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These days, when cameras are everywhere, from our phones to security cams in public spaces, it’s easy to forget that the major part of history has passed without them. Only in 1888, when Kodak released the first commercial camera, did they slowly begin permeating our lives.

But long before thousands of snaps on our camera rolls, photographs were reserved for capturing precious and one-of-a-kind moments. These incredible visual monuments of history have resurfaced and brought a whole new meaning to events and lives of people in the past.

And today we’re about to get on board down memory lane full of raw emotions and unstaged realities captured in these rare historical photos. After you’re done, make sure to check out our part 1 right here.

#1

100,000 Iranian Women March Against The Hijab Law, Tehran 1979

100,000 Iranian Women March Against The Hijab Law, Tehran 1979

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#2

Meet The "Night Witches", Fearless Russian Female Pilots Who Bombed Nazis By Night, 1941

Meet The "Night Witches", Fearless Russian Female Pilots Who Bombed Nazis By Night, 1941

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#3

A Native American Mother And Her Child - 1900s

A Native American Mother And Her Child - 1900s

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“Photography historians are each different in how they approach studying the life of the medium: some are interested in its technical history, asking what camera improvements, and limitations, meant for the people who became photographers,” Gabrielle Moser told Bored Panda.

Gabrielle is a writer, book author, independent curator, and Assistant Professor of Aesthetics and Art Education at York University. She was happy to share some insights into the wondrous world of historical photography and what photography historians do to bring them back to life.

“What could you literally photograph—because of film speed, exposure times, and the ability or inability to print multiple copies of an image—and what did that mean for the kinds of images that were made?” These are the inquiries photography historians are looking for the answers to.

#4

In 1941, The Photo On The Left Was Taken Of Soviet Soldier Eugen Stepanovich Kobytev On The Day He Left To Go To War. The Photo On The Right Was Taken In 1945 After The End Of The War, Just 4 Years Apart

In 1941, The Photo On The Left Was Taken Of Soviet Soldier Eugen Stepanovich Kobytev On The Day He Left To Go To War. The Photo On The Right Was Taken In 1945 After The End Of The War, Just 4 Years Apart

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#5

Keshia Thomas Protects An Alleged Kkk Supporter From A Mob In Ann Arbor, Mi, 1996

Keshia Thomas Protects An Alleged Kkk Supporter From A Mob In Ann Arbor, Mi, 1996

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#6

A Red Cross Nurse Writing Down Last Words Of Mortally Wounded Soldier, Taken Around 1917

A Red Cross Nurse Writing Down Last Words Of Mortally Wounded Soldier, Taken Around 1917

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“For instance,” Gabrielle continued, “war photography was incredibly difficult until the early 1900s since shutter speeds were so slow and exposure times were so long that any movement, like armed battle, wouldn’t be captured by the camera. That didn’t mean that photographers didn’t make images of wars, but that they had to be inventive, using staging, re-enactment, or capturing the aftermath of battle, as Roger Fenton, Mathew Brady, and Timothy O’Sullivan were all very skilled at.”

#7

Sir David Attenborough As A Young Man, Late 1950s

Sir David Attenborough As A Young Man, Late 1950s

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#8

Annette Kellerman Promotes Women's Right To Wear A Fitted One-Piece Bathing. She Was Arrested For Indecency (1907)

Annette Kellerman Promotes Women's Right To Wear A Fitted One-Piece Bathing. She Was Arrested For Indecency (1907)

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#9

British Soldiers (Interrupted During Drag Show Rehearsals By A German Raid) Manning A Bl 6-Inch Mk Vii Naval Gun At Shornemead Fort, England In 1940

British Soldiers (Interrupted During Drag Show Rehearsals By A German Raid) Manning A Bl 6-Inch Mk Vii Naval Gun At Shornemead Fort, England In 1940

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The professor explained that many important photography historians have also traced where these images circulated, who would have seen them, and in what context: “did they have captions? Were they shown in newspapers, or in more spectacular settings like lantern slide presentations, or through a stereoscope which produced a 3D effect for the viewer? Were they used by the government for the purposes of surveillance, or by activists to make claims for social change?”

