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50 Important Historical Photos That Might Change Your Perspective On Things (New Pics)
In the mid-2000s, historian Anna Pegler-Gordon said that visual media often seems more accessible to her students than the written record. They claimed images make the past seem more accessible, giving concrete shape to a world that sometimes seems intangible. Not to mention the immediacy of the image, which often conveys information more quickly than a primary document written in an unfamiliar, or even a foreign, language. But according to Pegler-Gordon, this immediacy also works well in discussion sections, where the shared experience of viewing a picture can provide a focus for lively group discussion.
Now, 15 years after the professor said these words, we can say that her insights were spot on. Take this subreddit, for example. It unites over 3 million people, and they're all exploring the past through historical photographs. The rarely seen images coupled with the detailed fashion in which the community shares them with one another (every upload includes an accurate description of what is being presented (event, location, war, year, etc.) not only provides a look into our earlier days, but also inspires interesting discussions in the comment section.
We at Bored Panda have already covered the subreddit here and here, but it has received plenty of new submissions since our last publication, so we thought it's about time we made another one. Continue scrolling to check out some of its recent posts and the conversation we had with historians Joshua Wilkey and Darren R. Reid.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Cop Stops The Traffic In New York So A Mother Cat Holding A Kitten Can Cross Safely C.1925
RELATED:
#2
Remember That Photo Of The Construction Workers Having Lunch On The Unfinished Empire State Building? Well Here's The Photographer Charles Ebbets Taking That Photo. 9/20/1932
"I think photography can be an essential and powerful tool for understanding history, but I think it is also necessary to view all photographs with a critical eye," professor, writer, and amateur homesteader Joshua Wilkey told Bored Panda. "While we might be accustomed to skepticism of photos in the age of Photoshop, photo editing isn't the only thing that should give us pause."
Dr. Darren R. Reid, who earned his Ph.D. from the University of Dundee and is now a lecturer at Coventry University, agrees. He explained to us that images are an incredibly important part of how we understand the past. "They give us a distinct look into how people and societies viewed themselves and each other," Reid said.
"In the medieval period, for example, Jesus and the saints were often depicted as physically larger than ordinary people — not because they were believed to be taller, but because they occupied a higher status in the minds of the artists who produced these images, and the audiences who consumed them. In later centuries, Europeans (and their descendants) looked to the classical world for inspiration, spending huge amounts of time (and money) on images that were both increasingly realistic and idealized."
"Native Americans and American colonizers were frequently depicted in classical poses — all deliberate choices that show us how many people perceived the invasion of the Americas and the genocides that occurred there," Reid continued. "They also include important details (such as items of clothing, hairstyles, etc.) that help us to picture the past. For modern people, this means we can more accurately imagine, and perhaps, empathize with the very different folks who came before us."
#3
Rail Commuters Wearing White Protective Masks, One With The Additional Message “Wear A Mask Or Go To Jail,” During The 1918 Influenza Pandemic In California
Ray Martin 3 years ago
Even then there were obviously idiots, like the woman in the centre, who didn't have the brains to wear one properly.
Jessica Nel 3 years ago
Where I am, you can get fined. They were super strict about it when Covid first peaked its head but now they getting slack.
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Wood Carver 3 years ago
I came here to say the same. Come on put your d**k back in your mask d**k nose
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Grant Barke 3 years ago
“The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.”
Phil Green 3 years ago
Strange how the world turns. Millions of people around the world died and this on top of all those killed during the war. Here we are today and some people just haven't learnt a thing...
Ellie 3 years ago
I remember seeing a picture of the 1918 pandemic years ago. I remember thinking how odd they looked because of the masks. Now those photos look so normal to me. Wear a mask. Get vaccinated Please
Ana 3 years ago
The woman wearing it under her nose... I guess that's a human condition thing not a strange anti vax thing...
John Ford 3 years ago
Oh shut the F up do you not realize most countries are opening up. Stop being afraid and lifer
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Missy 3 years ago
It's even worse now though! At least in 1914, if you were run over by a car, that was your cause of death. Nowadays, however, covid is always to blame. *eyeroll*
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Mazer 3 years ago
It came in waves, just like now, it lasted about 3 years. India is believed to have suffered at least 12.5 million deaths during the pandemic, and in the United States about 550,000 people died. Some scholars think the total number could be even higher.
Teresa Spanics 3 years ago
Sad, but so very true. The only way is to look up records of those who died of a lung illness and compare their symptoms.
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SweetsEve 3 years ago
This photo is NOT from 1918. How dense would you be to even think it is?
Debbie Fulton 3 years ago
But..but...My Freedoms....My freedoms. Are so much more important than Your lives..😯😪 anti-masker,anti-vaxxer jerks!
SweetsEve 3 years ago
While I am vaccinated and I think that's a good thing. I disagree with your implication. Yes, my freedom is more important than my life. Freedom is that important. The moment you start to think something is more important than your freedoms don't be too surprised if you start seeing freedoms stripped away.
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Audra Lehman 3 years ago
Funny how many people are agreeing with the "wear a mask or go to jail" thing.... You know we still have influenza, right? It worked so well for them!
Kris “ADHD_Carrier” Dudoich 3 years ago
Yep, they figured it out back in 1918 and here people in 2022 can't get with it!
Micah Chips 3 years ago
idk why this was downvoted, you have a good point :)
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Heather Hutchison 3 years ago
And just like today, there’s always one eejit who can’t or won’t wear it correctly.
