Historical Photos That Show A Unique Side Of History
If a photo is worth a thousand words, then prepare yourself for an all-encompassing peek into the volumes of history. These photos aren't the normal ones you may have seen in your high school history textbook. They show a different side of history that many people don't get a chance to look at but certainly include some very interesting stories! Check out these historical photos and maybe you'll gain a new perspective on the world.
Nice Wheel
The Dynasphere was a “monowheel” built in 1932 that could travel up to 25 miles an hour. The monowheel was supposed to replace traditional automotive vehicles. The monowheel was patented in 1930 by J.A. Purves, but it was actually based on a sketch by Leonardo da Vinci. While Purves was optimistic about his invention’s prospects, the Dynasphere didn’t succeed.
As a mode of transportation, the vehicle could reduce locomotion to the simplest form, but this “high-speed vehicle of the future” was also impossible to steer or break. The driver could also get thrashed around inside the monowheel like a gerbil. The Dynasphere definitely isn’t taking over anytime soon.
How’s This for Patriotism?
Here’s Arnold Schwarzenegger on the day he received his American citizenship. The Austrian born actor gained international fame as a Hollywood action film icon after his breakthrough film, Conan the Barbarian, released in 1982. He might be best known for his Terminator movies, and he’s appeared in Total Recall, Predator, The Running Man, and Kindergarten Cop.
In the early 2000s, Arnold focused his attention on becoming Governor of California. He was first elected to replace Gray Davis in October 2003, and was reelected in 2006. Who knew this buff action movie star end up becoming the Governator one day? USA! USA!
Space Age
Astronaut Charles Duke explored the moon’s surface in a lunar roving vehicle as part of the Apollo 16 mission in 1972, making him the tenth and youngest person to ever walk on the moon. While Duke was there, he shot a (protected) picture of a photo of himself, his wife, and his two sons which on the moon’s surface, where it remains to this day.
The family photograph had a message written on the back, “This is the family of astronaut Charlie Duke from planet Earth who landed on the moon on April 20, 1972.” Because the temperature of the moon goes up to 400 degrees in the area Duke landed, he says it’s probably faded by now.
Regal Logo
This is the photo shoot and sound recording of the MGM lion’s roar. The logo’s official name is Leo, but there have been many lions to portray him over the years: Slats, Jackie, Telly, Coffee, Tanner, George, and another Leo.
Jackie is shown roaring in the photo above. The lion was trained by Mel Koontz, and though a lion has been used as a logo before, Jackie was the first to roar, heard through a gramophone record for MGM’s first production with sound, White Shadows in the South Seas, released in 1928. Jackie was the lion used from 1928 to 1956.
Is It Safe? Thanks To "The Arm" It Is Now
You've likely met "the arm" before. It's the classic mom move they've all done to us when a situation seems unsafe. If she's ever braked slightly quicker than usual in traffic you've felt it shoot across your chest to hold you back. "The arm" doesn't care if there's seatbelts or not.
This mom broke out "the arm" to make this chairlift safe for her daughter and we respect it. Nowadays chair lifts don't always come with seatbelts so this isn't that shocking.
Wright Brothers
Here is a photo of the first-ever powered flight by Orville Wright in 1903. The inaugural flight took place in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The Wright Flyer, often referred to as the 1903 Flyer or Flyer I, was the first successful heavier-than-air powered aircraft.
Their trials at Kitty Hawk may have gotten us where we are today, but this early attempt at aviation was a long way from the kind of flying we recognize. The Wright brothers made four brief, low altitude flights, and didn’t attempt any turns. Each flight was bumpy and the landings weren’t exactly intentional. The Flyer I was damaged in their attempts and wasn’t flown again, though the day marked a milestone in the history of aviation.
Tut’s Tomb
This is the unbroken seal on Tutankhamun’s (AKA King Tut’s) tomb in Egypt. The tomb was discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter and Lord Carnavon. It was nearly intact, making it a major archaeological discovery, and it received worldwide press coverage.
