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50 Interesting Historical Photographs That Might Teach You Something New
Interview With Expert
It’s hard to pinpoint when humans started recording and sharing knowledge of the past. But it’s estimated that they started early on. At first, there were cave paintings, and then language, which allowed people to tell origin stories and pass them from generation to generation. The invention of writing systems allowed people to record the past more extensively. And as technology evolved, new ways of doing so emerged. Now, in addition to all of that, history can be recorded through photographs, video, and audio recordings.
Today we’ll be looking at our fascinating past through photography, courtesy of the Facebook group Historical Images. These pictures show what life was like before we came to this world and remind us that we and everything else exist because of those who came before us. Scroll down for a deep dive into our history and don’t forget to upvote the ones that resonated with you the most.
While you're at it, make sure to check out a conversation with Margot Note, expert archival consultant and founder of Margot Note Consulting LLC, who is passionate about preserving the past and kindly agreed to chat with us about historical pictures!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
This Photo Is From 1920 And Was Titled: "A Few Seconds Before Happiness"
RELATED:
#2
Sitting On Their 1947 Chevrolet At Dinner, And 63 Years Later
#3
In 1910, In New York, The United States, A Photographer Took A Photo Of Four Little Girls. Blessings To People A Hundred Years From Now
#4
A Man Posing With A Donkey In His Lap, 1910s
#5
Lucille Ball On The Day Of Her Wedding To Desi Arnaz, 1940
#6
A Mother And Her Son On Their Way To A Pride Walk, 1985
#7
Saving Teddy During The 1941 Blitz Of Liverpool
#8
Little Girl Talking With Her Father, A Train Driver For Southern Railway's Southern Belle Steam Train, Before He Leaves On A Trip To Brighton - London, 1931
#10
Fall Of The Berlin Wall (1989)
#11
Cyclist From Estonia, On A Self-Made Bicycle, 1912
Der Kommissar 1 year ago
anyone who's ever had a store-bought bike now realizes how fortunate they were
#12
"Approaching Shadow", 1954
#13
Inside Of A Railroad Car Made By The Pullman Company, 1890s
#14
Italian Grocery Shop, New York, 1943
#15
By Vladimir Lagrange - Ussr, 1960s
Cindy Brick 1 year ago
I did this too in Sparta, MI -- bringing my dad lunch, iwth a canning jar of iced tea
#16
This Is The First Publicly Sold Bottle Of Coca-Cola, Released In 1894
Remarkably, it contained an estimated 3.5 grams of coc***e at the time
#17
A Living United States Flag, Formed By 10,000 Navy Sailors In Illinois, 1917
LonelyLittleLeafSheep 1 year ago
According to the Naval History and Heritage Command website: commercial photographer Arthur S. Mole of Zion, Illinois, took 6 photos from the top of the Administration Building of the Great Lakes Naval Training Station while NEARLY 10,000 sailors stood below him on the parade ground.
#18
A Female Firefighting Team On A Converted Motorcycle In London, 1932
#19
Often Carved And Decorated, The Box Bed Was The Pride Of Its Owners. In Homes That Usually Had Only One Room, The Box Bed Allowed Some Privacy And Helped Keep People Warm During The Winter
#20
The Irish Guards' Band Drummer Boy At Waterford Barracks Standing With The Regiment's Mascot, An Irish Wolfhound, On The 21 February 1917
#21
Photographer Margaret Bourke-White Capturing A Shot From The Top Of The Chrysler Building, 1935
Richard Graham 1 year ago
Those Eagle's Head ornaments are a copy of a Chrysler Imperial hood ornament when the Chrysler Building was built (1928).
#22
Undercover Police Officer, Brooklyn NYC July 1 1969
#23
Blackfoot Indians On The Roof Of The Hotel
McAlpin, New York City in 1913.They had the choice of any room in the hotel but instead chose to pitch their teepees on the roof. For many who had never left the reservation this was quite a sight.
Fiery Llama 1 year ago
Not really. They were brought there to be gawked at, sadly, and they DID stay in the rooms (of course they did!), the roof thing was a publicity stunt. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-blackfoot-indians-in_b_847936
#24
Two Women Working As Ice Deliverers Carry A Large Block Of Ice. September 1918
Petra Peitsch 1 year ago
We can't even comprehend, how lucky we are living just like around 100 years later. And that sentence will be written in 100 years by now.
#25
Neil Armstrong Photographed By Buzz Aldrin Shortly After Completing The First-Ever Moonwalk On July 20th, 1969
#26
In 1892, A Hot Potato Vendor Peddles His Wares On The Busy Streets Of Manhattan, Offering A Popular And Simple Snack To New Yorkers
Known as “Mickeys,” these hot, baked potatoes were a beloved street food in the late 19th century. Vendors like this one would walk the city, selling the warm, starchy potatoes wrapped in paper or cloth. They were not just a quick and affordable snack but also served a practical purpose during cold weather, as many people would carry them in their pockets to use as makeshift hand warmers on frigid days.
