Historical Photos That Will Make You Look at the World Differently

Old photographs allow us to look back on history and see what life was really like back then. Whether it’s from a family vacation or on the battlefield during a war, photographs are worth a thousand words. These are some historical photos that will make you look at the world a little differently.

O.J. Simpson Car Chase

Football player, O.J. Simpson, was accused of murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Brown, and her friend, Ron Goldman, in 1994. When the police went to pick him up, he jumped in his white Bronco and sent the police on a wild car chase through California. There were a record 95 million people watching the chase live on television.

Goodbye Kiss

Before these soldiers left for Egypt in 1963 to fight in the North Yemen Civil War, they kissed their ladies goodbye through the port holes in the ship.

Olive Oatman

Olive Oatman survived a dangerous life. When Yavapai Indians killed her family in 1851, she was taken as a slave and held hostage when she was just 13 years old. After a year, she was sold to the Mohave Indian tribe, where they tattooed her face with blue ink. At the age of 19, she was let go to return to society.

Body Inspection

Women have always been held to high beauty standards. This photo shows a gym teacher examining the bodies of her female students and critiquing things that are wrong and what they need to work on.

Golden Gate Bridge

The Golden Gate Bridge may be the most famous bridge in the world. However, it wasn’t always there. This is a picture during construction of the bridge in 1934.

Plane Ride

In 1969, flying on a plane was for the rich and famous. They were served elaborate meals, sometimes even buffet style. They were really treated like royalty up in the skies.

Death of Stalin

Under Joseph Stalin’s rule, he killed millions of people. So, when he died in 1953, people celebrated in every way possible. This shop owner served free borsht to celebrate the totalitarian leader’s death.

Fresh Air

In 1957, school was taught in an outdoor classroom in the Netherlands. Open air schools opened between WWI and WWII. The thought was that children should have fresh air to avoid tuberculosis.

Protest

Just a few days after the Iranian Revolution, 100,000 women took to the streets to protest the requirement of wearing hijabs in 1979.

Ashamed

Hitler may be the most evil person to have ever lived. He killed millions of people systematically and many soldiers lost their lives. When the war ended, German soldiers were shown footage of what went on in the concentration camps. You can see how ashamed and mortified they were.

Assassination by Sword

A seventeen-year-old boy, Otoya Yamaguchi, assassinated Japan’s socialist leader Inejiro Asanuma, with a sword on live television. He was arrested and committed suicide in prison just weeks later.

Vietnam War

We often see photos of the Vietnam War, but here we have a photo of the effect it had on President Lyndon Johnson. Some of his family members were serving in the war. You can see how stressed out and broken down he was.

Apollo 8 Landing

In 1968, Apollo 8 landed safely back on Earth after being the first space ship to carry astronauts into space and orbit around the moon. This photo is of the wives of the astronauts on the ship cheering for the successful mission and landing.

Deadwood

The small town of Deadwood in South Dakota became chaotic when news of gold in the French Creek spread. Thousands of people from across the country traveled to Deadwood to search for gold.

Easter Eggs

During a war, you need to have some kind of fun to keep the mood light. These soldiers decided to write “Easter Eggs for Hitler” on bombs they were going to drop on the enemy.

New Shoes

Being in war means hard financial times for some people. This little boy received his first new pair of shoes in years after WWII ended in Austria.

Mussolini’s Eyes

This billboard was posted outside of Mussolini’s National Fascist Party headquarters in Palazzo Braschi. He was known for strong propaganda that swayed voters to his side. It definitely worked because he received 99.84% of the votes in the election.

The Sphinx

The Great Sphinx of Gaza was built in Egypt around 2558-2532 B.C. However, it wasn’t discovered until the 1860’s. Can you imagine being the one to discover this mythical creature?

Prohibition No More

The end of the Prohibition Era and the 18^th Amendment was a time to celebrate in the United States. In 1919, the government made alcohol illegal, but repealed the amendment in 1933.

Unbroken Seal

This is a photo of the unbroken seal of King Tutankhamun’s tomb in Egypt. Discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter, this was one of the only Ancient Egyptian tombs that had never been broken into. The doors hadn’t been opened in 3,245 years when it was first discovered.

Strongest Trio

This is a photo of Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill in 1943 at the Tehran Conference. They were referred to as the “big three” because they were powerful political figures, especially during WWII.

