These photos and stories reveal what childhood was like before U.S. labor laws.

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For centuries in the United States, child labor was all too common.

Despite efforts from educators to encourage primary school, an immigration boom in the latter half of the 19th century resulted in a new pool of child workers. The influx of low-earning, compliant young laborers coincided with the rapid expansion of industrial positions in mills and factories.

Children worked long hours, often in cramped, dangerous conditions, to help support their families.

Photo by Lewis Wickes Hine for the National Child Labor Committee/Library of Congress.

At the turn of the 20th century, social reformers took aim at child labor.

The National Child Labor Committee used photography to bring attention to the children's abysmal working conditions and push for reform at the state level.

Photo by Lewis Wickes Hine for the National Child Labor Committee/Library of Congress.

These are just a few of the more than 5,000 images available from the Library of Congress. The images and captions from photographer Lewis W. Hine provide some insight and clarity into the experiences of the children themselves, who grew up way too soon.

Small and babyfaced. Black and white. On farms and in factories. From coast to coast. Here are 14 of their stories.

1. Lalar Blanton, 10, sneaks a glimpse outside during her shift at the Rhodes Manufacturing Co. in Lincolnton, North Carolina. (1908)

Photo by Lewis Wickes Hine for the National Child Labor Committee /Library of Congress.

2. This 16-year-old in Fort Worth, Texas, works seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. as a messenger and newsboy. He earns $15-$18 a week. (1913)

Photo by Lewis Wickes Hine for the National Child Labor Committee /Library of Congress.

3. Boys reset pins at the Arcade Bowling Alley in Trenton, New Jersey. The boys work until after midnight. Sometimes, kids selling concessions work late too, but mostly during baseball season. (1909)

Photo by Lewis Wickes Hine for the National Child Labor Committee/Library of Congress.

4. A few boys join the men working as oyster shuckers in Apalachicola, Florida. (1909)

Photo by Lewis Wickes Hine for the National Child Labor Committee/Library of Congress.

5. A little girl in Hoboken, New Jersey, tends a corner newspaper stand. She's unable to tell the photographer her name or age. (1912)

Photo by Lewis Wickes Hine for the National Child Labor Committee/Library of Congress.

6. These young boys help their family strip tobacco in Bowling Green, Kentucky. They frequently miss school to help with the arduous process. (1916)

Photo by Lewis Wickes Hine for the National Child Labor Committee/Library of Congress.

7. This young spinner in Roanoke, Virginia, told the photographer she was 14. He said, "It is doubtful." (1911)

Photo by Lewis Wickes Hine for the National Child Labor Committee/Library of Congress.

8. Elwood Palmer Cooper, 7, has already worked for a year on this miller's wagon in Wilmington, Delaware. He carries 25-pound bags of flour from the wagon to stores to earn 25 cents a week in spending money. (1910)

Photo by Lewis Wickes Hine for the National Child Labor Committee/Library of Congress.

9. 6-year-old Warren Frakes of Comanche County, Oklahoma, picked 41 pounds of cotton yesterday. He has about 20 pounds in his bag right now. (1916)

Photo by Lewis Wickes Hine for the National Child Labor Committee/Library of Congress.

10. Daisy Langford, 8, is in her first season at a cannery in Seaford, Delaware. She's having a difficult time keeping up, placing caps on the cans at the rate of 40 per minute. (1910)

Photo by Lewis Wickes Hine for the National Child Labor Committee/Library of Congress.

11. A child assists a glass blower in Grafton, West Virginia. He works nine hours a day in this cramped position. Next week, he's on the night shift. (1908)

Photo by Lewis Wickes Hine for the National Child Labor Committee/Library of Congress.

12. Frank is 14, but he's helped his father in the mines for three years. He spent some time in the hospital after his leg was crushed by a coal car. (1906)

Photo by Lewis Wickes Hine for the National Child Labor Committee/Library of Congress.

13. After selling into the night, 12-year-old Antoinette Siminger of Cincinnati is nearly out of baskets. "Basket! Five cents each!" she shouts. (1908)

Photo by Lewis Wickes Hine for the National Child Labor Committee/Library of Congress.

14. It's a cold February day in Utica, New York, but these newsies are still selling papers. (1910)

Photo by Lewis Wickes Hine for the National Child Labor Committee/Library of Congress.

It took the Great Depression and years of advocacy to substantially do away with child labor.

Following the economic downtown and so many people facing unemployment, jobs once held by children were opened up to adults. Soon, new technology mechanized jobs once reserved for small hands. And these new tools required semi-skilled adults at the helm.

The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 finally placed limits on child labor and set a national minimum wage for the first time. Just over a decade later, the law was amended to include agriculture, transportation, and communications businesses. Finally, most children in the U.S. were out of the workplace and into the classroom.