Exhibits of well-preserved artifacts from his tomb have toured the world, but getting them out wasn’t always easy. There were several deaths of people who excavated King Tut’s tomb, which have been popularly attributed to the curse of the pharaohs. A gold coffin, a face mask, thrones, trumpets, food, wine, sandals, archery bows, and more were found inside the tomb.
Wooden Bathing Suits
Here’s one retro trend we don’t think will come back in style: wooden bathing suits. These wooden bathing suits, made in 1929, were worn by the Spruce Girls, who were hired to promote the products of the Gray Harbor lumber industry in Hoquiam, Washington during Wood Week.
The spruce wood veneer bathing suits were also supposed to make the wearer more buoyant in the water. Since the suits are no longer around for purchase, they must not have done a good job of keeping people afloat. These quirky suits would probably fetch a bundle on eBay, but they can’t possibly be very practical. Think of the splinters alone!
UFO
This photograph from Project Blue Book case 24-185-19-7X shows an object over Phoenix in June 1947. Since the photo was just released by the Air Force in 2015, it’s been used by UFO conspiracy theorists at proof that the truth is out there—the truth being aliens, that is.
Of course, an unidentified flying object is just that—an unidentified object. That doesn’t mean it’s extraterrestrial in origin. Often UFOs are later identified as clouds, balloons, meteors, weather events, bright planets, drones, and known aircrafts. But hey, some people just want to believe that we’re being visited by extraterrestrial life forms.
Fugitive
This photo, taken in 1939 by Luis Marden, shows a fugitive being dragged back into the United States by border patrol so that he doesn’t escape El Paso, Texas and enter Mexico. Border crossings in the 1930s were commonplace. Prohibition-era bootleggers were common in the city. The Great Depression also saw a rash of crime related to desperation, and since El Paso was an agricultural economy, it was hit before major cities felt the Depression.
The Rio Grande Rift passes along the southern end of the Franklin Mountains and divides the border between El Paso and Ciudad Juarez to the south and west.
Californian Lumberjacks vs. Giant Redwoods
This photo from the 1950s era shows Canadian lumberjacks cutting down giant redwood trees. The size of the trees made them prime lumber. Some of these trees were over 1,000 years old when they were harvested. It is so sad to see the majestic beauties cut down.
Logging was (and still is) dangerous work. The loggers used axes and saws to bring down trees. Today, technology allows logging companies to bring down much more lumber in a shorter amount of time, and they don’t need horses and oxen to haul the lumber to a different location. Today the Redwood National Forest contain only 133,000 acres of redwood forest; nearly 90 percent of the original trees have been logged.
Keller Meets Chaplin
It’s hard to tell who is more star struck! Here’s Helen Keller meeting Charlie Chaplin in Hollywood in 1919. The world famous author and the famous comedic actor were two of the most beloved figures in America. Helen Keller met more than a few recognizable faces throughout her life.
In addition to her meeting with Charlie Chaplin, Helen Keller made the acquaintance of Dwight Eisenhower, Winston Churchill, Alexander Graham Bell, and Mark Twain. Keller also visited Chaplin during the filming of Sunnyside, where she remembered him as being “Shy, almost timid.” Chaplin allowed Keller to touch his face, mustache, and clothes so that she’d have a better idea of him on screen.
Titanic
This is the last picture of the Titanic above water, during its doomed 1912 voyage. The Titanic was the largest ship afloat at the time it entered service, and when the ship made the maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City, tragedy struck.
The Titanic collided with an iceberg under the command of Edward Smith who went down with the ship. Of the 2,224 passengers and crew aboard, more than 1,500 died as the ship sank. The large loss of life was attributed to the improper number of lifeboats, and the poor evacuation (many lifeboats were only partially loaded).
Rosa Parks Arrest Photo
In 1955, Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger on a city bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Her act of nonviolent resistance started the Montgomery bus boycott, a successful eleven-month struggle to desegregate the city’s buses.
