the now defunct Google Map Maker.

Released in 2008, Map Maker allowed anyone tag places and upload pictures of roads, rivers, buildings, businesses and other landmarks of interest to Google Maps. However, the tool had one fatal flaw that would later lead to its demise.

That flaw was its lack of adequate moderation. Google only moderated entries uploaded by new users. It did not moderate images or information from existing users.

This soon led to abuse. One user was so pissed off with the lack of moderation that he uploaded a photo of Android’s logo urinating on Apple’s logo in place of the photo of some location outside Rawalpindi, Pakistan. He added a message discrediting Google’s review policy.

Google responded by shutting down Map Maker.^[6]

Top 10 Disturbing Facts About Google

5 Human seismometers

Seismometers are instruments used to detect earthquakes. Despite their importance, many earthquake-prone states and countries cannot afford one since they are costly to build and maintain.

Enter Google, the multinational conglomerate that likes free work even though its owner, Alphabet, is worth over $1 trillion. Google is currently building the world’s largest and cheapest seismometer, using the two most common items out there.

That’s you and your android smartphone.

Smartphones make good seismometers because they contain accelerometers. That’s how your phone detects whether you’re holding it in portrait or landscape mode.

While the accelerometer in a single smartphone is not big enough to detect an earthquake, hundreds, thousands or even millions of tiny accelerators can detect one if they work together. Google calls this program ShakeAlert.

Like Google’s human traffic sensors, you don’t need to do anything to help Google detect earthquakes. You only need to have your android smartphone in your pocket and be in the wrong place at the wrong time.^[7]

4 Google local guide

Half of Google users are looking for information on some local business or location. Since Google cannot afford to, sorry, does not want to pay employees or contractors to help it gather that information, it set up the Local Guides program.

Local guides add comments, photos and reviews of popular locations to Google Maps. You will be correct if you called this the successor of the failed Map Maker we talked about in the previous entry.

This is where it gets interesting. Google does not pay local guides for their work. Instead, it rewards them with points for any information they add to Google Maps. Now, what do you think happens when the local guide get enough points?

They get a badge and continue working to earn more points for a bigger badge. The cycle continues until they earn the biggest badge, which is as useless as graffiti on a peeling wall.

Local guides who work hard enough may also receive gifts ranging from a pair of socks to a phone case, and one terabyte storage space on Google cloud. Before anyone decides to become a local guide because of the free storage space, we should add that the “gift” only lasts for two years before Google starts asking for money.

Google also added that successful local guides might receive some rewards from its partners. Google did not provide information on who these partners are or what those benefits are. However, some local guides have received discounts on online courses on Udemy.^[8]

If you think that sounds good, wait until you hear that Udemy always discounts its courses for everyone.^[9]

3 Content moderators

In 2017, thousands of businesses pulled their ads from YouTube after their ads appeared on suggestive, controversial and extreme videos that did not represent their brand. What no one talked about at the time was how those ads ended up in those videos. YouTube has a large team of paid moderators, doesn’t it?

Yes, it does, but they are not enough. Google will need over 50,000 employees or contractors if it ever hopes to watch and moderate every video uploaded on YouTube. That’s hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars in salaries, bonuses and allowances.

Since Google doesn’t want to pay that money, it depends on regular users like you and me to help it moderate YouTube. It’s paid moderators only step in when enough unpaid moderators (again, that’s you and me) flag a video. This means YouTube will not moderate inappropriate videos unless we report them.^[10]

2 YouTube translator

In March 2017, around the same time YouTube (and Google) were taking a beating for showing ads on controversial videos, YouTube released a feature to allow users translate the titles and descriptions of any video into other languages. As usual, this position is unpaid even though it is a lot of work.

Google claimed the feature would allow video creators “connect with audiences” that do not speak their language. However, we all know YouTube did that to encourage more people to watch videos, which means more money for them. By them, I mean YouTube and not the creators.^[11]

1 360 photographers

Street View is a Google Maps feature that allows users view 360 degrees around a position. Imagine standing on a single point and turning round until you return to your starting position. That’s how Street View works.