Photo by Lewis Wickes Hine for the National Child Labor Committee/Library of Congress.

While child labor is no longer commonplace in the U.S., the problem persists around the world.

Over 100 million children still work in hazardous conditions on farms, in mines, and in domestic positions. Many are exposed to toxic substances and harmful chemicals, and they aren’t given the chance to go to school.

Some countries have have made small advancements through legislation and public awareness, but the fight for millions of lost childhoods continues.

A boy in India loads bricks onto a horse cart. Photo by STR/AFP/Getty Images.

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Thumbnail photo by Lewis Wickes Hine for the National Child Labor Committee/Library of Congress.

There are lots of organizations working to end child labor around the world. Check out what UNICEF is doing to put an end to the practice.

The amazing reason this kid carried his little brother on his back for 111 miles.

5 days. 111 miles. 2 awesome brothers. 1 incredible story.

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An 111-mile walk would be a meaningful accomplishment for anyone.

But it was even more so for Hunter and Braden Gandee, neither of whom would have started the journey if not for the other.

All photos from Hunter Gandee, used with permission.

Braden, 9, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at age 1.

He usually uses a walker to get around. But, inspired by a dream their mom had, Braden's 16-year-old older brother Hunter decided to take a walk with Braden on his back to raise awareness for CP. Hunter said he is inspired by "just seeing my brother fight through all the struggles and how he battles everything with a positive attitude."

"I thought the idea was crazy," Braden said. Crazy or not, he agreed to go along for the ride.

The brothers, who live with their family in Temperance, Michigan, first walked together in June 2014 for 40 miles, then they did it again the following year for 57 miles.

This year’s walk was the longest yet for the brothers, totaling a whopping 111 miles and taking five days to complete.

"There was never point where I was tempted to quit," Hunter told Upworthy, "but there was a point where I was worried we might not be able to go on. On the fourth day, I started having a lot of pain in my hip, and it got really bad at a few points."

He says a friend prayed for him, and he was able to complete the journey.

Hunter carried Braden on his back for all but the last half mile, which Braden completed with his walker.

The journey took them from the steps of Bedford High School to the Michigan capitol. Friends, family, and complete strangers joined in along the trek.

Hunter is the oldest of four siblings, including Kerragan, 15, Braden, and Kellen, 8.

All four Gandee siblings participated in the walk, which they’ve started calling The Cerebral Palsy Swagger.

"Me and my siblings are just like normal siblings," Hunter says. "We fight, laugh, and have fun together. Braden just has some extra needs, so we have to be there for him a little extra."

Braden goes to therapy every day, and he says he has to "learn how to do things like walking that most others don't have to learn."

Cerebral palsy is a neurological disorder that affects body movement, muscle coordination, and balance.

It usually affects the part of the brain that’s in charge of muscle movements, and while it cannot be cured, early treatment can make a big difference. "I wish that people would realize that people with CP are just like other people," Braden said about his condition. "They just have to work a little bit harder."

"Our goal for this walk was to challenge the world at all levels to take the necessary steps towards inclusion," Hunter says.

He also helped to build an accessible playground at Braden’s school and hopes that their walks bring awareness to those flaws in our society that create unintentional barriers for people who happen to have disabilities.

"I hope more people will learn about cerebral palsy so they can raise awareness," Braden said.

This will be their last Cerebral Palsy Swagger as Braden is now 70 pounds and Hunter is getting ready for college next year.

But I have a feeling their journey toward inclusiveness won’t stop here.

GIF from "Clueless."

Right on, Gandee family!

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You can follow The Cerebral Palsy Swagger on Facebook and Twitter. Thumbnail photo provided by the Gandees, used with permission.

Amy Schumer’s sketch on guns is hilarious, terrifying, and way too real.

'Just your regular, run-of-the-mill, meat and potatoes handgun!'

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Are you on the lookout for the perfect gift?

GIFs from "Inside Amy Schumer."

Good news. Amy Schumer's got your back: a gun.

“Just your regular, run-of-the-mill, meat and potatoes handgun!" she explained in character as a home shopping network host on this week's episode of "Inside Amy Schumer."

"Now how cute is that?”

As Schumer's character explained, there's a good chance you can buy a gun in the U.S. — even if you don't realize it!

The sketch highlighted just how shockingly easy it is to buy a gun in America by having interested customers call in to make sure they qualified.

Do you have several felonies on your record?

What about the no-fly list? Are you on there?

Law-makers recently shot down a bill that would have banned folks on the no-fly list — including suspected terrorists — from buying guns.

Are you a parent? Well, why not buy one as a gift for someone else?