Parks wasn’t the first protester to be arrested for refusing to give up her seat, but NAACP organizers believed she could hold up under intense scrutiny and should be the face of this battle. They saw through a court challenge based on her arrest for violating Alabama’s segregation laws, though ultimately the Browder v. Gayle case succeeded first.
Underground Train
This is the first ever underground train journey, in London in 1862. The first underground railway, known as Metropolitan Railway, opened in 1863. The train eventually evolved into today’s Tube, and the original railway is now part of the Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines.
Ever wondered why it’s called the Tube? The system’s first tunnels were built right below the surface fusing a cut-and-cover method, and later smaller circular tunnels were cut through at a deeper level. The system may have started with a single underground journey, but it now has 270 stations and 250 miles of track.
Mona Lisa Returns
After World War I, da Vinci’s Mona Lisa was returned to the Louvre. The Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre on August 21, 1911. The museum was closed for an entire week during the investigation. Both the French poet Guillaume Apollinaire, and his friend, the artist Pablo Picasso, were brought in for questioning. Two years later, the real thief revealed himself and the painting was brought back.
After two years, the real thief, Vincenzo Peruggia, revealed himself. He was an Italian patriot who believed da Vinci’s painting should be returned to Italy to be displayed in a museum there.
The Silly Silo At Coney Island
Families flocked to Coney Island to ride the rides, walk the boardwalk, ride go-karts and see the performers. One attraction was the "Silly Silo". Park visitors would step inside the rotor ride, with their backs pressed against the wall.
The ride would then spin faster and faster, pushing the riders firmly against the wall. The ride was first designed in the late 1940s by German engineer Ernst Hoffmeister. Would you trust it?
Norwegians Receive First Ever Shipment of Bananas
After World War I, da Vinci’s Mona Lisa was returned to the Louvre. The Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre on August 21, 1911. The museum was closed for an entire week during the investigation. Both the French poet Guillaume Apollinaire, and his friend, the artist Pablo Picasso, were brought in for questioning. Two years later, the real thief revealed himself and the painting was brought back.
After two years, the real thief, Vincenzo Peruggia, revealed himself. He was an Italian patriot who believed da Vinci’s painting should be returned to Italy to be displayed in a museum there.
Tolstoy Tells a Story
Here’s Leo Tolstoy telling a story to his grandchildren in 1909. Hopefully, the story was a little bit shorter than War and Peace. Tolstoy had a large family. The Russian author married Sophia Andreyevna Behrs in 1862 when she was 16 years his junior. Together, they had 13 children, eight of whom survived childhood.
He also had six grandchildren, five of whom were his son Illya Tolstoy’s children: Anna Tolstoy, Illya Jr. Tolstoy, Andrei Tolstoy, Vera Tolstoy, and Mikhail Tolstoy. Tatyana Sukhotina was the daughter of Tatiana Sukhotina-Tolstaya. This quiet family moment shows a different side of the serious, classic author.
Foxy Boxing
Here are some women boxing on a roof in 1938. No one had air conditioning, so practicing outside was more popular than in a stuffy theater. However, it’s unlikely they were actually throwing punches…at least not heavy ones. While the blonde boxer is probably actually hitting the brunette, it’s likely just a stunt punch, hence the smiles all around.
Since they’re all wearing dance shoes, chances are they are probably performers for a variety show. The original caption reads, “Radio Pictures Chorus Girls.” The photo was also taken on top of the Ball Building in the Paramount lot in Hollywood.
Out Cold
During Queen Elizabeth II’s 1970 parade, one of the guards fainted from the heat just when the Queen was passing behind him. Oops. The photo was taken during the Trooping the Colour, an annual parade of the entire Household Division. During the parade, the Queen rides around the troops to inspect them. During the second part of the inspection, where she checks them from the back, this poor guard lost consciousness.