Analyn Lahr 3 years ago
Petition to bring back that punishment. Also that lady in the middle doesn't have it all the over her nose.
Jessica Macklemoore 3 years ago
Remember when most people understood that if they wanted 2 enjoy the perks of living in a society then they were also required 2 give back 2 that society by putting their own silly preferences aside(like wearing a few inches of harmless cloth over their face or not) 4 the greater good of that society in order 2 protect others from a deadly, contagious disease pandemic?Its really not that complicated. Yes, freedom is important but if u wanna enjoy all that living in a society has to offer, like havin a car and drivin without mining the minerals urself, then building the car yourself and then building the roads yourself- then there are going 2 be some minor sacrifices u mite have 2 make temporarily in dire circumstances. No one asked u 4 a kidney, Sir. Put on ur mask, damn! Grown men & women b out here acting like spoiled selfish children nowadays! Great example ur setting 4 ur kids! Screw every1 else, as long as I get 2 walk around w/o that horrific mask! So dramatic!
Tee Witt 3 years ago
Not as well educated or knowledgeable as people of today yet they knew the benefits of wearing masks.
Lola 3 years ago
You think anti-vaxxers and anti-maskers are knowledgeable and educated? Ha! That’s cute.
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Mickie Shea 2 years ago
So sorry we did not do same with Covid in 2020. Would have saved many lives. Bad “No maskers”.
Lyn Moffett 3 years ago
Should have done that when Covid was really bad. Now people don't even have to isolate Must want to keep the virus around!!!
Redwood Rebelgirl 3 years ago
They figured it out, over a hundred years ago. Still dumbasses who refuse to figure it out today.
Vicki Perizzolo 3 years ago
Darwinism at our level is obviously a genetic defect .. too much human inbreeding creates stupid
Kathy Conley 3 years ago
102 yrs later here we are! Just like the old saying goes “what goes around comes around”!
janel Marie stallings 3 years ago
DOESNT THIS SEEM LIKE TODAY? IF YOU WISH TO SEE THE WORLD'S FUTURE SIMPLY LOOK AT ITS PAST.
Riley Quinn 3 years ago
One of the few things from the past that is actually more sensible than current times.
Sarah Holt 3 years ago
Wish they would implement this now during this current pandemic don't wear a mask wear a mask improperly go to jail.
Laura Price 3 years ago
And we're still fighting it. People tht thin this will magically go away are very mistaken. It's here, it will always be here.
Luna jimenez 3 years ago
Wear a mask or go to jail as the genius in the middle has her nose hanging out. These people with this mindset are the holier than thou tyrants running rampant today.
Jill Tremblay 3 years ago
And yet there is always still one in the crowd that wears it wrong........
Jennifer Norton 3 years ago
and of course there is that one person that doesn't cover their nose making the mask completely useless!
Downunderdude 3 years ago
I wonder if they had idiot conspiracy-theory anti-vax idiots back then? I suspect not.
Daniel Marsh 3 years ago
Not the best propaganda for masking; secondary infectuous pneumonia has been identified as the main culprit in influenza deaths. NOT IN COVID!!! Covid is NOT 1918 flu... but still not a comparison you want to make.
Ruciana Pollard 2 years ago
No one would have guessed that 102 years later there would be a global pandemic that would take over a million lives worldwide!
Christina Uhlir 3 years ago
Time has changed, I guess we have more "freedom" now. (Yea right).
Chris Harr 3 years ago
And yet you have the lady in the middle wearing the mask under her nose. It's good to know that stupidity is a constant, no matter the timeframe.
Bethanne Corl 3 years ago
It's always so depressing to think of all the advancements we've made, we can't seem to change ourselves. History continues to repeat the same conflicts time and time again
asd asd 3 years ago
didint it all end in riots and natural immunity? most people got sick and got immunity from it.ive been reading papers on the spanish flue in 2018 ,and i can say alot of the papers on it where changed to acomodate the new covid b******t. before almost everyone sayd the masks where just for show and didint do enything, and if you try reading about it now they say oh the masks worked and social distancing also helped....
Shelley Copeland 3 years ago
Am i the only skeptic?? I don’t even “buy” this bullsh** picture. Really?? In 1918. People were wearing the masks?? I dont believe it! And as if thats not enough for me to call bs on this “1918” picture, somebody a wayyyyyy back then to the time to go to a printer and print a sign to hang around their neck??? In 1-9-1-8???? Hmmm🙄
SweetsEve 3 years ago (edited)
Masks block your ability to spread germs, not to get germs on you. A mask over the mouth like these guys have would prevent coughed germs from spreading into the air and that's still good. Germs are so tiny a mask won't keep you from breathing it in. There are plenty of places with strong mask mandates where people are still getting sick. That's why they're now handing out free n9 masks. Now those are a completely different story. Those will protect the wearer.
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Amy Stone-Chandler 3 years ago
Even then, seems to be idiots that wear them UNDER their noses. Today's people can't blame lack of information about that
Summer Mason 3 years ago
Wear your God damn makes please. It's a face covering like you would wear during a clod front in Alaska. Wear it. Period. J s yahsjxjjfjfjjdjfjjf 🤬
Christina Keenan 3 years ago
Lord, nothing much has changed in a hundred years. If one tried to jail someone who wouldn't wear a mask today, one may very well become a target, of sorts . Please please please wear a mask.