Didn't you hear? Guns were a very hot Christmas wish list item this past December.

As most things Schumer touches, the sketch is hilarious ... but also terrifyingly real.

Because yes — America has much more lenient gun laws compared to the rest of the developed world and many more homicides from guns to show for it.

Gun violence is an issue deeply personal to Schumer, so it comes as no surprise she used her comedy show to broach the topic.

After a gunman open fired during a screening of her film, "Trainwreck," last summer in a Louisiana theater — killing two people and injuring others — Schumer was motivated to take a strong position and speak up in favor of gun control.

Amy Schumer with her cousin Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY). Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images.

"These shootings have got to stop," she said during a conference in support of stricter gun measures last August. "I don't know how else to say it."

As Schumer points out in the sketch, America's lack of gun control is absurd, but it's not that surprising when you consider how much influence the gun lobby has on Washington.

"United States congressman and senators ... can be purchased for much cheaper than you think," she says in the sketch, which explains why so many common sense gun regulations — many of which the majority of gun owners support — haven't been passed.

Schumer even went so far as to feature the names of real members of Congress who've received funding from gun lobbyists at the end of the sketch.

In case you're interested, top recipients Schumer gave a shoutout to included Cory Gardner, Ted Cruz, John Cornyn, Marco Rubio, Mitch McConnell, Dean Heller, Steve Daines, Tom Cotton, Bill Cassidy, Paul Ryan, Rand Paul, David Vitter, Pat Roberts, Rob Portman, Ken Buck, Kelly Ayotte, James M. Inhofe, Joni Ernst, John Thune, Lindsey Graham, Jeff Flake, James Lankford, John Barrasso, Jody B. Hice, Deb Fischer, Mike Lee, Richard Burr, Thom Tillis, Shelley Moore Capito, Thad Cochran, Kevin McCarthy, Alexander X. Mooney, Ken Calvert, Mike Coffman, Martha McSally, Michael B. Enzi, Michael K. Simpson, Tim Scott, Roy Blunt, Ron Johnson, Edward R. Royce, Mia B. Love, Stevan Pearce, Sanford Bishop, Thomas Massie, Markwayne Mullin, Edward R. Royce, Heidi Heitkamp, Dan Benishek, John Kline, David G. Valadao, Sean P. Duffy, Tim Walberg, Scott R. Tipton, Jerry Moran, Ben Sasse, Richard C. Shelby, John Hoeven, James E. Risch, David Perdue, Mike Rounds, Roger F. Wicker, John Boozman, Chuck Grassley, Daniel Sullivan, Johnny Isakson.

If you're as fed up as Schumer is when it comes to gun violence in America, you can support Everytown for Gun Safety — an advocacy group "Inside Amy Schumer" directs viewers to at the end of the sketch.

The comedian tweeted along with fans during the episode using the hashtag #EndGunViolence.

See that number on the screen? CALL IT #InsideAmy #EndGunViolence http://pic.twitter.com/HuKK73xHy7— Taylor Maxwell (@TaylorMaxw) April 29, 2016

Watch the entire "Inside Amy Schumer" sketch below:

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9 vintage photos of smoggy London to remind us to take care of our air.

Londoners deserve better.

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If you happened to be near the U.K.'s Department for Transport in London on April 27, 2016, you may have spotted this alarming scene:

Pollution protesters stage dramatic central London

Fortunately, it was a staged event. These were protesters, and they were perfectly safe and sound, out of harm's way. However, the crisis they're bringing to light is, unfortunately, pretty disturbing all on its own.

London has an air pollution problem, and it's putting the lives of city residents at stake.

The "die-in" protest, organized by Stop Killing Cyclists, brought 250 supporters onto the streets to demand cleaner air. Their staged deaths were meant to symbolize all the people air pollution silently kills in Britain each year — upward of 50,000, according to a bipartisan report from Parliament released this week.

We are protesting outside the Department for Transport against pollution because of the youngsters here. http://pic.twitter.com/y8crgKcNkB— StopKillingCyclists (@StopKillingCycl) April 27, 2016

Of course, a clean-air future is possible in London — especially when you remember what London used to look like.

Here are nine photos from the past that show just how far London has come in reducing air pollution:

1. This was London six decades ago.

Photo by Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images.

2. Doesn't it look ... gray?

Photo by Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images.

3. Smog, which became a big problem there in the 1950s and '60s, can certainly take the romance out of a cute stroll with a special someone...

Photo by Monty Fresco/Topical Press Agency/Getty Images.

4. ...or make a morning commute a whole lot worse than it needs to be.

Photo by Peter King/Fox Photos/Getty Images.

5. You could even say 1950s London resembles Beijing today.

Photo by Keystone/Getty Images.

