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51 Of The Most Fascinating Images That Provide A Fun-Sized History Lesson (New Pics)
Photography could be one of the greatest human inventions. Since the 19th century, it has allowed us to capture specific moments and have them last for generations to come.
And when we look back on these snapshots, we’re immediately reminded of a much simpler time. It’s a palpable feeling of nostalgia that wraps around you, regardless of whether you’ve lived through said bygone era.
Here are some examples from the History Cord subreddit, an online community with no shortage of archive photos of people and events that shaped humanity as we know it. If you consider yourself a history buff, this list might make your week.
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#1
Just Picked Up 200 Stereoscopic Slides And Half Are WWII
I am a history hunter who visits estate/tag/garage sales on the weekend looking for lost and forgotten images and mementos of generations past. I use much of these discoveries in public presentations about preservation.
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#3
Pyramid Of WWI German Helmets In New York, 1919
Many of the photos on this list are related to the military and World War II. And as momentous as this historic event was, there are many myths about it that many people are likely unaware of.
Dr. Rob Citino, a senior historian at the National World War II Museum, debunked these myths in an interview with Time Magazine.
#6
School Children Outside Of Black Families Homes That They Had Vandalized And Set Fire During The Chicago's Red Summer Of 1919
One myth that Dr. Citino mentioned is that Adolf Hitler was solely to blame for the German defeat in World War II. It had even been in most of the books written about the war across Europe.
Dr. Citino clarified that in reality, the German generals also share part of the blame because they carried out Hitler’s plans, despite them being flawed.
#7
A US Soldier And His Girlfriend Waiting For A Train At Chicago Union Station In February 1943
#8
The Most Decorated Unit Of World War II…the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Made Up Of Japanese Americans Fought In The Naples-Foggia Campaign, Rome-Arno Campaign, Rhineland - 21 Medals Of Honor - 52 Distinguished Service Cross - 560 Silver Stars - Over 4000 Bronze Stars - Over 4000 Purple Hearts
#9
Arabs And Jews Picking Oranges Together In Jaffa, C. 1910
Forrest Hobbs 1 hour ago
All I'll say is this... This was *before* the large influx from Europe, when they all seemed to get along just fine. I'm European. We're troublemakers, aren't we? 😬
Another myth about WWII was that President Franklin D. Roosevelt knew about the Pearl Harbor attack in advance. People had blamed FDR for letting the attack happen anyway, which led to the demise of more than 2,500 American servicemen.
“People are willing to entertain the craziest conspiracy theories. There are no documents that come anywhere close to saying that FDR knew about Pearl Harbor in advance,” Dr. Citino said.
#10
In 1962, The U.S. Aircraft Carrier Uss Independence Encountered Italy's Amerigo Vespucci In The Mediterranean And Asked For Identification, After Receiving A Reply, The Americans Responded: "You Are The Most Beautiful Ship In The World"
#11
“Marines Of The Fifth Marine Division, Enroute To The Enemy’s “Gibraltar” Of The Volcano Islands, Iwo Jima, Make Themselves As Comfortable As Possible In Their Cramped Quarters Aboard The Transport.” February, 1945. (Original Wartime Caption)
#12
The View From The Ball Turret Of A B-17 Flying Fortress
Dr. Citino has been advocating for education and the correction of misconceptions stemming from these myths about the war. As he noted, delving into the “why” often leads to uncovering the myths about these historical events.
#13
80 Years Ago Today (12/16/44) My Grand Uncle William W. Brown Awoke To The Massive German Offensive That Eventually Became Known As The Battle Of The Bulge, The Largest And Bloodiest Single Battle Fought By The US In WWII
#14
Macarthur Reaches The Shore At Leyte On Oct. 20, 1944, Only Several Hours After Us Troops Had Taken The Beach
2dhqnhfw48 38 minutes ago
Their generation’s Trump. He wanted to pound Japan with more nukes, then nuke China during the Korean War.
#15
Us Infantry Take Cover As A White Phosphorus Round Explodes In The Background - Cologne, March 1945
“Historians owe it to the millions of people who participated in this event,” Dr. Citino said. “When you try to dig as deeply as possible, you’ll often peel back the layers that you did not even suspect were there.”