Brandy Grote 3 years ago (edited)
So many people didn't. H1N1 flu is now endemic, and still killing thousands a year.
XenoMurph 3 years ago
Maybe that's been our problem all along. If we named them "White Protective Masks" maybe Trump supporters would wear them.
Cheri Aline Sydney 3 years ago
Get help for your TDS, Trump Derangement Syndrome, XenoMurph.... If you bother to look at the actual statistics of the unvaccinated you'll see that there are misguided people on both sides of the aisle...
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pascal odhiambo 3 years ago
Indeed humans have withstood many pandemics and survived at the end
Jason Gaddis 3 years ago
Imagine when idiots thought a little bit of fabric could block a virus. LOL.
Jason Gaddis 3 years ago
Even back then idiots thought a little bit of fabric could stop a virus……. Time has proven them oh so wrong.
Justin Mundy 3 years ago
Well, people were just as dumb then as they are now. Wasn't it St. Fauci that wrote on all the cases of bacterial pneumonia that occurred as a result of wearing masks all the time during the 1918 "Spanish Flu" outbreak.
Bryan With A Why 3 years ago
Ignorance and blind allegiance has been around for far more than 100 years...
Wendy Globen 3 years ago
This looks fake. Anyone know how to fact check an image besides using google image? That was helpful in this case. BTW I am a mask wearer.
Jackie Johnson 3 years ago
They are better than nothing at all. Cloth masks are what they had. They didn't have the kinds of more effective masks we have today.
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B. J. Moore 2 years ago
California!!! Of course! The only state in the U.S. that isn’t a state at all!
Salty Wild Hair 3 years ago
Yep. And then someone was shot to death over not wearing a mask. Later, the newspaper published a series of photographs of elected officials at a boxing match not wearing masks, and guess what happened? They all stopped wearing masks and the flu went away.
trikshot master1021 3 years ago
It went away because 100 million people died you stupid f**k
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lkthorlyn23 3 years ago
Actually they did complain and that's why they wanted to fine or jail people...read about the Spanish flu and you'll learn something
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SweetsEve 3 years ago
In 1918 they wore masks.. great. They also were decades away from the success of the civil rights movement, or the feminist movement. In fact the Rosewood Massacre would take place in 1923, (a massacre that wouldn't get any real attention until the 1990s). But hey they're wearing masks. And God knows a mask, all by itself, marks the entire virtue of an individual. It's really that simple. Let us all praise how awesome these people are. And let's assume all of you are completely awesome as well.
Micah Chips 3 years ago
mhm now go play with your toys, the intellectuals are talking.
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MonicaChicagoGal 3 years ago
😆I've ACTUALLY heard an idiot say that about the vaccines I told the dummy if somebody wanted to track you you have a cell phone right.
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Walking On Sunshine 3 years ago
I can literally hear you bleating you brainwashed sheep.
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#4
Stoney First Nation Member, Guide Samson Beaver With His Wife Leah And Their Daughter Frances Louise, 1907. Photo Taken By Mary Schäffer
#5
Mogadishu, 1993. An Italian Soldier Gives Food To A Local Orphan
Talking about photographs, in particular, Joshua Wilkey provided a few very helpful questions we can ask ourselves when analyzing them:
Is the photo lacking context? Or what is happening outside of the frame? "There's always the chance that the viewer is seeing an intentionally skewed perspective," Wilkey highlighted. "A picture might be worth a thousand words, but sometimes it takes a thousand words to explain the context of a single photo. Some pictures are downright strange without context."
Is the photo representative? In other words, can the photo indicate something bigger than itself? "For example, the internet has, for years, made fun of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un for marveling at seemingly cool but likely fake things like modern and well-stocked grocery stores. These photos are meant to be representative images portraying for Kim's people and for foreigners that North Korea is a modern and well-nourished society. The reality is a bit different."
#6
Atelier Photo: "A Lesbian Couple In Semi Drag Wedding Attire"; Kingdom Of Hungary - Budapest, 1920
#7
A Man Looking For A Job Wearing His Cv, England - 1930s
#8
A Beach In Iran A Few Months Before The Islamic Revolution, 1979
As the historian said, these concepts can apply to virtually any photograph, but they become crucial when we're viewing a particular one as evidence. "They are important for historical photographs because of the power and usefulness of photography in political propaganda. North Korea is a great example of a regime that uses photography for propaganda, and the Soviet Union and the US were great examples too, particularly during the Cold War and the Space Race."
"Another good example of government using photography to achieve a political end was the Farm Service Administration's use of photography to document the impact of the Great Depression as a means of garnering support for the New Deal," Wilkey added. "Roosevelt's opponents argued it was political propaganda, while his proponents argued it was an accurate depiction of what was happening. Ultimately, most scholars have concluded that, while it accomplished political ends, it was indeed an accurate portrayal of reality."
#9
1972: 3 Women On The Streets Of Kabul, Afghanistan
#10
A Man Browses For Books In The Old Public Library Of Cincinnati. The Building Was Demolished In 1955. Today An Office Building And A Parking Lot Stand Where It Used To Be
DUN DUN (she/her) 3 years ago
Oh God SO MANY BOOKS!!! I hope they saved the books before demolishing the building
#11
It’s No Longer Possible To See This, As Buildings Outside Block The Sun. Grand Central, NYC, 1929 Photo By Louis Faurer
One more case that Wilkey mentioned to illustrate his point is Jacob Riis’s 1890 photojournalism work titled 'How the Other Half Lives,' which offered shocking views of tenement housing in New York City.