360 photos are shot by people Google calls “Google Street View trusted photographers”. The position is a real one even though Google does not appear to trust the photographers enough to pay them for their work. Google says it gives the photographers some rewards but wait until you find out what those “rewards” are.

Beginner photographers need to take 50 photos to receive a Google Street View badge. They are then upgraded to something Google calls Trusted Pro. As a trusted pro, they receive free training on how to sell their photography services to private businesses that want to appear on Street View.

Thereafter, Google adds them to the list of photographers it can recommend to nearby businesses that want to be on Street View. The business pays the photographer for their services, and Google makes it clear that it will not involve itself in any dispute they may have.

To sweeten the deal, Google also gives the photographer some discounts on some stickers to encourage clients visiting the business to view the business on the Google Street View app. If they have more money to spare, Google suggests they buy the $7.59 Google Cardboard for their client.

Successful 360 photographers advise would-be photographers to bypass Google and offer their services directly to businesses that want to be on Street View. They will receive payment for all their photos and may even put their own sticker in the business instead of Google’s.^[12]

This entry is incomplete without the story of the photographer who spent $2,390 dollars on 360 cameras, internet and other gear he needed to become a Street View photographer. What do you think Google gave him when he reached the 50 images mark?

He received an offer to rent a movie for just $0.99.^[13]

Top 10 Ways Google Does Evil

Some say that there is no such thing as a free meal – but those people just haven’t tried hard enough. The ancient Romans said that the public could be entertained with bread and circuses and giving away free food has always been a good way to ensure popularity. Over the centuries the UK has built up a huge number of traditions that result some lucky people ending up with free food.

2020 has been a tough year for everyone so here are ten ways you can get fed for free.

Top 10 Disgusting Foods Westerners Eat

10 St Briavels

Usually the best food you can expect in an Anglican church is a little cracker and some wine. But every year at the church in the small village of St Briavels you might be lucky enough to get pelted with bread and cheese.

Each year a vicar is invited to deliver a sermon in which they only get paid if the congregation cheers at then end. Then, in a tradition dating from the 12th century, selected locals take baskets containing small cubes of cheese and bread to the top of a wall known as the Pound Wall. Dole Claimers then gather at the base of wall and wait for food to rain down on them.

Some people use upturned umbrellas to ensure that they catch something without the food touching the ground. Strangely most don’t actually eat the bread or cheese but preserve them and keep them as good luck charms. Miners once thought the food would stop mine collapses. Today the cubes of food are put in matchboxes and placed under pillows to allow people to dream about the future.^[1]

9 Farthing Loaf Day

Many of the food distributions that dot the British year came about because people left money in their wills to provide them. It’s a good way to be both remembered and remembered fondly. People love free food. But it is not a foolproof way to make sure your name lives forever.

In Kidderminster an old widow who lived on Church Street left a sum of money in her will to ensure there was always a sense of community on the street. Unfortunately the name of this generous old maid has been forgotten.

On Midsummer Eve anyone who was born on the street was welcomed to come and join a feast that became known as Farthing Loaf Day. Unfortunately the money ran out due to bad investment but John Brecknell of Church Street, whose name is remembered, left £150 to the charity in 1776. He wanted a tuppenny plum-cake to be given to every child and unmarried woman on the street as well as the bread. He also gave pipes, tobacco, and ale to the men who met in friendship.

The toast given at the meeting is “Peace and Good Neighbourhood!” Food does tend to make people more neighbourly.^[2]

8 Tichborne Dole

When Lady Mabella Tichborne lay dying in the 13th century she asked her husband for a relatively minor favour – distribute food to the poor. Her husband agreed but with one somewhat harsh condition. He would provide land for corn to be grown on that would be used to make bread for the needy. But he would only provide as much land as the sick lady could crawl around while holding a burning torch.