#16
A Paratrooper Of The 82nd Airborne Division Bids Farewell To His Gal At Penn Station In New York On His Way To The European Theater, 1943
#17
Family Portrait Taken 118 Years Ago. February 13, 1905
#18
As Part Of Operation Chowhound In May 1945, An American B-17 Unloads A Load Of Food For The Starving Dutch Population Above The Completely Destroyed Schiphol
Julie Rogers 1 hour ago
The Brits did half, too: The British Royal Air Force's was "Operation Manna." The Germans had agreed to the aid and to not firing on the planes.
#19
Ho Chi Minh, Then Known As Nguyen AI Quoc, In France In 1919 To Advocate For The Independence Of Vietnam
Sara Frazer 2 hours ago (edited)
I took a whole college course on the American war in Vietnam, taught by a professor whose dad served. She was also one of my favorite-ever teachers. Fascinating, brutal. Unnecessary blóodshed. Still a sore subject for many to this day. Ken Burns and his team did a great documentary series on it. And to really sell it to any history-fascinated goth weirdos like me: Trent Reznor did music for it 😹
#20
A Youthful Marine, Da Nang, Vietnam, August 3, 1965
Julie Rogers 1 hour ago
From his obit: "Richard Calvin Coggins Sr. of Nesbit, Mississippi passed away on September 1, 2020 at Baptist DeSoto Hospital in Southaven, Mississippi. He was born in 1946 in Pensacola, Florida and was a retired firefighter for the Memphis Fire Department. He proudly served his country as a United States Marine during the Vietnam War and was an avid supporter of President Trump."
#21
An American Soldier Carries An Injured Filipina Girl Through The Rubble Of Manila, 23 February 1945
#22
Members Of The Blackfoot Tribe In Glacier National Park Circa 1913
Julie Rogers 1 hour ago
Remember that this was staged (costumes, poses, etc) by a photographer who romanticized an earlier time.
#23
In 1942 The British Army Surrendered Singapore Creating One Of The Worst Disasters In British Military History. The Japanese With 30,000 Men Took The Malaysian Peninsula And Singapore In Just 70 Days, 8dec-15feb, Taking 130,000 Allied Pow's And Ending British Rule In The Far East
Julie Rogers 1 hour ago
"Ending British Rule In The Far East" maybe that outcome isn't so tragic though.
#24
Staff Of Auschwitz-Birkenau On A Work Vacation 1942
#25
Che Guevara At A Kindergarten In Shanghai (1960)
#26
A Student Protester Flashes The Victory Sign In Front Of Chinese Pla Soldiers At Tiananmen Square, June 1, 1989
#27
A Man Begs His Wife's Forgiveness Inside A Divorce Court. Chicago, 1948
Julie Rogers 1 hour ago
This is Steve and Anna Strack, then aged 37 and 33. She filed based on his drunkenness. The divorce went through. She moved into her parents' home with her 4-year-old son and worked in a gum factory (probably Wrigley?). She never remarried. Her husband remarried within a few years of the divorce. So they likely both ended up happier.
#28
Nurse Dorothy Davis, A Member Of The Famed Angels Of Bataan, Smiles With Her Sister After Being Freed From Years Of Suffering As A Prisoner Of War At Santo Tomas In The Philippines. Feb 1945
Julie Rogers 1 hour ago
The Angels of Bataan were a group of 77 U.S. Army and Navy nurses stationed in the Philippines during World War II who continued to provide care while imprisoned by Japanese forces. Captured in 1942, they served at Santo Tomas and Los Baños internment camps, maintaining nursing shifts, surviving on starvation rations, and providing care for thousands of Allied POWs for over three years until liberation.
#29
German Propaganda Photo Of Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski, The Leader Of The Polish Home Army, Shaking Hands With Erich Von Dem Bach-Zelewski, The Commander Of The German Forces In Warsaw, After Signing The Surrender Treaty Of The Failed Warsaw Uprising (October 1944)
Forrest Hobbs 1 hour ago
Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski died in London in 1966 - a free man. Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski died in prison in 1972 - although he wasn't imprisoned for the entire post-war period.
