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50 Of The Most Captivating Historical Pictures For History Enthusiasts
We might be fans of big and dusty books, but there’s nothing quite like a high-quality photograph to capture the spirit of times past. And a good picture, we feel, can act as a catalyst for the curious, inspiring them to delve deeper and learn more about history.
That’s where the ‘Historical Pictures’ Twitter account, @Besthistorical, comes in. It’s a popular social media page that finds, shares, and describes powerful and interesting historical photos—not just in black–and–white, but in color, too! We’ve collected the best of the best to give a fresh glimpse into the past. Scroll down to see our top pics and upvote the ones that appealed to you the most.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
1967-2018 Same Bike, Same Couple
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#2
A Young Boy Playing The Banjo With His Dog, Circa Early 1900s
#3
The Interior Of The Orient Express , Built In 1883
#4
George Lucas Before Cgi, 1984
#5
1947. Girl In Car, New York City, By Fred Stein
#6
Woman Cutting Her Birthday Cake In Iran 1973, 5 Years Before The Islamic Revolution
#7
The 12 Russian Snipers Responsible For The Deaths Of 775 German Soldiers During World War II, 1945
#8
A View Of Mt. Fuji From The Streets Of Fujinomiya, Japan
Susie Elle 3 years ago
There is little that is more magical than a mountain in the backdrop of a scenery
#9
Aerial View Over Edinburgh , C . 1920 , By Alfred G. Buckham
LokisLilButterknife 3 years ago
I miss my gorgeous Edinburgh! I can't wait to return next year to visit family and friends. I've actually never seen this photograph before.
#10
1954. Cats Catching Squirts Of Milk During Milking At A Dairy Farm. Photo By Nat Farbman
#11
Polish Resistance Veterans Of The Warsaw Uprising ( 1944 ) , Pictures Then And Now
Turnip and a Frog 3 years ago
Real heroes, then and now. The survivors are very outspoken about human rights and tolerance. Great respect to them.
#12
Photos Taken From The Same Location In The Arctic 100 Years Apart
#13
Father Faints When He Meets His Triplet Babies For The First Time In 1946. This Was Before Ultrasound Was Invented
#14
A Motor Home In 1922
Bouche, Audi, and Shyla, oh my! 3 years ago
Annnnd they loaded up the truck and moved to Beverly.
#15
A Group Of People Pose For A Photo Whilst Wearing Face Masks During The Second Wave Of The Spanish Flu In California, 1918
Lakota Wolf (she/her) 3 years ago
I sure wish we'd been able to throw anti-maskers in jail during THIS pandemic :/
#16
Colorised Photograph Of The Art Deco Style "Mercury" Train, Originally Taken In Chicago, 1936
#17
Chichén Itzá When It Was Discovered In 1892 vs. Present Day
#18
Father , Son , Grandfather And Great Grandfather , New Guinea , 1970 , By Irving Penn
#19
The Before And After Of The Excavation Of The Ancient Greek Stadium Of Magnesia Ad Maeandrum , Located In Modern Day Aydin , Turkey
#20
Mount Fuji Seen From Adove
#21
A Boy Crossing A London Street With A Toy Double Decker, 1960s
#22
A California Teacher Teaches The Physics Of Surfing, 1970
#23
News Paper Article From 1963
#24
Best Friends Since Ww2
#25
Injured Dog In An Animal Ambulance Used During Wwii
#26
1944. Us Marine First Sergeant Neil Shober Shares A Banana With A Goat As He Keeps Cover In His Bunker During The Battle Of Saipan
#27
A Boy Stares At A TV Screen For The First Time In 1948
#28
Man Sits At The Same Spot His Grandfather Did In 1944 During Ww2 In Florence , Italy
#29
Downtown Los Angeles Photographed In 1901, And Again In 2001, Exactly 100 Years Later
#30
Delivering Ice During World War I From An Ice Wagon, 1918
#31
An Ironworker Poses For The Camera During Construction Of The Columbia Tower , Seattle , 1984
#32
A Young Woman Who Survived The Atomic Bombing Of Nagasaki , August 1945
#33
French Mans Reactions To Tasting Coca Cola For The First Time, 1950
#34
Detroit , Michigan In 1882 And 2017
#35
"No Dog Biscuits To-Day" A Sad Dog With Its Owner In London, 1939
#36
Brookfield Farmhouse , Weston Road , England . In 1900 And 2021
#37
Eiffeltower Under Construction For The 1889 World Fair In Paris, France
#38
A Man Recording A Cassette Tape At A Music Festival In Poland, 1980s
#39
Anti Electricity Propaganda From 1900s
#40
1934. Acrobats Perform A Balancing Act On A Ledge Of The Empire State Building
#41
1943 , UK . The Weekly Food Ration For Two People
#42
Please Don't Kiss Me!" - Mom Asks Not To Kiss Her Baby To Avoid Catching The Flu In The 1930s
#43
1914. Painters On The Brooklyn Bridge Suspender Cables, New York City. Photo By Eugene De Salignac
#44
Coca-Cola Bottle, 1906
Brittania Kelli 3 years ago
Awww yes, the good ole days when Coca Cola actually contained cocaine...
