I don’t mean this to be rude, but if you don’t like history, you clearly don’t have good taste. That, or your high school history class failed you. Either way, I feel sorry for you, and I’m going to change your mind today by means of some mind-blowing historical images.
I scoured the depths of the internet and did a ton of research to find some mind-blowing images that’ll make your brain melt. And I did not disappoint. So buckle up and get ready to travel back to the past.
1.
The Great Paris Flood of 1910 was a huge devastation that lasted for several months. Along with tons of rain, water levels in the Seine just kept rising until the city was completely flooded. Here’s an average day during the flood, with a terrifyingly wobbly makeshift sidewalk that’s making my stomach drop:
2.
Marie Curie (1867–1934) is arguably the greatest female scientist of all time. She was mainly a physicist and chemist, and made huge discoveries in the field of radioactivity. Well, here’s her in her lab. The most shocking parts of this, to me, are a) how barren and technology-less the lab looks, and b) the fact that she’s wearing a dress.
3.
In this image taken in London in 1940 (the middle of World War II, for those who need a refresher), people are lining up to use a “mobile laundry.” Essentially, they’re carrying their dirty clothes to be washed in a laundromat running out of a car.
4.
Certainly when you think of Michael Jackson, you think of him during his peak era in the ’80s–’90s. Or perhaps you remember him as a young child as part of the Jackson 5. Well, this photo captures MJ in that sort of in-between phase. It’s from 1979, the year of Michael’s “pop star breakthrough” with his album Off the Wall. So you could say this is one of the last known photos of Michael before his entry into super-stardom. He was only 20 years old at the time.
5.
Believe it or not, Marilyn Monroe is actually swimming naked in this photo from May 26, 1962 — it was for a scene in Something’s Got to Give, a movie she was starring in. But unfortunately, the movie was never finished because of Marilyn’s shocking death in August 1962.
6.
Speaking of Marilyn Monroe’s overdose and subsequent passing on August 4, 1962, here is the notice the police posted on her front door on that very day. The photo was taken at her house in Los Angeles, where she died.
7.
This marine troop in World War II is a key example of the haunting phenomenon “thousand yard stare” — where severely traumatized individuals appear blank, unfocused, and withdrawn of all emotion. This particular troop had been fighting for two straight days and nights when this photo was taken.
8.
I don’t know about you, but I’m always fascinated by a protest photo. And boy, did I find an interesting one for you. This photo displays a July 1950 protest against hoarding, led by the Transport Workers Union. Essentially, their goal was for “greedy” people to stop buying in excess, leading to higher prices. The signs are fascinating: “Be patriotic, but only what you need.” “Don’t be a food hog.”
9.
Also from the ’50s, this picture was taken at a “Tupperware party” — essentially, an event where a Tupperware salesperson travelled to people’s houses and put on a show to sell products. They were highly social, glamourous events, and very female-focused, because Tupperware’s main target market at the time was housewives.
10.
Here’s one of Thomas Edison’s most-famous inventions, developed in 1890. Got any guesses as to what the heck it is? I’ll tell ya. It’s the world’s first motion picture camera. Intricate and heavy-duty, this one gets more interesting the longer you stare at it…because it’s hard to tell what the heck is going on.
11.
In this 1937 photo, a man named Dr. Thornwell Jacobs is preparing items to be included in a huge time capsule he founded, titled the Crypt of Civilization (dramatic, I know). The time capsule is still buried as we speak, and won’t be opened until the year 8113 (6,117 years after it was buried). Some of the items he included were: gum, a drink, newspapers, a projector, a phonograph, and recorded speeches from important figures at the time.
12.
I know what you’re thinking: What the heck is that guy wearing? Is he a robot? Nope. He’s actually trying on a prototype for protective gear for World War I, back in 1917 in the UK. The gear he’s testing in this image would be refined and later given to soldiers in the war to wear in battle.
13.
This one is dark, so bare with me…but it’s also seriously jaw-dropping. This photo from 1928 displays an American man sentenced to death by electric chair, and we’re seeing his final moments of life in this image. As he’s sitting in the chair and the operator prepares to start it up, a priest is giving his “last blessing” to the man.
14.
In the Prohibition era of the 1920s, local police in many countries around the world placed bans on alcohol. This led to hidden speakeasies, where people would drink in secret — but “alcohol raids” by the police intended to catch them red-handed. In this image, we can see two men conducting an booze raid on a speakeasy.
15.
The Alcatraz Escape of 1962 was a *huge* scandal, and it’s a mystery that remains unsolved…shudder. Until it shut down in 1963, Alcatraz was known as the “world’s most secure prison” — it was literally located on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Many prisoners tried to escape over the years, but only three ever succeeded. This is the cell of one of the inmates who escaped. You’ll notice the “dummy head” on the bed, which they made purposefully to aid their escape.
16.
Of course, we all know the story of the Titanic inside out. But I bet you’ve never seen this photo of survivors from the Titanic aboard the RMS Carpathia, the ship that rescued many of them after the disaster in 1912. Here’s what their days (and nights) looked like after the Titanic sank:
17.
You never think of ultra-famous people like The Beatles just sitting in an airport, but I guess it happened…because in this photo from 1964, Paul, John, and George are doing just that: chilling in the London Airport. Our precious Paul is signing an autograph for a staff member who worked there.
18.
In 1911, the Mona Lisa was infamously stolen by a man named Vincenzo Peruggia. He performed the “greatest art theft of the 20th century,” essentially just taking the Mona Lisa from the Louvre and walking out with it in his arm. Plain and simple, yet clearly effective. The incident is one of the key reasons why the Mona Lisa is now so famous. Anyway, this is a photo of Vincenzo’s apartment that year, which was where he hid the Mona Lisa after stealing it:
19.
Celebrating New Year’s Eve in Times Square in New York City is honestly an age-old tradition at this point, but have you ever wondered what it looked like back in the day? A lot simpler, and honestly, a lot more fun. I’ll let this photo of people ringing in 1938 do the talking, though.
20.
You might recognize young John F. Kennedy in this image from the 1930s. He’s sitting beside his longtime best friend Lem Billings, who was also one of his college roommates. They were on vacation in The Netherlands at the time, and as for the dog in the photo, they bought him together for $7 during this trip.
21.
Dubbed the “Cliff House,” this seven-story resort was located in San Francisco. It was built in 1896, and this photo is from 1902, just five years before it tragically burned down in 1907. The Cliff House resort was an extremely exclusive place to stay when it was first built; so much that three presidents stayed there.
22.
We rarely, if ever, get to see a famous painter behind the scenes, creating one of their famous works. In this picture, British portrait artist Sir Leslie Ward is doing just that. And what makes this photo even better is knowing that the model is Sir Leslie Ward’s daughter Sylvia.
23.
Queen Elizabeth II reigned for 70 years, from 1952 until her death in 2022, making her the longest-reigning British monarch in history. This photo is from her coronation on June 2, 1953 at Westminster Abbey in London.
Which historical image shocked you the most? Any other historical events you’d love to see photos from? Let me know in the comments below and I’ll make it happen!
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