“Library Of The Bizarre”: 50 Incredible And Rare Historical Photos That Explore Moments That Happened In The Past
Since anyone could (and still can) say anything on the internet, people began challenging unbelievable and outlandish online claims with the phrase "pics or it didn't happen," shutting down many ridiculous discussions before they even begin.
But real life can be hard to comprehend, too. Especially if we're talking about long gone days. So in an attempt to forestall all the doubts and cut right to the chase, the Instagram account 'Library Of The Bizarre' shares images from the past first, and provides captions for them later.
People behind the account describe it as a "curated collection of the curious history of yonder years." And they're right on the money with those words.
More info: Instagram
This post may include affiliate links.
World War One Soldiers Paying Tribute To The Millions Of Donkeys, Horses, And Mules That Passed Away In The War
“Do Not Buy Where You Will Not Be Hired.” - North Carolina, 1960
Scrolling through these pictures might seem inconsequential. After all, these moments (and even many of these people) have already disappeared in time.
But in his essay 'Why Study History?', historian Peter Stearns argued that this subject is, in fact, essential to both individuals and society. And that it also harbors beauty.
Mr. Rogers Invites A Black Officer To His Show And Asked If He Wanted To Cool His Feet Off In His Mini-Pool
With heavy discrimination still a reality for most black members of society, Fred Rogers took a stand against racial inequality with this simple, yet heartwarming gesture.
I have never seen a more Christian gesture in modern life.
Load More Replies...
If I remember correctly, he did this at a time when there were heated protests over desegregation of public swimming pools on the basis of "hygiene" and it was a really huge deal that he not only shared a pool but also his towel ❤️
I'm pagan and this touches my heart because THIS is how Christians should act.
Mr Rogers was an international treasure. Canadians love him too! I am Canadian.
Load More Replies...
I ❤ Mister Rogers! He actually did this twice. Once in the 60s and this picture from the 90s. https://www.biography.com/news/mister-rogers-officer-clemmons-pool
I watched this show every chance I had as a child and I still think Mr. Roger's is the absolute best neighbor any of us will ever have!
Mr. Rogers is the man we all need all the time. He truly cared about us all.
Mr. Rogers was genuinely a very kind soul. The world is a lesser place without him.
He was cancelled in the south because of it and congress tried to pull the plug on pbs altogether. Even in LA, i knew a lot of kids who werent allowed to watch him. I was one.
Could we love Mr Rogers any more? How many millions of kids over the years learned kindness, the power of imagination, patience, respect for others, love of our fellow man? Many of our kids may never have known these feelings than thru his eyes.
When you are scrolling bp and see a picture of a white man pouring bleach into a pool of black people, think of this picture of Mr. Rogers sharing his pool and towel with a black man and the significance of the gesture. Not only was Mr. Rogers a very patient teacher to millions of preschool kids, he was also a Presbyterian minister. His program should be shown to every kid under the age of 10, as he dealt with highly emotional topics including death and divorce and every emotion a kid could have. Maybe our world could reverse its ugliness and learn love and acceptance. Wouldn't that be a wonderful world?
I love this story! Absolutely LOVE IT! I heard the story about the two of them about a year ago and have even a better opinion of Mr. Rogers than I did before it and I loved Mr. Rogers! Loved watching him before afternoon kindergarten! Thank you Mom for getting me started right and for teaching me that color IS only skin deep!! It's the measure of a person's character that counts. It is always okay to be "color blind" and allow people to shine through the accepted hatred of her time to not accept racism in mine! Thank you Mr. Rogers and the cop who started the conversation in our house! Thank you for your courage! Both of you! Great story!!
I miss this man he was a truly kind human who cared about everyone he met. This was an amazing moment and so was his speech that ensured congress kept funding public television
Mr. Rogers was a wonderful man! So kind and caring. God bless his soul!
... it hasn't been many years since black people were supposed to be divided from white people!
Mr Rogers did everything right. He taught us as children to love one another and help one another
This is cool. But I think this dude was also gay, and Mr. Rogers told him to hide that part of his identity on the show. He even encouraged him to marry a woman. He was good in many ways, but not perfect. As we all are.
I think Mr. Rogers did suggest this, in part because the controversy would kill the show, but that he later made a point of accepting things as they were, with his usual comment of loving you just the way you are. The person in question, Francois Clemmons, a singer of opera and art music as well as spirituals, is now a retired professor in Middlebury, Vermont, a colorful local character (gleefully "out" and a flamboyant dresser who cuts a distinctive figure in vividly printed dashikis). As far as I've heard, they remained friends until Rogers's death, and he has reiterated his regard for him.
Load More Replies...
"3. sabiendo que el Padre le había puesto todo en sus manos y que había salido de Dios y a Dios volvía, 4. se levanta de la mesa, se quita sus vestidos y, tomando una toalla, se la ciñó. 5. Luego echa agua en un lebrillo y se puso a lavar los pies de los discípulos y a secárselos con la toalla con que estaba ceñido. "
That's a wonderful photo! This makes me love him even more, now as an adult.