Miraculously Lady Mabella managed to cover 23 acres. That land is still known as the Crawls today and provides the flour for the Tichborne Dole which is given out every Lady Day – the 25th of March. In the past loaves of bread were given out but today anyone who attends will be given a measure of flour to bake with for themselves.

Having seen how her husband treated her request Lady Mabella is said to have added a curse. If the Tichborne Dole is ever stopped then the family will die out and the house fall down. When it was cancelled in the 18th century after the dole became too rowdy part of the house did collapse and it was hastily restarted. The Tichborne name survives to this day.^[3]

7 Scrambling Cakes

If you were lucky enough to live in Twickenham in 1367 you might have been eligible for a lovely dole of free food – some peas or beans. Unfortunately this food distribution was stopped but a tastier one was started when two “great cakes” were tossed to the poor each Easter Sunday. But as will happen when you throw two cakes to a crowd a riot would often result.

The disorder caused by the tossing of the cakes became so disruptive that the Parliament of 1645 had to step in and ban the tradition. For some reason they did not think that fighting over crumbs of cake was a particularly holy way to celebrate Jesus. They suggested that ordinary loaves of bread be substituted and this seems to have made for a quieter celebration.

A later tradition in Twickenham may be related to the scrambling for cakes and loaves. The Vicar’s Day Charity saw a local priest climb a church tower and throw loaves of bread to children below. Their scrambling for food was apparently sufficiently decorous.^[4]

6 Wayfairers’ Charity

If free food is good then free booze is better. It used to be that a traveller crossing Britain could expect to find charity if they needed it in most towns and villages. Religious institutions fed people and often offered them accommodation. After the dissolution of the monasteries however this tradition mostly died out.

In Winchester however there is still one place where anyone who wants it can turn up and get a piece of bread and a mug of beer. The Hospital of St Cross and Almshouse of Noble Poverty was a charitable house founded in the 1130s. A French monk brought over the custom of distributing bread and wine to the poor – but beer was thought to be a more English drink.

Today if you want to get a small meal for free all you have to do is request it at the Porter’s Lodge. Alternatively you could become one of the 25 brothers of the house who receive an apartment to live in at a reduced rent and a subsidised two course lunch.^[5]

10 Bizarre Origin Stories About Your Favorite Foods

5 Butterworth Dole

At the Church of St Bartholomew in Smithfield, London there 21 widows were once provided with a sixpence each every Good Friday. The widows would wait in the churchyard while the coins were laid out on a tombstone. They would then walk over and take their dole. No one can say who founded this tradition or when it began because of the paperwork of the church was burned in the Great Fire of London in 1666.

Over time fewer poor widows turned up to claim their coin and the charity died out. When money was left to revive the charity in the 19th century by G.W. Butterworth it came back as a distribution of both money and food to poor widows. When the widows once again dried up it the charity changed to a free dole of Hot Cross Buns – a traditional British Easter treat.

Poor widows are still welcome to attend and will be given the sixpence, or its equivalent. It stands at around 20 pence today.^[6]

4 Beating the Bounds in Leighton Buzzard

Edward Wilkes built 10 almshouses to provide shelter for the poor in 1630 in memory of his father John. When Edward died he asked that beer and bread be given out every Rogation Tide and the tradition of Wilkes Walk originated to honour him.

Rogation days are often observed with a ‘beating of the bounds’ when a procession is made around the boarders of a parish to ensure that the memory of where boundaries lay was continued. On Rogation Monday in Leighton Buzzard a procession leaves All Saints Church, passes the almshouses, and into the market square. To make it memorable while the Clerk reads from Edward Wilke’s will a choirboy is hoisted by his ankles.