There are a couple of reasons a Royal Guard might faint. It could’ve been the temperature, or he could’ve been locking his knees. Combined with the nerves that must come from the Queen’s watchful eyes on your back, we can understand why this guard lost his balance.
What Lovely Eyes You Have, My Dear
No, this isn’t a still from a horror film. These bizarrely-dressed women were participants of the Miss Lovely Eyes competition in Florida held in 1930. The purpose of the nightmare-inducing Hannibal Lecter masks was to block out all the contestants’ other features so the judges could focus entirely on their eyes.
In the 1930s, bizarre beauty pageants were fairly common. At other Lovely Eyes competitions, women obscured their features with everything from ridiculous Abraham Lincoln hats that fell down to their chins and had holes cut out, to pieces of paper, swatches of fabric, and colorful bandannas. Somehow, we’re not any less disturbed.
Wow
This photo shows an airman being captured by Vietnamese in Trúc Bạch Lake, Hanoi in 1967. The absolutely amazing thing is that the airman is John McCain. While McCain was flying an attack aircraft carrier he was shot down over Hanoi. He was a prisoner of war for five and a half years and wasn’t released until 1973 when the Paris Peace Accords were signed.
He became a celebrity after his return, and the story of how he refused an offer of early release because it would mean leaving before other prisoners who had been held longer showed his bravery to the world.
Tiger, Tiger
This is the last known Tasmanian tiger, also known as a thylacine or Tasmanian wolf. The species is now extinct, but this Tasmanian tiger was photographed in 1933. It is so very sad when humans allow this to happen. Surviving evidence suggests this animal was shy and nocturnal, with the appearance of a medium to large dog. It also had a pouch like a kangaroo. It’s closest living relatives may be the Tasmanian devil or the numbat.
Competition from invasive dingoes and indigenous humans hurt the Tasmanian tiger’s numbers as far back as 2,000 years ago in mainland Australia. The species survived until the 1930s on the island of Tasmania.
Smokebot
Retro technology at its finest! The Westinghouse Electric Corporation actually made a smoking robot in the 1930s. His name was Elektro — how modern. In addition to puffing on cigarettes, Elektro could speak about 700 words (thanks to a 78-rpm record player, blow up balloons, and move his head and arms. His eyes could also distinguish red and green light.
Elektro made his big debut at the 1938 New York World’s Fair and reappeared the next year with Sparko, a robot dog that could bark, sit, and beg. This robot is currently retired at the Mansfield Memorial Museum.
Lucas
Here’s legendary director George Lucas with an early version of R2-D2. R2-D2 and fellow robot C-3PO are the only two characters to appear in all sevenStar Wars films. An actor named Kenny Baker played R2-D2 in the three original Star Wars trilogy.
Today, George Lucas is one of the richest filmmakers of all time. He sold Lucasfilm to The Walt Disney Company in 2012, and five of his films are among the 100 highest grossing movies in North America, adjusted for ticket-price inflation. When Star Wars was released it earned a total of $775 million, surpassing Jaws to become the highest-grossing film of all time. Several sequels and prequels have been released since.
Smoke Signals
This is the genius Albert Einstein, visiting with a group of Hopi Indians in 1922. The photo was taken when Einstein took a trip to the California Institute of Technology while they were courting him to join their staff. On his return trip by train, this photo was taken.
The headdress on Einstein’s head is from Plains Indian culture, but he’s being photographed with Hopi Indians living in nearby pueblos. The location of the photograph is Hopi House, part of the Fred Harvey concession at the Grand Canyon. The Fred Harvey Company may have hired them to make crafts and art.
Lady Sweepers
We helping out where it’s needed most: these female road sweepers cleaning the streets of Liverpool as the men are away fighting in the war. The original photo was taken in 1916. Women took over many heavy labor jobs during the war, including manufacturing. Giving up jobs when men returned wasn’t so simple, and often major wars have pushed forward women’s rights movements.
