This Instagram Account Wants You To “Learn Weird Things About History”, Here Are 50 Of Its Best Pics (New Pics)
Reading stories of human civilization can be enriching, yet sometimes boring. Imagine flipping through giant books filled with just informative text. Sounds like a snooze-fest, right? Whether you’re a history buff or just a curious person, learning about our past doesn’t need to be dull. The Instagram page “historydefined” conveys historical stories through engaging, visual content. Below, you’ll find interesting photos of moments from the bygone eras that aren't just pixels on our phone screen; they're windows into the world's rich tapestry of events. Get ready to ditch the yawns and learn something new in an enjoyable way.
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Douglas Bent, A U.S. Navy Petty Officer, Was Captured During The Vietnam War. His Captors Thought Him Unintelligent, Earning Him The Moniker "The Stupid." He Feigned Ignorance, Opting To Hum A Song Instead Of Speaking
While in captivity, bent maintained this act, leading his Vietnamese captors to believe he suffered from a mental disorder. After being freed and returning to the United States, Bent astounded everyone by listing approximately 256 names of missing fellow pows. He had ingeniously memorized their names by associating them with the melody of "Old McDonald Had a Farm," the same tune he hummed throughout his imprisonment
Sergeant William Henry “Black Death” Johnson Of The Harlem Hellfighters Wearing His Croix De Guerre Medal Ca. 1918. In Northern France, Johnson Single-Handedly Fought Off A German Raiding Party Receiving 21 Wounds In Order To Save Fellow Soldier Pvt Needham Roberts
A Photo Of Freddie Mercury, 1958
With over 150k followers on Instagram, History Defined also has their own website and subreddit. In their own words, they are all about exploring history's most interesting people and events. It’s probably safe to assume that their users are eager to learn more about the past.
With all the demands of living in the present and concerns about the future, why do people care about what happened in the past? Everything we do, every item we use, and all the things we experience in our daily lives are shaped by our past. The foundation for our traditions, technologies, and everything in between was laid by those who came before us.
Blackfoot Tribe In Glacier National Park, 1913
Gunnar Kaasen And His Team Of 13 Dogs, LED By The Siberian Husky, Balto, Completed The Last Leg Of A 1925 Trip To Deliver 300,000 Units Of Diphtheria Antitoxin To Nome, Alaska To Prevent An Outbreak. They Traveled By Night In Temperatures Of -23 °f (-31 °c)
Pictured Here Is Willemien Rieken. She Was Only 9 Years Old When She First Began Laying Flowers On The Grave Of William Edmond, A British Soldier Who Fought And Died To Liberate Her Dutch Village. From The Day He Died, And For 75 Years, She Looked After His Grave And Kept His Memory Alive
Our understanding and knowledge of topics increases over time due to historical perspectives. Photographs from the past aren’t just about people, they show us how humans lived decades ago and how their actions have impacted our lives.
For instance, the beloved tradition of decorating trees dates back to 16th-century Germany where families would bring these evergreen trees home as a symbol of eternal life. This practice evolved over centuries as people started decking their Christmas trees with ornaments, lights and tree toppers.
Mississippi's First Interracial Couple Recognized By The State, August 3, 1970
Mister Rogers Received A Letter From A Blind Girl Who Was Concerned About His Fish, As She Had Heard Him Mention Them. Worried That They Might Not Be Getting Fed, He Started A Heartwarming Tradition. At The Conclusion Of Each Subsequent Show, He Would Narrate, “I'm Feeding The Fish”
I love Mr. Rodgers. Truly a genuinely kind man. "I think you're a special person And I like your ins and outsides. Everybody's fancy. Everybody's fine. Your body's fancy and so is mine."
Witold Pilecki, A Member Of The Secret Polish Army, Intentionally Let Himself Be Caught By German Policemen During A Roundup In Warsaw To Get Arrested & Be Sent To Auschwitz To Set Up A Resistance Network There. The Mission Was A Success
Today’s medical advancements were possible due to the pioneering work of historical figures. The first smallpox vaccine was created by Dr. Edward Jenner in 1796. Joseph Lister, a British surgeon in the 19th century, laid the foundation for antiseptic surgery, which has helped save countless lives by minimizing the risk of infection in surgeries.