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#10

Grand Central Terminal, NYC, The Sun Can't Shine Through Like That Now Due To The Surrounding Tall Buildings. 1929

Grand Central Terminal, NYC, The Sun Can't Shine Through Like That Now Due To The Surrounding Tall Buildings. 1929

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#11

Coal Miners Coming Up A Coal Mine Elevator After A Day Of Work In 1920's Belgium

Coal Miners Coming Up A Coal Mine Elevator After A Day Of Work In 1920's Belgium

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#12

Today In 1945, The Auschwitz Death Camp Was Discovered And Liberated By The Red Army

Today In 1945, The Auschwitz Death Camp Was Discovered And Liberated By The Red Army

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Scagsy
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A glorious day but the existence of such a hellish place is a stain on the history of humankind that will never fade. What those poor people must have seen and experienced.

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“Other photography historians are curious about how photography was used as a fine art form and about how artists like Julia Margaret Cameron, F. Holland Day, and Berenice Abbott adapted the medium to make photographs that were taken as seriously as paintings and sculptures from the same period.”

More recently, there has been an interest among photography historians in the social life of photographs. “It focuses less on the artists who made the images and more on the people who are in them. These historians ask how photographs might be used to claim rights, like citizenship, or to protest social and political injustices,” the professor explained and named some important figures who used images for social justice: “Photographers like Lewis Hine, Raja Deen Dayal, James van der Zee, and later Roy DeCarava, Susan Meiselas, and Zanele Muholi.”

#13

A Boy's Reaction Staring At A TV Screen For The First Time (1948)

A Boy's Reaction Staring At A TV Screen For The First Time (1948)

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#14

American Troops Treat A Wounded Dog On Orote Pennisula. W.Eugene Smith. 1944

American Troops Treat A Wounded Dog On Orote Pennisula. W.Eugene Smith. 1944

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#15

Female Snipers Of The 3rd Shock Army, 1st Belorussian Front, 775 Confirmed Kills, Germany, May 1945

Female Snipers Of The 3rd Shock Army, 1st Belorussian Front, 775 Confirmed Kills, Germany, May 1945

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Ozacoter
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We need more pictures like this to show that women were indeed in wars

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When asked how photography historians determine the date, context, and the participants of the particular photograph if there are no apparent indications, Gabrielle said that most photography historians rely on their technical knowledge of photography to date images that are “orphaned" from their captions.

“We examine the photographic print—its dimensions, the quality of the image, its wear and tear—to determine what kind of camera or printing technique was used. Daguerreotypes produce a mirrored surface, a high level of detail and contrast, but could only be made at very small scales, for instance, while salt prints could be much larger, and printed on paper, but sacrificed a level of detail.”

#16

Lockheed Martin Employee Sally Wadsworth Working On The Fuselage Of A P-38 Lightning In California In 1944

Lockheed Martin Employee Sally Wadsworth Working On The Fuselage Of A P-38 Lightning In California In 1944

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#17

JFK & Bill Clinton Greeting At The White House, In 1963

JFK & Bill Clinton Greeting At The White House, In 1963

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#18

Arikara Warrior 'Bear’s Belly' - North Dakota, USA - Photo By Edward Curtis (1909)

Arikara Warrior 'Bear’s Belly' - North Dakota, USA - Photo By Edward Curtis (1909)

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DforDory
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I would put this on my wall. It just emits so much force and self confidence!❤

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Turns out that “early Kodak cameras were the first widely available and cheap mass-produced cameras in North America, introduced in 1888,” Gabrielle said and added that they have particular prints that produce a circular image.

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“Determining the context in which an image from the past circulated can be much trickier. Historians often have to look to archives of illustrated newspapers to see if photographs were reproduced there, and often with photographs made for press agencies, like Magnum or Black Star, stamps and captions are included on the back to indicate where the image was seen.”