Air Pollution

In 1966, New York City was one of the most polluted cities in the world. People had to admit to themselves that humans caused pollution and destroyed the earth. Thanks to Rachel Carson’s book, Silent Spring, people took notice and the Environmental Protection Agency was created in 1970.

War Pets

Serving in a war has intense mental effects on soldiers. So, soldiers would do anything they could to keep their hopes up and happy. This particular soldier in WWII adopted a kitten while in the trenches to make him happy.

Princess Diana

The world was shocked when Princess Diana died in a terrible car accident in Paris in 1997. Here she is with her son, Prince Harry, in 1992 at Thorpe Theme Park. She tried her best to give her sons a normal life.

Studying Students

These female college students are studying math while enjoying the weather outside. It wasn’t too common to see women in college classrooms in the 1960s, but these women were ready to make a career for themselves.

Gun Women

Many people were needed in WWII, so these women were recruited as snipers in 1945. These twelve women of the 3^rd Shock Army killed 775 soldiers from the enemy’s side.

Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe visited American soldiers in Korea during the war to boost their morale and perform on stage for them. She did 10 shows on military bases while on her honeymoon in Japan with husband Joe DiMaggio.

Lost in the Great Depression

Finding a job during the Great Depression was difficult for everyone. Even this talented and qualified man had trouble finding a job during the economic disaster.

KKK Carnival

The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is notorious for their white supremacist views. This photo from 1925 in Colorado shows members of the KKK enjoying a ride on a Ferris wheel.

Judy Garland

Judy Garland was just sixteen years old when she filmed The Wizard of Oz. Here she is on set taking a break from filming reading a copy of LIFE magazine with some munchkins behind her.

Jesse Owens

Jesse Owens won four gold medals during the Berlin Olympics in 1936, proving Hitler’s Aryan theory wrong. During the Nazi era in Germany, Jesse Owens became the most successful athlete in the world.

Young Ben Stiller

This is a photo of a young Ben Stiller with his father after seeing a Broadway show in New York. Little did he know that he would become one of the most recognizable comedians in the world.

Awkward Kiss

During the Berlin Olympics in 1936, a woman named Carla De Vries surprisingly kissed Hitler and then asked for his autograph.

Hiroshima, Japan

This is a before and after photo of Hiroshima, Japan when the atomic bomb was dropped by the United States. The bomb killed 90,000 to 146,000 people, most of them civilians.

Dog Days

It’s always been fun to dress up pets, even back in the 1940s when soldiers were getting ready for battle.

Different Cultures

Here you can see a group of Samurai with the Great Sphinx in 1864. They were on their way to France when they decided to stop and take a photo with the iconic sculpture. It’s so amazing to see such different cultures in one place.

King of Rock and Roll

Elvis Presley may be one of the most famous musicians in history. However, when he enrolled in the army in 1958, he insisted that he be treated like every other soldier in his unit and declined performing for the troops He served for two years before returning to America and continuing his music career.

Declaring War

Just after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, Hitler decided to declare war on the United States. Before this declaration, America was neutral. Now they had to defend themselves.

John Lennon in India

While The Beatles spent some time in India to find their inner selves again, John Lennon can be seen trying to find a pick he lost in his guitar while playing. This trip would influence their music boost their fame even more.

V-Day

On May 9, 1945, Germany surrendered in WWII causing countries across the world to celebrate. This photo shows Moscow celebrating the end of the war.

Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix may be the most talented guitarist ever. Here is a photo of Hendrix playing guitar while serving in the army. He decided to enlist when he was given the option of either going to jail or serving in the army.

Motivational Posters

Motivational posters during WWII looked a little different. It served as a reminder for what the soldiers should be doing daily and keep them motivated to fight and win the war.

HMS Daphne

The HMS Daphne was a ship made to police Arab ships taking slaves from Zanzibar to Aden. The British Royal Navy embarked on a journey in 1868 along the east coast of Africa to stop slavery.

Chinese Woman in WWII

After the Pearl Harbor attack, Americans became suspicious of the Japanese. So, this Chinese woman made sure to wave her Chinese flag while on the beach so Americans wouldn’t bother her or accuse her of the attack.

