From unsolved mysteries to never-seen-before photos of the rich and famous, this all-in-one gallery will leave you with all the feels. We have highlighted the best moments throughout history with rare imagery that will change the way you see the past forever. If you like history, we have a recently uncovered photo of the Titanic with a priest praying over the victims right before the ship went down. If you are into Hollywood stars, we have Brigitte Bardot exposed as you've never seen her before. Some of these photographs are candid shots of celebrities in poses, situations, and company you would never expect.
Other images capture big moments in our history. Which one will shock you most? From some of the best athletes of our times to compromised world leaders these photographs will make you laugh, cry and something in between.
They say there are two sides to every story and these photos show that what you learn in the history books isn't always the exact truth. A picture is worth a thousand words and these images certainly don't need any extra explanation. These photos show the real truth behind some of the worlds most iconic moments. These days we celebrities are used to be photographed constantly and we can follow world events with live streaming. But before social media photographs and the press were seen differently. When cameras were rare there were often only a few people taking photos rather than a constant stream of clicking like we are used to now.
Many of these photos are very rare and are the only visual proof of these world-changing events. Take your time to enjoy the gallery as you travel back into time to see some of these exciting and at other time blood-chilling photographs that show the truth.
The Titanic disaster was one of the most infamous tragedies of the modern century. Almost everyone knows the story of the Titanic, but this photo is one that has rarely been seen. It shows a priest praying over the victims of the Titanic for a funeral for the dead being buried at sea. This photo was so rare, that it was only discovered over 100 years after the disaster. There were over 1,000 death on the Titanic due to its hitting an iceberg in the middle of its journey from England to New York City on that fateful day in April 1912.
The film made about the disaster brought renewed attention to the ship and the people that were on it, making this photo all the more important and emotional as it showed the real people and not actors acting.
The film was a huge success, but it was the story of the men and women on the ship that really captured the hearts of those living today and learning about what exactly happened on that fateful journey and night in 1912 that took so many lives. This moving photo was found recently and there are not many from that time. This rare image is emotional and moving and reminds us that this disaster shaped the future of maritime law and for good reason too. Photos are proof of what happened before our time and this is no exception to that at all, it is a reminder.
The Schwerer Gustav was one of the largest weapons in the history of the world's wars. It was so large, that it had to be moved via rail car. The Gustav was the height of a four-story building, was 20 feet wide, and 100 feet long.
Although it was such an intimidating weapon, the Gustav saw very little combat.
In fact, it only fired 300 shells in total. At the end of the day, the weapon was too large and heavy to truly be effective in combat as it was too difficult to move. During World War II, portable weapons were the name of the game.
Babe Ruth is known as one of the best baseball players of all time. However, that did not intimidate 17-year-old Jackie Mitchell. During an exhibition game in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the left-handed Mitchell, who had just been signed by the local team, The Chattanooga Lookouts, threw five balls and struck out Babe Ruth!
The crowd went wild for this young prodigy.
Considering today's climate as to equality, the lovely Jackie Mitchell was ahead of her time, making waves and impressing all those who watched her make that historic throw. Who knows, maybe one day there will be a women's league instead of a different game altogether.
The quagga is essentially a combination of a zebra, a horse, and a donkey, but based on the species' DNA, it is a subspecies of a Zebra. The quagga was native to sub-Saharan Africa, but this photo comes from the London Zoo in 1870.
Unfortunately, the quagga was extinct shortly after this photo was that.
The beauty of photography is that we will always have photographic evidence that these magnificent creatures existed on earth and so that maybe one day when we see a similar creature we will know its origins better as we know its historical past; until then we will always have the quagga.
The Fiat factory was the first of its kind because it had a racetrack directly on top of the roof! Today, Fiat does not operate in this specific building, but the test track is still intact and is used for meetings and car enthusiasts.
The idea to have a race track on the roof of a building is certainly an interesting one, and a great publicity move if you ask us.
What else would you place atop a building housing cars than a race track to attract those interested in purchasing one? It is a great selling trick if we have ever seen one.
Before the waterskiing squirrel, there was Queenie - the waterskiing elephant. Queenie's owners, Marj and Jim Rusing, owned a tourist attraction in Florida, and they taught the elephant to waterski in order to boost admissions at their attraction.
Queenie had a good run, but she had to be put down in 2011 due to chronic health problems.
The photo shows Queenie on her large ski set to as to make sure it could hold her weight. Sunshine spring was the name of the attraction, where vacationers could come and enjoy a day in the sunshine while being entertained by Queenie.
Is it really frozen? Yes and no. The tremendous volume of water never stops flowing. However, the falling water and mist create ice formations along the banks of the falls and river.
This can result in mounds of ice as thick as fifty feet. If the winter is cold for long enough, the ice will completely stretch across the river and form what is known as the "ice bridge". This ice bridge can extend for several miles down river until it reaches the area known as the lower rapids. It is a rare and wonderful sight to see the falls frozen in such a majestic way.
Elvis Presley served approximately two years in the Army. He was in the service from 1958 to 1960, after being drafted much like many American men at the time.
At the time of his draft, he had already achieved fame and success and was one of the most recognizable names in the world.
Needless to say, seeing a photo go The King in his army uniform is a humbling and very cool sight. He must have entertained the men he served with quite a bit, or so we would at least like to think considering his talent and how stressful those times were for people.
Anne Frank's story has been told all around the world. Her diary was made into a book that touched the lives of millions of readers. Although her story is well known, this photograph is not.
