Mata Hari
Mata Hari was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a German spy in World War I. Whether or not she was actually a spy is disputed, but she was executed in France.
Mata Hari
Black Tuesday
October 29th, 1929 marked a dark turn in American history when the New York Stock Exchange crashed. After six days of anarchy and chaos at the Stock Exchange, stock prices totally collapsed, marking the day as “Black Tuesday.” This event led the United States to enter the Great Depression.
Black Tuesday
Jayne Mansfield and Sophia Loren
This infamous photo was taken at a Paramount party in Beverly Hills that was thrown in honor of Sophia Loren. However, socialite Jayne Mansfield had other ideas and decided to pose suggestively for a photo and steal the spotlight as a publicity stunt.
Jayne Mansfield And Sophia Loren
Beaches Of Normandy
On June 6th, 1944, American, British, and Canadian soldiers stormed the beaches of Normandy in order to try to vanquish the German army. Tom Jensen who was a sergeant in the 626th Engineer Light Equipment Company said: “They didn’t tell us anything we didn’t need to know. Heck, some of the guys on our ship thought we were headed to Japan, not Normandy. Just months earlier, we were either in high school or working odd jobs. We weren’t soldiers, at least not yet.”
Beaches Of Normandy
Marilyn Monroe, 1952
This photo of Marilyn Monroe was captured by silent film actor Harold Lloyd and was featured in Life Magazine. Lloyd’s daughter said of Monroe: “She was my age, or maybe a year or two younger, but we came from very different worlds. She sat down to put on her makeup, and we just started chatting about our lives. She insisted on seeing the baby and talked about how she dreamed of having a child of her own one day.”
Marilyn Monroe, 1952
Captured German Ally
This photo captures the raw emotion of a 16-year-old German soldier’s reaction to being captured by the US 9th Army on April 3rd, 1945. The boy lost his parents at 15 and decided to join the Luftwaffe to support his siblings. Here we see him completely distraught after being captured by American forces.
Captured German Ally
Tallest, Shortest, Fattest Men In Europe
This photo captures a lovely moment in history when the tallest, shortest, and fattest men in Europe gathered together in order to play a game of cards in 1913. It just goes to show that humans have always been fascinated by those who are different from what we expect.
Tallest, Shortest, Fattest Men In Europe
Jungle Pam
Pam Hardy, also known as Jungle Pam, was known as the queen of drag racing, who got into the scene after meeting Jungle Jim and becoming his girlfriend. She would work on the car and check for fluid leaks under the car before races.
Jungle Pam
Mona Lisa During WWII
As one of the most famous and treasured paintings of all time, the Mona Lisa (which had previously been stolen several times) was immediately packed away for safekeeping during World War II. Curators feared that if the Nazis got ahold of the painting it would be destroyed or it could be ruined during a bombing.
Mona Lisa During WWII
Young Brigitte Bardot
Brigitte Bardot was the Hollywood “it” girl back in the 1950’s and 60’s. However, despite all the fame and glamour, she yearned for anonymity. In an interview with The Guardian she said: “I don’t know what it means to sit quietly in a bistro, on a terrace, or in the theatre without being approached by someone.”
Young Brigitte Bardot
Arsenal Goalkeeper Jack Kelsey
During a game in 1954, goalkeeper Jack Kelsey struggled to keep an eye out for the ball due to incredibly thick fog that filled the pitch. Eventually, the game was called off since it was nearly impossible to see anything at all.
Arsenal Goalkeeper Jack Kelsey
Ruby Bridges
In 1960, Ruby Bridges became the first African-American child to attend a newly-desegregated William Frantz Elementary School in Louisiana. She had to be escorted by U.S. Marshals due to threats to her safety. She had to walk past vicious dissenters hurling vitriol her way each day on her way to school.