Hot potatoes were especially popular among the working class and immigrants in Manhattan, providing both sustenance and warmth for those on the go. Street vendors were a common sight in the city during this period, offering an array of cheap and accessible food options for a rapidly growing urban population. The hot potato, often eaten in between work shifts or on the way home, was part of a broader culture of street food that provided comfort and nourishment amidst the hustle of daily life.
The tradition of selling hot potatoes, with their dual function as both a snack and a source of warmth, represents a unique aspect of the urban experience in 19th-century New York. This photograph not only captures a moment in the life of a street vendor but also reflects the ingenuity and resourcefulness of city dwellers who found practical solutions to everyday needs. The image provides a nostalgic glimpse into the past, showcasing a time when simple pleasures like a warm potato could provide both sustenance and a small respite from the harsh realities of city life
#27
These Progressive High School Girls Learn The Finer Points Of Auto Mechanics In 1927
Petra Peitsch 1 year ago
Sadly, fast 100 years in the future, this is still "progressive", and not common.
#28
Vw Buses On The Factory Lot, 1960s
walterandbethdix 1 year ago
Oh, my. Brings back the memories. Our VW bus has named "Rasberry". You can guess the colour. First-born conceived at Whitehorse, Yukon gas station lot during at super-intense aurora borealis. Shes a beautiful 51 years old now.
#29
Tippi Hedren And Her Tiger, 1982
#30
A Lady From High Society, Ottoman Empire, 1900s
#31
Statue Of Liberty Was Photographed In Paris, France, Just Before It Was Disassembled And Shipped To New York, 1884
#32
Mgm Employment Portrait Of 19 Year Old Ava Gardner In 1941
#33
Main Street - Deadwood, Dakota, 1877 And Present
#34
How Babies Traveled On Airplanes 1960's
#35
Taking Airline Reservations Before Computers, 1945
Guess Undheit 1 year ago
Evelyn Berezin is why computerized airline reservation systems exist. She created the first that updated electronically and automatically. But you'll have a hard time finding her name since women get written out of history books. She also invented the word processor. [ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evelyn_Berezin ]
#36
Young Girl During The Great Depression, 1930s
#37
Two Boys In London, 1902
#38
Frozen Niagara Falls, 1911
#39
A Saloon In Wyoming In The Late 1800s
#40
Coal-Miner’s Bath, Chester-Le-Street, Durham, England, 1937 - Photo By Bill Brandt
#41
The First American Aircraft Carrier. Converted From A Coal Cargo Ship. Uss Langley. 1928
Bill Swallow 1 year ago
Poor Langley! He was Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, and he tried *so* hard, and he came *so* close, but kept failing just short of complete success. His 'Aerodrome' was launched from a ship deck, and would have beaten the Wright Brothers to the title of 'first successful man-carrying heavier-than-air flight', but his efforts seemed to be snake-bitten. After successful unmanned flights in the late 1890s, the Navy sponsored a full-scale manned version, which failed at least twice. If memory serves, on the first attempt, it got tangled in the launching gear, though it seems the real problems may have been that his structural engineering and control systems were insufficient. Nine days later, the Wrights flew at Kitty Hawk.
#42
Some Of The Children Who Go To School Half A Day, And Shuck Four Hours Before School Several Hours After School And Eight Or Nine Hours On Saturday
Maggioni Canning Co.
Location: Port Royal, South Carolina
Photo by Lewis Hine.
#43
Fishing Boat “New England” Covered In Ice, British Columbia, 1916 / Photograph By Leonard Frank
#44
An Empire State Builder Hanging On A Crane Above New York City, 1930
#45
Young 25 Year Old Bruce Lee's Work Out Regime In May 27, 1965
#46
Princess Marie Of Edinburgh, Future Queen Of Romania, Circa 1890s
Foxglove🇮🇪 1 year ago
Marie was very popular with the Romanian people as Crown Princess and later the last queen of Romania. During WWI she and her three daughters worked as nurses, caring for wounded soldiers.
