These Colorized Black And White Photos Will Show You How Far Mankind Has Come

The Fattest, Shortest, And Tallest Men In Europe

Isn’t it amazing to see three people who are at the top of their respective fields? These dudes had been the tallest, tiniest, and heaviest men in Europe at one point. These photos tell us so much about the human race! Isn’t it fascinating to see just how vastly different humans can be? Despite this, the men are all getting along just fine. This photo was taken in 1913, which has been more than a century ago!

The Fattest, Shortest, And Tallest Men In Europe

Meet Jungle Pam

Jungle Pam enticed a lot of people to get into drag racing. It looks like there is nothing more effective than a gorgeous bombshell in shorts to bring in fans. At the age of 18, she entered the industry after meeting a drag racer by the name of Jungle Jim in Pennsylvania. She ditched college to go into drag racing! Her friend was there to teach her the ropes. She turned out to be a quick study and went on to be the focal point of their pit crew. To be fair, we can totally see why this was the case. Just look at her!

Meet Jungle Pam Cleanup

How The Mona Lisa Survived The Second World War

Is there a more famous painting than the Mona Lisa? It has been stolen several times in the past, but it had been at the Louvre during the Second World War. Jacques Jaujard, France’s National Museums director, came up with a plan to keep it safe from the Nazis. When the Soviet Union and Germany announced the Nonaggression Pact on the 25th of August 1939, he closed the museum “for repairs” for three days. The staff took down all the paintings, moved the statues, and left the works of art in wooden crates. These boxes were marked using red dots to indicate the importance of the pieces. After this, hundreds of trucks brought thousands of artifacts and crates to the Loire Valley to secure them.

How The Mona Lisa Survived The Second World War

Carl Akeley And The Leopard That Attacked Him

If you ask us, taxidermy is a pretty neat occupation on its own. Carl Akeley is even cooler than most! The jack of all trades lived through many encounters with wild animals during his African safaris. He took his job very seriously. He did not just stuff the skins with whatever he had on hand. Instead, he studied their bodies to ensure that the final products would look lifelike. In 1896, he battled it out with a leopard as he hunted for ostriches in Somaliland. It was a fight for survival, and he barely made it out of there alive.

Carl Akeley And The Leopard That Attacked Him

Brigitte Bardot At Her Peak

There was a time when Brigitte Bardot was thought to be the most beautiful woman on the planet. The actress left a spell on viewers and made the most out of her performances. She was probably one of the most popular women on Earth back in the ‘50s and ‘60s. Sadly, her fame has made it impossible for her to enjoy any semblance of anonymity. “I don’t know what it means to sit quietly in a bistro, on a terrace, or in the theatre without being approached by someone,” she once told The Guardian.

Brigitte Bardot At Her Peak

Arsenal Goalie Jack Kelsey On A Very Foggy Day

Taken in 1954, this photo shows Jack Kelsey of Arsenal staring into the fog. The photo below is typically misattributed as having come from a viral story dating back to Christmas Day of 1937. According to this story, a game between Chelsea and Stamford Ridge was played on a very foggy day. The game was called only 61 minutes into it, but no one informed the goalie of Stamford Bridge about it.

He said, “I paced up and down my goal-line, happy in the knowledge that Chelsea were being pinned in their own half. ‘The boys must be giving the Pensioners the hammer,’ I thought smugly, as I stamped my feet for warmth… After a long time a figure loomed out of the curtain of fog in front of me. It was a policeman, and he gaped at me incredulously. ‘What on earth are you doing here?’ he gasped. ‘The game was stopped a quarter of an hour ago. The field’s completely empty’. And when I groped my way to the dressing-room, the rest of the Charlton team, already out of the bath and in their civvies, were convulsed with laughter.”

Arsenal Goalie Jack Kelsey On A Very Foggy Day

Little Ruby Bridges And Her U.S. Marshal Escorts

Can you believe that a little girl played an important part in the civil rights movement? Ruby Bridges was the first black student to enter a desegregated elementary school in the South. Federal marshals needed to escort her to classes for her own safety even though William Frantz Elementary School was just several blocks away from her home in New Orleans. Sadly, the little girl had to deal with racists on a daily basis. She had to study on her own since white parents wanted to pull out their kids if she studied with them. More than a decade after that, she graduated from a desegregated high school. In 1999, she started the Ruby Bridges Foundation in an effort to promote change and tolerance through education.

Little Ruby Bridges And Her U.S. Marshal Escorts

A Utility Worker Delivering The Kiss Of Life

This amazing photo was taken by Rocco Morabito in 1967. Called “The Kiss of Life,” it shows a utility worker called J.D. Thompson as he tried to save his colleague Randall G. Champion. His co-worker made contact with a low-voltage line moments before this happened. The poor guy was knocked out right away. It was a good thing that Thompson was a quick thinker! Apparently, Morabito had been cruising down West 26th Street when he witnessed this moment.

“I heard screaming. I looked up and I saw this man hanging down. Oh my God. I didn’t know what to do. I took a picture right quick. J.D. Thompson was running toward the pole. I went to my car and called an ambulance. I got back to the pole and J.D. was breathing into Champion. I backed off, way off until I hit a house and I couldn’t go any farther. I took another picture. Then I heard Thompson shouting down: He’s breathing!” he shared.