A Female Samurai Warrior, 19th Century
Brazilian Girl Refusing To Shake Hands With Military Dictator João Figueiredo. This Photo Was Taken In 1979
"There are many ways to discuss the real functions of the subject—as there are many different historical talents and many different paths to historical meaning," Stearns wrote. "All definitions of history's utility, however, rely on two fundamental facts."
Firstly, history offers a warehouse of information about how people and societies behave. "Understanding the operations of people and societies is difficult, though a number of disciplines make the attempt. An exclusive reliance on current data would needlessly handicap our efforts. How can we evaluate war if the nation is at peace—unless we use historical materials?" Stearns asked. "How can we understand genius, the influence of technological innovation, or the role that beliefs play in shaping family life, if we don't use what we know about experiences in the past?"
Queen Genepil, The Last Queen Of Mongolia. 1920
How Did You Think All These Pictures Were Taken? 1909
Black Cat Open Casting Call For An Edgar Allen Poe Movie In 1961
Look at those old ladies in line checking out that woman walking by thinking she’s all that. Well, she is, but still. Funny.
Soldiers Returning Home From World War 2. This Photo Was Taken In 1945
According to the historian, some social scientists attempt to formulate laws or theories about human behavior, "but even these recourses depend on historical information, except for in limited, often artificial cases in which experiments can be devised to determine how people act."
"Major aspects of a society's operation, like mass elections, missionary activities, or military alliances, cannot be set up as precise experiments," he highlighted. "Consequently, history must serve, however imperfectly, as our laboratory, and data from the past must serve as our most vital evidence in the unavoidable quest to figure out why our complex species behaves as it does in societal settings. This, fundamentally, is why we cannot stay away from history: it offers the only extensive evidential base for the contemplation and analysis of how societies function, and people need to have some sense of how societies function simply to run their own lives."
Parisian Woman With Her Cat In Her Cannabis Garden, 1910
Is there a small corner of the garden dedicated to catnip so they can both get their fix?
A Man Browses The Books In The Public Library Of Cincinnati. It Was Demolished In 1955
What You’re Looking At Is The Very First Known Permanent Photograph
In the 1820s, Joseph Nicéphore Niépce set up a device called a ‘camera obscura’, which projected scenes illuminated by sunlight, and positioned it outside his studio window in France. The image was cast on a specially treated pewter plate that produced a copy of the buildings outside.
Two Children Ignoring The Artwork At The San Francisco Museum Of Art
The second reason why history is inescapable, Stearns said, is that the past causes the present, and consequently the future. "Any time we try to know why something happened—whether a shift in political party dominance in the American Congress, a major change in the teenage suicide rate, or a war in the Balkans or the Middle East—we have to look for factors that took shape earlier."
"Sometimes fairly recent history will suffice to explain a major development, but often we need to look further back to identify the causes of change. Only through studying history can we grasp how things change; only through history can we begin to comprehend the factors that cause change; and only through history can we understand what elements of an institution or a society persist despite change."
A Small Girl Balances On Her Mother’s Hand In Pittsburgh . Taken In The Mid-1900s
Nikola Tesla Sitting In His Laboratory With His “Magnifying Transmitter”, December 1899
I'm not crazy he said while playing with fire in a wooden shed ... On a serious note though, he was such an interesting and intelligently inspirational guy!
In The 1960s, Bars In Istanbul Would Hire Someone To Carry Drunk People Back To Their Homes In Baskets
Still we call those drunk people 'küfelik'. Küfe is a large basket this man carry.
A Portrait Of Arctic Explorer Peter Freuchen And His Wife, Fashion Illustrator Dagmar Cohn. This Photo Was Taken In 1947
Stearn thinks that these two fundamental reasons for studying history underlie more specific and quite diverse uses of history in our own lives. "History well told is beautiful," he said. "Many of the historians who most appeal to the general reading public know the importance of dramatic and skillful writing—as well as of accuracy."
"Biography and military history appeal in part because of the tales they contain. History as art and entertainment serves a real purpose, on aesthetic grounds but also on the level of human understanding. Stories well done are stories that reveal how people and societies have actually functioned, and they prompt thoughts about the human experience in other times and places."
Aerial Photography In Edinburgh, Circa 1920
Roland, A 4,000 Pound Elephant Seal, Getting A Bath From His Handler At The Berlin Zoo. This Photo Was Taken In 1930
David Jones (Aka David Bowie) Stepping In As A Saxophonist And Lead Singer For The Kon-Rads At A Gig In South London, 1963
A Young Girl Trying To Cut A Sunbeam. This Picture Was Taken By Adam Diston In 1886
The historian believes that the same aesthetic and humanistic goals inspire people to immerse themselves in efforts to reconstruct quite remote pasts, far removed from immediate, present-day utility. "Exploring what historians sometimes call the "pastness of the past"—the ways people in distant ages constructed their lives—involves a sense of beauty and excitement, and ultimately another perspective on human life and society," Stearns explained.
A Helmeted Bulldog Guarding A Family Outside A Block Of Flats During The Blitz. This Photo Was Taken On October 15th, 1940
San Francisco’s Iconic Cliff House, Before It Was Destroyed By A Fire In 1907
I’m torn about this. Part of me thinks wow, that’s remarkable but another bit of me thinks it’s a monstrosity and out of place.