It shows Anne Frank's father, Otto, in the hiding spot made famous by his daughter's diary.
It must have been traumatizing for Otto to go back to that place considering what they all went through there, and this photo shows it. The somber mood of the image along with Otto's face of deep thought make this the classic case of a picture is worth a thousand words.
NPR said it best: "In the midst of the political fallout, the U.S. government announced an unusual plan to get thousands of displaced Vietnamese children out of the country. President Ford directed that money from a special foreign aid children's fund be made available to fly 2,000 South Vietnamese orphans to the United States.
It came to be known as Operation Babylift. The first plane to leave as part of that mission took off on April 4, 1975, just a few weeks before the fall of Saigon and the end of the Vietnam War. But shortly into the flight, a malfunction forced the pilot, Captain Dennis "Bud" Traynor, to crash land the C-5 cargo plane into a nearby rice paddy."
About 20,000 people showed up and created a carnival-like atmosphere to watch Bethea McVeigh's hanging. Bethea was a black man convicted of the rape and murder of a white woman.
The delight and fervor displayed by the mostly-white audience during the execution will forever haunt the town as one of its darkest days.
Today, many states have outlawed executions altogether, but even those that still have it in effect do not go about the event in a public way. Death by lethal injection is done behind closed doors and in the presence of a select few of individuals who are there as witnesses.
The 15-megatonne Bravo test on March, 1 1954 was a one thousand times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. It exposed thousands in the surrounding area to radioactive fallout and forced the evacuation of the islanders, many who refuse to return even to this day.
Seeing a sight such as this one seems like it could only be in a film and not in reality.
However, this catastrophic event did indeed take place and this photo will forever be evidence of such a powerful force that was made by man to destroy others. The use of such bombs has since been prohibited by many nations.
It is widely accepted that JFK and Marilyn Monroe spent the night together at least once - in 1962 at Bing Crosby's house in Palm Springs. A friend of Marilyn's is quoted as saying: "Later, once the rumor mill was grinding, Marilyn told me that this night in March was the only time of her "affair" with JFK. Of course, she was titillated beyond belief, because for a year he had been trying, through Lawford, to have an evening with her. A great many people thought, after that weekend, that there was more to it.
But Marilyn gave me the impression that it was not a major event for either of them: it happened once, that weekend, and that was that. The next and last time Marilyn Monroe crossed paths with JFK was at Kennedy's 45th birthday party at Madison Square Garden. The knowledge that Monroe and JFK had already had a one-night stand by this point makes the sensuality she brought to her performance of Happy Birthday, Mr. President even more palpable."
There were 22 photographers present at 7 PM on May 6, 1937; they were there to film the Hindenburg's arrival. There are many questions as to why there were photographers there in the first place as this was not a rare occasion and had been done 20 times over the course of the precious year.
Another interesting bit is that not one photographer managed to snap a photo of what had sparked the infamous explosion of the Hindenburg.
The mystery lives on to this day and this photo that was taken shows the true destruction that came with the explosion of the flying entity.
Thomas Jefferson’s face on Mount Rushmore was originally started on the opposite side of but George Washington. However, 18 months into the carving, they realized the granite was too weak for the structure to hold its position properly. As a result of that calculation, Thomas Jefferson's face was dynamited off and carved on the other side to show the mountain we know and love today.
It is still a huge tourist attraction for those in the area, not to mention a scene in many American films to remind us all that it exists and that our forefathers' faces are on a mountain.
This photo was the last picture of the Titanic afloat, just mere hours before her tragic end. The Titanic could have been saved but for a 30 second delay in the officer in charge giving the order to change the ship's course after the iceberg had been spotted.
There were more lives on board Titanic than there were life boats.
As such, many of the people on board were killed by the sinking, whether on the boat or in the water as it was below freezing that time of year. Titanic can be seen as the reason for the maritime laws regarding life boats.
Helen Keller and Charlie Chaplin met on the set of his movie, Sunnyside. It is reported that the two became fast friends and communicated by Helen touching Chaplin’s lips to “feel” what he was saying and Chaplin drew pictures of the scenes on the palm of Helen’s hand. The meeting of these two historical icons is a strange yet exciting one. Helen was known for her rare illness that caused her to be deaf and blind, as well as her loving caretaker who taught her everything she knew.
Charlie was known for his films and his humor. We can only hope these two found each other funny.
Jackie the lion was the source of the first audible “ROAR” in MGM’s famous movie logo, thanks to the invention of the gramophone. He was also nicknamed “Lucky” after surviving a plane crash and a studio fire.
How many movies have we seen with this lion in the opening credits?
It is very cool to see the behind the scenes of this moment considering there was a lot of work that was put into it. There was a trainer who was not in the shot here making sure that the lion was on its best behavior and that the men working with him were safe.
Giant manta rays are known for their huge size but this one, which apparently spans 26 feet, is a sight to behold. The sea creature, which also reportedly weighed more than 1,000 kilograms, was allegedly caught by an unsuspecting fisherman off the coast of Peru.
It is hard to see how this creature was even captured considering its huge size, but when you also see it here compared to a grown human man, it is like something out of a horror movie.
The manta ray was only able to be fully picked up by a heavy crane. It is not every day that you see something like that.
This photo was taken during an expedition to an Antarctica in 1911, a previously unexplored and little known about part of the world. It captures the essences and spirit of journeys and exploration at that time.