#19

An Undercover Police Officer On Duty. New York, Brooklyn, 1 July 1969

An Undercover Police Officer On Duty. New York, Brooklyn, 1 July 1969

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#20

San Francisco's Iconic Cliff House, Shortly Before It Was Destroyed By Fire In 1907

San Francisco's Iconic Cliff House, Shortly Before It Was Destroyed By Fire In 1907

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#21

Geologist Thomas Griffith Taylor And Meteorologist Charles Wright In The Entrance Of An Ice Grotto. Terra Nova Expedition, Ross Island, 5 January 1911. Photo Taken By Herbert Ponting

Geologist Thomas Griffith Taylor And Meteorologist Charles Wright In The Entrance Of An Ice Grotto. Terra Nova Expedition, Ross Island, 5 January 1911. Photo Taken By Herbert Ponting

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However, in the case of private or domestic images, “like portraits, family photo albums, passport photographs, or class photographs,” the professor said that we might not ever know everything we want to know about who is in the photographs, or what context in which they were made. Having said that, she added that “we can use our imaginative capacities to speculate and make educated guesses.”

#22

Visiting Quarantined Family And Friends At Ullevål Hospital, Oslo - Photo By Anders Beer Wilse - 1905

Visiting Quarantined Family And Friends At Ullevål Hospital, Oslo - Photo By Anders Beer Wilse - 1905

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Sarah Foster
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Just like many people, myself included, who visited family in care centres during COVID. Heartbreaking.

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#23

A U.S. Marine Rescues Two Vietnamese Children During A Gun Battle At The City Of Hue, During The Tet Offensive Of The Vietnam War - 1968

A U.S. Marine Rescues Two Vietnamese Children During A Gun Battle At The City Of Hue, During The Tet Offensive Of The Vietnam War - 1968

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#24

A Woman Overlooking A Snowy Mountain Pass In The Pyrenees Mountains, France - 1956

A Woman Overlooking A Snowy Mountain Pass In The Pyrenees Mountains, France - 1956

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According to Gabrielle, as digital photography has become accessible to almost everyone through smart phones, we have begun to value historical photographic processes, “especially ones that have been made obsolete, more highly. Especially the processes that resulted in one-of-a-kind images, like photograms, daguerreotypes, cyanotypes, and Polaroids, because they seem unique and irreproducible.”

#25

Homecoming, A British Soldier With His 8 Month Old Daughter As He Arrives At The Docks From Overseas 1945

Homecoming, A British Soldier With His 8 Month Old Daughter As He Arrives At The Docks From Overseas 1945

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#26

A German World War II Prisoner Is Released By The Soviet Union And Reunited With His 12-Year-Old Daughter, Who Has Not Seen Him Since Infancy. 1956

A German World War II Prisoner Is Released By The Soviet Union And Reunited With His 12-Year-Old Daughter, Who Has Not Seen Him Since Infancy. 1956

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Ray Heap
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Over three million Germans were taken into the Soviet Union as prisoners of war, two million returned. Adenauer went to Moskau and begged for the remaining Prisoners in 1955, he brought 55.000 back to Germany.

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#27

Mother And Baby Of Family Of Nine Living In Field On U.S. Route 70 Near The Tennessee River, March 1936

Mother And Baby Of Family Of Nine Living In Field On U.S. Route 70 Near The Tennessee River, March 1936

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Miss Cris
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I hope the photograph give them some aid, not only take pics for his profit.

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“In many ways, the more we know about the history of photography, the more we seem to find parallels between now and the past. We might worry that there are 'too many images' in the world through platforms like Instagram, TikTok, or even in the millions of photographs uploaded to Flickr and Facebook each day, but if we look back at some of the earliest cartoons and caricatures about the invention of photography in France in 1839, we see the same panic surrounded the first viable and publicly available photographic method, too,” Gabrielle concluded.

#28

Cetshwayo, King Of The Zulu Who Defeated The British At The Battle Of Isandlwana, 1878

Cetshwayo, King Of The Zulu Who Defeated The British At The Battle Of Isandlwana, 1878

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Hec L
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Amazing to see that not all was lost with the British Invasion of the world.

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#30

The World's Last Commercial Ocean-Going Sailing Ship - The Pamir - Rounding Cape Horn, 1949

The World's Last Commercial Ocean-Going Sailing Ship - The Pamir - Rounding Cape Horn, 1949

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#31

Navajo Riders In The Canyon De Chelly, Arizona. 1904, Photo Taken By Edward Curtis

Navajo Riders In The Canyon De Chelly, Arizona. 1904, Photo Taken By Edward Curtis

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Hec L
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sad to see them disappear by force encampment or death. Never we will see again natives riding in the open plains.