Buns and beer were once given out but it was found beer made for too festive an event. Then it was buns and lemonade that were distributed at the market cross. This was stopped in 1896 when thousands of buns were consumed and the ladies of the parish could not keep up. Now the buns are given out in church.^[7]

3 Bull Baiting

Sometimes charity, no matter how well intended, can do harm. When George Staverton died in 1661 he left a sum in his will so that the poor of Wokingham would receive both beef and leather. Unfortunately for them to get it several animals would have to die a cruel death. As a butcher Staverton left a suitably bloody legacy.

Each year just before Christmas two bulls were led through the town for everyone to see and to announce the spectacle that would follow. The bulls were not just slaughtered – they were to be baited. Bull baiting used to be a popular activity that saw tethered bulls pitted against dogs in vicious fights. Many dogs would be gored to death before the bulls eventually succumbed to their wounds. Then their meat would be handed out to the hungry.

The tradition was finally suppressed in 1821. The meat continued to be given out but the bulls were dispatched by a butcher and not dogs.^[8]

2 Thomasing

Thomasing is a tradition that used to be widespread on, appropriately, St Thomas’ Day. December 23rd was a good time for people to receive charity as it helped them celebrate Christmas in style. While some called it Thomasing it was variously known as ‘Gooding,’ ‘Corning,’ ‘Doleing,’ ‘Washaeling,’ ‘Christmasing,’ and ‘Gathering’. Some also called it ‘Mumping’ – from ‘Mompen,’ a Saxon word meaning ‘to beg.’

Thomasing saw groups of women going from house to house in their community and begging a small amount of food from each. Sometimes people would be given small amounts of flour or other ingredients to make a pudding. Other times they would be given fresh fruit of vegetables. The most popular gifts however came from those who gave out alcohol.

The tradition has mostly died out now but in the 1990s there were still some who remembered it happening. “This old lass went mumping for spuds, the farmer told her to clear off. So she said ‘You might not get a good crop next year’. The funny thing was, he didn’t.”^[9]

1 Cheese Rolling

If you go to Cooper’s Hill at the right time you will see hordes of people apparently going crazy. Having waited at the top of a 200 yard slope someone shouts out:

“One to be ready!
Two to be steady!
Three to prepare!
and four to be off!”

Then they fling themselves down the hill. All of them are in pursuit of just one thing – a round wheel of Double Gloucester cheese. The annual cheese rolling event draws people from around the world who want a chance of winning a free lump of cheese. Only one person can get the cheese but hundreds of people leave with injuries ranging from bruises to broken limbs.

No one can say for sure when the first cheese rolling took place but it was first recorded 1826. Since then there have been attempts to stop the event on health and safety grounds. Since people run down the hill willingly it has come to be seen as a case of “they know the risks.”

During the Covid lockdown people could not gather to throw themselves down the hill but organisers rolled a small ceremonial cheese just to keep the tradition alive.^[10]

Top 10 Bizarre And Unexpected Foods From The Real Paleo Diet

The Old West is a place of legend and lore. We’ve all read the tall tales about outlaws, gunslingers, shootouts, and skirmishes from the Great Plains to the Southwest and places farther west. Many of the shocking stories are real. Many others are embellished. For more than two centuries now, the myths of the frontier remain in American culture. But what about how life really was back then? After all, there were far more people in the Great West than just sheriffs and train robbers. How did these regular folks live? What did they do for fun?

Bandits be damned—everyday laborers, ranchers, cowboys, and saloon workers needed an outlet too. And their diversions ranged from the mundane to the fascinating to the disturbing. The relative lack of law enforcement on the frontier allowed more freedom than people in other areas of the country. Many of their leisure activities followed accordingly. Today, you’ll learn about twelve things everyday folks did for fun in the Old West.

12 Drinking

What self-respecting list about life in the Old West would neglect to lead with alcohol? Drinking culture was the center of frontier life. Saloons were community centers and regular hangouts in every tiny town. For the men, that is. Women weren’t allowed in saloons unless they were there as working girls selling sex. And the atmosphere was bawdy, rowdy, and dangerous.