To this day, Antarctica is not travelled to by every mere person who wants to go somewhere cold.
It is an expensive trip that needs to be done with a group or at the very least an experienced guide. There is very little on the southern continent, but the conditions are difficult and unsafe if you do not know what or where you are going.
During the three days of the Woodstock festival, there were no reported incidents of violence among the half-million people in the audience. However, there were three reported deaths, apparently from drug-overdoses. July of 1969 was during the summer of love. Woodstock is still thought to be one of the greatest and most spontaneous moments in American musical history.
This photo shows the mere amount of people who were there to see musicians, spread peace and love, and just enjoy themselves. The stories out of Woodstock are still talked about to this day and we can totally understand why they would continue to be.
The Empire State Building took only one year and 45 days to build, or more than seven million man-hours. The total height of the building, including the lightning rod, is 1,454 feet and cost a cool $28 million dollars to build.
However, what this photo is showing us is one of the workers standing on the crane as it was working during its build in 1925.
We do not need to tell you that this is an extremely dangerous place to be and would never fly today considering the liability alone. Still, a very cool photo of a very different time.
How’s this for eerie: When the nuclear bomb exploded in Japan, it emitted intense thermal radiation which “bleached” everything it hit. In the example of the picture, the people were close enough to the blast that they were vaporized almost instantly but their bodies absorbed the wave of thermal radiation leaving their shadow in the surface behind them but nothing else.
This piece of evidence of such a dark day in history is yet another reminder of a time that is long gone and should not be repeated.
The image here is one of destruction and war, despite it being interesting and rare.
The Sphinx was carved from the bedrock of the Giza plateau, a single ridge of limestone that is 73 meters long and 20 meters high. The Sphinx is considered to be one of the largest single-stone statues in the world and also the oldest, dating some 5,000 years ago.
This is a look back at a time so far before our own that it seems fictional almost.
The timing of it all is evident in the layer of sand that has since covered the Sphinx altogether needing it to be excavated in the first place. Its size can be seen when compared to the person down below.
Have you ever wondered how shoes were tested in the factory to make sure they were worthy of being placed on the market? Here we see the shoes being tested within the factory walls to make sure they were ready.
Back in 1937 this was the best way they thought it would work to test rather than have people be the testers and possibly hurting their reputations.
Today's technology is more advanced and the shoes are tested as they are being created so they come out of the factory ready for any customer to wear and enjoy. Still, there will always be a need to break in your shoes.
Clearly this photo is an old one as this would not fly today in any way. Here we see an exotic dancer entertaining some Wall Street men (and woman) by dancing around.
There is one man holding a boombox to a song that she selected for her routine.
There are men taking photos which is not that far-fetched considering today everyone would be holding out their smartphone snapping photos and recording videos until someone finally said something. The climate today is far too heated for this, but in the 60s and 70s it was a totally different United States so try to keep that in mind.
For eight terrifying days in 1964, Birmingham police used cruel brutality against thousands of non-violent African American protesters led by Martin Luther King, Jr. Besides trained attack dogs, billy clubs, tasers, tear gas, and stun guns were also used.
Those days in American history are some of the darkest and most embarrassing. The photo here is not staged in any way and shows a dog lunging a man who is standing in front of him.
The police officer seems to be moving towards his direction but for what purpose we do not know. The people in the background seem to be looking so there was a scene there for certain.
Martin Luther King and Lyndon B. Johnson worked together to change the laws to give African-Americans the right to vote. Here is what MLK thought about President Johnson: "I had been fortunate enough to meet Lyndon Johnson during his tenure as Vice President. He was not then a presidential aspirant and was searching for his role under a man who not only had a four-year term to complete but was confidently expected to serve out yet another term as Chief Executive. Therefore, the essential issues were easier to reach and were unclouded by political considerations.
His approach to the problem of civil rights was not identical with mine—nor had I expected it to be. Yet his careful practicality was, nonetheless, clearly no mask to conceal indifference. His emotional and intellectual involvement was genuine and devoid of adornment. It was conspicuous that he was searching for a solution to a problem he knew to be a major shortcoming in American life."
The derailment and wreck of the Granville Paris Express took place on October 22, 1895. The train it overran a buffer stop and crashed through a two-foot thick wall, shot across an outside terrace and plummeted 30 feet onto the street below, where it ended up as seen in this photo.
Amazingly only two of the 131 passengers and two conductors sustained injuries.
The image itself is jarring in how horrific this crash could have been had a little luck not played a role in the landing location. Luckily for the train, it was not going very fast, otherwise the damage would have been a lot greater.
The Prohibition Era (1920 to 1933) was the result of the 18th Amendment and enacted by the Volstead Act. During the Prohibition Era, the manufacture and sale of alcohol was banned. This was viewed as the solution to the nation's poverty, crime, violence, abuse towards women and children and other problems.
However, it created more violence and crime due to the rise of the mafia and organized crime, untaxed alcohol, political corruption, and underground commerce.
It was repealed by the 21st Amendment because the 'Noble Experiment' simply did not work. Here we see the men celebrating by drinking as much as their bodies could handle.
Technical Sergeant William E. Thomas and Private First Class Joseph Jackson got creative in their mission on March 10, 1945 – Easter morning. They wrote the words “EASTER EGGS FOR HITLER” and “HAPPY EASTER ADOLPH” on the artillery shells.
These two U.S.
