Globe Publishes First "Confidential Chat"
On this day in 1884, The Boston Globe published the first "Housekeepers Column," known since 1922 as "Confidential Chat." Although many Globe reporters at first looked with disdain on a column in which readers — the vast majority of them female — shared recipes, advice, and support, "Confidential Chat" became an institution at the paper, having been published continuously for over 110 years. Writing under playful pen names such as "Dorchester Dottie," readers ask each other for help on everything from cooking and stain removal to child rearing and sexual mores. Many "Confidential Chat" readers consider themselves to be members of a special club. Some note proudly that they were the third generation of "Chat" readers — and writers — in their family.
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