All sorts of men from varying backgrounds descended as often as they could to drink. Soldiers, miners, and farm laborers of all kinds met in the saloon. Outlaws and sheriffs always showed up too. Many bars had music on hand, much like those today. Others offered card games and gambling. Many more served as brothels. The working girls plied their trade upstairs while customers got drunk, then shelled out more money for pleasure.

There was never a shortage of alcohol-selling establishments to visit. At one point, the small frontier settlement of Livingston, Montana, boasted 33 saloons. Considering the ramshackle town had just 3,000 residents, that’s quite a ratio. But customers always came, and barkeeps always seemed to make out well. Whiskey was usually the drink of choice in these places. But it wasn’t like the whiskey we know today.

The stuff back then was brutal. Most commonly, it was raw alcohol fermented with burnt sugar and chewing tobacco. Some saloons served “cactus wine,” which combined tequila and peyote tea. Others offered straight rye liquor and room-temperature beer. And the most adventurous drinkers had the option to swig “rotgut.” That disgusting beverage was 100-proof liquor, usually mixed with some combination of turpentine, ammonia, pepper, and even gunpowder. Cheers? ^[1]

11 Brothels

Brothels were a common sight in frontier towns. Prostitution was technically illegal throughout the Old West in the 19th century, but that didn’t seem to stop anybody. Lawmen were often few and far between. Laborers, miners, and itinerant workers were rough-and-tumble men. They sought a good time after a hard day’s work, and they were willing to pay for it. The “soiled doves” and “sportin’ women” who populated the brothels were happy to comply if it meant taking in big bucks.

As the west was won, brothels became town centers in much the same way as saloons. Migrant laborers, cowboys, and outlaws alike gravitated to them. For a little hard-earned cash, pleasure was easy to find. The women who ran those establishments did big business. In fact, it was one of the only ways frontier women could make money and assert themselves in an otherwise male-dominated society.

By the end of the 19th century, many boomtowns made no show of hiding their red-light districts. In one infamous instance, the 1895 Travelers’ Guide Of Colorado explicitly listed out brothels operating in the state. Traveling men could pick out any establishment from 66 pages of information. It was like Yelp for the old days—with an adult angle.

That’s not to say the sex industry was healthy, of course. Countless women died from childbirth and venereal disease as a result of their work in brothels. Others were at the mercy of careless, violent, and sadistic men. In the best-case scenarios, some madams became extremely wealthy. But that was rare. More often, women were used for men’s pleasure in these not-so-halcyon days on the frontier.^[2]

10 Rodeos

Rodeos may have originated centuries ago south of the border. But while conquistadors and natives in current-day Mexico started the practice, it kicked up a notch in the Old West. In 1852, a group of Texans put on the first public rodeo in America. Immediately, it was a hit. Frontier townspeople showed up in droves. Soon, they never stopped coming. Westerners loved attending rodeos through the rest of the 19th century. Formal shows and informal outings were both popular in boomtowns. Events allowed frontier men to congregate and be merry. Some fought. Most drank. They all took in bullfighting, roping, steer wrestling, and all kinds of other cowboy-inspired attractions.

Of course, the notorious bucking bulls were the main selling point. Even from those humble beginnings in Texas, promoters sold bull riding as the ultimate show. But through the years, other ranch tricks evolved into rodeo competitions. The aforementioned roping and wrestling were central. Lasso tricks, horse racing, bullfighting, and bronco bucking filled the card.

After decades of Old West tours, rodeos began traveling. Refined audiences back east coast grew to love the rugged shows. Frontier legends like Bill Pickett and Buffalo Bill saw this spread as a money-making opportunity. They hit the road to put on rodeo shows all over America. The dollars rolled in. Over the years, rodeo became a favorite show for millions nationwide. Its legacy continues in the rodeos and stock shows of today.^[3]

9 Gambling

Wherever men gather in large numbers, certain vices seem to often follow. As we’ve already seen, drinking and sex were at the top of that list. And in the Old West, one other pastime was there, too: gambling. Saloons were serious about promoting gambling because it kept patrons buying drinks. Some bars even hired employees to keep card tables in order so customers would stay seated all night. Men spent their hard-earned dollars on high-stakes blackjack and a host of other card games.