Before mechanical street sweepers attached to trucks became the norm, street sweepers took a broom to work. Machines came to prominence in the 19th century, though sometimes horses were used in the job. At one time, the dirty streets throughout England’s major cities made it one of the unhealthiest places to live.
WTC
Building the World Trade Center in New York City, 1970. The original WTC was a large complex of seven buildings in Lower Manhattan, New York City. It was destroyed in the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.
At the time the original 1 World Trade Center was built at 1,368 feet, it was the tallest building in the world. The total construction cost was $400 million (which is $2,300,000,000 in today’s money). Before the devastating attacks in 2001, he building was also bombed in 1993. The new One World Trade Center, rebuilt after the tragedy, is the tallest building in the United States.
Motorized Roller Skates
Looks like someone is gassing up for a trip on the town. This photo was taken in 1961. Motorized roller skates were briefly popular in the 1960s, with the Motorized Roller Skate company in Detroit manufacturing self-propelled skates powered by a one-horsepower engine worn on the back like a backpack.
The machine also had a one quart gas take, and controls. The skates could propel at speeds of 17 miles per hour for 30 miles without refilling the tank. They also ran for $250 back in the 1960s—and that’s before inflation. So basically, they were every parent’s worst nightmare and every child’s Christmas morning dream gift.
Waterlilies
French artist Claude Monet poses with his iconic water lilies around 1923. Monet, the founder of French Impressionist painting, spent more than 20 years of his life painting the flowers. Unsurprisingly, Monet’s garden was very important to him.
He rented and purchased a house and gardens in Giverny, and worked to build up the gardens. He also bought the surrounding land when his paintings took off to build a greenhouse and second studio. He wrote daily instructions to his gardener with precise designs and layouts. In 1893, he purchased some additional land with a water meadow, and the rest is history.
Survivor
This is Robert McGee, who was scalped by the Sioux as a 13-year-old child and survived. His family was killed. In 1864, McGee was headed west on the Santa Fe Trail with his parents. His survival was miraculous, and he later told the tale to a local newspaper (when the photograph above was taken.) Talk about some seriously messed up early childhood memories!
Josiah Wilbarger also survived being scalped around Austin, Texas and lived to tell the tale. He said the scalping was surprisingly not very painful but that the removal sounded like the “ominous roar and peal of distant thunder.”
Faces of war
This woman has a gas-resistant stroller. This was England, in 1938. It’s horrifying to think of raising a baby in such conditions, isn’t it? During the war, English people who lived in big cities were often huddled in bomb shelters during the Blitz. Gas masks were also commonly worn.
The year this photo was taken was the year Germany occupied the Sudetenland. Prime Minister Chamberlain was trying to appease Hitler, but everyone knew war was on the horizon. While this woman’s invention was a genius way to protect her baby, the scary looking gas resistant baby carriage never really took off.
Ms. Monroe
Marilyn Monroe sure gave the troops a treat during her USO performance in Korea, February 1954. The blonde bombshell performed to over 100,000 troops during a four-day tour. Monroe was already a well-known bombshell, so it’s likely many of the soldiers she performed for had a picture of her around to keep morale high.
Though she sadly died at age 36, Marilyn Monroe was one of the most famous actresses and popular bombshells of her time. Her films grossed $200 million in the decade she was a top-billed actress, and her image lives on. She’s a cultural icon to this day.
Gargantuan
Here’s a trained circus hippo pulling a cart in 1924. Despite their size, hippos can travel up to 19 miles an hour. They are naturally semiaquatic creatures, meaning that they live in rivers, lakes and mangrove swamps.
This Barnes circus hippo was named Lotus, and Lotus doesn’t look all that happy to have a cart harnessed to her. While animals were popular attractions at circuses from the beginning, taking a hippo out of their natural habitat and forcing them to drag a cart around is cruel. Years after this picture was taken, animal rights activists would become very vocal about the use and treatment of animals in circuses.