#45
A Soldier Tests His Gas Mask While Peeling Onions. Camp Kearny, San Diego, USA, 1918. (World War One)
Bubble Gum Bandit 3 years ago
Learned during Covid, the N95 masks works perfectly for cutting onions.
#46
Miners On An Aerial Tram Used To Descend Into The Kimberley Diamond Mines In South Africa, Ca 1885
#47
Manhattan In 1851 And Today
#48
A Man Feeds Pete The Squirrel Outside The White House In 1922
#49
Helmet With A Built - In Communication Device So That The Motorcycle Rider Can Talk With The Passenger In The Backseat , 1960s
#50
Stonehenge : 1877 And 2019
#51
Athens, Greece 1862 And Now
Ken Beattie 3 years ago
More buildings but nice to see they haven't all been torn down and turned into skyscrapers.
#52
Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022)
#53
1941 Packard 8 - Door Open Top Tour Bus
MakeupMama68 3 years ago
I often ask why passenger vans now don’t have doors on each row instead of the sliding door.
#54
1957. Three Workers Having Breakfast In An Open Manhole, Berlin. Photo By Konrad Giehr
sofacushionfort 3 years ago
The tops of those teepee tripods held smudge pots: hollow iron balls for burning tar. The flame showed at night and black smoke in the day.
#55
Serving A Snack On Scandinavian Airlines Flight, 1969
#56
Omaha Beach On D - Day 1944 And 2021
VonBlade 3 years ago
Oooh. I've got one from 2013, so the flags are new. bunker-hil...3e551c.jpg 
#57
1962 An Italian Magazine Published An Article Of How Life Would Be Protrayed In The Year 2022
#58
Life In Chicago In The 1950s
sofacushionfort 3 years ago
They aren’t pretty, but Chicago’s alleys make it a much more livable city than NYC, where alleys aren’t as much a thing
#59
A Family Posing For A Street Photographer , London , 1870s
#60
Home Prices In 1950s
Lakota Wolf (she/her) 3 years ago
My internet bill is higher than that monthly home payment :(
#61
World's First Ever Ambulance Service In 1830
Ruth Kennedy 3 years ago
"29th July 1941: A one-man anti-gas ambulance and resuscitator, designed and made for use by the Home Guard. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images).”
#62
1895. Train Wreck At Montparnasse Station , Paris
Chewie Baron 3 years ago
Only one person died. A woman who was walking by as the train burst out above her.
#63
1924. A Game Of Human Chess At Dvortsovaya Square In Leningrad ( Now Saint Petersburg ) , Ussr
#64
1937. Pedestrians Swarm Across Golden Gate Bridge Immediately After Its Opening
Melissa Powell 3 years ago
Someone posted a photo of people walking across the bridge recently. 50,000 strong or so the caption read.
#65
The Opening Ceremony Of The 1980 Moscow Olympic Games
#66
The Goatmobile , Early 1900s
#67
Lincoln Memorial 1922-2016
#68
Pictured Above Are Michelin Men In The 1920s
#69
Empire State Building In 1941 And Now
#70
Tourism At Egyptian Pyramids During The Early 20th Century
#71
1900s. Florida Governor W. S. Jennings (Right) In An Alligator Cart By The St. Augustine City Gates
#72
1930. Two Workers Resting During The Construction Of The Empire State Building
#73
Titanic Dry Dock 1912 And History Season 2015
#74
A Mom Uses A Trash Can To Contain Her Baby While She Crochets In The Park, 1969
#75
Ww1 Then And Now
David Paterson 3 years ago
Looks like the river has been cleaned up, but the fish-breeding shallows are gone.
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What do you think ?
Susie Elle 3 years ago
I like these pictures :) even if the recent pictures show a general decline of things
Jerusalem Cat Syndrome 3 years ago
There are no spaces between words and commas. Please, trust me.
Susie Elle 3 years ago
I like these pictures :) even if the recent pictures show a general decline of things
Jerusalem Cat Syndrome 3 years ago
There are no spaces between words and commas. Please, trust me.
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