ADVERTISEMENT

Usually, when you read a history article or story, it's mostly just dry facts and your imagination. But an amazing photo gives something a bit different. It shows you how it all actually looked, letting you understand the historical moment more intimately. Whether it would be a historical landmark, a famous person or random old pictures of the past - they all have fascinating stories behind them, and we're just about to show you.

The brave photojournalists that took these interesting pictures saw the morbidity of wars, documented the creation of an atomic bomb and shot stills of most magnificent constructions being built. You might not be aware that the city of Tel-Aviv used to be just plain dunes or how someone looks after literally falling from space. Keep on scrolling to take a look at Bored Panda's list of rare historical photos that might shine a new light on how you saw these crucial moments.

Wondering how historical photos taken in black and white would look if they were restored in color? Check out this article.

(h/t: designyoutrust)

#1

Dorothy Counts - The First Black Girl To Attend An All White School In The United States - Being Teased And Taunted By Her White Male Peers At Charlotte’s Harry Harding High School, 1957

Dorothy Counts - The First Black Girl To Attend An All White School In The United States - Being Teased And Taunted By Her White Male Peers At Charlotte’s Harry Harding High School, 1957

Don Sturkey Report

#2

Nikola Tesla Sitting In His Laboratory With His “Magnifying Transmitter”

Nikola Tesla Sitting In His Laboratory With His “Magnifying Transmitter”

Report

#3

Austrian Boy Receives New Shoes During WWII

Austrian Boy Receives New Shoes During WWII

Gerald Waller Report

ADVERTISEMENT
#4

Jewish Prisoners After Being Liberated From A Death Train, 1945

Jewish Prisoners After Being Liberated From A Death Train, 1945

Report

ADVERTISEMENT
#5

The Graves Of A Catholic Woman And Her Protestant Husband, Holland, 1888

The Graves Of A Catholic Woman And Her Protestant Husband, Holland, 1888

Report

#6

A Lone Man Refusing To Do The Nazi Salute, 1936

A Lone Man Refusing To Do The Nazi Salute, 1936

wikimedia Report

ADVERTISEMENT
#7

Race Organizers Attempt To Stop Kathrine Switzer From Competing In The Boston Marathon. She Became The First Woman To Finish The Race, 1967

Race Organizers Attempt To Stop Kathrine Switzer From Competing In The Boston Marathon. She Became The First Woman To Finish The Race, 1967

Report

Add photo comments
POST
Hans
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Another classic. And imagine how many ordinary picture from today will look unbeliebable like this one in a few decades.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#8

Harold Whittles Hearing Sound For The First Time, 1974

Harold Whittles Hearing Sound For The First Time, 1974

Jack Bradley Report

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
#10

First Morning After Sweden Changed From Driving On The Left Side To Driving On The Right, 1967

First Morning After Sweden Changed From Driving On The Left Side To Driving On The Right, 1967

Jan Collsiöö Report

#11

German Soldiers React To Footage Of Concentration Camps, 1945

German Soldiers React To Footage Of Concentration Camps, 1945

rarehistoricalphotos Report

#12

Residents Of West Berlin Show Children To Their Grandparents Who Reside On The Eastern Side, 1961

Residents Of West Berlin Show Children To Their Grandparents Who Reside On The Eastern Side, 1961

rarehistoricalphotos Report

ADVERTISEMENT
#13

Acrobats Balance On Top Of The Empire State Building, 1934

Acrobats Balance On Top Of The Empire State Building, 1934

Bettmann / Corbis archives Report

#14

The Statue Of Liberty Under Construction In Paris In 1884

The Statue Of Liberty Under Construction In Paris In 1884

Report

#15

An Exotic Dancer Demonstrates That Her Underwear Was Too Large To Have Exposed Herself, After Undercover Police Officers Arrested Her In Florida

An Exotic Dancer Demonstrates That Her Underwear Was Too Large To Have Exposed Herself, After Undercover Police Officers Arrested Her In Florida

Report

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
#16

Mafia Boss Joe Masseria Lays Dead On A Brooklyn Restaurant Floor Holding The Ace Of Spades, 1931

Mafia Boss Joe Masseria Lays Dead On A Brooklyn Restaurant Floor Holding The Ace Of Spades, 1931

Report

#17

Lesbian Couple At Le Monocle, Paris, 1932

Lesbian Couple At Le Monocle, Paris, 1932

Georges Brassai Report

Add photo comments
POST
Katie O'Brien
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They look both relaxed and unsure. This is such a simple, yet interesting glimpse into the past.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#18

7-Foot Bolaji Badejo, A Nigerian Design Student And One-time Actor, Wearing His Costume From The Now Classic Sci-Fi Thriller Alien, 1978

7-Foot Bolaji Badejo, A Nigerian Design Student And One-time Actor, Wearing His Costume From The Now Classic Sci-Fi Thriller Alien, 1978