Depending on the region and time period, all kinds of different games flourished. Some were known by humorous names. “Chuck-A-Luck” was a common card game, along with “Three Card Monte,” “High Dice,” and “Faro.” Through the decades, boomtown saloons embraced gambling. Local sheriffs even looked the other way—until issues got too violent to ignore. As you might expect, gambling often led to deadly disagreements. Arguments over card games were common in the Wild West. Disputes would bubble up over a hand of cards, a cheating accusation, or a misplaced bet. Men were quick on the draw—literally—and many of the worst spats had fatal endings.

Today, historians view gambling as a logical part of life in the West. After all, the men who settled the frontier often left behind relatively calmer lives back east. Whether mining, prospecting, or ranching, they hoped to strike it rich overnight in these boomtowns. So they showed up with a gambler’s mindset. Combine that with the presence of guns, and the atmosphere at card tables was electric. And in countless instances, gambling proved to be a very deadly diversion.^[4]

8 Animal Fighting

The Wild West was a cruel place. As we’ve already learned, countless women in brothels were mistreated. Saloons were places of wanton violence and cruelty. And the barbaric nature of the frontier extended to animals too. One of the most sought-out diversions in the Old West was animal fighting. Dog fights were common, as were cock fights.

In some boomtowns, event promoters made a big show of it. Builders would cobble together wooden grandstands to attract paying customers. The fighting arena was outlined by chicken wire. The aggressive roosters were brought in and left to unload on each other. The fights were usually short, often brutal, and always deadly. But their popularity was never in question. Promoters made a proverbial killing in ticket sales from fans wanting to watch killings inside the ring. Of course, gambling and alcohol were widespread at these events too. Are you sensing a pattern in some of these Wild West pastimes yet?

Out in the Far West, bull and bear fighting were the 19th century’s popular sports. Pioneers across California thought roosters and dogs were too insignificant to bother with. So they put together big bear pits and caught California grizzly bears in the wild. Once the bear was in the pit, promoters would send in a raging bull. The two massive animals battled it out to the death. Bear fights like this weren’t invented out west. In fact, ancient Romans used to stage similar battles—although it’s unlikely American pioneers knew that. Still, California’s bear and bull fights were historically brutal. Pioneers trapped and killed so many bears in the awful sport that the state’s grizzly bear population went extinct because of it.^[5]

7 Minstrel Shows

Across the Old West, American settlers clashed with native populations. American Indians on the Great Plains and Hispanic locals in the Southwest were pushed out of their homelands by expansion. Along the way, American pioneers brought with them some serious racial prejudices. The pastime that best exemplified this was the minstrel show. Modern historians define minstrel shows as “the comic enactment of racial stereotypes.” These circus-like acts were very popular at the time. They weren’t invented out west, but they reigned supreme there. Traveling actors wore blackface makeup and acted out unflattering Black, Hispanic, and Indian stereotypes. Today, the shows are seen as a troubling vestige of a dark period in American history. But at the time, pioneers in boomtowns flocked to see the cheap entertainment.

Minstrel shows first became popular in the 1830s back east. But what started in New York spread like wildfire on the frontier. By the mid-19th century, western shows played to the lawlessness of the land. Unique costumes and makeup promoted particularly harmful stereotypes of Indian and Hispanic cultures. Many of the performances were technically intricate. Most included songs and choreographed dances. Some even boasted burlesque sequences and opera performances. But the racially abusive nature of the content is shocking to consider today. Thankfully, minstrel shows long ago fell out of favor. Still, their cultural reign in the Old West is another reminder of how cruel life was back then.^[6]

6 Medicine Shows

Minstrel shows weren’t the only traveling entertainment out west. Along with those troubling performances, medicine shows also had a unique place on the frontier. At the time, healthcare was hard to come by in the west. So whenever a doctor or quack rode into town promising a miracle cure for common ailments, people were bound to listen. That’s how medicine shows drew attention.