A Utility Worker Delivering The Kiss Of Life

A German Soldier In His Dugout During The Great War

Trench warfare was a huge part of the Great War. The military tactic dates back to the Civil War and involves soldiers digging out ditches to provide both defense and a last stand. In Belgium and northern France, troops had to go through the narrow trenches and stay there for weeks on end. In fact, the mass casualties from the First World War had been victims of the trenches. To be specific, these were the soldiers who had to rise from the ditches to deal with oncoming forces. Unfortunately for them, it was practically a “no man’s land” that made them sitting ducks for the offensive gunfire.

A German Soldier In His Dugout During The Great War

Charlie Chaplin And Albert Einstein At The Premiere Of City Lights

You were wrong if you assumed that Albert Einstein spent his days with fellow scientists! He was a funny and imaginative guy who considered himself an artist. We can see why he got on famously with Charlie Chaplin after they were introduced by the head of Universal Studios, Carl Laemmle. In 1931, the scientist and comedian went to the premiere of City Lights together! It is said that Einstein admitted that he was envious of his pal since the world could understand him without even a single word. “But your fame is even greater… the world admires you when nobody understands you,” Chaplin replied.

Charlie Chaplin And Albert Einstein At The Premiere Of City Lights

Paratroopers Of Easy Company Chilling At Adolf Hitler’s Home

The men in the photo look like they were having a great time, but it is even better than you think! Taken in 1945, the men of Easy Company had been chilling at Adolf Hitler’s house in the Bavarian Alps. If you have seen Band of Brothers, you will see this particular scene in the miniseries. Hitler amassed many homes across Europe, including this one in the Obersalzberg near Berchtesgaden, Bavaria. It was bombed on the 25th of April 1945. On May 4, SS troops lit it on fire only hours before the French 2nd Armored Division and the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division entered it through the secret tunnels. The Allied men rewarded themselves by taking the remaining alcohol and looting the home!

Paratroopers Of Easy Company Chilling At Adolf Hitler’s Home

Vivien Leigh In The Role Of Scarlett O’Hara

Actress Vivien Leigh starred in Gone with the Wind even though she was English and no Southern Belle. At any rate, this role defined her career! After she got to Los Angeles for taping, people found her manic and hard to work with. Back then, she and her partner Laurence Olivier thought that the movie was going to flop. He even told her, “You have got to justify yourself in the next two or 3 films (or even 2 or 3 years) by proving that the presumable failure of Gone W.T.W. was not your fault and you can only do that by being really good in the following parts. To make a success of your career in pictures [is] ESSENTIAL for your self respect, and our ultimate happiness therefore. … If you don’t, I am afraid you may become just — well boring.”

Vivien Leigh In The Role Of Scarlett O’Hara

Lawrence Of Arabia In Real Life

Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence found himself in an unlikely position during the Great War. He was a British demolition artist who worked with Arab rebel allies to handle isolated depots and bridges of the Ottoman Empire. Yes, he was the basis of Lawrence of Arabia! According to him, he attacked 79 bridges on the railway so that they needed to be demolished and reconstructed. He damaged the railways so badly, and you can still see some of these ruins. The Turkish military decided to leave some of the rubble instead of exerting the effort to tear them down!

Lawrence Of Arabia In Real Life

The Smallest Man And His Huge Pet Cat

What a great photo! Henry Behrens stood at only 30 inches tall, which made him the smallest man on the planet when he was still alive. On top of that, he only weighed 32 pounds or so. He joined Burton Lester’s troupe of small people and travel the world with the crew. We are glad that he did not mind the attention and even enjoyed it. Just check out this adorable photo of him dancing with his cat in 1956!

The Smallest Man And His Huge Pet Cat

Japanese-Americans Were Relocated To Internment Camps

After Pearl Harbor, the American military placed restrictions on Japanese-Americans. They were forced into internment camps, which were nothing more than glorified prisons. The truth was that there was no reason for the military to do such a thing since the civilians posed no threats. Aiko Herzig-Yoshinaga talked about her experience in one near Death Valley. “The only thing that was in the ‘apartments’ when we got there were army metal beds with the springs on it, and a potbellied stove in the middle of the room. That was the only thing. No chest of drawers, no nothing, no curtains on the windows. It was the barest of the bare,” she said. How awful. This photo of Japanese-American students was taken in 1942.

Japanese-Americans Were Relocated To Internment Camps

Lyndon B. Johnson Was Sworn Into Office Aboard Air Force One

When John F. Kennedy was assassinated, the United States had no president for around an hour and a half. As the whole country was in a state of confusion and chaos, VPOTUS Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn into office aboard Air Force One while it was parked at Love Field in Dallas. On his left, you will find First Ladies Jacqueline Kennedy and Lady Bird Johnson. FBI agents and his new cabinet members look on. The facial expressions they were all wearing show us how much anxiety and tension had been in the air.

Lyndon B. Johnson Was Sworn Into Office Aboard Air Force One

A Japanese Military Commander In Traditional Armor

This photo was shot by Felice Beato in 1863. In the original iteration, the photographer hand-colored it! He liked to take full-length portraits in the studio so that he could focus on traditional costumes and cultural traditions that intrigued him. His photos about Japan came with vignetting at the borders that made them seem more painterly. The subject in this particular photo was Koboto Santaro, a military commander. We do not know what he has in his hand, but we would still keep our distance from him!

A Japanese Military Commander In Traditional Armor

Sally Field As Gidget

In 1965, the gorgeous Sally Field got her big break by playing a surfer girl who always got into trouble in Gidget. At the time, she was 18 years old. “After the first night of my workshop, a casting guy asked me if I had an agent. I didn’t, but I still went in for an interview. The waiting room was filled with girls who looked like movie stars. They all had professional head shots; the only pictures I had were wallet photos of me with my friends. At my screen test, I walked in and said, ‘Which one is the camera?’ The crew members were like, ‘Oh, boy.’ But the casting director said, ‘You’re it.’ God was looking out for me. He thought he’d throw me in the ocean and see if I could swim,” the actress narrated.