Boardwalk
This festive scene was shot in Coney Island, New York, in 1905. Just a couple years before this photo was taken, Luna Park, the amusement park built on the grounds of Sea Lion Park, opened in 1903. The park was mostly destroyed in a fire in 1944.
Today, Coney Island is a major tourist destination, but the development of the island has always been controversial. When it was first built up, there was a major outcry to preserve it as a natural park. In the early 1900s, New York made an effort to slow the growth by condemning all buildings and piers built south of Surf Avenue.
Looks Safe!
Baby cages were actually used by parents in the 1920s. They were made to ensure that children got enough sunlight and fresh air when living in apartment buildings. In the late 19th century the idea of “airing” your baby to promote health was popular, and it was introduced in 1894 by Dr. Luther Emmett Holt in his book The Care and Feeding of Children.
“Fresh air is required to renew and purify the blood, and it this is just as necessary for health and growth as proper food,” he wrote. So, if you’ve ever wondered why your parents always insisted you go outside and “get some fresh air,” it might have roots in this early parenting book.
Having a Ball
Famed television comedy couple Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz are pictured here at the legendary NYC hotspot Copacabana. Ball’s marriage to Arnaz wasn’t always as full of laughs as it seemed on screen. The couple had two children together, but behind the scenes, their relationship was falling apart.
In 1960, a day after Desi’s 43rd birthday, Ball filed for divorce at the Santa Monica Superior Court, and said life with Arnaz was “a nightmare.” After their divorce, their relationship improved. Arnaz and Ball remained friends and spoke fondly of each other. It just goes to show that real life is much more complicated than television.
Young Genius
Stephen Hawking is one of the most brilliant minds the world has ever seen. He is physically recognizable because he is paralyzed due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Hawking is shown here in a rare photo of his younger years, on his marriage to Jane Wilde in 1965.
The English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author is now 55 years old. Jane and Hawking met through Hawking’s sister, and they were engaged shortly before his diagnosis with motor neuron disease started to develop. Hawking said the engagement gave him “something to live for.” They quietly divorced in 1990 when Hawking left Jane for Eileen Mason.
Dig It, Man
This crowd is en route to Woodstock, the iconic outdoor festival held in New York state in 1969.Rolling Stone has called Woodstock “one of the 50 Moments That Changed the History of Rock and Roll” — no wonder the line was so long.
The 1969 Woodstock Festival’s most famous act may have been Jimi Hendrix who appeared after rain delays. The audience, which peaked to 400,000, was now just 30,000. Hendrix performed his psychedelic rendition of the U.S. national anthem three quarters into the set, and that version became part of the sixties Zeitgeist and American culture today. The rest is history.
Historical Beauties Almost Wiped Out by Colonial Imperialism
Look familiar? No, it’s not Chrissy Teigen. Seriously. But the two could be twins if it weren’t for the years separating them. This unknown woman is of mixed Chinese and indigenous/Indio (Filipino) ancestry. The photo was taken around 1875, by Dutch photographer Francisco Van Camp.
The pioneers of photography in the Philippines, including Francisco Van Camp, were mostly Western photographers from Europe. Photos were used as a way to distribute information about the newly settled colony, as a tool for tourism, as material for propaganda, and in anthropology studies. Van Camp was a Dutch photographer who made a living for himself by photographing the area.
Dinosaurs
From the 1964 New York World’s Fair: the Sinclair Oil Corporation sponsored an exhibit called “Dinoland,” which featured life-size replicas of nine different dinosaurs. Here, the dinos are being shipped via barge down the Hudson River.
Louis Paul Jonas, a famed designer, was behind the nine fiberglass dinosaurs that inhabited Dinoland. Jonas also designed dioramas for prestigious museums, including the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, and the Berkshire Museum. Two of the dinos were mechanized: the nineteen-foot-tall Tyrannosaurus and the Brontosaurus. He also did his homework, enlisting famed paleontologists to make sure Dinoland was as accurate as possible for the time.
Historical Breakthroughs in Science!