Ruby Bridges
The Kiss Of Life
This photo, known as “The Kiss of Life” was captured by Rocco Morabito in 1967 and shows utility worker J.D. Thompson saving his co-worker Randal G. Champion’s life with mouth to mouth resuscitation after Champion accidentally touched a low voltage line. Morabito explained: “I heard screaming. I looked up and I saw this man hanging down. Oh my God. I didn’t know what to do. I took a picture right quick. J.D. Thompson was running toward the pole. I went to my car and called an ambulance. I got back to the pole and J.D. was breathing into Champion. I backed off, way off until I hit a house and I couldn’t go any farther. I took another picture. Then I heard Thompson shouting down: He’s breathing!”
The Kiss Of Life
German Soldier WWI
This photo shows a German soldier during World War I engaged in trench warfare, armed with a saw tooth bayonet and wearing a brow plate down to his neck.
German Soldier WWI
Elizabeth Taylor, 1956
Here we see Elizabeth Taylor on the set of Giant in 1956. She said she enjoyed the filming greatly. In an interview with Rolling Stone she said: “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Giant. I don’t look at old movies of myself. I don’t even look at new ones of myself. But I loved Jimmy and I loved Rock. And I was the last person Jimmy was with before he drove to his death…But that was a private, personal moment.”
Elizabeth Taylor, 1956
Night Fishing In Hawaii, 1948
This photo shows a night fishing session in Hawaii that involved a fire hanging precariously above the fisherman’s head as he uses a spear to capture fresh fish. The light from the fire would attract the fish and made it easier to spear them.
Night Fishing In Hawaii, 1948
Charlie Chaplin and Albert Einstein
In this photo we see Charlie Chaplin attending the premiere of his film City Lights in Los Angeles alongside none other than Albert Einstein. The two became close friends after being introduced by Carl Laemmle, head of Universal Studios.
Charlie Chaplin And Albert Einstein
Band of Brothers, 1945
Here we see the paratroopers of Easy Company, who were also known as the Band of Brothers, relaxing in the newly captured home of Adolf Hitler in the Bavarian Alps in 1945. The Allied troops then helped themselves to the alcohol left behind before going on to loot the home.
Band Of Brothers, 1945
Brothers Separated By Berlin Wall Reunited
When the Berlin Wall was erected in 1961, nobody was allowed to cross it, and it left many families separated. In 1963 a border pass agreement came into effect, which meant people living in West Berlin were allowed to cross to the East side. These brothers separated by the wall were finally reunited.
Brothers Separated By Berlin Wall Reunited
Vivien Leigh as Scarlet O’Hara
Actress Vivien Leigh portrayed Scarlet O’Hara in the classic film Gone with the Wind in 1939. At the time, she was in a relationship with Laurence Olivier. The two believed the film would absolutely fail, and Olivier wrote to O’Hara: “You have got to justify yourself in the next two or 3 films (or even 2 or 3 years) by proving that the presumable failure of Gone W.T.W. was not your fault and you can only do that by being really good in the following parts. To make a success of your career in pictures [is] ESSENTIAL for your self respect, and our ultimate happiness therefore. … If you don’t, I am afraid you may become just — well boring.”
Vivien Leigh As Scarlet O’Hara
Lawrence of Arabia
While WWI was taking place, Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence, who was also known as Lawrence of Arabia, held a unique position as a demolition artist working with Arab rebel allies in the Middle East in order to attack bridges and depots belonging to the Ottoman Empire.
Lawrence Of Arabia
World’s Smallest Man, 1956
Henry Bahrens was the smallest man in the world and is photographed here in 1956 along with his cat by his home in Worthing. He was about 30 inches tall, and weight just about 32 pounds. He toured with Bruton Lester’s troupe of little people and enjoyed being in the spotlight.
World’s Smallest Man, 1956
Japanese-Americans Relocated To Internment Camp
After the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941, the United States military decided to take revenge and began to relocate Japanese-Americans into internment camps in the west coast. These were basically just prisons. One survivor of these camps, Aiko Herzig-Yoshinaga said: “The only thing that was in the ‘apartments’ when we got there were army metal beds with the springs on it, and a potbellied stove in the middle of the room. That was the only thing. No chest of drawers, no nothing, no curtains on the windows. It was the barest of the bare.”