Sally Field As Gidget

The Red Army Liberated The Auschwitz-Birkenau

When the Soviet Army arrived at Auschwitz on the 27th of January 1945, they found a warehouse storing the possessions of victims. They found pans, pots, eyeglasses, prosthetic limbs, and shoes. At first, they thought that the camp had been abandoned. They soon found out that it was full of sick and starving people that the Nazis left to do when they made a run for it. One of the first soldiers to go into the camp was Georgii Elisavetskii. He said, “They rushed toward us shouting, fell on their knees, kissed the flaps of our overcoats, and threw their arms around our legs.”

The Red Army Liberated The Auschwitz-Birkenau

Oregon Man Thomas Cave With His Social Security Number Tattoo

Thomas Cave and his wife Annie had been one of the legions of people who went through hard times at the height of the Great Depression. Dorothea Lange, the photographer, said that the couple worked for an entire year straight to bring home $550, which would be $10,000 in today’s currency. They rented a tiny apartment that cost them $12 a month, only to find themselves out of a job. The Social Security Act was launched just four months before he got his tattoo in 1937. This act offered relief for people who opted in and received a social security number. Cave got the number tattooed on his arm to ensure that he would never forget it! He was not the only person to do this at the time.

Oregon Man Thomas Cave With His Social Security Number Tattoo

The Effervescent Sophia Loren

Did you know that Sophia Loren was just 17 years old when she debuted in Quo Vadis in 1951? She has since appeared in many projects over the years. There was a time when she was asked what she would do differently, if any. She only said, In a long, long career like I had—and by the way, I have—it’s very difficult to be able to criticize some of the moments that you do by yourself that you never tell to other people. It’s a very normal thing to do because you cannot every time have a big victory – no, there have been moments, maybe weak moments, where you did something that you are not really very happy about.”

The Effervescent Sophia Loren

A Soldier Heading Home After The War

Over the four decades of his photography career, Ernst Haas toed the line between a photojournalist and an artist. He infused artistry into his photos of soldiers heading home after the Second World War. In a photo essay called “Homecoming,” he showed the desperation and confusion in Europe back then as folks looked for their relatives among the survivors. It was a successful collection that helped him attain more success. He turned them all down! “What I want is to stay free, so that I can carry out my ideas… I don’t think there are many editors who could give me the assignments I give myself,” he said.

A Soldier Heading Home After The War

After The Engagement Of John F. Kennedy And Jackie Bouvier

After their engagement, Jackie Bouvier and John F. Kennedy went to the Kennedy family home in Cape Cod. They were accompanied by a reporter who took their engagement photos. There was even a whole Life Magazine issue that exclusively showed their engagement photos! The headline of the July 20 issue read, “Senator Kennedy Goes a-Courting.” Looking back on those days, Jackie said, “Now, I think that I should have known that he was magic all along. I did know it — but I should have guessed that it would be too much to ask to grow old with and see our children grow up together. So now, he is a legend when he would have preferred to be a man.”

After The Engagement Of John F. Kennedy And Jackie Bouvier

A Civil War Veteran In Pennsylvania

Is it weird to think that Civil War vets were still around in the 20th century? In 1956, the last of them was reported to passed pass away. However, the truth is that there were probably several more around back then. Young men had no choice but to enter battle if they could follow orders and hold a gun. Many of them still had their futures ahead of them after they served in the bloodiest war on American soil. We are sure that they had plenty of stories to tell the youngsters. This photo was taken in 1935.

A Civil War Veteran In Pennsylvania

Cornet Winston Churchill In The 4th Queen’s Hussar’s Cavalry

Winston Churchill is best known for his dedication to his country. As a young man, he was part of the 4th Queen’s Hussar’s Calvary and served during “the august, unchallenged and tranquil glories of the Victorian Era.” Back then, he split his time between seven months of summer training and then the rest on extended leave. In 1895, he set off for Cuba during his leave to go on an adventure! After that, he was sent to India with the rest of the regiment. He was 21 years old when this photo was taken in 1895.

Cornet Winston Churchill In The 4th Queen’s Hussar’s Cavalry

The Real Albert Einstein

People think that Albert Einstein was a genius in an ivory tower. This was not the case at all! He thought of himself as an artist who used science as his medium. He combined inspiration, imagination, and knowledge to arrive at his theories. In 1929, he spoke to the Saturday Evening Post and said, “I believe in intuitions and inspirations. I sometimes feel that I am right. I do not know that I am… [but] I would have been surprised if I had been wrong… I am enough of the artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”

The Real Albert Einstein

Hitchhiking Was Common In The ’60s And ’70s

In the ‘70s, people relied on hitchhiking to make their way across the country. It was a little dangerous, but young people were enticed by the thought of the freedom that came with it. The truth is that people have always hitchhiked ever since the dawn of time. However, it only became more mainstream in the ‘70s. Back then, these youngsters put their lives in the hands of the strangers behind the wheels. This has become much less common, however. People still hitchhike but not quite as often as before.

Hitchhiking Was Common In The ’60s And ’70s

Geologist Thomas Griffith Taylor And Meteorologist Charles Wright Beside An Iceberg

At the turn of the century, people watched in awe as explorers took on the Arctic. People competed to be the first person to get to the South Pole! In 1911, a British explorer called Robert Falcon Scott launched the Terra Nova Expedition to do just that. The party went through harsh conditions as they went on this “pole hunt.” After almost a year, they finally arrived on January 16, 1912. The saddest part of the story was that there was already a flag there! Roald Amundsen of Norway beat them by a month.