Traveling charlatans and quasi-medical salesmen would pitch a tent and promote a product. People would come out to see what the new drug supposedly did. Quickly, the salesmen’s pitches ratcheted up in intensity. Soon, they became far more entertaining than the product itself. Over the years, frontier settlers attended these shows in droves just to see the spectacle.

As settlers spread further west, the traveling salesmen followed. Over the years, these events became more intricate. Some included things like burlesque shows. Others offered pie-eating contests. Even the proverbial “dog and pony show” became standard fare under the medicine tent. Settlers seeking diversion in their small community flocked to the shows. Entertainment wasn’t the only purpose, though. There were sales going on throughout the era. In fact, one modern historian published research claiming these traveling health revivals pulled in nearly $100 million annually across the west during the 19th century. That’s not chump change!^[7]

5 Circuses

Combine rodeos, minstrel shows, and medicine shows, and what do you get? Circuses! The Old West was one of the earliest supporters of circus acts. What we know today as the “Greatest Show On Earth” swept quickly across the frontier. Different circuses had different attractions, but many became stereotypical of the later industry. Russian cossack horsemen rode around rings under the big tent. Trapeze artists always wowed western crowds. Animal acts were a particular attraction too.

Traditional circus outfits like the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey developed iconic acts for pioneer audiences. Western settlers showed up in droves when one of these companies rode the rails into town. Nearly two centuries later, circus acts like these still conjure up a very particular image in the American psyche.

They weren’t the only shows available to western settlers, though. In the late 18th century, Buffalo Bill took the circus idea and gave it a pioneer spin. The longtime cowboy brought exotic animals, rodeos, and Western culture together under its own big tent. More than most former cowboys of the dying era, Buffalo Bill promoted pioneer values to the rest of the country. He hired Native American performers to re-enact moments in frontier history. Ranch hands showed off horse tricks, bison runs, and more for stunned eastern audiences. Slowly, the frontier was becoming more settled and civilized. But Buffalo Bill leaned into the era’s nostalgia. He traveled around performing Old West reenactments with his troupe well into the 20th century.^[8]

4 Public Hangings

Public executions have been a popular part of civilizations down through history. Rulers have always relished the opportunity to show subjects what happens when one breaks the law. And ancient peoples have forever been attracted to this vigilante justice. The lawless nature of the Old West felt similar to these ancient times. So it makes sense that public hangings were a common pastime on the borderless American frontier.

Sheriffs relied on hangings to boost public morale amid their often-inconsistent enforcement of the law. Nothing was better for a local lawman than catching and killing a violent train robber or hated horse thief. Settlers were often left without law enforcement nearby for long stretches of their lives. So they appreciated this frontier justice from a practical standpoint. Seeing a convicted criminal strung up in the public square made their towns safer. It also gave Westerners a grisly, macabre diversion from their boring daily lives.

In the Wild West, public hangings were elaborate rituals. Processions would follow the condemned man beginning at the jailhouse. Lawmen surrounded the bound convict. Still, local citizens hurled everything from insults to cabbages at the shamed man. By the time the group reached the gallows, the procession was often at a fever pitch. There, the sheriff would read the man his last rights. A specific hangman’s noose was made from the strongest bit of rope available. As the crowd cheered on mercilessly, the convicted man was hanged. And with his death, another measure of justice came to a lawless place.