Japanese Americans Relocated To Internment Camp
Lyndon B. Johnson Swearing In
Following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, there was an hour where the United States did not have a sitting president. Aboard Air Force One, Lyndon B. Johnson was promptly sworn-in as president, joined by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and Lady Bird Johnson.
Lyndon B. Johnson Swearing In
Kaboto Santaro, 1863
Kaboto Santaro was a Japanese military leader who is pictured in the traditional armor. The photograph was taken by Felice Beato and shows the typical attire of the samurai, soldiers of noble class who worked for Japanese rulers from the 12th century until the 1800s.
Kaboto Santaro, 1863
Sally Field as Gidget
Early in her career, Sally Field got her first taste of success in 1965 when she starred as the lead actress in the show Gidget. She was just 18 when she was cast in the role. Field said: “After the first night of my workshop, a casting guy asked me if I had an agent. I didn’t, but I still went in for an interview. The waiting room was filled with girls who looked like movie stars. They all had professional head shots; the only pictures I had were wallet photos of me with my friends. At my screen test, I walked in and said, ‘Which one is the camera?’ The crew members were like, ‘Oh, boy.’ But the casting director said, ‘You’re it.’ God was looking out for me. He thought he’d throw me in the ocean and see if I could swim.”
Sally Field As Gidget
Liberation of Auschwitz
On January 27th, 1945, the largest Nazi concentration and death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau was finally liberated by the Red Army. The soldiers first found a warehouse full of victims’ belongings like eyeglasses, pots, pans, and countless pairs of shoes. They then stumbled upon the emaciated survivors, abandoned by the Nazi who fled the camp in order to avoid persecution for their atrocities.
Liberation Of Auschwitz
Unemployed Lumber Worker, 1939
Lumber worker Thomas Cave and his wife Annie found themselves completely down on their luck as the Great Depression began. Cave tattooed his Social Security number on his arm in order not to forget it so that he could take advantage of the Social Security Act which provided economic relief to those who needed it.
Unemployed Lumber Worker, 1939
Sophia Loren
Following her debut in the 1951 film Quo Vadis, Sophia Loren became one of the most sought after actresses of her time. In an interview, Loren said: “In a long, long career like I had—and by the way, I have—it’s very difficult to be able to criticize some of the moments that you do by yourself that you never tell to other people. It’s a very normal thing to do because you cannot every time have a big victory – no, there have been moments, maybe weak moments, where you did something that you are not really very happy about.”
Sophia Loren
Homecoming Solider, Vienna
This photograph shows a soldier returning home to Vienna, Austria after the end of World War II. Taken by photojournalist Ernst Haas, he said: “What I want is to stay free, so that I can carry out my ideas… I don’t think there are many editors who could give me the assignments I give myself.”
Homecoming Solider, Vienna
Civil War Vet, 1935
Here we see some bootblacks, who polished people’s shoes, sitting around a Civil War veteran in 1935. The last Civil War vet died in 1956. Young men were conscripted into the Civil War without a choice. We can only imagine what stories they had after the war.
Civil War Vet, 1935
Winston Churchill, 1895
Here is a 21 year old Winston Churchill as a Cornet in the 4th Queen’s Hussar’s Cavalry. He was totally dedicated to his military career, and at the time England was completely supreme as a military force. He took some time off and had a brief stint in Cuba before heading to India with his regiment.
Winston Churchill, 1895
Albert Einstein
Although we regard Albert Einstein is one of the world’s greatest scientific minds, he did not think of himself in this way. In a 1929 interview with Saturday Evening Post he said: “I believe in intuitions and inspirations. I sometimes feel that I am right. I do not know that I am… [but] I would have been surprised if I had been wrong… I am enough of the artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”
Albert Einstein
Hitchhiking
Back in the 1970’s, before we ever heard the phrase “stranger danger,” hitchhiking was a popular method of transportation. As awareness of the dangers of getting into a stranger’s car grew, fewer young people were hitchhiking and now it has pretty much died out. At least we have Uber now!