6. Air pollution is definitely not an issue new to London in the 21st century. The smog there used to be much, much worse.

Photo by Edward Miller/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images.

7. In 1952, London's Great Smog killed and sickened thousands of residents in a matter of days.

Photo by Terry Fincher/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images.

8. In response to crises like that one, the country realized dramatic change was necessary.

Photo by Keystone/Getty Images.

9. Like many other Western nations at the time, the U.K. began breaking its addiction to dirty energy and prioritizing cleaner methods.

Photo by Topical Press Agency/Getty Images.

Clean Air Acts were passed in 1956 and 1968, which banned emissions of black smoke and forced regulations onto urban factories. In the decades since, clean-air technologies and higher pollution standards have helped guarantee London's worst smog days are far behind it.

Now, more than a half-century later, London has done quite a bit to clean up its act.

Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images.

But as the recent protest illustrated, so much more needs to be done to keep London's air fresh and clean and make sure the city never returns to the smog-filled air of the '50s.

Because who would ever want to go back to this?

Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images.

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Are you supposed to tip Uber drivers? Uber just answered in a surprising way.

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I believe "Uber" is the German word for "super-convenient rides when the subway shuts down."

Which is appropriate, even though I just made it up.

The once-underdog-startup-turned-transportation-empire has become a pretty dominant force in the world of people who need to get places, which has also made it the subject of several recent controversies.

Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images.

First, New York City taxi owners sued Uber, saying the ride-booking service was threatening their livelihoods. Then Uber drivers got angry and sued the company, citing unfair wages and lack of proper employment status.

The company has also come under fire for spying on a reporter, a sexist campaign in France that claimed to pair passengers with beautiful women, and a "negligent" driver onboarding process that many say has led to incidents of sexual assault.

Like that area under the passenger seat, Uber has never really been squeaky clean. And now, another controversy is putting the company back into the headlights.

Uber just announced that its app won't include an option for tipping. And there's a really interesting reason.

You see, tipping is a bit confusing when it comes to ride-booking.

While Uber's official policy is that passengers don't have to tip and there is no option that allows users to tip using the app, many Uber drivers say that policy has created the misconception that drivers get tips from the company. In fact, drivers receive only the ride's fare, minus a 20-25% cut that goes to Uber.

Photo Illustration by David Ramos/Getty Images.

As part of the settlement from the class action lawsuit brought by drivers back in 2015, Uber has agreed to clarify once and for all that tips are not included in drivers' fares.

However, the company says it's still not planning on adding a tip function to the app anytime soon.

Why?

Tipping is inherently unfair because of customers' subconscious racial biases, Uber says.

While most conversations about racial bias and tipping tend to focus on the likelihood of a customer to tip based on his or her race, Uber has done its homework on research that suggests the bias goes the other way, as well.

According to The Boston Globe, an Uber spokesperson cited a study done by two Cornell University professors that found "consumers of both races discriminate against black service providers by tipping them less than white service providers.”

Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images.

A study published in the Yale Law Journal also found that after controlling for other variables, African-American cab drivers were tipped one-third less than white cab drivers on average. It also suggested that government-mandated tipping would directly reduce the racial tipping bias and might even reduce the tendency of drivers to refuse African-American customers.

Some have argued that race doesn't factor into how customers tip. But the data doesn't back them up.

Kiesha Seaton, an Uber driver who is black, told the Globe that she doesn't think race has anything to do with the tips she does or does not receive, saying, “It’s all about the service you provide, and if you provide top-notch, five-star service, you expect to be compensated as such." She went on to cite a large tip she once received as evidence, while admitting that she’s not sure how the experience would have played out if she were white.

Still, other Uber drivers have argued that everything from the model of the car they drive to their physical appearance can affect their tips.

In the service industry, there are obviously innumerable variables that can affect tipping behavior, ranging from the general mood of the customer or server to their economic status to the widely misunderstood and confusing language of a tipping policy.

Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images.

In a perfect system, Uber wouldn't need a tipping feature.

The company would simply pay their drivers a fair living wage and negate the need for the customer to provide extra in the form of tips.

Joe's Crab Shack recently became the first major restaurant chain to test out that concept. The restaurant raised its servers' starting wage to $14 an hour (from just over $2) and banned tipping. CEO Ray Blanchette argued that it would increase employee retention and guarantee that servers take home a consistent paycheck even if they work on slow nights — something that could be financially devastating to a server under the old model.

If Uber wants to make its employees happy, clear up all the tipping confusion, and account for unfortunate racial discrepancies, it might want to try paying its drivers a living wage.

Frankly, if Uber can afford to deliver kittens to your door once a year, it can probably afford to treat its workers fairly.

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Thumbnail photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images.

Special thanks to Erica Williams Simon.