"Riis's work was accused of being 'muckraking' (activist journalism), but it led to reforms on tenement laws and rights and helped shepherd some of the first public health laws in the US," the historian said.
"Using photos from Riis’s work, one can apply both of the principles above: consider what is happening outside the frame of the camera, and consider whether the photos are representative. In the case of most of Riis’s photos of terrible living conditions, what was outside the frame of his camera was much the same as what was inside the frame, and his photographed subjects were representative of their entire communities. For me, they pass both my tests and should be treated as important historical sources."
#12
Freddie Mercury With His Mother, 1947
#13
A French Boy Introduces Himself To Indian Soldiers Who Had Just Arrived In France To Fight Alongside French And British Forces, Marseilles, 30th September 1914. [colorization]
#14
West German School Children Pause To Talk With Two East German Border Guards Beside An Opening In The Berlin Wall During The Collapse Of Communism In East Germany In November 1989 (Photo: Stephen Jaffe)
However, Darren R. Reid pointed out that not only politicians and governments contribute to bending the narrative, and suggested taking a closer look at the art produced by the people.
"The invasion of the Americas was frequently sanctioned and/or driven by governments, but it was the acts of 'ordinary' people that made it possible, and across that continent, a huge body of work was produced to justify, even encourage, some really terrible acts," he said. "American comic books and movies depicted Native Americans as simple, brutish, and savage. This helped to justify genocide and colonization as it was ongoing — and justify it, long after the most violent part of the process was complete. For a great example, check out the awful depiction of Native Americans in Disney’s Peter Pan. They helped to justify the colonial project to generations of children, right up to the present day."
As Sue Walsh, the creative director at SYPartners, wonderfully put it, the way we perceive the world is more fluid than the binaries of fact and fiction. Especially now that we live in what some call a post-truth era. So keep not only an open eye, but a sharp mind as well if you want to navigate it.
#15
Reporters Who Exposed The Watergate Scandal Watch President Nixon Resign, 1974
#16
A Man Guards His Family From The Cannibals During The Madras Famine Of 1877 At The Time Of British Raj, India
DUN DUN (she/her) 3 years ago (edited)
I don't care if anyone gets offended by this, bt fck those colonizing grassholes! This looks so painful to WATCH, the pain they must've gone through is beyond my capability to imagine.
#17
A Man Takes A Selfie Using A Stick Of Wood To Activate The Camera, 1957
#18
French Soldiers Passing By A Dog Wearing Googles And Smoking A Pipe, 1915
#19
High School Teacher John T. Scopes Is Brought To Trial In Dayton, Tennessee For Teaching The Theory Of Evolution, Which Was Prohibited Under State Law. July 10, 1925
Beverly Hasegawa 3 years ago
There are people today who want to return to those benighted days.
#20
A Black U.S. Soldier Reads A Message Left By The Việt Cộng During The Vietnam War, The Message Reads: "U.S. Negro Armymen, You Are Committing The Same Ignominious Crimes In South Vietnam That The Kkk Clique Is Perpetrating Against Your Family At Home.", 1970.
#21
David Attenborough Entertains Prince Charles And Princess Anne With A Cockatoo. 1958
#22
Martin Luther King Jr. Removing A Burnt Cross From His Front Yard In 1960
UncleRussian 3 years ago
Ugh, I hate how racist some people are. It's sad there are still racists, but we've gotten much better
#23
A Young Female Welder Photographed By Bernard Hoffman In Connecticut, Circa 1943.
#24
Woman Cutting Her Birthday Cake In Iran 1973, 5 Years Before The Islamic Revolution
#25
A Makeshift Hospital In The Vietnam War, 1970
#26
An Old Woman Leaving Her Home With Just A Portrait Of Her Husband And Rugs. Russian Soldiers Gave Her Just 5 Minutes To Pack Her Bags And Leave Before They Destroyed Her Home And Everything In It. Her Sons And Husband Were Already Dead. She Had Lost Everything. May 1995, Grozny
#27
Filming An Episode Of “The French Chef” With Julia Child, 1963
#28
Max Schreck Relaxing Behind The Scenes Of Nosferatu, 1922
#29
A Picture Of A Submerged Diver In 1899. Many Believe It To Be The First Photograph Taken Underwater
#30
John F. Kennedy Campaigning Door-To-Door In West Virginia (1960)
Insert Generic Username 3 years ago
I don't know about anyone else but when someone comments that they're commenting to hide a rude comment, it draws my attention to the rude comment, not away from it.
#31
Korean Mother Embraces Her Son, A Prisoner Of War Who Escaped His North Korean Pow Camp Shortly After The Signing Of The Korean Armistice Agreement, Which Ended The Widespread Fighting Of The Korean War, 1953.