Army soldiers were not shy in declaring their intent to kill Hitler and bring down the Nazi Regime. They are all smiles as they know that the war is not too far from over and that they will get to go home with the head of the Nazi Regime behind them. A little comedy in a dark time is always good.
An American corporal aims a Colt M1895 atop a Sri Lankan elephant. The reason why the corporal is atop the elephant is a mystery but elephants were never a weapons platform adopted by the US Army.
It is probably a publicity picture, not something the army would actually try to employ.
The elephant would not respond well to the sound of that machine gun a few inches from his ears. Another reason that they were not used was because they were far too slow to make a difference in battle and were therefore left alone as they should have been.
Named for President Hoover, the Hoover Dam’s construction started in April 1931 and was completed in March 1936. In total, 21,000 men labored on the dam, and the average total payroll was $500,000 per month. The Hoover Dam is 726 ft. tall.
That is 171 ft. taller than the Washington Monument in Washington D.C.
At its base, Hoover Dam is as thick as two football fields measured end-to-end. If you have never been or seen the Hoover dam, we recommend seeing the sight for yourself as its massive size is enough to make anyone silent and in complete awe at the grandeur.
V-Day stands for Victory Day, the day Nazi Regime officially surrendered to US forces. It was “the celebration heard around the world.” However, WWII was not over yet as we now faced the brutal Imperial Army of Japan.
This photo shows American troops stuffed their way onto the Queen Elizabeth to get home to New York City at the end of the war.
While there was more to be done during the Second World War, these men were coming home and they did not mind to cram the entire journey so as to make sure they make their way home.
An American soldier replaces an “Adolph Hitler St.” sign with “Roosevelt Blvd.” sign in Berlin, Germany, 1945. This may have been done in jest at the end of a very dark war but it meant a lot to the soldier who did it, as well as the many other allies who worked hard to end the Nazi Regime.
A little street sign goes a long way when a world war was taking place at a time when men wanted to go home and lead their lives like they intended originally.
Goodbye Adolf-Hitler street, and hello Roosevelt Boulevard. It has a nicer ring to it anyway.
On June 6, 1944, more than 160,000 Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy, France to fight the Nazi Regime. Gen. Dwight D.
Eisenhower called the operation a crusade in which, “we will accept nothing less than full victory.”
More than 5,000 ships and 13,000 aircrafts were deployed on D-Day, resulting in a foot-hold by the Allies in Europe, allowing them to start the slow trek across the continent to face enemy troops. More than 9,000 Allied Soldiers were killed or wounded. There is no way around it, World War II was a messy and violent war that took many lives and changed the structure of the world.
In a surprise military attack by Japan’s Imperial Army on December 7, 1941, at 7:48 AM the Hawaiian military base at Pearl Harbor was bombed, killing 2,500 Americans and wounding 1,700 more. The next day, America declared war on Japan and cemented their involvement in World War II.
This photo shows the blast from another port and the sheer destruction that the bomb had on the base.
Many films have been made to portray the devastating day, while it also helped seal the end of World War II as the United States and the Allies pulled their ranks to finish it once and for all.
The First Transcontinental Railroad in the United States was built in the 1860s, linking the well-developed railway network of the Eastern coast with rapidly growing California. The main line was officially completed on May 10, 1869.
The vast number of people who traveled the line, and the network that followed, set the USA on the path to economic abundance.
It also ended the centuries-old way of life of the Native Americans and greatly altered the environment. The railroad was a wonderful advancement for the American people, but it was a detrimental one for the Native American tribes that had their lands crossed over.
Soldiers had to wear respirator gas masks during World War I. While under chlorine gas attacks, soldiers were instructed to urinate on their masks in order to more effectively combat the gas.
However if for some reason they did not have a mask on hand, they were told to urinate on a piece of cloth and cover their face in it.
Water also worked but was less effective. We are not sure as to the reason behind that and why the donkey needed a mask as well (and that they even had one for the donkey is impressive), but whatever the reasoning was it was to protect.
Kathrine Switzer became the first woman to run in and complete the male-only Boston Marathon in 1967 amidst angry protesters that grabbed at her and tried to push her off the path. She was dedicated to her cause and did not allow any form of intimidation to deter her from finishing the race.
Needless to say, today there is no gender specific race and anyone can run in a marathon as long as they sign up.
If there was someone who had issue with a woman running today would have to take it up with the thousands of others who also run in marathons on a regular basis.
The punt gun was used in the 19th century and early part of the 20th century. Its main use was to destroy waterfowl in large amounts, up to 90 birds at once.
The bullets were made of lead and weighed one pound each. It makes sense then that it would take two men to operate a tool such as this one.
One to aim and shoot and one to hold the gun as it was so long. We pity the poor birds who were in the trajectory of this gun as they would seem to have no chance of survival.
NPR's Robert Krulwich describes this tragedy: "So there's a cosmonaut up in space, circling the globe, convinced he will never make it back to Earth; he's on the phone with Alexei Kosygin - then a high official of the Soviet Union - who is crying because he, too, thinks the cosmonaut will die. The space vehicle is shoddily constructed, running dangerously low on fuel; its parachutes - though no one knows this - won't work and the cosmonaut, Vladimir Komarov, is about to, literally, crash full speed into Earth, his body turning molten on impact.
As he heads to his doom, U.S. listening posts in Turkey hear him crying in rage, "cursing the people who had put him inside a botched spaceship."