Geologist Thomas Griffith Taylor And Meteorologist Charles Wright Beside An Iceberg

Charlie Chaplin When He Was 27 Years Old

Do you even know what Charlie Chaplin looked like when he was not dressed as the Tramp? The truth is that he was not like the unlucky man in the bowler hat! He was born into poverty as the child of a failing actress. He also took to the stage and then moved from London to the United States! It did not take him long before he made a name for himself across the pond. He based the Tramp on memories of his dad. “It was just released whole from somewhere deep within my father, it was really my father’s alter ego, the little boy who never grew up: ragged, cold, hungry, but still thumbing his nose at the world,” he said.

Charlie Chaplin When He Was 27 Years Old

The Seaforth Highlanders With A Dog In Their French Trench

Europe worked hard to defeat the Central Powers during the Great War, which was unmatched in its brutality and carnage! Soldiers from all over the world went into massive battles even though they were severely underprepared. Formed in 1881, the Seaforth Highlanders of Scotland stepped up to fight the fascists. It became known as the county regiment for various northern Scottish counties after the merger of the 78th Highlanders and the 72nd Highlanders. The men initially served in India, but they were then reassigned to France to join the Battle of Givenchy in 1914. They were later moved to Palestine and Iraq.

The Seaforth Highlanders With A Dog In Their French Trench

Salvador Dali Aboard The S.S. Normandie In New York City

Salvador Dali was an artist who did not seem to perfectly fit any place or era. Despite this, his surrealist paintings and experiments turned heads during the early 20th century! Among other things, he was inspired by his early New York City trips. When he first visited the Big Apple, he and his wife took the Champlain from Franc and had to stay in one of the lower decks close to the machine rooms. According to Patroness Caresse Crosby, he only said, “I am next to the engine, so that I’ll get there quicker.”

Salvador Dali Aboard The S.S. Normandie In New York City

A Young Woman Called Eunice Hancock With A Compressed-Air Grinder In An Aircraft Plant

Men were forced to enlist in the fight against Germany and Japan during the Second World War. Women decided to take on jobs in utilities, transportation, and manufacturing to fill the void that they left in the job market! Almost 2 million women worked in plants and on assembly lines to make armaments and machine pieces for the war effort. The number of working women at the time jumped from 27 percent to 37 percent! These women were just as valuable to the war effort as the men were.

A Young Woman Called Eunice Hancock With A Compressed Air Grinder In An Aircraft Plant

Pablo Picasso With Gifts From Gary Cooper In 1958

Does it get any cooler than this photo of Pablo Picasso with his hat and revolver? The artist liked to host guests and befriended people from different backgrounds. He was friends with the likes of Gertrude Stein, Julio Gonzalez, and Andre Salmon. These people all lived in Paris at some point in time. Aside from them, Picasso was close to Gary Cooper! In the ‘50s, they were even close enough that the artist entertained the actor and his family at his very own ceramics worship in Vallauris.

Pablo Picasso With Gifts From Gary Cooper In 1958

A Leading Stoker Called Popeye Who Was On The HMS Rodney

The guy in the photo is the spitting image of Popeye the Sailor Man! It turns out that E.C. Segar received inspiration for the cartoon character from a man in his hometown. However, this was not the same man. The photo shows a man who was on the HMS Rodney in 1940. The strange thing was that the Imperial War Museum said that he was nicknamed “Popeye.” Don’t get too excited, however. Let us tell you that the HMS Rodney was a British ship, whereas Segar grew up in Illinois.

A Leading Stoker Called Popeye Who Was On The HMS Rodney

The Reunion Of Two German Brothers After The Border Pass Agreement

Take a look at this incredible photo of two German brothers. When the Berlin Wall was erected in 1961, nobody could cross the border. This remained true until a border pass agreement was passed in 1963. This allowed people to cross from West Berlin to the eastern side of the city. This was not a perfect solution, although it did not offer relief to those who felt helpless. For two years, some people could not see their family at all. The wall finally collapsed 25 years after this.

The Reunion Of Two German Brothers After The Border Pass Agreement

Mata Hari Blew The French Firing Squad A Kiss

Mata Hari had such a great story that we want to show her to you one more time. She was a dancer who became a spy during the Great War. This woman combined espionage and sexuality in her pursuits. Before she made it big, she was already talented at impersonation. Early on, she masqueraded as Lady MacLeod, the child of an English lord despite using an Eastern style of dancing. While her spy days are iconic, it did not last very long. In the end, she died at the hands of a firing squad on the 15th of October 1917. Apparently, she did not wear a blindfold and blew a kiss to the men before they took her life.

Mata Hari Blew The French Firing Squad A Kiss

Photographers Used Backdrops To Hide The Devastation In Warsaw

After the Second World War, Europe was in shambles no matter which side they fought for. Poland experienced a lot of devastation as well. The country used to boast gorgeous structures, but many of them were destroyed to bits. Survivors wanted to go back to their old life, but it was not easy to do so. Photographers tried to help the citizens regain some semblance of normalcy and pretended that nothing had happened. They did so with the help of backdrops like this one! It is amazing to see the contrast.