#32
Chinese Guerrilla Fighter Cheng Benhua 成本華 Smiling Moment Before Execution By The Japanese, She Was 24. (Late 1938) [502 X 806]
#33
Sailors Saluting A War Veteran, Leningrad 1989
#34
Students Dance In Tiananmen Square Before The Arrival Of The Chinese Military, June 4th 1989
#35
Chief Low Dog - An Oglala Lakota Chief Who Fought With Sitting Bull At The Battle Of Little Bighorn, C. 1881
#36
The Queen Consort Of Mongolia, Genepil, In Mongolia. The Last Queen Consort And Married To The Bogd Khaganate, Bogd Khan, Until His Death On April 17th, 1924, When The Monarchy Was Abolished. She Was Killed During The Stalinist Purges In May 1938. Photograph Dated January 1st, 1923
#37
Rare Photo Showing Niagara Falls Without Water, 1969
#38
Mt St Helens The 17th Of May 1980 And 4 Months Later
#39
David Bowie After Being Arrested For Marijuana Possession In Rochester, 1976
#40
Photograph Of The First Official Defector Of The "German Democratic Republic", Conrad Schumann, Who Escaped To The Western Side On August 15, 1961 After Jumping The Unfinished Area Of the Fence That He Guarded.
#41
Eiffel Tower Under Construction, July 1888 [colorized]
#42
Kubrick Taking A Photo With Daughter Vivian, On The Set Of The Shining. Nicholson Thought He Himself Was The Photo’s Subject. 1980
Steffen Rehm 3 years ago
Ha! Imagine someone waves at you, you wave awkwardly back and it was the person behind you. That would be the same level of awkward i think. :D Poor Nicholson.
#43
Actor And Martial Arts Star Jackie Chan At The Benefit Concert In Hong Kong, In Support Of Tiananmen Square Protesters - 1989
#44
The Director Of The Belgrade Zoo Tries To Convince Sami The Chimpanzee To Return Home After He Escaped, 1988
#45
Indigenous Children Forced To Pray To God In A Residential School Ran By The Canadian Government And Catholic Church Between 1930 And 1970, Unknown Location
#46
Babies Left To Sleep Outside, Enforcing Immune Sistem, Moscow 1958
#47
Coal Miner Waiting To Get Into The Communal Shower At The End Of His Shift, Taken In Gelsenkirchen, Germany, 1958. By Photographer Max Scheler
#48
Archduke Franz Ferdinand And His Wife Minutes Before Assassination That Would Lead To Ww1, 1914 [colorized]
#49
People Fighting To Get On A Plane In Nha Trang, April 1, 1975, During The Us Withdrawal From South Vietnam
#50
Nirvana During The Photo Shoot For Their Album Nevermind, Which Was Released 30 Years Ago. 1991
UncleRussian 3 years ago
Ugh, the baby for the cover has grown up into an insufferable a$$hole, just look up "Nirvana baby drama" and you'll see what that d*ckhead has been up to
#51
Frederick Douglass With His Musician Grandson Joseph Douglass, 1894.
Caro Caro 3 years ago
During the time following the Civil War, many African-American musicians began to break into the art music genre. Joseph Douglass, a concert violinist, was one of the first African-American performers to be nationally and internationally renowned. His influence came at an early age from his father and grandfather, famous abolitionist Frederick Douglass, who were both amateur violin players. He studied violin at Boston Conservatory. Douglass received his first big break as a concert violinist at the age of 22 when he performed at the World's Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair. On August 25, 1893, performers joined together to celebrate Colored American Day (which Frederick Douglass helped plan).
#52
21-Years-Old Yves Saint Laurent At Christian Dior's Funeral, 1957
#53
“One Of America’s Youngest Newsboys. Four Years Old And Regular Seller. Tampa, Florida.” - 1913
#54
A Hippie Girl Selling Roadside Flowers In Oklahoma, 1973
#55
The Consequences Of Landing On The Wrong Aircraft Carrier, 1952
#56
A United States Soldier Holds Up A Jungle Centipede During The Vietnam War, 1967
#57
Florence Thompson, The Migrant Mother In Dorothea Lange's Famous 1936 Photo, Holds Up Her Likeness During An Interview After Her Identity Was Discovered, October 10, 1978
#58
Using A Vacuum Cleaner, 1906
#59
One Of Only Two Certified Photographs Of Billy The Kid (Top Hat). Playing Cards With His Accomplices. 1877
#60
Ww2: Chinese And Malayan Girls Forcibly Taken From Penang By The Japanese To Work As 'Comfort Girls' For The Troops. 1939-1945
#61
Gaurds Of Delhi Darbar India Posing With James Recalton An American Photographer In 1903
#62
Theodosian Walls Of Constantinople, Ottoman Empire. 1870.
#63
Mountain Of Buffalo Skulls In 1892 At The Height Of Their Endangerment
#64
Miners In The Serra Pelada Gold Mines In Brazil, 1980s
#65
John Lennon Signing An Autograph For Mark David Chapman, The Man Who Would Kill Him Five Hours Later, NYC, 1980
#66
Textile Worker, Taken By Nikolay Matorin, Ussr, C. 1960
#67
Ku Klux Klan Members On A Ferris Wheel In An Amusement Park In Cañon City, Colorado, April 26th 1926
#68
Princess Diana Losing An Argument To Her 7 Year Old Son.around 1991,
Kayla J 3 years ago
aka Harry, who I'm sorry, but as a child who did that same gesture, is not winning that argument gettyimage...527652.jpg 
another photo from the same event
#69
Daughters Of Tsar Nicolas II During A Summer Cruise In Finland, 1908
#70
Mobsters Hide Their Faces At Al Capone's Trial 1931
#71
Elisabeth "Lilo" Gloeden Stands Before Judges, On Trial For Being Involved In The Attempt On Adolf Hitler's Life, 1944
#72
Boiler Explosion Of C&o T-1 #3020 On May 1948
#73
Us Medic Gives First Aid To A Wounded German Ss Soldier, France 1944
#74
What Is Now The Fully Developed Las Vegas Strip, 1955
#75
A View Of The Destruction In Old Town Dresden From The Town Hall Tower, 15 Feb 1945.
