Why didn't people smile in old photographs? It wasn't just about the long exposure times.

People blame these serious expressions on how long they had to sit for a photo, but that's not the whole picture.

If you've ever perused photographs from the 19th and early 20th century, you've likely noticed how serious everyone looked. Why didn't people smile in photographs? Was life just so hard back then that nobody smiled? Were dour, sour expressions just the norm?

Most often, people's serious faces in old photographs are blamed on the long exposure time of early cameras, and that's true. Taking a photo was not an instant event like it is now; people had to sit still for many minutes in the 1800s to have their photo taken.

Ever try holding a smile for only one full minute? It's surprisingly difficult and very quickly becomes unnatural. When you had to be still for several minutes to get your photo taken, there was just no way you were going to hold a smile for that long.

But there are other reasons besides long exposure times that people didn't smile in early photographs.

Mom uses a brilliantly simple, one-word switch while teaching her daughter about makeup

Imagine if all daughters were taught to think of makeup this way.

Makeup is an incredibly fun form of self-expression. At the same time, it’s deeply enmeshed with the problematic beauty standards that rob women of their self-worth. Many grown women have a rather complicated relationship with it, so it’s no wonder that they might have a hard time knowing exactly how to have a conversation about it with their own daughters.

But one mom has a pretty awesome solution for teaching her child about makeup in a healthy way, and it all comes down to a simple word switch.

In a video posted to her TikTok, Maggie Katz has a pretty adorable exchange with her daughter in front of the bathroom mirror as they put on makeup together.

Your 7-year-old is questioning the meaning of life. Now what?

Existential intelligence in kids is a good thing. Here's how to manage it.

I put my parents through existential hell when I was a kid.

Even at just 7 or 8 years old, I didn't see the point in anything, and it left me defeated.

What, I just go to school, come home, do homework, go to bed, and then get up and do it all over again? What are even doing here?!

It must have frustrated them to no end. Looking back, of course they didn't have the answers! None of us do! It couldn't have been easy trying to explain that to a child who just wouldn't let it go.

A recent Reddit thread on r/Daddit made me realize I wasn't the only kid who had these big, philosophical thoughts.

‘Wheel of Fortune’ contestant immediately regrets his hilariously wrong answer to an easy puzzle

“I can’t breathe. I am laughing so hard."

The Monday, November 11, Veteran’s Day episode of “Wheel of Fortune” featured military veterans competing for cash and prizes. But it’ll probably be best remembered for a hilarious answer given by Coast Guard veteran Will Jordan.

Jordan is a veteran police officer working as a school resource officer in Newington, Connecticut.

During Round 1` under the “Phrase” category, Jordan faced a 6-word puzzle that read “_ _ E / O U R S E F / A / R O U N / O F / A _ _ _ A U S E.” At that point, Jordan thought he had the answer and proudly proclaimed, “I’d like to solve.” His answer was as strange, to say the least: “Treat Yourself A Round Of Sausage.”