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40 Interesting Historical Photos You Wouldn’t Find In History Textbooks
Interview With Expert
The aesthetic of vintage photographs is undeniably charming. Certain imperfections and the warm, grainy, soft look evoke nostalgia and take us back in time when moments were captured on film. They make one really appreciate the craftsmanship needed to create such images as well since materials were scarce and retouching was minimal, which meant that the photo had to be taken in as few takes as possible.To further kindle our love for vintage photography and history, we compiled a list of old pictures, collected by the Untold Tales Of The Past Instagram account. Scroll down to find them and make sure to upvote the ones that you wish you could’ve spotted in your textbook in school. While you’re at it, don’t forget to check out a conversation with award-winning analog film and darkroom educator and owner of Little Vintage Photography, Rachel Brewster, and award-winning photographer and owner of Belle Privé, Emma Finch, who kindly agreed to share a few tips with those who want to achieve a vintage photo look in the modern age.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
The Athlete Who Lost $10.000 To Help A Struggling Competitor
Jacqueline Nyetipei Kiplimo did something that stunned the world during the 2010 Zheng-Kai Marathon when she witnessed a disabled competitor struggling to drink water who was a double amputee. Instead of seeing her moment to run ahead of this struggling athlete, she ran along side of him from the 6.2 mile mark to the 23 mile mark (10km mark to the 38km mark), helping him drink water at all of the watering stations. The aide that she so compassionately provided her fellow competitor slowed her run time down and caused her to lose her first place position and place 2nd in the race — costing her the win and the $10,000 cash prize. Jacqueline Nyetipei Kiplimo showed the world that day that to her, being compassionate and helping one another was more important than winning a race that she had been preparing for her entire life.
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#2
Charles Thompson Being Welcomed By His New Classmates, Just 4 Months Earlier The Supreme Court Rules That Racial Segregation Was Unconstitutional
n75mk9nk2n 1 year ago
Bigotry is learned. And it's disgusting that we still teach it. But the good news is that any learned behavior can be unlearned, if people are willing to work at it.
#3
A Young Inuit Girl Carrying Her Pet Husky On Her Back. 1920's
#4
Vietnam Veterans Protesting The Vietnam War, “We Won’t Fight Another Rich Man's War”. 1970
#5
Two Boys Teaching Each Other Parts Of Their Culture
sandrabmorison 1 year ago
Children don't see colour..race...sensuality....religion. They hear it from those around them ...be great parent don't let them HEAR the differences celebrate the uniqueness of every child, every human
#6
Louis Armstrong, An American Trumpeter And One Of The Most Influential Artists In Jazz History, Drawing A Trumpet And Autographing The Side Of A Young Man's Head In Nice, France, 1961
#7
A Little French Girl Gives An American Soldier A Kiss On Valentine’s Day, 1945
#8
Anatoly Golimbievsky, A Heavily Decorated Soviet Veteran Who Lost Both Legs In The Second World War, Acknowledges The Salute Of Four Young Sailors From The Nakhimov Navy School On V-Day In Leningrad In 1989
#9
Kiss In Central Park, C. 1974
#10
Orgone Accumulator, A Device Sold In The 1950s To Allow A Person Sitting Inside To Attract Orgone, A Massless 'Healing Energy'
The FDA noted that one purchaser, a college professor, knew it was "phony" but found it "helpful because his wife sat quietly in it for four hours every day."
#11
A Better Walk In The Park, 1937
#12
A Game Of Unicycle Basketball In Harlem, C. 1960s
#13
Nurse Showing Newspaper Headline About Polio Vaccine To A Man On Chest Respirator Due To Polio, 1955
General Anaesthesia 1 year ago (edited)
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. nominated as health secretary by Trump in the US. "...key advisor to RFK Jr petitioned regulators to revoke approval of polio vaccine" - the Guardian.
#14
David Henseley, Young Child Crippled By Polio With Both Legs In Braces, Soliciting Funds In Public Fundraising Driver For A New Polio Hospital, 1948
#15
As Soviets Approach Berlin, The Citizens Of The City Did Their Best To Take Care Of Zoo Animals, 1945
🇳🇬 Asi Bassey 🇳🇬 1 year ago
Ah! The shoebill stork. I only recently learnt of this bird. A really gentle creature with interesting mannerisms.