#76
Pyramid Of German Helmets In Celebration Of Victory, Grand Central, New York, 1919
#77
Tucker Sno-Cat Hovering Over A Crevasse During The Transantarctic Expedition, 1954
#78
The Only Known Color Photograph Of The Russian Czar's Fabled "Amber Room" - Looted By The Nazi's This Unique, Priceless Work Of Art Was Lost For Ever (Maybe?). St Petersburg, 1943
Gaya Knust 3 years ago
I'm sure this has been said countless times, but I'll say it again: Fück you, Hitler!
#79
The Champs-Élysées As Seen From The Arc De Triomphe, Ve Day. Paris, France, May 8, 1945. [colorization]
![The Champs-Élysées As Seen From The Arc De Triomphe, Ve Day. Paris, France, May 8, 1945. [colorization]](https://www.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/613b516970751_visl85hfm2971__700.jpg "The Champs-Élysées As Seen From The Arc De Triomphe, Ve Day. Paris, France, May 8, 1945. [colorization]")
#80
Puritan Picket Against Too Revealing Swimwear On A Florida Beach, 1985. USA “You Will Follow To Hell.”
#81
George N. Barnard's 1864 Photograph Of A Slave Trader's Business On Whitehall Street, Atlanta, Georgia, Shows A United States Colored Troop Infantryman [corporal] Just By The Door.
![George N. Barnard's 1864 Photograph Of A Slave Trader's Business On Whitehall Street, Atlanta, Georgia, Shows A United States Colored Troop Infantryman [corporal] Just By The Door.](https://www.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/613b44ee2b0c5_bu6xgvqp8ya71__700.jpg "George N. Barnard's 1864 Photograph Of A Slave Trader's Business On Whitehall Street, Atlanta, Georgia, Shows A United States Colored Troop Infantryman [corporal] Just By The Door.")
#82
Student Survivors Head To A Library Near Columbine High School Where Students And Faculty Members Were Evacuated After Two Gunmen Went On A Shooting Rampage In The School. Tuesday, April 20, 1999.
#83
Tutankhamun's Head. Harry Burrton Photo Published Dec. 1925. @ Griffin Institute/Oxford University.
#84
American Film Actress Veronica Lake Illustrates What Can Happen To Women War Workers Who Wear Their Hair Long While Working At Their Benches, In A Factory Somewhere In America, On November 9, 1943
#85
Shigeru Miyamoto, Creator Of Mario And Other Characters And Video Games For Nintendo, Holds A Nintendo Game Boy Containing The Super Mario World Video Game. June 1992
#86
Finnish Soldiers In Nbc Gear, 1961
#87
Bulgarian Soldier Giving His Best Battle Cry For The Camera, Ca. 1916.
#88
Ground View Of Human Fly George Willig Climbing The South Tower Of The World Trade Center In New York City, May 26, 1977
#89
Hitler Rehearsing A Speech In Front Of A Mirror, Taken By His Personal Photographer Heinrich Hoffman, 1925
#90
Grande Hotel, Beira, Mozambique (1960s-2000s)
#91
Italian-American Cafe, Macdougal Street, NY, 1942
#92
Young Boys Harassing The Horace Baker Family, The First African American Family To Move Into The All White Delmar Village Neighborhood Of Folcroft, Pennsylvania - Aug. 30, 1963.
#93
16-Year-Old Brenda Spencer Leaves Court In Santa Ana, California, After Pleading Guilty To Two Counts Of Murder In A Sniper Attack. She Killed Two People And Wounded Nine Others. 1979
#94
President Gerald Ford And Pele Play With A Soccer Ball In The Rose Garden, June 28, 1975
#95
Soviet Soldiers Celebrate Returning Home Alive, 1945
#96
Barbara Walters During Her Freshman Year At Sarah Lawrence College In 1949
#97
A Man Exercises Using A Rowing Machine In The Gym Aboard The Rms Titanic, 1912.
#98
Jean Bedel Bokassa During His Coronation Ceremony To Make Himself Emperor Bokassa The First, Central African Republic 1977. The Ceremony Wasted A Third Of The Car's Entire Annual Fiscal Budget.
#99
A Dutch Athlete Receives A Portrait Of Adolf Hitler As A Sports Prize, Presented By General Otto Schumann, Commander Of The Ordnungspolizei. The Hague, The Netherlands, 1941
#100
Harry S. Truman As A Captain During Wwi, 1918
#101
Soviet Rock Fans Attend A Concert In Moscow On September 28, 1991. Half A Million People Jammed An Airfield To See The Soviet Union’s Biggest Western Rock Concert, Touted As A Gift To Russian Youth For Their Resistance Last Month’s Coup.
#102
Spring Break In California, 1947
Not Proud British 3 years ago
They are not stick thin! See how fashion can change women's body shapes whilst men's body shape tends to stay the same.