Photographers Used Backdrops To Hide The Devastation In Warsaw

American Soldiers Look At The Tricolor Flag Flying From The Eiffel Tower Again

For four years, Paris was occupied by the Nazis. At long last, it received its liberation on the 25th of August 1944. The Nazis did not put up a fight after the arrival of the U.S. 4th Infantry Division and the French 2nd Armored Division. Legend has it that Hitler asked General Dietrich von Choltitz to burn the City of Lights and demolish the Eiffel Tower. Instead of destroying the beautiful city, he just surrendered. Two days after that, a liberation march was held through the Champs d’Elysees to celebrate.

American Soldiers Look At The Tricolor Flag Flying From The Eiffel Tower Again

Men Of The 1st Infantry Division Leaving England For Normandy On D-Day

The Battle of Normandy was a difficult battle that went on from June 1944 to August 1944. The parties duked it out for Western Europe, and it was not a walk in the park for the soldiers at all. We doubt that the 156,000 American, Canadian, and British soldiers knew that the fighting would go on for nearly a month! It started on June 6, but it was meant to begin a day earlier. They had to delay the operation due to bad weather. Dwight Eisenhower told the brave troops, “You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you.”

Men Of The 1st Infantry Division Leaving England For Normandy On D Day

Crow Native Americans Observing The Rodeo At The Crow Fair

The Crow Fair started in 1904! It is basically a huge family reunion for the Crow Nation as it brings in all the Native American tribes in the Great Plains. Tens of thousands of people attend the gathering! It takes place in the third week of August close to Billings, Montana. It is pretty similar to a county fair but was infused with Native American tradition. The rodeo took place on a daily basis and featured youth events and professional bull and horse riders. If you ever get the chance, you should check it out.

Crow Native Americans Observing The Rodeo At The Crow Fair

Drought Refugee From Missouri Waiting For Orange-Picking In California

The Dust Bowl had Americans running to the Pacific Coast to look for seasonal jobs after the devastation of their homes. These hardworking Americans were thought to be intruders who planned to leech off the government. California had been looking for crop hands at the time, but they were not welcomed by the residents. This happened during the Great Depression, so everyone was down on their luck. Many immigrants had been poor, but the lucky ones landed jobs picking veggies and fruits for little pay.

Drought Refugee From Missouri Waiting For Orange Picking In California

Dutch Resistance Fighters On The Streets Of Breda After Its Liberation

The world was shocked when Germany invaded Europe at the beginning of the Second World War. The Nazis moved far more quickly and more brutally than anyone thought they would. Resistance fighters from different parts of the continent banded together to help liberate their countries. The Dutch resistance worked with allies by offering counterintelligence, communications, and domestic sabotage. In 1944, the south was liberated. However, it took eight more months to liberate the north.

Dutch Resistance Fighters On The Streets Of Breda After Its Liberation

The Wedding Of John F. Kennedy And Jacqueline Bouvier

Is it really a surprise to learn that John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy had a gorgeous wedding? They were the most beloved American couple at the time, after all. They got married in Rhode Island on September 12, 1953. The media paid them more attention than ever before! This was the closest to a royal wedding that the United States has ever seen. Fans waited outside St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in the hopes of stealing a glimpse of their idols. The couple was married by the Archbishop of Boston Richard Cushing after they received the blessing of Pope Pius XII.

The Wedding Of John F. Kennedy And Jacqueline Bouvier

Oscar Wilde Posing For The Camera In 1882

This is a photo of the man who wrote the brilliant “The Portrait Of Dorian Gray.” In 1882, Oscar Wilde crossed the point and explored different parts of the United States. Around that time, he gave 150 lectures and spoke to 200,000 people. He once visited a silver mine in Colorado. He narrated, “I dined with the men down there. They were great, strong, well-formed men, of graceful attitude and free motion. Poems everyone one of them. A complete democracy underground. I find people less rough and coarse in such places. There is no chance for roughness. The revolver is their book of etiquette.”

Oscar Wilde Posing For The Camera In 1882

King Ferdinand and Queen Marie of Romania In Dover, England

Marie of Romania was born in Edinburgh in 1875. In 1892, she got married to Crown Prince Ferdinand and became an Eastern European monarch. According to researchers, Ferdinand chose to ally with the English instead of Germany thanks to her. After spending over two decades in Romania, they went to Western Europe on a diplomatic tour in 1924. They went to Belgium, Switzerland, France, and the United Kingdom. “Apart from the common aims, which we pursue, there are other and dear ties between us. Her Majesty the Queen, my dear cousin, is British born,” King George V said about them.

King Ferdinand And Queen Marie Of Romania In Dover, England

Martin Luther King Jr. On Non-Violence

In the ‘50s and ‘60s, Martin Luther King Jr. was a leading figure in the Civil Rights Movement. He gave amazing speeches that demanded the end of segregation. Half a year after the March on Washington, he talked to a novelist called Robert Penn Warren about non-violence. “I think [violence and hatred] will end up creating many more social problems than they solve, and I’m thinking of a very strong love. I’m not, I’m thinking, I’m thinking of love in action and not something where you say, ‘Love your enemies,’ and just leave it at that, but you love your enemies to the point that you’re willing to sit-in at a lunch counter in order to help them find themselves. You’re willing to go to jail,” King told him.

