I love history. Not only does it totally distract me from the issues going on in my everyday life, but there’s also an infinite number of fascinating stories to learn about. Plus, thankfully cameras have been around for the past 200 years to capture some incredible, important, and sometimes odd events. Admittedly, I never realized how fascinating history was when I had to take it in school, but clearly past me never went down a history-themed internet rabbit hole.
So for a bit of intrigue, I decided to compile some fascinating historical photos that had my jaw on the floor. Get ready for some “oooh”s and “ahhh”s, because here we go! History awaits us!
1.
You might’ve heard of Robert Wadlow, the tallest man in the world — he was 8’11”. (Whew, I’m a 5’10” woman, and I thought I was tall. I swear, I’ll never complain about it ever again.) If you’re having trouble wrapping your brain around that, just wait until you see this photo of him in a courtroom from 1939.
2.
Confession: I’ve actually never seen the Titanic movie — but before you click away, please know I’m still a big fan of the story, and it’s at the top of my watchlist. Here we can see the actual Titanic ship in construction in 1910, two full years before it set sail.
3.
This photo shows the very first McDonald’s restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois in 1955. Although the golden arches look a bit different here, they’re definitely still there. And I’m honestly obsessed with their tagline: “Speedee service system.”
4.
Albert Einstein had the greatest mind of the 20th century, if not all time. Here’s what his desk looked like on the day of his death, on April 18, 1955:
5.
Speaking of Albert Einstein, here’s a crossover I bet you never expected: Albert Einstein and legendary actor Charlie Chaplin in 1931, at the premiere of Charlie’s movie City Lights. Next to them is Einstein’s wife Elsa. What these three chatted about, I wish we knew.
6.
You haven’t seen nearly enough movies if you don’t instantly recognize the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) lion roar. And lucky for us, we’ve got a behind-the-scenes view of that intro being recorded, from 1928. They didn’t know it yet, but this cameraman and sound technician were making history in this photo — along with, of course, our beloved MGM lion.
7.
I guess all the cafeteria tables were full, because these steel workers at the Rockefeller Center in 1932 decided to have lunch on top of the skyscraper. They’re quite literally just hanging out, 800 feet above street level.
8.
Here’s a truly chilling image from a civil rights protest on March 29, 1968, just a few days before Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. This protest happened on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee, where many famous protests have happened since then.
9.
This action shot is much more than meets the eye — it’s from 1966, three years after The Beatles’ first album came out, and displays fans mobbing John Lennon, who stands on the left. We can see fans trying to grab him, and policemen trying to control the fans.
10.
Many of us (ahem, me) have been to Disneyland before. Well, this photo is from the opening day of Disneyland in 1955. In the photo, we can see Walt Disney himself piloting the Disneyland steamboat, alongside Mickey Mouse, of course.
11.
2025 marked the 97th year of the Oscars. On May 16, 1929, the very first Oscars was held — then called the Academy Awards banquet. It took place at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, and here’s what it looked like:
12.
Jaws is now a certified classic, and if you weren’t there for its release, this photo teaches us just how big the Jaws craze was when it came out. Taken in Ann Arbor, Michigan on July 14, 1975, almost a full month after the movie’s release, shows just how popular it was.
13.
Even if you’re not American, you definitely studied Abraham Lincoln. Well, this is a real campaign poster he used in 1860 during the election, before serving as president from 1861–1865.
14.
Princess Diana was only 13 in this photo, taken in the summer of 1974. She’s in Scotland at her mother’s house here, alongside a pony named Souffle.
15.
After World War II, Christian Dior debuted his “New Look” collection in 1947, featuring ultra-long skirts for women. Many women saw the style as a step backward — more restrictive and way less liberating — and the heavy use of fabric felt super wasteful in the post-war years. Women protested the trend, including this demonstration held right outside Dior’s hotel.
16.
Victory over Japan Day, or V-J day, August 15, 1945, was the final ending to World War II. As you can expect, the celebrations were numerous… But I’m sure you’ve never seen a crowd like this. Here’s what Times Square looked like at the time:
17.
This one is wild, so get ready. In this 1961 snapshot from the Cleopatra movie set, Elizabeth Taylor is sitting on her then-husband Eddie Fisher’s lap. Standing next to them is none other than Richard Burton, her costar in the film. Now, get this: In 1964, Elizabeth left Eddie to marry Richard. So this picture has a *lot* of tea hidden inside it.
18.
Prepare for your stomach to drop. In the 1880s in Paris, the Eiffel Tower was in construction, and painters were putting their finishing touches on the structure. In this picture, a rather daring worker hangs off the tower, with one leg and one arm off — and, yep, NO HARNESS.
19.
In this 1962 photo, two performers in drag are arrested by a police officer on charges of “masquerading and indecent exposure” at the National Variety Artists’ Exotic Carnival and Ball in New York. The Stonewall Riots occurred in the same area 7 years later.
20.
In 1910, the Great Flood of Paris took over the city. Caused primarily by heavy rainfall, it lasted two whole months, and five people died. Here’s a rare photo from the flood, where we can see a man on his balcony:
21.
Before she was a world-famous movie star and sex symbol, Marilyn Monroe went by her real name, Norma Jeane Baker. She got married to her first husband, Jim Dougherty, at only 16 years old (he was 21). This photo is from their wedding in 1942. (And if you’re curious, they got divorced in 1946.)
22.
I’m sure you’ve read all about Anne Frank, a young Jewish girl whose later-published diary chronicled her years of hiding from the Nazis in an attic during World War II. Her father, Otto Frank, was the only one who survived after her family was caught and taken to concentration camps near the end of the war. In this photo from 1979 (on what would be Anne’s 50th birthday), Otto is showing the attic to Queen Juliana of The Netherlands.
23.
The first ever television broadcast in the United States happened in this picture, on April 7, 1927 — and it took over 1000 workers to complete. We can see Walter Sherman Gifford, president of the AT&T Corporation (AKA the American Telephone and Telegraph Company), sitting down, watching the broadcast of Herbert Hoover, who would become president two years later.
24.
The first Miss America pageant happened in 1921, and it’s safe to say the style was totally different than it is now. In this photo, the contestants are wearing their sashes over their bathing suits. In case you’re wondering who the winner was, it was Miss Washington, DC, second from the left.
25.
I may or may not have shed a tear looking at this photo, but there’s a good reason for it: This is one of the last-known photos of a Tasmanian tiger. The species of animals went extinct in 1936, largely due to hunting by European settlers. This picture is from Tasmania, Australia, in 1933.
26.
Helen Keller was a disability activist, author, and teacher who lost her sight and hearing as a baby. This is what she looked like at 75 years old, doing chores in the kitchen.
27.
This is what one of Apple’s first computers looked like. This particular model predates the Macintosh — you know, the first mega-successful, changed-the-course-of-history Apple computer that came out in 1984. This early version of the Macintosh is from 1981. And truly, the more you look at it, the more fascinating it is.
Which photo shocked you the most? Any other historical events you’d love to see photos from? Tell me in the comments below!
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