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#32

A Native American Man Looking Over The Newly Completed Transcontinental Railroad In Nevada, 1869

A Native American Man Looking Over The Newly Completed Transcontinental Railroad In Nevada, 1869

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#33

One Of The Many Selfies That Emperor Nicholas II Took Throughout His Life, (1868-1918)

One Of The Many Selfies That Emperor Nicholas II Took Throughout His Life, (1868-1918)

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#34

Frozen Niagara Falls, 1911

Frozen Niagara Falls, 1911

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#35

All Of Them Pick Shrimp At The Peerless Oyster Co. Photo Was Taken While Bosses Were At Dinner As They Refused To Permit The Children To Be In Photos. Out Of 60 Workers, 15 Were Apparently Under 12 Yrs Old. Bay St. Louis, Miss, March 1911

All Of Them Pick Shrimp At The Peerless Oyster Co. Photo Was Taken While Bosses Were At Dinner As They Refused To Permit The Children To Be In Photos. Out Of 60 Workers, 15 Were Apparently Under 12 Yrs Old. Bay St. Louis, Miss, March 1911

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#36

Oldest Austrian Soldier Of Ww1, A 79-Year-Old Gaspar Wallnöfer, Veteran Of Habsburg Campaigns In Italy In 1848 And 1866, September 1917

Oldest Austrian Soldier Of Ww1, A 79-Year-Old Gaspar Wallnöfer, Veteran Of Habsburg Campaigns In Italy In 1848 And 1866, September 1917

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#37

Last Sword Duel In History In France, 1967 Between The Mayor Of Marseille And The Socialist Party Candidate For Presidency

Last Sword Duel In History In France, 1967 Between The Mayor Of Marseille And The Socialist Party Candidate For Presidency

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Stephanie IV
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

..wasn’t it Albert Einstein who said he didn’t know what weapons were going to be used in the third WW - but in the fourth it would be sticks and stones..

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Pascal Oudot
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The day before, during a heated debate, when he was constantly interrupted during his speech, Gaston Defferre apostrophe his most virulent colleague: "Shut up, asshole! Later Ribière asks his offender for an apology, but the fiery Marseillais refuses. The offended sends him two witnesses again to demand redress. Having a choice of weapons, he chooses the sword. Three assaults and two slashes later, referee stops the fight, Ribière has two minor injuries. Ribière had apparently never touched a sword. It was not the same for his opponent, an old veteran used to fighting. Reporters attended the event. The duel was even filmed. This "masquerade", as one journalist wrote, was not to the liking of General de Gaulle, who sent emissaries to have it canceled. Without success. Later, the facetious Defferre did not fail to recall that he had aimed at his opponent's crotch to spoil his wedding night, the latter getting married the next day.

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Curry on...
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

All these politicians who want to wage war should have to duel each other.

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François Carré
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It was not the socialist party candidate. It was René Ribière, a right-wing member of Parliament. He asked for the duel after Gaston Defferre, socialist Mayor of Marseille, had insulted him in public. But Defferre happened to be a much better duellist and he easily wounded Ribière who just had to admit his defeat.

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Leslie Burleson
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I wish they would do this in the US , I'd be a lot more interested in voting lol

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mulk
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Gaston Defferre (on the right) won this duel. There was no death here, only wound (two time). https://www.lemonde.fr/m-moyen-format/article/2017/04/21/il-y-a-cinquante-ans-le-dernier-duel-de-france_5114729_4497271.html

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Raven Sheridan
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The last time a person was executed by guillotine in France, the original first Star Wars film was playing in the cinemas. Let that sink in!

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kkathleen517
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What? They aren't like fighting to death or anything right? How do sword duels work, does anyone know? Who won?

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Cory Kent
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I would love to have seen Trump try to fight against someone in a sword duel like this!