Here’s physicist and inventor Nikola Tesla in his workshop. An online campaign recently raised $2.2 million to buy this space and convert it into a museum dedicated to the scientist. The Serbian-American inventor, mechanical engineer, physicist, and futurist is best known for his contributions to the modern alternating current electricity supply system.
He may have been brilliant in some areas, but Tesla also had some pretty out-there beliefs. Tesla was a proponent of imposed selective breeding (otherwise known as another form of eugenics). At the same time, he believed women would become the dominant sex in the future and supported struggles for gender equality. What a strange contradiction.
King of the Army
Did you know that Elvis Presley served in the United States Army? He was one of the most famous men in the world, but he served between March 1958 and March 1960. The King of Rock and Roll was conscripted as a private at Fort Chaffee, near Fort Smith, Arkansas.
His conscription was a major media event since he was already very famous at the time. Many stars used their fame to get out of conscription, but Presley said he was looking forward to his military service, and didn’t want to be treated any differently from anyone else. That’s not all.
Sad Sack
Here is Elvis carrying his laundry just like his fellow soldiers. During his service, he recorded five songs while he was on leave. His mother also died of heart failure at age 46, and Presley, who was close to her into his adulthood, was devastated.
The soldiers introduced Presley to karate, which he studied seriously and included in his later live performances. During his time in West Germany, he met his future wife Priscilla Beaulieu. Weirdly, she was just 14-years-old at the time. He married her after a seven-year courtship. Elvis was honorably discharged in 1960 with the rank of sergeant.
Space Jam
This chimp, known as “Ham the Astrochimp,” was launched into outer space, on 31 January 1961, as part of America’s space program. He was the first hominoid to be launched into space. Ham’s name is also an acronym for the lab that prepared him for his historic mission: Holloman Aerospace Medical Center.
Here he is pictured upon his return to earth, after a 16 minute and 39-second flight. He lived for 17 more years after his wild space ride, enjoying his days at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. before moving to the North Carolina Zoo. Ham was regularly referenced in popular culture after his historic flight.
Custer
This photograph depicts Lt. George A. Custer posing with a dog, for a portrait during the Civil War. This was years before his massacre at Little Bighorn. Custer developed a reputation as a highly effective cavalry commander during the Civil War. He participated in major events like the First Battle of Bull Run, and the Battle of Gettysburg, but his most famous battle is known as “Custer’s Last Stand.”
During The Battle of Little Bighorn, Custer and his regiment were so decisively defeated by a coalition of Native American tribes that all of his previous battles were completely overshadowed by the crushing loss.
Survival Town
When the U.S. government was conducting nuclear tests in the 1950s, they constructed a town of mannequins. This was done for the sole purpose of find out out what would happen to them if the big bomb were to drop.
The eerie mannequin tests were carefully set up for the sole purpose of being destroyed, and they often were staged just like people enjoying dinner with their family, watching television, or children playing outside. The Nevada test site, known as “Survival Town” is now open for tours. Tests ended in the early 1990s, which wasn’t so long ago at all.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Historical Photo of the Pope
Awww, look at Pope Francis as a child. Pope Francis was born in Flores, a neighborhood of Buenos Aires, and was the eldest of five children. His father was an Italian immigrant accountant, and his mother was a housewife born in Buenos Aires to a family of Italian origin.
Did you know that Pope Francis once worked as a doorman at a nightclub when he was a student in Buenos Aires? He also worked as a janitor sweeping floors, and rant tests in a chemical lab. Now, he’s the 266th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church and one of the most influential people in the world.
Lobster Roll
Here’s an unusual sight — a boy between two mounted lobsters caught off the New Jersey coast, February 1915. The photo was shot for National Geographic. Around this time, pound fishing was a major industry along the New Jersey coastline.
Pound fisherman used to catch any type of fish that swam into their nets, and they would row out each day, catch fish, and bring them back to sell at the markets. Sometimes their nets were still filled with parts of dead fish, and people living near the shore could smell fish rotting when the hot sun came out. It wasn’t always safe work; boats capsized and people were injured.