Little Girl And Her Pet Toad At A Pet Show, Venice Beach, California, 1936
At 3 A.m. One Night In 1988, Hawaiian Singer Israel Kamakawiwo'ole Called A Local Studio And Said He Needed To Record Something Immediately. He Pleaded With The Engineer: "Please, Can I Come In? I Have An Idea." Kamakawiwo'ole Recorded The Iconic Version Of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" In One Take, Which Would Soon Touch Countless People Across The Globe
I cannot listen to his "somewhere over the rainbow/what a wonderful world" without crying. Every. Time.
Two Boys Show Each Other Different Skills, Kenya, 1962. 9-Year-Old Kevin From New York Had Come To Kenya To Join His Stepfather As Guest Of A Maasai Tribe, Where He And The Chief’s Son Dionni Became Close Companions
The photograph of Rosa Parks refusing to give up her segregated bus seat in Alabama in 1955. Her act of civil disobedience led to a year-long bus boycott in Montgomery. This not only led to the desegregation of public transport but also paved the way for greater equality and civil rights for Americans. Her image became a symbol of courage and dignity and still inspires people globally to stand up against any discrimination.
Anne Frank Photographed With Her Sister Margot At The Beach In Zandvoort, Netherlands, In 1940
In 1902, 18-Year-Old Alice Roosevelt Was Known For Her Rebellious And Independent Spirit. Alice Was Known For Her Unusual Habits, Such As Wearing Pants, Driving Cars, Smoking Cigarettes, Betting With Bookies, And Dancing On Rooftops
Two Brothers From East And West Berlin Reunite At Checkpoint Charlie After The East German Government Agreed To Open The Wall For Christmas, 1963
My parents, particularly my mom, have some stories of going through checkpoint Charlie with my sister and me as children.
The Coney Island Sideshow Was Run By Martin Couney, Also Known As "The Incubator Doctor," Who Saved More Than 7,000 Premature Babies Throughout His Lifetime By Exhibiting Them In Incubators And Allowing Visitors To Pay 25 Cents To View Them
Back in the early 1900s, many eugenicists believed that premature babies were not worth saving because they were destined to die. But Couney challenged this idea by demonstrating the success of incubators, which he had first seen being used as "Child hatcheries" at the Chicago World's Fair. By the time Couney's Coney Island sideshow closed in 1943, nearly every hospital in America had adopted incubators
We'd frown at this now. But it was probably the most positive action and outcome for the time.
A Young Boy Gets A Photo Taken Moments After The First Plane Hit The World Trade Center. Notice The People In The Background Who Have Not Yet Noticed
American Soldier Reunites With His Wife At Train Station Fittingly Named"New Hope." Us, 1945
Images taken after the San Francisco earthquake and subsequent fire in 1906 captured not just the destruction but also the resilience of the people affected.
These images have been used by engineers and architects to plan and implement measures to mitigate future earthquake risks. Later, they were also used in public awareness drives to highlight the need for community preparedness in order to minimize the impact of any future disasters.
A Peruvian Woman And Her Baby In The Andes, 1930s
British Soldier Retrieving Bandages From The Kit Of A Dog During Wwi, 1915
In 1925, A Man Flying From Casablanca To Dakar Photographed A Barbary Lion In The Atlas Mountains. This Photo Is Special Because It's The Last Known Picture Of A Wild Barbary Lion Before They Went Extinct
Today, almost 66% of the world’s population and nearly 94% of the U.S. population has access to the internet. We can easily read historical facts in bite-sized pieces like these. Which of these images did you find the most intriguing? Tell us in the comments below if you have any ancestral photos!