Horse Training By Félix Thiollier. Photo Taken In 1899
An Engineer Wiring A Primitive Computer Of Ibm In 1958
So are we still studying history? Sadly, the number of students earning degrees in the field fell after the Great Recession of 2008, and while the decline became a bit more gradual before the pandemic (especially when including double majors), it has continued to slip.
The raw numbers are grim: US Department of Education data for the 2018–19 academic year shows the annual number of bachelor’s degrees awarded in history, history teacher education, and historic preservation and conservation fell to 23,923—down more than a third from 2012 and the smallest number awarded since the late 1980s.
Children On A Spiral Staircase In The Newly Built Children’s Library In Clamart, France. Photo Taken In 1965 By Martine Franck
This looks CREEPY! This literally scares me. The B&W makes it even more terrifying
Norte Dame Sandbagged During World War One
Isn't it called Notre-Dame or am I missing something?
A Portrait Of An Interesting Hair Style From 1894
Haruo Nakajima And Momoko Kochi On The Set Of Godzilla, 1954
But at least the decline slowed significantly from 2018 to 2019 (down by just 140 bachelor’s degrees awarded). While a further decline is hardly something to be excited about, the contrast with the previous trend is quite notable. From 2012 to 2018, history bachelor’s degrees were falling at an average annual rate of over 7 percent per year, so slowing the descent to less than 1 percent suggests that trends could be in flux.
Who knows, maybe the popularity of online projects like the 'Library Of The Bizarre' (which currently has 147,000 followers) means the figures can even rebound.
A Victorian Home Being Moved By Boat In Tiburon, California, In 1957
I would just leave it there and life on the boat forever :)
A Boy’s Reaction To Seeing A Television Screen For The Very First Time. This Photo Was Taken In 1948
The Unbroken Seal On King Tutankhamen’s Tomb, Which Stayed Untouched For 3,245 Years Before Being Excavated In 1922
When I visited I overheard a tourist say “huh? My bathroom is bigger than this, poor guy” that was over 20 years ago and it still makes me laugh
A Curious Sea Lion Poses For The Camera
This Photo Shows The Inside Of An Airplane In 1930
I got on to a teeny tiny connecting plane from somewhere in Pennsylvania to somewhere in Connecticut and I’ll be damned if there were more than 8 plastic lawn chairs and chickens in the back. This was 1999. I went because my mom made me go with her on her budget trip back East. Good times.
A Man Night Fishing Off The Coast Of Hawaii, 1948
Helmet Testing In The Year 1912
The 1944 Eruption Of Mount Vesuvius
A Policeman In Daytime Directing Traffic During The "Great Smog Of London". This Photo Was Taken In 1952
Marilyn Monroe And A Funhouse Mirror, 1950
A Crowd In Time Square, New York City Celebrating The Surrender Of Germany In World War 2. This Photo Was Taken On May 7th, 1945
A Photo Of A Japanese Samurai Archer Taken In 1870
Don’t Mess With Granny
A French Women Pours Cider For A British Gunner In Lisieux, France, 22 August 1944
New York City Construction Workers
School Girls In Gas Masks. World War 2
Why oh why, am i hearing Pink Floid in my head right now....
The Ornate Skeletons Of Rome's Capuchin Crypt. This Crypt Contains The Remains Of 4,000 Different Individuals. This Photo Was Taken Around 1900
Anti-Drinking Public Service Announcement From The Early 1900s
In The Late 1930s, Budapest Tried To Combat Their High Suicide Rates By Enacting A “Smile Club”: A Club That Taught People To Smile
Don't Forget To Cast Rituals With Your Friends (6ft. Apart, Please)! The Devil Rides Out, 1968
Performance Art From The 1970s
What do you get when you cross a Performance Artist with a Mafia Don? Someone who will make you an offer you can't understand.
Note: this post originally had 127 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
More of these (and fewer AITA or other "someone behaved badly and karma got them"-stories) please!
And less of those awful posts that make you feel awful about the world, too while we’re at it
Load More Replies...
Aw, I'm sad this wasn't one of those articles where you can submit your own photo. I definitely would have submitted the Aloha Airlines Flight 243 photo :(
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloha_Airlines_Flight_243 saving anyone else the trouble of looking it up
Load More Replies...
Wow. These were all amazing, and the majority were photos I hadn't seen before.
Interesting and informative. I like seeing/reading something I've never heard of before. Live and learn.👍
More of these (and fewer AITA or other "someone behaved badly and karma got them"-stories) please!
And less of those awful posts that make you feel awful about the world, too while we’re at it
Load More Replies... Aw, I'm sad this wasn't one of those articles where you can submit your own photo. I definitely would have submitted the Aloha Airlines Flight 243 photo :(
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloha_Airlines_Flight_243 saving anyone else the trouble of looking it up
Load More Replies... Wow. These were all amazing, and the majority were photos I hadn't seen before.
Interesting and informative. I like seeing/reading something I've never heard of before. Live and learn.👍