Operation Danube

Operation Danube involved Poland, Bulgaria, East Germany, Hungary, and the Soviet Union invading Czechoslovakia to stop Alexander Dubček, the First Secretary of the Communist Party in 1968.

Fall of Communism in Albania

When communism fell in Albania, thousands of refugees jumped on the Vlora and found themselves in Bari, Italy to start a new life.

Artwork

While visiting the San Francisco Museum of Art in 1963, these two little girls were more interested in the air vent than the two pieces of artwork hanging on the wall.

Last Photo of the Titanic

John Morrogh took the last known photo of the Titanic before it sank in 1912. It had just left Queensland, Ireland and was making its way to New York City. Unfortunately, after hitting an iceberg, the unsinkable ship sank and killed 1,514 people.

Saving the Children

In 1975 when Saigon fell in Vietnam, 10,300 babies were brought to the United States in what was called “Operation Babylift.” These babies were eventually adopted by American families. However, not all of these babies were orphaned.

Flight Attendant Uniform

A designer for flight attendant uniforms for a Scandinavian airline went a little too far with this outfit. The airline was looking to make the flight more enjoyable, so this is what the designer had in mind.

Giant Manta Ray

In 1933 Captain A.L. Kahn captured a 5,000 pound manta ray off the coast of New Jersey.

Flight Attendants

Back in the day, flight attendants were able to relax more and have some fun. There weren’t as many passengers and only the rich could afford to fly anywhere.

Boxing on the Roof

In 1938, a group of women performed boxing matches for a variety show called Radio Pictures Chorus Girls. This is one of their rehearsals before filming.

Catalogues

People wanted to keep some kind of normalcy during WWII. So, Sears and Roebuck made sure that their Christmas catalogues went out in 1942. They sent out over 1,000 catalogues.

Tennis to the Extreme

This is a photo of aerial acrobats Gladys Roy and Ivan Unger standing on the wings of a plane in 1925 pretending to play tennis. Talk about an extreme sport.

Bullet Bra

The bullet bra was all the rage in the 1940s and 1950s. Stars like Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor helped make the look popular. We just hope this trend never comes back.

Marilyn Monroe’s First Marriage

Marilyn Monroe married James Dougherty when she was just 16 years old. However, the marriage fell apart because James didn’t like that Marilyn wanted to have a career of her own.

Romani People

During WWII, Hitler despised the Romani people in Europe. So, he had Heinrich Himmler gather them and put them in forced labor and imprisonment camps during the war.

First Flight

This is a photo of the Wright Brothers’ first flight. It lasted for 12 seconds and flew 120 feet in 1903. Their next flight later that day would last a total of 59 seconds.

Children For Sale

When this Chicago mother couldn’t afford to take care of her four children, she had to put them up for sale. She was also pregnant with her fifth child at the time.

Mount St. Helens

In 1980, the volcano Mount St. Helens erupted in Washington state. It killed 57 people and caused tons of damage. It’s one of the worst natural disasters to ever happen in the United States.

The Year 2000

In 1900, Theodor Hildebrand & Son chocolate factory created this postcard of what they thought life in the year 2000 would be like.

Fire of San Francisco

After an earthquake in 1906, a large fire started in San Francisco and killed 3,000 people and caused millions of dollars worth of damage within the city.

Artificial Intelligence

Chess master Garry Kasparov was unbeatable until 1997 when IBM’s computer Deep Blue beat him in a came of chess. This was the moment the world recognized that artificial intelligence could be smarter than humans.

Baby Boomers

After WWII ended, 76 million babies were born in the United States between 1946 and 1964. They now create 20% of America’s population and are known as Baby Boomers.

Body Building

This is a photo of the father of bodybuilding, Eugen Sandow. In 1900 people believed that the movement to sedentary lifestyles would cause people to be out of shape. So, Sandow introduced bodybuilding to gain muscle and strength.

Pablo Escobar’s Home

Colombian drug lord, Pablo Escobar, was known for his smuggling of cocaine. He would make $21.9 billion every year. So, he bought this home to relax and do business in.

Flying First Class

It wasn’t until the 1960s that flying first class was offered. If people wanted to spend the extra money, they could be served elegant food and have a luxurious flight to their destination.

Political Power Couple

Here is a young Bill and Hillary Clinton in 1971. They met at Yale University and have been together ever since.

If you have your own photos you’d like to digitize, take a look at this scanning slide business.