Two Girls Gallop Full Speed On Sheep In Cornwall, England 1969. Photo By John Drysdale
Letter From John Steinbeck To Marilyn Monroe
The 1973 Pulitzer Prize-Winning Photograph “Burst Of Joy," Taken By Sal Vedar. A Former Us Prisoner Of War Is Shown Being Reunited With His Family
One Of The Greatest Discoveries Of Archaeology: Oseberg Viking Ship, Tønsberg, Norway, C. 834 Ad
In November 1943, Berlin Zoo Faced Heavy Bombing From Allied Forces. Within Minutes, A Devastating 30% Of The Zoo’s Population Had Perished. Despite The Chaos, Keepers Risked Life And Limb To Rescue Panicked Animals
This Photo Shows John Lewis Being Arrested In Tennessee In 1961 For Organizing And Participating In Civil Rights Demonstrations
Wedding Rings Removed From Holocaust Victims Before They Were Executed, 1945
Longmen Grottoes In Henan Province, China. Over 2,300 Caves Filled With Over 100,000 Statues Of All Sizes, 4th-10th-Centuries Ad
The 1949 Nash Airflyte Was Designed With Seats That Reclined Into Convertible Beds. In 1936, Nash Motors Introduced The “Bed-In-A-Car” Feature. Actress Carol Burnett Said She Was Probably Conceived In A Nash Sleeper Seat
Photo Of A Soviet War Veteran Near The Eternal Flame On The Anniversary Of Victory Day, 1966
This Photograph Shows A Native American Man Looking Over The Newly Completed Transcontinental Railroad In Nevada In The Year 1869. Let's Assume The Man Was Around Forty And Was Born In The 1820s. The Changes He Must Have Seen Are Astonishing
The Jaws Of An Ancient Megalodon Shark That Lived Around 23 To 3.6 Million Years Ago vs. A Modern-Day Great White
Giant Shark, doo-doo, doo-doo, doo-doo Giant Shark, doo-doo, doo-doo, doo-doo Giant Shark, doo-doo, doo-doo, doo-doo Giant Shark
A Young Agatha Christie
For those who don't know: Agatha Christie was an avid surfer. She learned to surf in South Africa when she was 32, while on holiday with her first husband, Archie Christie (from whom she took the name. Her maiden name was Miller). She was in Honolulu several times, but also had surfing escapades in Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the USA. She usually took a small portable camera with her and documented her trips.
Teenagers Dressed For A High School Dance In The 1920s
It's so strange how quickly attitudes changed towards fashion. 10 years before this, women daren't show their ankles.
Spanish Woman Fighting For The Republican Loyalists In The Spanish Civil War
Hemingway, Picasso, Orwell and Dali all went to take part in that war.
Calamity Jane At The Grave Of Wild Bill Hickok In Deadwood, South Dakota, 1903
Four Physicists Take A Walk: Albert Einstein, Hideki Yukawa, John Wheeler, And Homi Bhabha, 1954
Wo Men Remove The Preserved Carcass Of A Juvenile Mammoth That Was Unintentionally Excavated From The Permafrost In Siberia In 1977 By A Miner's Bulldozer. He Died At The Age Of 6-8 Months, Named "Dima" After A Local Creek, Some 40,000 Years Ago. His Stomach Still Contained Traces Of His Mother's Milk
Monet With A Pigeon On His Head, And His Wife Alice, Venice, 1908
Burial At Sea On The Uss Intrepid, November 1944
This Photograph Was Taken Seconds Before The Red Car Exploded, Taking The Lives Of 29 People, Including The Photographer. The Camera Was Found Afterward In The Rubble. The Man And Child In The Photo Both Survived
A Drawing Of Elvis Presley Done By A 12-Year-Old Jimi Hendrix After Seeing Him In Concert
Ruth Lee, A Hostess At A Chinese Restaurant, Flies A Chinese Flag So She Isn’t Mistaken For Japanese When She Sunbathes On Her Days Off In Miami. Dec. 15, 1941. Color By Snarlbox
A Selfie Taken By Emperor Nicholas II, C. 1896
He was not a very good king, but he wasn't a bad person. It's sad how his family was killed......
A Woman Driving A Sports Car Around Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, With Thor The Great Dane Riding In The Passenger Seat. Photographed In 1961 By Ralph Crane
So we know the name of the dog, but not the one of "a woman" driving Thor's car?
A Lamplighter Hard At Work, London ,1935
"No Dog Biscuits Today" London, C. 1942
A Young Woman Playing A Harp To A Large Crowd, Rock Of Cashel, Ireland, Ca. 1910 - Photographer Unknown
Muhammad Ali Sparring With Two Teenagers During A Promotional Tour Of New Zealand, 1979
Note: this post originally had 92 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
Meanwhile fewer advert posts, AITA stuff or alleged "malicious compliance".
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Bored Panda, new pics should mean they are all new, otherwise say "some new" instead. I have seen well over half of these previously here on Bored Panda.
This is the first time that I have seen many of them. But then again, I miss some stuff on BP
Load More Replies... Meanwhile fewer advert posts, AITA stuff or alleged "malicious compliance".
Load More Replies... Bored Panda, new pics should mean they are all new, otherwise say "some new" instead. I have seen well over half of these previously here on Bored Panda.
This is the first time that I have seen many of them. But then again, I miss some stuff on BP
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