Martin Luther King Jr. On Non Violence

John F. Kennedy And His Brother Robert F. Kennedy At The Democratic National Convention

Many people would say that the most significant Democrat National Conventional took place in July 1960. Senator John F. Kennedy earned the Democratic nomination with the help of his brother as his campaign manager. He earned the spot with his fiery attitude. This photo shows JFK telling Robert about his VP pick. Photographer John Loengard said, “I was doing a story on Bobby Kennedy. The morning after Jack was nominated, we went up to his room. The brothers talked very quietly, and Jack told Bobby he wasn’t going to choose [labor union leader] Walter Reuther for Vice President… I waited outside for Bobby to come out. When he did, he was furious. We were walking back down the stairs, and Bobby was hitting his hand like this, saying ‘Sh*t, sh*t, sh*t.’ You know, he really hated [Lyndon] Johnson.”

John F. Kennedy And His Brother Robert F. Kennedy At The Democratic National Convention

Princess Elizabeth Wanted To Help With The War Effort

At the height of the Second World War, everyone wanted to help with the war effort. Princess Elizabeth was not an exception to the rule! She pestered her father, the King, to allow her to help. When she turned 18 years old, she got permission to train as a truck driver and mechanic as a part of the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service. Now the Queen, it is neat to think that she wanted to do her part back then!

Princess Elizabeth Wanted To Help With The War Effort

Rosa Parks And Martin Luther King Jr. In Montgomery, Alabama

As a seamstress at a department store in Alabama, Rosa Parks got on a bus on the 1st of December 1955. As white passengers flooded the bus, she was asked to go to the back. She remained in her seat and got arrested for nothing more than being black. Her arrest resulted in a 13-month-long boycott of the city buses. This was one of the first and biggest acts of black activism back then. This did not only boost the Civil Rights movement, but it also shone the spotlight on Martin Luther King Jr.

Rosa Parks And Martin Luther King Jr. In Montgomery, Alabama

Isambard Kingdom Brunel Was “One Of The Most Prolific Figures In engineering History”

The man in the photo is Isambard Kingdom Brunel. This engineer devised the Great Western Railway, which is a series of tunnels, viaducts, and bridges running across the West Midlands and England. He did not only create a web-like railway, but he also designed tunnels, bridges, and ships meant to service the transatlantic. On top of that, he designed a ship called the Great Britain, which was the first iron-hulled passenger liner powered by a screw propeller and steam. He redesigned and built many major docks in Great Britain as well! He continued to work until he died on September 15, 1859.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel Was “One Of The Most Prolific Figures In Engineering History”

Titanic Twins Allegedly Did Not Have Surviving Parents

The RMS Titanic sank to the depths of the Atlantic Ocean on April 14, 1912. A lot of children on board were orphaned after their parents got lost in the sea. Michel and Edmond Navratil were French twins who survived by staying on the Collapsible D, which was the ninth and last of the life-saving vessels. Their dad took them to the boat, only to be told to stay on the sinking ship. The kids were meant to go back to France to live with their relatives. However, the authorities found out that their mom was still alive in Nice! She did not know that the father planned to covertly bring them to the United States.

Titanic Twins Allegedly Did Not Have Surviving Parents

The Most Important Thing To Leo Tolstoy In The End

This photo of Leo Tolstoy was taken two years before he passed away. At the time, he had been writing about his approaching demise and talked. He also talked about how he found love to be the most important thing. The writer passed away from pneumonia at the age of 82. Russian peasants took to the streets during the funeral procession even though the police tried to shoo them. “Love is life. Everything that I understand, I understand only because I love. Everything is, everything exists, only because I love. Everything is united by it alone. Love is God, and to die means that I, a particle of love, shall return to the general and eternal source,” he said.

The Most Important Thing To Leo Tolstoy In The End

American Athlete Jesse Owens At The Presentation Of His Long Jump Gold Medal

The 1936 Olympic Games had been hosted by Nazi Germany. The Amateur Athletic Union did not know if it was right for the United States to take part in the competition in Berlin. In the end, it was decided that American athletes would join in a smaller capacity. While the Civil Rights groups asked him not to compete, Jesse Owens wanted to show off his skills. He received an icy welcome upon his arrival. The viewers called him names and mistreated him. In the end, he made them eat their words by bagging four gold medals. This is more than any other American track and field athlete has at the Olympics!

American Athlete Jesse Owens At The Presentation Of His Long Jump Gold Medal

Winston Churchill And Charlie Chaplin Were Friends

Did you know that Winston Churchill was also a big Charlie Chaplin fan? While they were not on the same page politically, the two men held admiration for each other. In fact, Churchill brought Chaplin as his guest to Chartwell twice! When Churchill paid the United States a visit in 1929, the two of them spent some time together. They went to a party hosted by William Randolph Hearst and had dinner at the Bitmore Hotel. When Chaplin returned to England after the City Lights premiere, he visited Churchill and had dinner at his own home. They played with his kids and bantered about politics!

Winston Churchill And Charlie Chaplin Were Friends

Rita Hayworth On A Bike At The Beverly Hills Hotel

When Rita Hayworth entered Hollywood, starlets were following a template that would let them star in any film that would cast them. Born Margarita Carmen Cansino, she changed her name and thinned her hair. Impressively, she brought both joy and seriousness to her parts. “She had natural elegance. I saw that immediately, before they fixed her hair, something I may have contributed to did ask for Rita on her first loan‐out, ‘Susan and God,’ where she really had little to do. Yes, I knew, right away, she wasn’t just another pretty girl. Rita made some of her material better than it was,” said Director George Cukor.