Evelyn McHale, jumped from the Empire State Buildings 86th floor observatory to her death where she lays atop a limousine. In the photo, Evelyn almost looks like she is sleeping on top of the car as her face seems rested and nothing is out of place.
The true reality of this situation is much grimmer but the photo is an incredible one.
Time Magazine dubbed her "The Most Beautiful Suicide" which we have to say we agree with considering this serene image. We are sure that people on the scene would not feel the same way but the photo was elegantly taken.
Roger Moorhouse, a historian said: “It makes perfect sense that he would be doing this. We have this image now of Hitler almost as a buffoon, but he had a lot of charisma and his speeches made people sincerely believe he would lead them back to greatness. He was an absolutely spellbinding public speaker and these pictures show that it was something he worked very hard on. When you listen to his speeches now, he sounds like a ranting, raving maniac, but we know that it came across in a very persuasive way. These pictures give an important insight into how he practiced. He was a showman and rehearsed his gestures to get a particular reaction from his audiences.
He experimented with his own image and asked Hoffmann to take photographs for him to review. Then he’d look at them and say “no, that looks silly” or “I’m never doing that again”. He used Hoffmann as a sounding board but never intended the images to be published. Hitler was a very modern politician in that way. He was concerned about how he looked and his public persona.”
This is an excerpt from the actual newspaper, the Manchester Guardian, on 19 March 1925: "Madame Tussaud's, the famous wax-works exhibition in Marylebone Road, London, was badly damaged last night by fire. The fire was discovered shortly after 10.30. By 11.30 the interior of the top story was a raging furnace. The whole of the roof collapsed with the exception of a dome-like structure at the western end. Scores of fire engines were in attendance, and probably 10,000 people assembled in the neighborhood.
The fire was extinguished by midnight. It was stated that all the Napoleonic relics had been destroyed. The total amount of damage cannot yet be estimated. The whole of the roof and the top floor of the main building was destroyed."
This hippopotamus named Lotus was actually a part of the act of a circus, although Lotus certainly doesn’t seem happy about it. Hippos are almost always in water and there is a reason for that.
Being out of the water is not in their nature and is not good for them.
Hippos are also very fast and violent creatures so this man is lucky to be behind it and have it restrained, although we also find that to be a little difficult to watch as there is no reason to ever restrain an animal that is meant to be free.
It is not every day that you see a Queen use a weapon other than her words. However it does indeed happen as we see here with Queen Elizabeth II as she fires a British L85 battle rifle in 1993.
She is not holding it herself as you can see but rather it is sitting on a platform, but she is doing what needs to be done and shoots in nonetheless.
The soldiers overlooking this seem very concentrated on the fact that the Queen is there and has a weapon in her hand, it really is not a usual sight to see.
In 1975, American audiences were paralyzed with fear when the movie Jaws came out. Jaws went on to make over $470 million dollars at the box office and forever changed the movie industry.
We all know that the mechanical shark is not real, yet somehow a cold sweat just developed all over and we are right back in the movie theater as we are praying everyone gets out of the water immediately.
Director Steven Spielberg certainly had some fun with his props and wanted his shark to leave an impression on him as well, a literally impression - teeth and all.
Long before GPS and the various apps we now use to get around, even long before certain maps were printed for the masses, was the navigation hotline. Back in 1963, people called this hotline to ask for directions to getting where they needed to go.
The men and women on the line would have a map in front of them and would tell those on the phone how to get to their destination.
Considering there were no mobile phones yet, this was a landline call and people had to write down where they needed to go and the directions that they were given.
Bison were hunted so much in the 19th century solely for their skins, that they were almost to the point of extinction. This photo taken in 1882 shows just a small portion of the skulls gathered, the remaining bones were left to decay on the ground.
This is not a photo that human kind should be proud of but it is one that is impressive in the sheer amount that we are seeing.
The amount of bison that would have needed to be hunted to get this amount of height of skulls is overwhelming, it makes sense that they were near extinction.
Imagine having lunch with alligators at your feet. Believe it or not, this was a major tourist attraction in the early 1900s in Lincoln Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles where families spent their Sunday watching "trained" gators.
Apparently there were over 20 ponds at the California Alligator Farm where visitors were told not to "throw stones, spit on, punch or molest the alligators in any way." The very fact that this kind of instruction was even necessary for people is beyond us, but better safe than sorry it seems.
Still, we have no idea why anyone would want to have lunch with gators anyway.
This painting is almost too bizarre to be real! Smart phones AND FaceTime in 1930? How did they even come up with this?
We have always known that the Germans had an interesting take on the future, but they really hit this one on the head!
Their idea of the future is eerily similar to what it really is, but the devices are slightly smaller than they thought they would be. It is still very cool to see how those in the past thought the future would look like, much like other films that depict 2020 as all of us living in space when we are not there quite yet.
On September 11th, 2001 this model just happened to be in the middle of a photoshoot when she got distracted by what became one of the most tragic moments in recent history. The Twin Towers, one of New York city's favorite landmarks was destroyed by commercial airplanes that day that they were hijacked by an Islamic Terrorist group against the United States.
The attacks killed nearly 3,000 people and severely injured an additional 6,000.
There are many photos that people took on that day but the strange comparison of the woman's calm and the disaster in the background is not something you see every day.
The prices of living during the Great Depression really create a visual of how different life used to be compared to the prices of living in today's society. Could you imagine only paying $27 a month in rent and only having to spend a few bucks on groceries?