Report

ADVERTISEMENT
#19

The Most Beautiful Suicide - Evelyn Mchale Leapt To Her Death From The Empire State Building, 1947

The Most Beautiful Suicide - Evelyn Mchale Leapt To Her Death From The Empire State Building, 1947

Robert C. Wiles Report

#20

The Remains Of The Astronaut Vladimir Komarov, A Man Who Fell From Space, 1967

The Remains Of The Astronaut Vladimir Komarov, A Man Who Fell From Space, 1967

RIA Novosti/Photo Researchers Inc. Report

Add photo comments
POST
Air Cachero
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Technically, it's cosmonaut because he's from Russia. Astronaut is for Americans

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#21

Hats In New York, 1930

Hats In New York, 1930

rarehistoricalphotos.com Report

Add photo comments
POST
Katie O'Brien
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Men always wore a hat back then. My grandmother has often commented on this and how it's some different than today.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
#22

A German Child Meets Her Father, A WWII Soldier, For The First Time Since She Was 1 Year Old, 1956

A German Child Meets Her Father, A WWII Soldier, For The First Time Since She Was 1 Year Old, 1956

rarehistoricalphotos Report

Add photo comments
POST
Karolis Stašys
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Explanation - the soldier was held a prisoner in Siberia concentration camp after being captured by the soviets.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#23

Wounded Combat Dog During Action On The Orote Peninsula, 1944

Wounded Combat Dog During Action On The Orote Peninsula, 1944

W. Eugene Smith Report

#24

Frida Kahlo Dressed As A Boy, 1924

Frida Kahlo Dressed As A Boy, 1924

Report

ADVERTISEMENT
#25

A Mother Shows A Picture Of Her Son To A Returning Prisoner Of War, 1947

A Mother Shows A Picture Of Her Son To A Returning Prisoner Of War, 1947

Ernst Haas Report

ADVERTISEMENT
#26

Scottish Piper In A Kilt On The Battlefield During World War One

Scottish Piper In A Kilt On The Battlefield During World War One

Report

Add photo comments
POST
Stéphanie Hirigaray
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The bagpipe is the only musical instrument deemed a weapon of war because it inspired its troops to battle and instilled terror into the enemy

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#27

Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa Is Returned To The Louvre After WWII

Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa Is Returned To The Louvre After WWII

Pierre Jahan Report

Add photo comments
POST
Sarah Garland
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's commendable when people risk themselves to save art and history during war times, and then return it.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
#28

These Are Titanic Survivors Boarding The Carpathia In 1912

These Are Titanic Survivors Boarding The Carpathia In 1912

thechive Report

#29

Painting The Eiffel Tower, 1932

Painting The Eiffel Tower, 1932

Report

#30

A Rare Shot Of A Young Winston Churchill, 1895

A Rare Shot Of A Young Winston Churchill, 1895

wikimedia Report

ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#32

Robert Williams Wood, Max Planck And Albert Einstein In The Front Row Of A Session Of The Physical Society In Berlin On July 28, 1931

Robert Williams Wood, Max Planck And Albert Einstein In The Front Row Of A Session Of The Physical Society In Berlin On July 28, 1931

Alamy Report

#33

About 100 People Participate In A Lottery To Divide A 12 Acre Plot Of Sand Dunes, That Would Later Become The City Of Tel Aviv, 1909

About 100 People Participate In A Lottery To Divide A 12 Acre Plot Of Sand Dunes, That Would Later Become The City Of Tel Aviv, 1909

Report

ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#34

Carving Eye On Mount Rushmore, 1930s.

Carving Eye On Mount Rushmore, 1930s.

Getty Images Report

#35

Tsar Nicholas II Allows His Daughter, The Grand Duchess Anastasia, To Smoke

Tsar Nicholas II Allows His Daughter, The Grand Duchess Anastasia, To Smoke

Report

#36

Marilyn Monroe Filming Her Iconic Scene In The Seven Year Itch. This Shot Was Taken In New York In Front Of A Large Crowd Of Bystanders And Press To Create Hype, 1954

Marilyn Monroe Filming Her Iconic Scene In The Seven Year Itch. This Shot Was Taken In New York In Front Of A Large Crowd Of Bystanders And Press To Create Hype, 1954

Getty Images Report

Add photo comments
POST
Teodor Graur
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Poor Marilyn... Produs al mass-media şi copil al Hollywood-ului. Trist.

View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#37

Bob Dylan With Mick Jagger And Keith Richards At Jaggers 29th Birthday Party, July 1972

Bob Dylan With Mick Jagger And Keith Richards At Jaggers 29th Birthday Party, July 1972

Getty Images Report

Add photo comments
POST
LeJoy Rothe
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

These jokers are almost my dad's age and still rock so hard! I love these guys!