Hitchhiking
Side of an Iceberg, 1911
On January 5th, 1911, meteorologist Charles Wright and geologist Thomas Griffith Taylor travelled on the Terra Nova ship and reached a grotto in the side of an iceberg in the Arctic in a journey dubbed the Terra Nova Expidition. The two got off the ship to take an up close look and were photographed in the grotto.
Side Of An Iceberg, 1911
Charlie Chaplin in 1916, Aged 27
When we picture Charlie Chaplin, most likely we think of his most famous character, the Tramp, clad in his bowler hat and mustachioed. However, Chaplin looked quite different from his famous image. His father was his inspiration for the Tramp, saying: “It was just released whole from somewhere deep within my father, it was really my father’s alter ego, the little boy who never grew up: ragged, cold, hungry, but still thumbing his nose at the world.”
Charlie Chaplin In 1916, Aged 27
Men of the Seaforth Highlanders, 1915
The Scottish contributed to the fight against the Central Powers during World War I with the Seaforth Highlanders. Forming in 1881, they became the county regiment for a group of Scottish counties after the 72nd and 78th Highlanders merged.
Men Of The Seaforth Highlanders, 1915
Salvador Dali, 1936
Salvador Dali often traveled to New York City in order to inspire him and generate more ideas for his art. He and his wife Gala were placed in a cabin near the machine rooms, and rather than complain, he said: “I am next to the engine, so that I’ll get there quicker.”
Salvador Dali, 1936
Eunice Hancock Operates Compressed-Air Grinder, WWII
21 year old Eunice Hancock operates a compressed-air grinder in a Midwest aircraft plant in August 1942, during World War II. This is a perfect example of women entering the workforce due to the men’s conscription to the army to fight Germany and Japan. By 1945, one in four married women began working outside of the home.
Eunice Hancock Operates Compressed Air Grinder, WWII
Pablo Picasso, 1958
Pablo Picasso is pictured in Cannes in 1958, wearing a hat and precariously holding a revolver and holster which were given to him by actor Gary Cooper who starred in films like A Farewell To Arms, The Pride of the Yankees, and For Whom the Bell Tolls.
Pablo Picasso, 1958
Sophie Scholl
Sophie Scholl was an anti-Nazi political activist. After she was caught distributing anti-war leaflets with her brother Hans at the LMU, she was convicted of high treason. Tragically, they were both sentenced to death and executed by guillotine.
Sophie Scholl
Real Life Popeye
This photo was taken in September 1940 and depicts a leading stoker who was nicknamed “Popeye,” after the animated sailor man. He worked on the HMS Rodney, which was one of two Nelson-class battleships for the Royal Navy. While he was not the inspiration for the cartoon, he certainly bears a canny resemblance to him.
Real Life Popeye
German Brothers Reunite
In 1963, a border pass agreement was reached, which meant that people from West Berlin were allowed to visit East Berlin, allowing separated families to finally reunite, like these brothers. It had been two years since the wall had gone up, and it would take another 25 for the wall to come down.
German Brothers Reunite
Faking A Background
A photographer in Warsaw in November 1946 decided to make the most out of a less than ideal situation and use a fake background in order to take a nice photo for his client, despite the ruins caused by the fighting of World War II.
Faking A Background
American Soldiers In Paris 1944
Paris was occupied by Nazis for four years and was liberated on August 25th, 1944. The U.S. 4th Infantry Division fought and took back control of the city. Two days later there was a liberation march down the Champs Elysees.
American Soldiers In Paris 1944
U.S. Soldiers On The Way To Normandy In 1944
This photo shows American soldiers on their way to Omaha Beach in Normandy from the port of Weymouth, England in June 1944. The Battle of Normandy was a brutal one that lasted two months.
U.S. Soldiers On The Way To Normandy In 1944
Native Americans At The Crow Fair 1941
The Crow Fair was like a big family reunion hosted by the Crow Nation as a way to bring together Native American tribes of the Great Plains. The fair is held every third week of August in Billings, Montana. There is a daily rodeo as well.