Public hangings were common across the West during the 19th century. Dozens of legal hangings and dozens more lynchings have been recorded. In the 1850s, one California town even briefly changed its name to “Hangtown” to celebrate all the public executions that took place there. This justice was swift and shocking. But it proved very popular among frontier residents.^[9]

3 Manly Competitions

The Old West was a manly place. As we’ve already learned, women were relegated to the fringes of society. So when it came time for fun, men engaged in stereotypically masculine pursuits. As pioneer culture developed, manly games and competitions surged. These intense affairs took on all sorts of different styles. Some men pursued rock drilling competitions. Others engaged in steamboat racing. The most common sports of the day included ax throwing, rifle and revolver shooting, and log rolling. Wagon racing was a popular daredevil activity too. And when those rickety contraptions didn’t move fast enough, men ditched the wagons and opted for old-fashioned horse racing.

The competitions were fun for the men involved. They were fun for spectators too. Alcohol always flowed at these events, and plenty of cash was laid out to gamble. The manly sporting endeavors also fostered an early sense of community in fledgling frontier towns. Some men were locally famous for their sports stardom. Towns became well-known for developing icons in one sport or another.

Legends were born, and myths were made over many friendly frontier competitions. Amazingly, many of these sports have been passed down through time. In February 2022, hundreds of modern cowboys traveled to Phoenix, Arizona, to compete in a shooting challenge first founded in the mid-19th century. Clearly, the glory of the Old West remains a draw to modern men.^[10]

2 Boxing

Boxing was one of the perfect outlets for fun in the Old West. It needed no equipment and used limited space. No playing fields had to be cleared. The rules were remarkably simple. Two men could always be found willing to duke it out for money. And the era’s wanton violence fostered aggression in frontier men. So it shouldn’t be a surprise to learn boxing was one of the most popular pastimes for pioneers.

Boxing matches were often sold out. Even legends of the Wild West took part. OK Corral participant Wyatt Earp began refereeing boxing matches late in his life. He even grew to be the face of the West Coast boxing circuit. By the end of the 19th century, California towns were routinely selling thousands of tickets to quasi-legal boxing matches.

As you might expect, bouts often turned into raucous affairs. Attendees drank heavily and wagered money. When they got too out of control, crowd skirmishes broke out. Suddenly, boxing was going on in the ring and all around it! At various points in the 19th century, sheriffs tried in vain to rein in boxing promoters.

Various frontier towns moved to make the public fights illegal. But promoters didn’t care, and neither did fans. People still flocked to illegal bouts. And the most creative promoters took the opportunity to work within the law. If boxing was illegal in a town, event organizers would host a play in a theater. As luck would have it, one of the play’s “acts” involved two men duking it out on stage. The loophole worked, and crowds got their fill of (legal) organized violence.^[11]

1 Baseball

It seems hard to believe America’s pastime was a pioneer pursuit, but baseball did (partially) overlap with the age of the Wild West. After Alexander Cartwright invented the game in the mid-19th century, he set his sights on the frontier. Hearing about the discovery of gold in California, Cartwright joined thousands of other men on the journey. Naturally, he brought baseball with him. The sport had already been growing back east, and Cartwright found western settlers loved it just as much as their more refined eastern neighbors.

Frontier towns didn’t offer pro ball as eastern cities did. But in the late 19th century, settlements cobbled together amateur teams. Barnstorming baseballers traveled across the west to compete against teams in other tiny towns. Local pride was on the line—and a good bit of gambling money too. Soon, amateur baseball clubs sprouted up in places from San Francisco to Kansas City. Even gunslingers like Will Bill Hickok grew to love the game.

In 1869, baseball surged in popularity on the Great Plains. That year, the Cincinnati Red Stockings became America’s first professional baseball team. They set out on a nationwide tour to play for money. In towns across the east, fans flocked to see the new sport. Then, the Red Stockings turned west. When they got to St. Louis, they settled in for a series of exhibition games.

Teams from as far as California showed up to play against the Cincinnati nine. The barnstorming series was a smashing success with fans. It also proved critical to the future of baseball. The Red Stockings’ popularity spurred the growth of what later became Major League Baseball. And out west, settlers started spreading the game among each other until it was played practically everywhere.^[12]