#47
A Diamond Mine Worker Is X-Rayed At The End Of Each Shift Before Leaving The Mines. South Africa, 1954
Patsy Robins 1 year ago
Wonder what their radiation exposure was by the time they left the job 🫤
#48
Baby Strollers Strapped To The Front Of The Bus In Opawa, New Zealand (1950s)
#49
Poor Women Selling Flowers At Covent Garden, 1877
#50
Husband And Wife With Their 11 Children On Palm Sunday, 1954
#51
Dust Bowl Refugees Heading West To Start A New Life. 1939
#52
Queensway Tunnel From 1943 To 2024
#53
Inflatable Ox-Skin Boats, North India, 1900
#54
Engineers And Architects Before The Arrival Of Autocad, 1982
Petra Peitsch 1 year ago
My genZ coworker got a shock, when I said to him, to buy a paper map for a place, what he wanted to visit in his holiday, buit couldn't find really relevant Google-maps info about. He was like what?-Google-maps-printed? Gen Z is sometimes vety hilarious :D
#55
Hard To Believe This Is The Empire State Building In 1941. No Other Tall Skyscrapers Surrounding It
#56
Four Young Women Playing Volleyball On Stilts At The Beach In Venice, California, 1934
#57
Aircraft Detection Device Before Radar, Bolling Field, USA, 1921
#58
In The Past, Ads Were Straight To The Point, 1946
#59
The Famous Canals In Venice Being Drained And Cleaned, 1956
#60
During The 50-Day Siege Of Budapest An Airplane Crashed Into An Apartment Building - Budapest, 1945
Petra Peitsch 1 year ago
In Budapest you can stil see buildings having war-marks from WW2. Some are public buildings, and not restaurated for a kind of "memento mori". But some are 17-early 20 century block of flats or houses, whose nowadyas and past owners couldn't afford or care about restauration.
#61
A Couple Enjoys Some Privacy As They Embrace In A Hole In The Sand On A Beach In Santa Monica, California. July 1950
Patsy Robins 1 year ago
Right before the hole collapses & buries them. Don’t do this, I’ve nursed too many people (mostly young men) with catastrophic brain injuries after being buried in beach sand hole collapses.
#62
Packed Parking Lot For Game One Of The 1916 World Series In Boston
#63
A Family Going On The Summer Holiday In A Fiat 500, Italy, 1967
Petra Peitsch 1 year ago
Ah, the Fiat 500. Two average guys could move it efortless meters away.
#64
Brunettes Boycott The Film "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes", USA, 1953
#65
The Opening Of The Eiffel Tower During The 1889 World’s Fair
Justin Tyme 1 year ago
There were already 15 scammers at the base waiting to steal money from tourists.
#66
A Family From The Farm Enjoying Dinner. Tennessee's Claiborne County, 1940
#67
Downtown Los Angeles Photographed In 1901, And Again In 2001, Exactly 100 Years Later
#68
Woman Preparing Gravy In The Kitchen, Missouri, 1938
#69
The World Trade Center Under Construction, 1970
#70
This Was Las Vegas In 1947
#71
Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia In 1973
#72
Easter Bunny Costumes Were Absolutely Horrifying In The 1950s
#73
Acrobats Balance On Top Of The Empire State Building, 1934
#74
The Uniform Mob Of Smiling Humanoid Mice Seen Here Were Gathered For An Early Meeting Of The Mickey Mouse Club In Ocean Park, California, Circa 1930
#75
San Francisco’s Lombard Street In 1975
#76
The Family Of A Migratory Fruit Worker From Tennessee Now Camped In A Field Near The Packinghouse At Winter Haven, Florida, 1937
#77
A Man And A Woman Riding On Cycling Machines In The First Class Gym Onboard Rms Titanic. Ca. 1911
Luis Hernandez Dauajare 1 year ago (edited)
Not possible. Titanic did not get into service until March 1912, and received her first passengers during her maiden voyage in April. This is a photo from her twin the Olympic.
#78
England V Scotland At Wembley 1943!
#79
Two Bikini Bathing Suit Girls Leaning On A Ford Mustang In The 1970s
Oerff On Tour 1 year ago
Judging from the details of the car, it's at the earliest late 1972 (73 mustang)
#80
In 1890, A Giant Sequoia Tree That Had Lived For More Than 2,600 Years Was Cut Down, At A Moment When Man Abandoned His Reason And Conscience
Multa Nocte 1 year ago
"Abandoned his reason and his conscience"? This was his way of life at the time. I agree that it is horrible, with all we know today about cutting down trees such as this, but this wasn't done with malice aforethought. Sanctimonious title, there.
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What do you think ?
Multa Nocte 1 year ago
Even though I have seen many of these before (and some even this week), I always appreciate these.
coupon user 1 year ago
And no matter how many times they post this list they still can't fix the many factual errors and obvious editorial mistakes 🤦♂️
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Multa Nocte 1 year ago
Even though I have seen many of these before (and some even this week), I always appreciate these.
coupon user 1 year ago
And no matter how many times they post this list they still can't fix the many factual errors and obvious editorial mistakes 🤦♂️
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