Native Americans At The Crow Fair 1941
Drought Refugee 1931
This photo was taken in Porterville, California in 1931, showing a father and son that are drought refugees originally from Pol, Missouri. They are seen waiting for the opening of the season of orange picking. Many of the migrants who moved to California were enticed by the prospect of getting a job picking fruit, though the wages were low, it was promising during the Great Depression.
Drought Refugee 1931
Dutch Resistance Fighters 1944
Here we can see these Dutch Resistance fights with weapons captured from Germans in Breda, Netherlands after the city was liberated. It took a further eight months before the Northern part of the Netherlands were also liberated.
Dutch Resistance Fighters 1944
John F. Kennedy & Jacqueline Kennedy’s Wedding
Future 35th president JFK is seen here on his wedding day where he married Jacqueline Bouvier in Newport, Rhode Island. They married on September 12th, 1953 in St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, where huge crowds gathered to watch.
John F. Kennedy & Jacqueline Kennedy’s Wedding
Oscar Wilde In 1882
Irish poet, writer, and playwright Oscar Wilde became one of the best known playwrights in London in the 1890s. Earlier, he also spent time in the U.S. His works were often salacious and sassy, which is probably why they were so popular.
Oscar Wilde In 1882
King Ferdinand and Queen Marie of Romania In 1924
In May 1924, King Ferdinand and Queen Marie of Romania visited Dover, England in May 1924. Marie married Ferdinand in 1892 and moved to Eastern Europe, leaving her home country behind. Many scholars believe that it’s thanks to her that Ferdinand allied with England versus Germany.
King Ferdinand And Queen Marie Of Romania In 1924
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a leader of the Civil Rights movement, calling for unity through peace and respect. He called for the end of segregation through engaging speeches that are still referenced today.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy In 1960
In this photo, then-presidential candidate John F. Kennedy is speaking with his brother Robert F. Kennedy, who was also his campaign manager, at a hotel in Los Angeles while the Democratic National Convention was taking place in July 1960.
John F. Kennedy And Robert F. Kennedy In 1960
Princess Elizabeth 1945
As part of her royal duties, then-Princess Elizabeth participated with the army when she served as an ambulance river for the Auxiliary Territorial Service during World War II. She went on to become the longest serving monarch in England until she passed away in September 2022.
Princess Elizabeth 1945
Rosa Parks & MLK Jr. 1955
Rosa Parks is best known for the incident in which she boarded a bus in December 1955 and was sent to the back of the bus. She refused to moved, and she was arrested, leading a 13 month boycott of the Montgomery city busses. She became a leader in the Civil Rights movement.
Rosa Parks & MLK Jr. 1955
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel was a civil and mechanical engineer that was regarded as “one of the most ingenious and prolific figures in engineering history.” His built dockyards, the Great Western Railway, steamships, as well as bridges and tunnels. He was born in 1806 in Portsmouth, England.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Titanic Orphans 1912
Michel and Edmond Navratil were the only children to survive the Titanic disaster without parents. They survived by getting on the Collapsable D, the last vessel that saved people from the sinking ship. They were taken care of by a family member until they could be returned to France. It was later discovered that their mother was actually alive in Nice. She had no idea that their father took them, and it was a miracle that they survived.
Titanic Orphans 1912
Leo Tolstoy 1908
Just two years before the Russian author passed away, this photo of Leo Tolstoy shows him towards the end of his life. He was 82 when he died of pneumonia, and thousands of people showed up for his funeral procession.
Leo Tolstoy 1908
Tsar Nicholas II 1916
Tsar Nicholas II of Russia is shown here at the location of 1st Army General Alexander Ivanovich Litvinov in the Dvisnk district in January 1916. This was shortly before his family’s forced abdication. His absence due to WWI caused political unrest as he relied on the mad monk Rasputin, who had a negative influence and was eventually assassinated. A year after Nicholas abdicated, he and his family were executed.
Tsar Nicholas II 1916