#103
Bill Clinton & White House Intern, Monica Lewinsky, 1998
Gelato Cat 3 years ago
That woman was public ally ridiculed by everyone, yet no one took into account bill Clinton was much older, her boss and the most powerful man in America, she deserves an apology from everyone who shamed her
#104
J.k. Rowling Writing Harry Potter At A Café In Scotland (1998)
#105
Female Nigerian Slave Trader Efunroye Tinubu (C. 1880)
Caro Caro 3 years ago
She sold slaves to Brazilian and European merchants in violation of a 1852 treaty with Great Britain outlawing the slave trade in Lagos, which resulted in her coming into conflict with the British. She was exiled to Abeokuta under British pressure after plotting an unsuccessful conspiracy to remove British influence from Lagos. While in Abeokuta, she helped supply the city with munition during its victorious war against the Kingdom of Dahomey, thus granting her the chieftancy title of Iyalode in her honour.
#106
The Temporary Grave Of Theodore Roosevelt In Normandy, Soon After His Death, July 1944. [colorization]
![The Temporary Grave Of Theodore Roosevelt In Normandy, Soon After His Death, July 1944. [colorization]](https://www.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/613b411ec98e2_e7nboze2rje71__700.jpg "The Temporary Grave Of Theodore Roosevelt In Normandy, Soon After His Death, July 1944. [colorization]")
#107
A South Korean Soldier Forcibly Cuts A Young Man's Hair In Front Of Others During A Nationwide Crackdown On Men With Long Hair And Women Wearing Short Skirts In South Korea - 1970s
#108
A Japanese Soldier Wades Into The Sea Off Cape Endaiadere, New Guinea, With A Grenade Against His Head Moments Before It Goes Off, Defying An Australian Soldier Calling On Him To Surrender, December 18, 1942
Steffen Rehm 3 years ago
I am lucky to life in a country and time, to not experience that s**t, besides movies, internet and books.
#109
1892, Logging Family With A 1300 Year Old Tree
#110
Stalin In Bailov Prison, Baku, Azerbaijan, March 1910. [colorized By Me]
![Stalin In Bailov Prison, Baku, Azerbaijan, March 1910. [colorized By Me]](https://www.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/613b40dc82402_2st2yp54ve671__700.jpg "Stalin In Bailov Prison, Baku, Azerbaijan, March 1910. [colorized By Me]")
#111
Arctic Explorer Peter Freuchen Stands Next To His Third Wife, Dagmar Freuchen-Gale. He Is Wearing A Polar Bear Coat Made From A Bear He Killed Himself, 1947
#112
In Response To The Anti-Japanese Sentiment That Followed The Attack On Pearl Harbor, The Japanese-American Citizens League Opened The Anti-Axis Committee Office On December 14, 1941. It Was Part Of Their Campaign To Demonstrate The Loyalty Of American-Born Japanese Citizens To The Us
#113
Nelson Mandela At A South African Communist Party Rally. Soweto, 1990.
#114
British Schoolboys Holding Discarded Syringes, 1970s. "We Used To Play With These In School All The Time Because They Were Like Mini Water Pistols (Without The Needle)."
#115
Former President Andrew Jackson Aged 78, One Of The Few Existing Photographs Of Him, Taken In 1845, The Year He Died
#116
Adolf Hitler And Ludwig Wittgenstein In 1903
#117
Jurassic Park: The Ride Officially Opened At Universal Studios Hollywood. Here, Steven Spielberg And Jeff Goldblum Lift The Torches For The Ride's Grand Opening On June 21, 1996
#118
President Lyndon B. Johnson Drives His Amphicar On The Lake Of His Texas Ranch In 1965
#119
Vladimir Lenin Plays Chess (Yelling Checkmate) With Alexander Bogdanov During A Visit To Maxim Gorky, Capri, Italy, 1908 -
#120
A Soviet Mi-8 Helicopter Flying Past One Of The Two Buddhas Of Bamiyan, Afghanistan 1980
#121
Two French Men Restrain A Woman While Another Cuts Her Hair After She Has Been Accused Of Collaborating With The Germans During The Occupation, 1945. [colorization]
![Two French Men Restrain A Woman While Another Cuts Her Hair After She Has Been Accused Of Collaborating With The Germans During The Occupation, 1945. [colorization]](https://www.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/613b4ffb0758c_5gjmlhka86c71__700.jpg "Two French Men Restrain A Woman While Another Cuts Her Hair After She Has Been Accused Of Collaborating With The Germans During The Occupation, 1945. [colorization]")
Ray Martin 3 years ago
Of course "collaborating" probably meant staying alive in any way she could, and feeding her kids scraps the Germans gave her for "favours". These heroes probably did their own raping and pillaging, but they did it for France.
#122
Former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Is Married To Greek Magnate Aristotle Onassis, 1968
CrunChewy McSandybutt 3 years ago
Oh, I didn't realize they were married in the late 60s. For some reason, I thought it was in the 80s.
#123
President Nixon Dines With Chinese Leaders In Beijing, 1972
#124
A Pic Of Turkish Military Exercise In Istanbul Against To Danger Of Chemical Attack.(1939)
#125
Paul Tibbets, The Man Who Dropped The Atomic Bomb On Hiroshima, Pictured In 1996
Guy MacGregor 3 years ago
I know this won't be appreciated, but the atomic bomb attacks were war crimes. It is against the rules of war (and morale) to attack civilians, hospitals and non-combatants. This bomb (and the next) killed children, destroyed schools and hospitals without any distinction. The USA never were the good guys but at this moment was too much, even for them.