#16
Bruce Lee Doing Two Finger One Arm Push UPS, Ca. 1970s
#17
Police Officer Unaware Of The Imminent Danger, 1959
#18
The Statue Of Liberty 🗽 Towering Over Paris Just Before Being Disassembled And Shipped To New York
#19
Together, An Armless Man (Charles Tripp) And A Legless Man (Eli Bowen) Can Ride A Tandem. 1890s
#20
A Milkman Makes His Way Through The Rubble Following A German Bombing Raid In London, 1940
#21
Alfred Hitchcock Serving Tea To Leo The Lion, Mascotte Of MGM ,1958
#22
Soldiers Of The 6th Waffen SS "Nord" Mountain Infantry Division Bandaging A Wounded Dog's Paw
#23
An Anti KKK Group Called 'The Invisible Jungle, Knights Of The Tiger's Eye,' A New Secret Order
#24
In London, The Double-Decker Buses Underwent A Tilt Test To Prove They Would Not Tip Over
Hippopotamuses 1 year ago (edited)
I'm guessing the passenger weight measurement is taken into account, rather than just the tare weight. As it would seriously affect the centre of gravity.
#25
Samuel Reshevsky, Age 8, Playing Against Several Chess Masters At Once In France
Born in Poland, He learned to play chess at age four and was soon acclaimed as a child prodigy. At age eight, he was beating many accomplished players with ease and giving simultaneous exhibitions, 1920
#26
Night Fishing, 1948
#27
Nudity Is God’s Creation, 1979
#28
Picture Of Male Lovers From 1850 - 1950 When Being Gay Was Illegal
Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell, who are married, collected over 2,800 images over the last 20 years from flea markets, estate sales and family archives before digitising them for their book Loving: A Photographic History of Men in Love.
The subjects vary from 19th century working class men to fashionably dressed businessmen, students, soldiers and sailors.
Libstak 1 year ago
We don't actually know they were gay, they may both have been looking for wives. It was common to advertise for a spouse, especially if you were from a small town and placed the ad in bigger cities as there may not have been singles in your area. Doesn't matter really but it's still worth noting.
#29
London, 1939
#30
A Nun Keeping Her Young Charges Cool, Madonna House Day Nursery, New York City, Summer 1941
Susan Tieni 1 year ago
Hey, a penguin watering little dudes. There was a picture previously of a dude watering little penguins. How 'bout that?
#31
A Zookeeper Watering Some Emperor Pinguïns To Keep Them Cool On A Hot Summer Day, 1957
Kristy Marion 1 year ago
They should be swimming where they belong, not being so hot this needs to happen.
#32
A Boy Sitting On A Sea Mine Eating An Ice-Cream In Kent, United Kingdom, 1945
#33
A Boy Selling Lemonade With A Portable Lemonade Dispenser. Berlin, 1931
#34
Watching The Signing Of Treaty Of Versailles, 1919
#35
A Navigation Hotline In The Netherlands, 1963. Long, Long Before Google Maps
#36
Woman Operating A Camera Underwater, 1940s
Brian Droste 1 year ago
But there have to be another person underwater taking her picture of her taking a picture.
#37
A 9000 HP Spiral Turbine Being Built In Germany For A Power Plant In Norway, 1928
#38
How The Donut Size Changed Throughout The Years
#39
This 1958 Photo Shows A Prisoner Being Used To Test Safety Nets Before They Were Mass-Produced For The Public
horseloving panda 1 year ago
No living being that did not give express permission should be used to test anything
#40
Soviet Soldiers Crouched In A Trench As A Russian T-34 Tank Passes Over Them During The Battle Of Kursk, 1943
#41
Colonel Sanders From KFC Eating A Pie At Harry’s Cafe De Wheels In Sydney, 1972
#42
An Italian Woman Curiously Inspecting The Kilt Of A Scottish Soldier In The Colosseum Of Rome, 1944
#43
A Couple Stops Dr. Martin Luther King For A Photo On A Beach, 1956
#44
"Wait For Me Daddy"
A touching photo, captured by Claude Detloff in Vancouver as the soldiers of the Duke of Connaught’s Own Rifles marched off to fight in the World War II. The emotions seen in the parents' and child's face and their body language combine together to make it into an unforgettable image, freezing the heart-wrenching moment forever. Luckily, the father of the boy returned safe and sound in October 1945
#45
British Soldiers Learning To Handle Mines And Booby-Trap Devices 'Blind' As Part Of Training For Night Missions At The 10 Corps Mine School. December 1943
#46
Eiffeltower Under Construction For The 1889 World Fair In Paris, France
#47
Christmas During The Croatian War In 1992, Vukovar
#48
Girls Dressed As Witches Going Water Skiing In Florida, C. 1950s
#49
Salvador Dali Reading A Biography About Himself, 1955
#50
John Lennon Snorts Coke In The 1960s. From The Movie A Hard Days Night
#51
A Man Wearing External Pacemaker. It Is Battery Operated, 1960
#52
Marilyn Monroe Performing In Korea For Thousands Of American Soldiers, 1954
Michael Largey 1 year ago
When she came back, she said to her then-husband Joe DiMaggio "Oh, Joe, you can't imagine what it's like having thousands of people cheer for you.!" "Yes, I can", he replied.