Today, it depends where you live but there is no place on earth where food and entertainment costs are that low.
Another difference here is that the income is $1,731 per year whereas today the average income is much higher so there is a shift in that too. It is very strange to see the difference.
Basketball was originally practiced with hoop baskets mounted on a wall. In 1891, a college professor Dr.
James Naismith was responsible for further improving the game of basketball, as he came up with the idea to cut the bottom of the hoop basket so the ball could go through and came up with the 13 rules associated in the game.
Who would have thought that todays sport that pays out millions of millions of dollars was invented with a basket on the wall that you needed to take out every single time you landed the ball in the basket. This photo shows the experimenting with the inventor and his wife.
In 2007, 65 years after this plane crash landed in 1942 on a beach in Wales, an American P-38 fighter plane known as the Maid of Harlech emerged from the water from where it was once buried. This discovery was described as one of the most important World War I finds in recent history.
It is very eery to see the ghost plane as it were in the water where you see the half exposed plane wing and half submerged body.
It is in very good conditions for the years of being exposed to the elements and also being in water, it is a historical sight.
This bar photo captures the faces of these individuals looking happy and drunk! This is because, on December 5th, 1933 Prohibition ended and the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, which repealed the 18th Amendment, causing an end of national Prohibition.
Bars have never been more packed than on that day, people were never as drunk or as happy.
Here we see mostly men enjoying their beer but there are women here and there also enjoying the fact that they are allowed to drink again! The bartender also seems to be happy to serve himself and others again - it is a whole new world for them.
In 1958, David Isom, 19 years old, broke the color line in Florida at one of the city's segregated public pools causing the officials to close the facility. African Americans were not permitted to use White Only pools - and if this happened, the pool water would be drained and the pool would be closed.
Thankfully, this kind of behavior is behind us despite the history being there.
This photo is just as rare as the behavior - you can see the white children in the background looking on in awe at the fact that this young man disregarded what they also knew as the law.
Henry Ford's first invention of "the Quadricycle" in 1896. Ford utilized basic construction materials including a leather belt and chain drive for transmission, a buggy seat and an angle iron for the frame. He sold his first Quadricycle for $200 and used this profit to manufacture his second automobile. Talk about a born businessman!
Taking his own work and flipping the cost to make a profit and working from there is what everyone seems to be doing these days with homes.
Here we see Mr. Ford with his invention long before the dynasty that he built took form. Exciting days!
This photo shows Boris Karloff getting worked on by Jack Pierce and his assistant for his Frankenstein role in 1931 for the classic horror film. His make-up artist Jack Pierce did amazing work in early horror films - and Karloff would have to sit in this chair for four hours before being ready!
Every day of shooting would begin with hours in the makeup chair to transform into the character that everyone in the world knows and many films have since spoofed.
It it not just face makeup but whole body makeup that would be strategically placed on Karloff. Such a view into the past.
How did Jimi Hendrix end up in the army? Well, it turns out that this musician had a bit of a rebellious side to him that got him a predicament. He was given the choice to serve in the Army or spend two years behind bars for stealing vehicles.
Hendrix joined the Army at 19 years old and was stationed in Ford Ord, California.
Much like Elvis, seeing such an icon in a military uniform is so out of character. No matter where he went he had to make sure that there was a guitar in his hand and music all around him.
From the 70's to present day, Jamie Lee Curtis has been turning heads for her irresistible appeal and luring stare. This photo was taken right before her career in horror films took off, from her first role in Halloween in 1978. Jamie landed the role of Michael Meyers' sister and the object of his deathly affection.
Jamie would become one of Hollywood's biggest names and is still one to this day.
Her career has spanned the decades and crossed genres from horror to drama, to comedy to teen films like Freaky Friday. She can do no wrong and has been rewarded for it!
In April of 1926, 41 members of the Ku Klux Klan gathered together and posed for a photo that was supposed to be featured as a "surprise bulletin" in the Cañon City, Colorado newspaper. The photographer, decided not to release the photo and the image remained concealed for 65 years.
The moment it was released, it went viral.
This is seriously not something you see every day and is disconcerting when you see them in full Klan regalia, white hats and all. The fact that they are on a ferris wheel is such a stark contrast to the work that they did at the time.
Can you believe police officers wrote woman tickets for wearing a bikini? Just goes to show we have come a long way since the 50's. This image was taken in 1957 on a beach in Italy before bikinis were socially acceptable.
They were described as a “two-piece bathing suit which reveals everything about a girl except for her mother’s maiden name”.
Image if this were the case in Brazil! Where women wear even smaller bikinis than they do anywhere else in the world; or the south of France where women can either wear a bikini top or not at all! They would have a ticket field day.
Young Pioneers was a youth group within the Soviet government. The gas masks were used as part of an attack preparation training.
This is probably where the nightmares about clowns and such came about as there is a resemblance there for sure.
The group of children here were told to put the masks on to prepare themselves in case of an attack, seeing as this was the beginning of World War II and the climate was getting increasingly more tense between the nations. These "young pioneers" knew that something big was going to happen and wanted to prepare their children.
One thing we know about Adolf Hitler, he had quite the complex. This photo, along with several others taken around this era were forbidden to be shown because they "undermined his dignity." In 1945, the photo resurfaced in a German home.
After World War II it was all fair game and any and all photos of the former dictator were up for grabs.