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#38

The Last Public Execution By Guillotine, 1939

The Last Public Execution By Guillotine, 1939

rarehistoricalphotos Report

#39

Hungarian Jews Being Selected By Nazis To Be Sent To The Gas Chamber At Auschwitz Concentration Camp, Auschwitz Album May-June 1944

Hungarian Jews Being Selected By Nazis To Be Sent To The Gas Chamber At Auschwitz Concentration Camp, Auschwitz Album May-June 1944

Ap Images Report

Add photo comments
POST
Kanaanka
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How much I'd like to know if a least that woman with a chils survived. This picture shows so much pain no one can't even express...

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#40

Columns Of Hoover Dam Being Filled With Concrete, February 1934 (Looking Upstream From The Nevada Rim)

Columns Of Hoover Dam Being Filled With Concrete, February 1934 (Looking Upstream From The Nevada Rim)

Alex Stephens Report

#41

US Coast Guard Cutter Spencer Destroys The Nazi Submarine U-175, April 17, 1943

US Coast Guard Cutter Spencer Destroys The Nazi Submarine U-175, April 17, 1943

Jess W. January Report

#42

Vladimir Lenin's Last Photo. He Had Had Three Strokes At This Point And Was Completely Mute, 1923

Vladimir Lenin's Last Photo. He Had Had Three Strokes At This Point And Was Completely Mute, 1923

rarehistoricalphotos Report

ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#43

Eduard Bloch, The Jewish Physician Of The Hitler Family In His Office C. 1938. Bloch Was Later Called A ‘Noble Jew’ By Hitler And Stood Under His Personal Protection

Eduard Bloch, The Jewish Physician Of The Hitler Family In His Office C. 1938. Bloch Was Later Called A ‘Noble Jew’ By Hitler And Stood Under His Personal Protection

Bundesarchiv Report

#44

Soviet Troops Scrawled Graffiti In The Reichstag After They Took Berlin In 1945

Soviet Troops Scrawled Graffiti In The Reichstag After They Took Berlin In 1945

Life Report

#45

A Jewish Woman Who Is Concealing Her Face Sits On A Park Bench Marked "Only For Jews", Austria, 1938

A Jewish Woman Who Is Concealing Her Face Sits On A Park Bench Marked "Only For Jews", Austria, 1938

Institute for Contemporary History and Wiener Library Report

ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#46

The Gadget, The First Atomic Bomb, 1945

The Gadget, The First Atomic Bomb, 1945

Los Alamos National Laboratory Report

Add photo comments
POST
LeJoy Rothe
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I can't get over how casually he sits next tobit. He might as well be eating a sandwich. Just because we have the ability to make suck weapons of mass destruction, doesn't mean we should. :-(

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#47

Jennie Macgregor, Arrested By Minneapolis Police On April 10, 1924 For Dispensing Alcoholic Beverages From Life-Preserver Flasks

Jennie Macgregor, Arrested By Minneapolis Police On April 10, 1924 For Dispensing Alcoholic Beverages From Life-Preserver Flasks

Getty Images Report

ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#48

Crew Of The Japanese Carrier Zuikaku Give One Final Banzai Cheer Before The Ship Sinks, 1944

Crew Of The Japanese Carrier Zuikaku Give One Final Banzai Cheer Before The Ship Sinks, 1944

Kazutoshi Hando Report

#49

Boxing Match Aboard The U.S.S. New York, July 3, 1899

Boxing Match Aboard The U.S.S. New York, July 3, 1899

Report

#50

Finalizing The Fat Man Atomic Bomb, Which Was Dropped On Nagasaki On August 9, 1945. On Its Nose It Had Stenciled The Acronym “Jancfu”- Joint Army-Navy-Civilian F*** Up

Finalizing The Fat Man Atomic Bomb, Which Was Dropped On Nagasaki On August 9, 1945. On Its Nose It Had Stenciled The Acronym “Jancfu”- Joint Army-Navy-Civilian F*** Up

Report

Add photo comments
POST
Bonnie S
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

@Mayur Das - not sure where you got that idea, but I assure you most Americans are NOT thinking "Get over it"

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
#51

A Young Hitler Cheers The Start Of World War One, 1914

A Young Hitler Cheers The Start Of World War One, 1914

rarehistoricalphotos Report

Add photo comments
POST
Auburn Skies
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

i dont think thats him. his iconic mustach was trimmed that way because he still wanted facial hair, but also needed it to fit under a gas mask

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#52

The Eiffel Tower During The Nazi Occupation, 1940

The Eiffel Tower During The Nazi Occupation, 1940

Report

#53

An American Evacuee Punches A South Vietnamese Man For A Place On The Last Chopper Out Of The US Embassy During The Evacuation Of Saigon In 1975

An American Evacuee Punches A South Vietnamese Man For A Place On The Last Chopper Out Of The US Embassy During The Evacuation Of Saigon In 1975

Getty Images Report

ADVERTISEMENT
#54

A Group Of Men Posing In Front Of Lynch’s Slave Market, St. Louis, Missouri, 1852

A Group Of Men Posing In Front Of Lynch’s Slave Market, St. Louis, Missouri, 1852

Thomas Martin Easterly Report