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What do you think ?
Linziaj 3 years ago
Absolutely fascinating photos. Love these articles. Can't "like" alot of pictures as they are too sad
Jo Choto 3 years ago
Weapons, war, religion, greed: these are how we have destroyed our world.
Leo Domitrix 3 years ago
I think greed is probably beh9ind a lot of the war and religion, thereby making weapons profitable :-(
Load More Replies...
Olga Sushko 3 years ago
I like posts that cover the whole world, not only the Western part of it
NuClea Bomb 3 years ago
The one with the starving Indians was the one that really hit me hard. They looked like skeletons. It really puts all of the ridiculous things we hold as important into perspective.
Lovin' Life 3 years ago
Very interesting post. There are many thing and events I now want to research. The photos are fascinating! Thank you BP
Jessica Cifelli 3 years ago
This is when history comes alive for me. Its one thing to read about it in a book, but photos make it tangible. Especially when I'm so much younger (31) then all of them except like 1 or 2.
renee brack 3 years ago
The photos are amazing and I made loads of emotional noises out loud as well as felt hot prickly tears at the back of my eyes. What a collection. Great work Bored Panda crew :)
Ouching Tiger Limping Dragon 3 years ago
I wonder if us humans will ever learn from our pasts...
Wendy Goodrich 3 years ago
These were amazing but kinda sad at the time. Just crazy what some photographers can get and make others open there eyes to laughter or sadness. In reality it's all beauty and to help others be grateful for what we have. We can only hope n pray for peace and sometines we get a to capture in a photo. Peace I pray for the world now.
Mohd Shahrul Wahab 3 years ago
Some pictures make you think how much humanity has progressed to the better and how much some stays the same.. Despite all that.. without doubt, the emotions in every picture is immortal
Customer1234 Doe098765 3 years ago
Bored panda needs to do a Bored panda comments section list like the most obvious,the most desperate for someone to acknowledge I'm alive ,the most off topic ,the most informational, the most bizarre cause honestly some comments make me laugh harder then whatever topic that's being covered
ZAPanda 3 years ago (edited)
Whenever I see stuff about war I remember a play we were shown in school. As long as we persist in identifying as anything at all, war is inevitable. Play is called Us and Them by David Campton. https://pracownik.kul.pl/files/12821/public/Over_the_Wall_Us_and_Them.pdf
Steven Herbert 3 years ago
Communist greed for power is at the root of much of the war, death and famine in the 20th century. In those hundred years they managed to kill more people than religion ever has.
Clark 3 years ago
Serious? Because all those men dying, being tortured, captured, suffering from PTSD and suicide weren't in hell.
Load More Replies... Linziaj 3 years ago
Absolutely fascinating photos. Love these articles. Can't "like" alot of pictures as they are too sad
Jo Choto 3 years ago
Weapons, war, religion, greed: these are how we have destroyed our world.
Leo Domitrix 3 years ago
I think greed is probably beh9ind a lot of the war and religion, thereby making weapons profitable :-(
Load More Replies... Olga Sushko 3 years ago
I like posts that cover the whole world, not only the Western part of it
NuClea Bomb 3 years ago
The one with the starving Indians was the one that really hit me hard. They looked like skeletons. It really puts all of the ridiculous things we hold as important into perspective.
Lovin' Life 3 years ago
Very interesting post. There are many thing and events I now want to research. The photos are fascinating! Thank you BP
Jessica Cifelli 3 years ago
This is when history comes alive for me. Its one thing to read about it in a book, but photos make it tangible. Especially when I'm so much younger (31) then all of them except like 1 or 2.
renee brack 3 years ago
The photos are amazing and I made loads of emotional noises out loud as well as felt hot prickly tears at the back of my eyes. What a collection. Great work Bored Panda crew :)
Ouching Tiger Limping Dragon 3 years ago
I wonder if us humans will ever learn from our pasts...
Wendy Goodrich 3 years ago
These were amazing but kinda sad at the time. Just crazy what some photographers can get and make others open there eyes to laughter or sadness. In reality it's all beauty and to help others be grateful for what we have. We can only hope n pray for peace and sometines we get a to capture in a photo. Peace I pray for the world now.
Mohd Shahrul Wahab 3 years ago
Some pictures make you think how much humanity has progressed to the better and how much some stays the same.. Despite all that.. without doubt, the emotions in every picture is immortal
Customer1234 Doe098765 3 years ago
Bored panda needs to do a Bored panda comments section list like the most obvious,the most desperate for someone to acknowledge I'm alive ,the most off topic ,the most informational, the most bizarre cause honestly some comments make me laugh harder then whatever topic that's being covered
ZAPanda 3 years ago (edited)
Whenever I see stuff about war I remember a play we were shown in school. As long as we persist in identifying as anything at all, war is inevitable. Play is called Us and Them by David Campton. https://pracownik.kul.pl/files/12821/public/Over_the_Wall_Us_and_Them.pdf
Steven Herbert 3 years ago
Communist greed for power is at the root of much of the war, death and famine in the 20th century. In those hundred years they managed to kill more people than religion ever has.
Clark 3 years ago
Serious? Because all those men dying, being tortured, captured, suffering from PTSD and suicide weren't in hell.
Load More Replies...
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