There are not many photos of Adolf Hitler as it is so whenever a new one surfaces it is that much more precious to the world. He was an intelligent man who was bad to the bone but knew how to get his agenda through.
In the early 1900s and for many years to follow, horse diving was a big attraction that involved horses jumping off towers (sometimes with, sometimes without men) into a warm pool of water. The photo was taken in 1905 in an unknown location, we're guessing it was in Pueblo, Colorado.
It is a terrifying angle to see a horse and man drop from as we also do not see the pool of water and so it just looks like it is dropping to its death.
Happily, the horse and man were okay but there is a reason this sport was put to an end.
In 1948, the surrealist artist collaborated with a well-known photographer to create a unique piece inspired behind the theory of "suspension." The cats and the artist jumped, while wires kept the surrounding objects in place. Salvador Dali was not exactly known for his sanity, although his artwork were masterful.
This image is the classic behind the scenes look into his mind and we have to say that it makes perfect sense as it describes the way he was to paint the painting thereafter.
Now all we can see are the poor cats jumping all over the place trying not to get hit by water since we all know they hate it.
Female bodybuilding first appeared in the 19th century but did not gain popularity until years later. In the early 1900s when circuses became a big attraction, their showcase of superhuman strength reintroduced the sport.
Featured is Laverie Valee, or "Charmion", a well known trapeze artist and "strong woman" who was known for her performance filmed by Thomas Edison.
Seeing her in her elegant hat and gown is a stark difference to her strong arms, which it seems is exactly the point. Today, women in the body building world are not rare in the least, having their own section within the sport.
Recognize this face? That is because this is the iconic face of the Sports Illustrated model and jaw-dropper, Christine Brinkley.
She first appeared in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues in the late 70s, and appeared in over 500 magazine covers with her most recognizable role being known as "the girl in the red Ferrari" in "National Lampoon's Vacation" in 1983.
Models are a dime a dozen these days but back in the 70s and 80s those who were considered supermodels were at a higher level of success and the world knew of them as more than just a pretty face.
This adorable family portrait was taken in 1938, when Elvis was just 3 years old. The photo was found in a fan club in Leicester, England. After analyzing the white concrete background, it was discovered that this image was taken at the Lee County Jail in Tupelo.
His father, Gladys was put behind bars for forging a check.
It is rare to find a photo this old of someone who we only knew as an adult. The faces of his parents are somber, probably because of the fact that the photo was taken in a jail, but an iconic image nonetheless.
Demi Moore was born in Roswell, New Mexico and moved to Los Angeles when she was 15 years old, where she signed with Elite Modeling Agency and furthered her career as a pin-up girl in Europe.
Moore appeared on the cover of the January 1981 issue of the skin magazine, "Oui" at only 16 years of age - although she had allegedly lied to the photographer reporting to be 18 years old.
She did what she needed to do to further her career and did just that as her acting gigs quickly came and her star rose faster and brighter than ever before.
Ivanka Trump was part of an exclusive all-girls school in Manhattan, and was quoted comparing her boarding schools to prisons and being jealous of her friends that were out partying and having fun while she was home studying.
She was involved in helping her dad become President and is now an extremely successful business woman, fashion designer, author and television personality. This is a rare image of a moment that you would not see often and that is Donald and Ivanka actually embracing.
The father daughter duo do not do much of that these days, perhaps a little smiling at each other.
Meet Mr. Andre the Giant - he was 7 feet 15 inches tall and weighed 520 pounds. Andre the Giant was born with an excess growth hormone and was known as "The Eighth Wonder of the World." He was in films and on display as his sheer size were more than most people are used to seeing.
Sadly, he passed away at a relatively young age as is common with those who are extremely tall.
This photo, however, shows him at his home where he is most comfortable and with two others who are perhaps his neighbors at the time. A rate glimpse into his world!
Photographed above is the original Charlie's Angels - although these ladies did not solve crimes but were rather a part of them! They were part of the Manson Family in relation to Charles Manson, the legendary psychopath and lifelong criminal who began his hippie cult in San Francisco in 1967 and later moved his followers to an old abandoned movie ranch in the California desert.
These were the women who were a part of the murder of Sharon Tate and the others in her home on that fateful night.
Brainwashed by Charles Manson even after they were found guilty of murder.
This is a photo of singer and songwriter David Bowie in 1975 taken by photographer Steve Schapiro from a 12-hour photo shoot. This photo was later used as the back cover of Bowie's album, Station to Station. He was one of the world's most prolific musicians and performers.
He had a longstanding career and was loved by fans around the world.
When he passed, people everywhere mourned his loss as if he were a family member as his music was in their home for much of their lives. This photo pretty much sums up his style that he adopted for all of his years.
Marilyn Monroe posing in a pink outfit in her own home in 1952. Not only did she have beauty, but she had brains too - and had an IQ of 168, which is even higher than Albert Einstein's!
Born as Norma Jeane Mortenson, Monroe began her modeling career with her natural brown hair and later had cosmetic surgery done to her chin and nose.
Her iconic blonde look is one that made her the icon that she is today to all of us. Everyone knows her from her famous scene in that white dress that flew up thanks to the subway train below!
Let's not forget Cyndi Lauper was the queen of WWE and helped launch WrestleMania! Lauper won a Grammy Award in 1985 for Best New Artist, thanking fans reporting she had not expected this and always wanted to make art.
Here we see her at that very Grammy Awards being picked up by none other than Hulk Hogan earlier on in his career and dressed up as someone who certainly looks like he would help a lady such as Cyndi.