#30
West German Chancellor Willy Brandt At The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising Memorial In Poland, Showing Remorse For German Atrocities Against Jews During The Uprising And War, 1970
#31
Capt. Ike Fenton Of The Us Marine Corps Upon Hearing Reports That His Unit Was Almost Out Of Ammunition During A Battle In The Korean War In 1950
Julie Rogers 1 hour ago
Francis Ivan Fenton Jr. died in 1998 after serving in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. He was swarded 3 Bronze Stars and 3 Legion of Merits.
#32
A Cossack Policeman, To The Amusement Of Hungarian Soldiers, Slashes A Captured Soviet Partisan With A Saber, Occupied Ukraine Ssr, September 1941
StPaul9 1 hour ago
From my knowledge, there are two Cossacks: The Don Cossacks from Russia (they whipped P***y Riot members in public at the Sochi Winter Games and are Putin's biggest friends) and said 'Bow to nobody but God and Tsar' (today, Putin). There are also Ukrainian Cossacks who are fighting against Russia. I'd like to know the story behind this picture.
#35
Soviet Civilians In Moscow Hearing The Radio Announcement That Germany Has Started The Invasion Of The Soviet Union (June 22, 1941)
Forrest Hobbs 1 hour ago
They must have been so shocked at this treachery by their former ally. Remember, people, World War 2 was started by Germany and the USSR both invading Poland.
#37
Paratroopers Just Before Takeoff On The Way To Normandy, June 5, 1944
Sara Frazer 2 hours ago
You can sense the anxiety...also I thought the guy on the far left was Mark Wahlberg
#38
Before His Record Setting Hall Of Fame Career As The Head Coach Of The Dallas Cowboys, Tom Landry Flew 30 Combat Missions As A B-17 Flying Fortress Co-Pilot (1942-45)
#39
Pallbearers Carry General George S. Patton, Jr.'s Casket Through The Station At Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, On Its Way To The Cemetery, 1945. Patton's Last Wish Was To Be Buried With His Men, Not At West Point As Was Originally Planned
#40
Okinawa, Japan. April 1945. A Kamikaze Pilot Of A Japanese Zero Aircraft Plunges His Plane At The Deck Of USS Missouri. The Plane Ricocheted Away, Causing Only Minor Damage, But The Pilot Was Catapulted From The Cockpit, And His Body Demolished Part Of A Gun Mount
#41
King Ludwig Iiof Bavaria Sits Next To Austrian Actor Josef Kainz, The Picture Caused A Major Scandal. 1881
Julie Rogers 1 hour ago
The picture was altered to remove Kainz's hand from the King's shoulder.
#42
A Soldier Of The American 101st Airborne Division, Drinking And Admiring The View At Berchtesgaden. WW2, 1945
#43
Corpsmen Of The U.S. 4th Infantry Division Treat A Wounded Man In The Wehebachtal Valley In The Hurtgenwald.18.11.1944 Rhineland, Germany
#44
Vietnam War Pow Doug Hegdahl Pretended To Be Illiterate To Fool His Captors, Who Believed Him To Be So Stupid That They Gave Him Almost Free Rein Of The Camp. He Secretly Memorized The Details Of About 256 Pows That He Passed On After His Release
#45
Benito Mussolini In Milan On 25 April 1945. This Is Believed To Be The Last Picture Of Mussolini Alive
#46
German Soldier Crying After Being Captured By The Us Army, Germany, April 1945
#47
Photo Of A German Mother Crying After Finding Out Her Captured Son Didn’t Survive In Soviet Union Pow Camps (1955)
#48
My Great-Great-Grandfather's House In Lemkovyna, Poland Before The Ethnic Cleansing Operations Against Rusyns. Today A Polish Family Lives There
#50
An Israeli Soldier Drinking A Glass Of Water From The Jordan River After The Six-Day War In July 1967
#51
German Soldiers And Lithuanian Auxiliary Police Laugh With A Looted Torah Scroll, Against The Backdrop Of A Burning Synagogue In Occupied Lithuania, 1941
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