“How History Looks”: 50 Interesting Historical Photos You Might Not Find In Textbooks

Learning about history provides us with enough context and understanding for the present to make informed decisions about the future. But that’s just one of the many reasons to do so. 

According to research by University of Massachusetts Amherst professor Lisa Wexler, a lack of accurate knowledge about the historical traumas of one’s culture creates a sense of grief and stress.

Educator and public servant Shahara McGee shares a similar sentiment. In an article for the University of Nevada, Reno publication, McGee explained how knowing about the African-American legacy is more than just learning about the contributions of Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, and Malcolm X.

“It is vital and a personal moral imperative to share the breadth and depth of Black History, showing what it is and means to the world,” she wrote. 

Many photos on this list were taken way before digital cameras and smartphones existed. It was a very different time. For UC Berkeley journalism professor and veteran photojournalist Ken Light, photographs at the time had the same point of view. 

In an interview with UC Berkeley News, he explained how the pre-smartphone era allowed people to be fully immersed in the moment they intended to capture with a camera.

“If you took a picture in 1970 of 500,000 people at an anti-war protest in Washington, D.C., they all had their peace fingers up, or their power fists,” he said. “If you took a picture now, they’d all have their cell phones up.”

Light adds that photographers played a much more important role decades ago: to witness and record history. These days, he says, everyone sees themselves as their own brand and says, “Why do we need a photographer?” 

At the same time, he recognized how images are much more powerful through social media and as a tool for change. 

“The number of images and videos that can be captured really changes how people can record history,” he said.

Now, it’s your turn, readers. Which of these photos captured your attention the most? What about them drew you in? Let us know in the comments!