Rita Hayworth On A Bike At The Beverly Hills Hotel

Giving A Fellow Hollywood Star The Side Eye

There is nothing new about Hollywood frenemies! Check out this photo, which shows Sophia Loren with her head perched next to the bust of Jayne Mansfield. It seemed like the latter crashed a party of sorts! The truth was that this was taken during a Paramount party that was supposed to celebrate the stateside arrival of the Italian star. It took place in Beverly Hills in 1957. Seated beside Clifton Webb, the celebrant was seen bombarded by her colleague’s assets. This was probably a publicity stunt for Jayne Mansfield, although Loren was caught in the shot. Loren said that she could not tear her eyes away from Mansfield. On top of that, she has always declined to sign prints of this particular photo.

Giving A Fellow Hollywood Star The Side Eye

An Iranian Woman Hanging Out At The Beach In The ‘60s

Did you know that women were not allowed to don traditional veils prior to the Islamic Revolution of 1979? The police removed headscarves if they came across them! Back then, women wore Westernized clothes such as miniskirts, short-sleeved tops, and jeans. The ladies liked to look nice when they held picnics and went to the beach. “Picnics are an important part of Iranian culture and are very popular amongst the middle classes. This has not changed since the revolution. The difference is, nowadays, men and women sitting together are much more self-aware and show more restraint in their interactions,” shared a Tehran University professor by the name of Haleh Afshar.

An Iranian Woman Hanging Out At The Beach In The ‘60s

Grace Kelly Was Once Told That Her Chin Was “Too Wide”

In only a matter of five years, Grace Kelly went from zero to hero. Once she became a famous actress, she went to be a literal princess. Her father was a three-time Olympic gold medalist with his own construction company, while her mother was a cover model and champion swimmer. She decided to pave her own way as a model once she graduated from high school. She found it hard to get a big break even though she was gorgeous and intelligent. Luckily, things changed for her after she landed a role in Mogambo!

Grace Kelly Was Once Told That Her Chin Was “Too Wide”

Malcolm X meets Muhammad Ali

By 1962, Muhammad Ali was already a brash 20-year-old boxer and winner of two national Golden Glove titles. He also had won an Olympic gold medal! This was not the first time the two had met, it was in fact before a Nation of Islam rally in June 1962. In mid-January 1964, Malcolm X came with his wife and three daughters to visit Cassius Clay in Miami. who was at the time training for his chance to win the heavyweight title against fearsome champion Sonny Listo

Malcolm X meets Muhammad Ali

A German soldier duo and their donkey

We all know the role animals played during the war. They were used to transport injured soldiers, weapons and ammunition back and forth and between checkpoints. They were also used to clear the land. Horses, donkeys, mules, dogs and many other animals were used during the terrible events of the war. The soldiers depicted were prepared for their upcoming battle; even her horse was prepared too.

A German Soldier Duo And Their Donkey

A Russian sniper

The Russian sniper pictured below is Roza Georgiyevna Shanina. She was an active sniper during World War II and was just one of many Russian women active in the military at the time. However, she was special. As a volunteer, she was a sniper. By the end of the war she had 59 confirmed kills, some feats. She was tragically killed in 1945 during the East Prussian offensive.

Princess Elizabeth, 1940

Before becoming monarch of the United Kingdom, Elizabeth was once a princess and a teenager. If you look down, you’ll see a photo of her reading a book and casually relaxing by the window in a beautiful casual dress. The attention to detail in the coloring of this photo is quite amazing.

Princess Elizabeth, 1940

1938 National Rice Festival

We love how coloring interesting events from the past really breathes new life into certain moments. Check out a man cooking at the 1938 National Rice Festival below. The new color delivers a different story than would have been seen in black and white.

1938 National Rice Festival

Kidnapped

Olive Oatman was kidnapped in 1851 while traveling through what is now Arizona by Native Americans who had just beaten her family to death in front of them. After the attackers sold her to the Mohave people, she spent four years in captivity before being returned to white society – still with the facial tattoo she received during her captivity.

Kidnapped

Honest Marilyn

Portrait of Marilyn Monroe taken by Richard Avedon, considered by some to be the most honest picture of her ever taken.

Honest Marilyn

Scalped

Robert McGee was permanently disfigured after being scalped by a Sioux tribe in 1864 when he was a 13-year-old orphan.

Scalped

Nazi children

Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels performs the Heil Hitler salute while watching his daughters do the same at a state Christmas party in Berlin, 1937.

Nazi children

Al Capone

Al Capone after being arrested trying to enter Miami, Florida. He was caught by the city police trying to keep the notorious gangster away.

Al Capone

The Hindenburg is burning

The German airship Hindenburg bursts into flames in Manchester Township, New Jersey, May 6, 1937 after static electricity ignited the hydrogen gas keeping the ship afloat.

The Hindenburg is burning

The murder of Franz Ferdinand

Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie leave Sarajevo City Hall on June 28, 1914. They were murdered five minutes later. Her assassination was the trigger for Austria-Hungary’s declaration of war on Serbia, which later sparked World War I.

The murder of Franz Ferdinand

Airy break

“Lunch on the Skyscraper”. Workers take their lunch break atop a steel beam atop the 70-story RCA Building in Rockefeller Center, more than 800 feet above the street. September 20, 1932.

Airy break

David Bowie in a different way

Mug shot of David Bowie following his arrest for marijuana possession after performing in Rochester, New York, along with three other people – including fellow musician Iggy Pop. The charges were dropped, but Bowie never performed again in Rochester. 1976

David Bowie in a different way

Failed Theft

The bodies of two would-be thieves named Robert Green and Jacob Jagendorf after a failed robbery attempt that ended when they accidentally fell down the building’s elevator shaft. New York. 1915

Failed Theft

Presidential Participation

On October 3, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln is pictured with Major General John A. McClernand (right) and Allan Pinkerton (left), a renowned military intelligence agent who is credited with creating the Secret Service.