#53
Michael Jordan Posing In Front Of The Eiffel Tower In Paris, 1985
#54
The Elephant Seal Goliath With A Zoo Keeper, 1936
#55
The Consequences Of Landing On The Wrong Aircraft Carrier, 1952
#56
Stonehenge Reconstruction, Circa 1919
YakFactory 1 year ago
In c1919 they needed heavy lifting equipment to lift and move the stones. How did the original builders move them without the benefit of "modern" equipment. Amazing to consider.
#57
The Finish Of The First Tour De France, 1903
Jack Burton 1 year ago
There are so many fun facts about the first Tour de France, really insane stuff ^^
#58
A Mom Washing Her Children On A Hot Day In Paris, 1937
#59
An Ostrich Carriage Being Stopped By The Police For Crossing The Speed Limit, Los Angeles, 1930
#61
Man Using An Aircraft Detection Radar Device , C. 1920s
#62
Margaret Bourke-White, A Photographer, Climbing The Chrysler Building For The Perfect Photo, Circa 1930
#63
Hong Kong In 1960, Captured By Fan Ho
#64
A Peanut Vendor Wearing A Suit Made Of Peanuts, 1890
#65
A Blind American 🇺🇸 First World War Veteran On The Streets Selling The Bonus Expeditionary Force Papers
#66
Photo Showing Two Berlin German Policemen On Patrol. Beside Them Is A Snowman. In The Distance, The Brandenburg Gate Stands, 1961
#67
Russia Be Like... Moscow, 1963
#68
The Sagrada Família In Barcelona, 1905. It Is Magnificent That After More Than A 100 Years Of Constructions, The Structure Has Yet To Be Finished
#69
Australian Soldiers Of The 4th Division Field Artillery Brigade On Duckboard Track In The Château Wood
#70
Kendal Green Bicycle Club, 1884
#71
Michael Jackson Hanging Out With Oscar The Grouch, 1978
#72
A Sky Trooper From The 1st Cavalry Division Keeps Track Of The Time He Has Left On His “Short Time” Helmet, While Participating In Operation Pershing, Near Bong Son During The Vietnam War, 1968
#73
Power House Mechanic Working On Steam Pump. Photo By Lewis Hine 1920
Kim Kermes 1 year ago
Beautiful man, but to stage him in that position, the wrench isn't set properly on the nut.
#74
British Policeman Wearing Either A Mk4 Or Mk5 Gas Mask
#75
A Chest X-Ray In Progress At Dr. Maxime Menard’s Radiology Department At The Cochin Hospital. Menard Would Later Lose His Finger To Side Effects From Operating The X-Ray Machine. 1914
#76
A Window Washer Of The Empire State Building As He Draws A Lung-Full Of Clean Air At This Height
#77
A Teenager Getting Her Hair Straightened With An Iron, Queens, New York City, 1964
#78
The World's Fattest Woman And "Major Mite", One Of The World's Shortest People. 1922
#80
The Future Is Now! Traffic Jams Are No More With The Flying Car. The Convair Model 118 Unfortunately Never Made It Into Mass Production, 1947
#81
The "Follyphone", A Fake Musical Instrument Designed By Lewis Sydney As A Parody Of New Musical Instruments Being Devised At The Time
#83
To Study Facial Muscles, Neurologist Duchenne De Boulogne Electrocuted A Man's Face, 1862
Huddo's sister 1 year ago
All the experiments using electricity are horrifying to see/hear about, though a few led to important discoveries/treatment
#84
A Man Balances Himself On A Wooden Rod On The Edge Of A New York Skyscraper, 1939
#85
Repair Workers Fixing The Damage To The North Side Of The Empire State Building After The B25 Crash In 1945
#86
Healing A Back Problem With A Bear. Romania, 1946
PeepPeep the duck 1 year ago
Ick, my ancestors were also known for bear “training” too. So sad seeing bears in chains.