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Wistiti
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

https://www.lemonde.fr/m-moyen-format/article/2017/04/21/il-y-a-cinquante-ans-le-dernier-duel-de-france_5114729_4497271.html Ribière (the man with his back towards the photographer) asked for a duel. He didn't know that Gaston Defferre (face towards the photographer) is actually a member of a club. Ribière lost the duel.

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Sandra Llewelyn
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is an interesting way of getting new leaders, can't wait to see Johnson v Starmer

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#38

A Rare Photo Of A Traffic Accident In The Netherlands More Than 100 Years Ago. The Photo Was Taken In 1914

A Rare Photo Of A Traffic Accident In The Netherlands More Than 100 Years Ago. The Photo Was Taken In 1914

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#39

An Outdoor Hockey Game In Sweden Is Cut Short, 1959

An Outdoor Hockey Game In Sweden Is Cut Short, 1959

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#40

Acrobats Balance On Top Of The Empire State Building (1934)

Acrobats Balance On Top Of The Empire State Building (1934)

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#41

A Babushka Keeps The Ears Of Her Grandson Warm As He Takes An Oath Of Enlistment For The Russian Army. Volgograd, 1994. Photo Taken By Nikolai Ignatiev

A Babushka Keeps The Ears Of Her Grandson Warm As He Takes An Oath Of Enlistment For The Russian Army. Volgograd, 1994. Photo Taken By Nikolai Ignatiev

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#43

Rome When It Became The Capital Of The Kingdom Of Italy (1871)

Rome When It Became The Capital Of The Kingdom Of Italy (1871)

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Giulia
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

we have say here "eh una volta qui era tutta campagna" = "once here it was only open land" aaand this picture is absolutely on point since near the Colosseo now there are so many buildings (mostly are offices) and considered that the 90% of us lives so far away from the center... man this city is huge lmao and in the 1871 it was barely what it is now

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#44

Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards Soars Above A Roaring Crowd At The 1988 Winter Olympics. He Finished Last

Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards Soars Above A Roaring Crowd At The 1988 Winter Olympics. He Finished Last

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#45

Survivors Of 1972 Of The Infamous Andes Plane Crash. The Passengers Resorted To Cannibalism To Survive 72 Days In The Snow

Survivors Of 1972 Of The Infamous Andes Plane Crash. The Passengers Resorted To Cannibalism To Survive 72 Days In The Snow

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Lynn Donovan
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Look at the right, right next to the chair. You can see human remains on the floor... Caitlin Doughty did a great episode on this story.

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#46

FDR Using Help To Get Out Of His Car, One Of The Few Photos That Show His Paralytic Illness, Journalists And Photographers Avoided Showing The President In This Weak State Especially During WWII, Taken In The 24th Of September 1932

FDR Using Help To Get Out Of His Car, One Of The Few Photos That Show His Paralytic Illness, Journalists And Photographers Avoided Showing The President In This Weak State Especially During WWII, Taken In The 24th Of September 1932

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#47

Iron Workers Pose For A Photo Atop The North Tower Of The World Trade Center, 1973

Iron Workers Pose For A Photo Atop The North Tower Of The World Trade Center, 1973

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#48

Conrad O'brien-Ffrench Greets A Bear. Having Spent His Youth As A Mountie, Surviving The First World War And Serving As An Mi6 Agent In The Second World War, He Was Known To Welcome Danger. Banff National Park, 1950. Photo Taken By Rosalie French

Conrad O'brien-Ffrench Greets A Bear. Having Spent His Youth As A Mountie, Surviving The First World War And Serving As An Mi6 Agent In The Second World War, He Was Known To Welcome Danger. Banff National Park, 1950. Photo Taken By Rosalie French

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#49

The Airship Le Jaune Flying Past The Eiffel Tower, In Paris, France. (11/20/1903)

The Airship Le Jaune Flying Past The Eiffel Tower, In Paris, France. (11/20/1903)

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Miss Cris
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wooow, even today it looks as sci-fi, not real. My mind sees a whale underwater.

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#50

Las Vegas Police Facing Mike Tyson After He'd Just Bitten Holyfield's Ear Off (1996)

Las Vegas Police Facing Mike Tyson After He'd Just Bitten Holyfield's Ear Off (1996)

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Note: this post originally had 101 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.