Presidential Participation

Post Civil-War

The American West was mostly inhabited after the Civil War by freed slaves who sought to escape their past while simultaneously looking for a brighter future in a region where the ingrained and inflexible prejudices of the East held less influence over their lives.

Post Civil War

Mugshot

The photograph of Laura Belle Devlin, who used a hacksaw to kill and mutilate her 75-year-old husband, dumping part of his pieces in the wood stove and the rest in their backyard. Ohio’s Newark in 1947.

Mugshot

The Chief

Chief John Smith, also known as Kahbe Nagwi Wens, or “Wrinkle Meat,” was a Native American from the Chippewa tribe in Cass Lake, Minnesota. Disputed stories stated that he lived till the age of 137 before passing away in 1922.

The Chief

Ra-Ra-Rasputin

Grigori Rasputin, a Siberian mystic who rose to prominence in Russia prior to the 1917 revolution as a result of his connections to the aristocracy is pictured here in about 1910. He was eventually made a scapegoat and killed in 1916 due to opposition of his influence over both Alexandra, the Tzar’s wife, and Nicholas the Tzar himself.

Ra Ra Rasputin

Verdun

During a World War I onslaught against the Verdun fortification, French soldiers are seen here on the battlefield. More than 700,000 people died or were injured in total during this fight, with deaths distributed approximately even between the French and German armies.

Verdun

Ace Of Spades

Following his assassination at the hands of notorious criminal Charles “Lucky” Luciano in a Coney Island restaurant, mafia boss Joe Masseria holds the ace of spades, also known as “the death card,” in his hand. This picture is from 1931, Brooklyn.

Ace Of Spades

Sub-Plot

Lewis Powell, age 21, was detained on April 17, 1865 in Washington, D.C. for the attempted murder of Secretary of State William H. Seward as part of a broader conspiracy that included the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Powell was placed in a brig on board a U.S. Naval ship.

Sub Plot

The Luckiest Man On The Face Of The Earth

Baseball great Lou Gehrig after delivering his “The Luckiest Man on the Face of the Earth” speech at Yankee Stadium on July 4th, 1939. Gehrig had recently been diagnosed with ALS, prompting him to retire from baseball before taking his life two years later.

The Luckiest Man On The Face Of The Earth

Christmas Truce

The Christmas Truce, a series of unofficial cease-fires along the Western Front of World War I around Christmas 1914, featured soldiers playing football in no-man’s land. They do say that football/soccer brings people together…

Christmas Truce

Mata Hari Was A True Icon

The gorgeous Mata Hari was a spy and dancer who took the world by storm. People have called her a feminist, a courtesan, a spy wannabee, and more! Regardless of these labels, we know that her story is difficult to replicate. She had no qualms about diving into exciting ventures, although it resulted in her undoing as well. This is what Ted Brandsen, the National Ballet director and choreographer, had to say about her: “What fascinated us is the story of a woman with an incredible lust for life and a powerful instinct to survive, and to reinvent herself and to transform herself. She had a lot of horrible things happen to her and she managed to somehow give a spin to it and find her way out.”

Mata Hari Was A True Icon

Marilyn Monroe Is Pretty In Pink

Harold Lloyd took this saucy photo of the film star for Life Magazine in 1952. This was the first photo collab between the two, but it was not the last. A year after this, the two of them worked together once more. This time, it was for a swimsuit spread that was taken at Greenacres, his estate. Marilyn Monroe had a lot of fun with him since the estate offered her isolation, which she needed. His daughter said that she was a great house guest: “She was my age, or maybe a year or two younger, but we came from very different worlds. She sat down to put on her makeup, and we just started chatting about our lives. She insisted on seeing the baby and talked about how she dreamed of having a child of her own one day.”

Marilyn Monroe Is Pretty In Pink

Teenage German Soldier In Distress After His Capture

It is difficult to look for a Second World War photo that is not emotionally charged. Take a look at this photo of a 16-year-old German soldier called Hans-Georg Henke. This was taken after the US 9th Army captured him on April 3, 1945. His parents apparently died the year before this, and the tragedy made him join the Luftwaffe to support the rest of the family. John Florea, the photographer, said that the boy had been crying and in shock. He was a young boy who felt the worst of the war, so it is understandable.

Teenage German Soldier In Distress After His Capture

The Gorgeous Elizabeth Taylor While Taping Giant In 1956

Elizabeth Taylor definitely lived an amazing life. She kicked off her acting career in 1941, but she only got her big break in the ‘50s after she starred in Giant alongside Rock Hudson and James Dean. The actress once said that she did not watch her films but enjoyed the memories she had of making them. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Giant. I don’t look at old movies of myself. I don’t even look at new ones of myself. But I loved Jimmy and I loved Rock. And I was the last person Jimmy was with before he drove to his death…But that was a private, personal moment,” she said.

The Gorgeous Elizabeth Taylor While Taping Giant In 1956

Hawaiian Night Fishing, 1948

What a stunning photo! Can you imagine what it must be like to wade out into the water with a live flame over your head? This is even more amazing when you consider that this man was using a spear to fish. For generations, Hawaiians have used spears when fishing in shallow waters. They often use strong woods like koai’e, uhiuhi, o’a, and kauila. They are often six to seven feet long and come with a pointed end. The fishermen attracted fish with the light of the torches, which was made using coconut leaves stuck to their homemade poles. When they needed it to be brighter, they burned nuts in bamboo.

Hawaiian Night Fishing, 1948