Strongman
In 1957 Paul Anderson lifted 6,270 pounds, using his legs and back. Paul was an Olympic gold medalist, World Champion and two-time National Champion in Olympic weightlifting champ. Anderson was considered a major part of the popularity of power-lifting and its recognition as a competitive sport.
He didn’t get so strong at some fancy gym. In high school, Paul Anderson used homemade weights that his father created out of concrete poured into a wood form. Sadly, Anderson suffered from Bright’s Disease (which we now call chronic nephritis). The kidney disorder took his life at age 61 on August 15, 1994.
Historical Photo of the Circus
This is The Congress of Freaks, from Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey’s Circus in 1922. All of the Ringling Brothers elephants have now been officially retired from show business after outcry from animal rights activists about their horrific treatment.
Freak shows were popular in the early 1900s and often featured outright shams or people who simply had medical conditions. Sometimes people with physical deformities or who were considered “exotic” in some way were kidnapped to perform. Some performers, like Schlitzie and Koo-Koo the Bird Girl, performed not only for Barnum & Bailey but in major motion pictures like Freaks.
Colorized Photo of Albert Einstein
It's not every day that we get to see a photo of Albert Einstein, the creator of the Theory of Relativity, in color. Here's a neat snapshot of him, apparently giving a lecture. He received the 1921 Nobel physics prize – nearly a century ago now!
Einstein actually renounced his German citizenship when he was 16-years-old because he preferred to be a "citizen of the world." He was also a little bit delayed when it came to language and motor skills. Einstein didn't start speaking until after he turned three.
Knowledge Via Electrocution
This incredible image captured the moment when neurologist Duchenne de Boulogne used electricity on a man's face in order to study and demonstrate the mechanics of facial muscles.
De Boulogne is considered one of the founders of neurology in France, and while his experiments might be considered unethical by today's standard, they did lead to a greater understanding of the human body. We're just glad we weren't around to be a part of his experiments!
A Long-Lost Photo Of Amelia Earhart
In 2017, a photo was discovered deep within the National Archives. This particular photo is of great importance because it appears to show missing aviator Amelia Earhart, post-crash. The woman in the photo, in the red circle, closely resembles Earhart and the man standing next to her shares a close physical resemblance to her navigator, Fred Noonan.
People have wondered for 80 years what happened to the duo after they seemingly vanished somewhere in the Pacific. Photographic analysts who studied the picture have agreed that it is indeed genuine – not doctored in any way – and does appear to show both Earhart and Noonan. The photo is thought to have been taken in 1937. Some even think the cargo being hauled by a boat in the background is the wreckage of Earhart’s plane.
Rasputin Gets Colorized
This chilling photograph of Rasputin was recently colorized, seemingly bringing the Russian mystic to life almost 101 years after his murder. Rasputin was a self-proclaimed holy man who gained influence over the country after he became close with the family of Emperor Tsar Nichols II.
When his influence was deemed too powerful, a group of nobles murdered Rasputin with a close-range gunshot to his forehead. When you see Rasputin's hypnotizing blue eyes brought to life, it's easy to see how he won over the dynasty.
The Tattooed Texan
The story behind this photograph of Olive Oatman is hard to believe. Roy Oatman took his wife and seven children on a perilous journey from Illinois to California—but he didn't realize the trip would claim nearly all of their lives.
As the Oatmans traveled through Arizona, they were attacked by Yavapai Indians. Only three of the children survived, including 13-year-old Olive who was forced into slave labor. The Yavapai Indians eventually traded Olive to a Mohave tribe, where she was considered family and was even tattooed to identify her as a tribal member. When the U.S. government discovered a white woman was living with a Mohave tribe, they stepped in to rescue her, despite her desire to stay. Olive was returned to live among the white settlers in Texas, although her facial tattoos were a constant reminder of the life she grew to love and left behind.