#87
British Soldiers Wearing Gas Masks To Chop Onions. Tobruk October 1941
horseloving panda 1 year ago
They are peeling potatoes but I would have worn my gas mask to peel onions if I had a gas mask so I imagine some soldiers did
#88
A Young Boy Riding A Tortoise While Tempting It With Some Food, 1945
#89
American Gangster Mickey Cohen Standing Amongst The Front Pages Of Newspapers That Helped Make Him The Most Infamous Citizen In Los Angeles
#90
Testing A Football Helmet By Charging Into A Wall, 1912
#91
Not Everyone Likes Bikini, Miami Beach, 1980s
#92
The Detroit Police Tug-Of-War Were Ready To Demolish The Competition In 1991 Wouldn't Want To Be Up Against Them In The Squid Game
#93
Pablo Escobar Pictured In A 1976 Mugshot ⠀ In 1993, Escobar Famously Escaped From Police Custody Ahead Of A Transfer From La Catedral - The Prison He Built For Himself - To Another Facility
#94
Harry Houdini Before He Jumped Off The Harvard Bridge In Boston. (1908) Houdini Was A Hungarian-Born American Illusionist And Stunt Performer
#95
Basketball Inventor Dr. James Naismith. (Circa 1900)
#97
A Man Standing On The First Cables During The Construction Of The Golden Gate Bridge
#99
The Dynasphere Is An Electric Monowheel Vehicle. It Could Reach A Speed Up To 25 Miles Per Hour, Which Is About 40 Kilometers Per Hour. 1932
#100
Lipstick Tester, 1960. Based On The Look On His Face I Doubt He Minded Being Tested On
#101
Fascinating Bike Exhibition In Chicago, 1948
#102
Blondie, The Pet Lion, Texas, USA, 1953
#103
Fidel Castro Playing Basketball Against Polish Student During His Visit In Krakow, 1972
Chris the Bobcat 1 year ago
He's wearing American shoes, namely Converse Chuck Taylor All Stars.
#104
Photo Of Mao Zedong Playing A Game Of Table Tennis, 1963
#105
Checking The Specifications To Be A Stewardess, 1948
#106
A Young Woman Holds Her Arms And Legs In Four Water Bathes With Electric Current, To Improve Blood Circulation, 1938
#107
View Of The Empire State Building From A Hole On The Roof Of A Penthouse On 33rd Street
#108
American Soldier Wearing The Crown Of The Holy Roman Empire In A Cave In Siegen, Germany, On April 3, 1945
#109
Eunice Padfield And Her Horse Plunge From A High Platform Into A Pool Of Water Below
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XenoMurph 1 year ago
BP PLEASE Stop "shortening" the articles. We can look at 100 pictures, it's not a burden. If we want to stop at 30, we can stop. But commenting on an interesting post, then it disappears, it's annoying, and "shortening" serves no purpose.
Wingsofwrath 1 year ago
Oh, it's evdn worse, now you have to sign up for "BP premium" to see the rest of the list...
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Mike Beck 1 year ago
Interaction. Ad space probably sells for more if they can show that people are interacting.
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XenoMurph 1 year ago
BP PLEASE Stop "shortening" the articles. We can look at 100 pictures, it's not a burden. If we want to stop at 30, we can stop. But commenting on an interesting post, then it disappears, it's annoying, and "shortening" serves no purpose.
Wingsofwrath 1 year ago
Oh, it's evdn worse, now you have to sign up for "BP premium" to see the rest of the list...
Load More Replies... Mike Beck 1 year ago
Interaction. Ad space probably sells for more if they can show that people are interacting.
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