It is rather amazing how different times are shown in both fashion and makeup - check out the eyeshadow on that one!
Alice Cooper is known for his stage theatrics and although he was one to do crazy things, including cutting his own head on stage - it was rumored he cut the head of a snake that tried to strangle him but denied ever "biting off the head off a live bat" - which was another rumor.
There is something about rock and roll that makes people get quite a reputation, remember Ozzy Osbourne and the various rumors that he had attached to him?
We actually think he was also accused of biting the head off of a bat too, you think they planned this?
Apparently Susan Sarandon forgot to wear a shirt for this photoshoot! Sarandon's career started in 1969; she went on a casting call with her husband Chris Sarandon for the movie Joe, and although he did not get the part - she ended up getting a role as one of the leads in the movie, and the rest is history!
Sarandon has always been free when it comes to her style and how revealing she would dress, knowing full well that she is confident in her looks and that she has no problem flaunting what she are her god-given assets.
To this day!
In 1975, Muhammed Ali came to Bob Dylan on the Night of the Hurricane Benefit Concert with a special gift - a huge boxing glove. The event was to benefit boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter who was wrongfully imprisoned which Dylan wrote about in his song, Hurricane.
Seeing two icons such as these two men in one room and talking is a seriously rare and legendary moment in history.
Thankfully, there was someone there to document the moment and snap this photo. There is something very cool about looking back at these snaps and feeling like you could have actually been there to see it for yourself.
Although Back to the Future was not something to remember (or so some can argue) - we can thank Michael J. Fox for representing the self-lacing Nike Mag shoe which would come to life, light up and form to feet, worn by his character Marty McFly.
The 2011 Nike Mag shoe was designed to be an almost identical copy of the shoes shown in the film and 1,500 pairs of the once mythical shoe went up for auction on Ebay.
It is no secret that when a brand is featured in a film or a celebrity decides to wear a brand, it is sold off the shelves that much faster.
Ric Flair was also known as "Nature Boy" and the ultimate wrestler! Flair was infamously known for his reputation as being an alcoholic and not only was he married four times, but claimed to have slept with more than 10,000 women and drank 10 beers and five cocktails a day for over 20 years.
Whether that was true or not he sure did garner a reputation that made women come to him like magnets and anyone in the wrestling field respect him for his abilities in the sport.
Here he is holding the beers he so loved to drink - Coors.
The Annual Freshman-Sophomore Snowball fight was a regular activity for Princeton students back in the days. Although the aftermath results look to be a bit more intense than from a snowball fight, this was a real thing!
They took the fight to a whole new level, injuring one another as if they were throwing bricks rather than soft balls of ice.
Perhaps this photo was taken to remind others what not to do in those cases as it could seriously hurt someone. This photo could also be evidence for parents who were probably about to get a letter from the school about their sons.
Hoover Dam is located on the border between Nevada and Arizona and was constructed during the Great Depression (1931-1936). The construction involved thousands of workers with over 100 workers said to have lost their lives.
Originally known as Boulder Dam and later renamed by President Herbert Hoover to be known as the Hoover Dam.
Seeing this massive structure before it was filled with water which would be the only way in the future that anyone would see it makes it such a rare photo. It is such a massive piece of construction - looking more like a tower than anything else.
John McEnroe and Sweden's Bjorn Borg pictured in the early 80s, known to be enemies and polar opposites - McEnroe was hot-headed and Borg was calm and composed and reportedly played 16 times against each other.
What makes this photo so rare has less to do with the fact that they are in a photo but more that they are in a photo together - something that had not happened beforehand. These two athletes seem to have just finished their breakfast and were preparing for a match; whether theirs or another.
They do not seem like such great enemies here, but photos are deceiving.
In 1964, dinosaurs transported on the Hudson River on their way to the 1964 World's Fair. This was part of a promotion for an oil company, The Sinclair Oil Corporation "Dinoland" which exhibited featured life-size models of nine dinosaurs and of those dinosaurs was a seventy foot long version of Sinclair Oil Corporation's signature Brontosaurus.
The fascination with the prehistoric creatures continues throughout the ages thanks to the Jurassic Park films and attractions based on the films.
From little kids to grownups, dinosaurs are always an interesting subject as they are no longer with us and all we can do is speculate.
This soldier is living his best life - pictured trying on the Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire after the World War II conquest of the city of Nuremberg in 1945. This crown was previously worn by all emperors from the 10th to 19th century.
He probably has no idea the historical significance of what he is wearing and how incredibly valuable and precious the crown on his head is.
He is very easy going about the crown and is seen also smoking a cigarette in his military uniform. He is just happy the war is over, that is for sure.
Bridgette Bardot was known for her work with Jean Luc Godard and Louis Malle and involved in the French New Wave of cinema in the 50s and 60s. Throughout her career, Bardot appeared in 47 films, several musicals and recorded more than 60 songs.
Bardot retired from show business in 1973 and changed career paths and ultimately became an animal rights activist.
This photo captures her quintessential style of blond bombshell who is naturally beach bunny. Times have certainly changed since Bridgette's star was at its highest, but photos are there to help us all remember a different time with different rules.
Back in the 1970s, apparently green was the color for Frigidaire kitchen appliances. Frigidaire was founded by For Wayne in Indiana in 1919 and became so popular that in the mid 1990s, many Americans referred to all refrigerators as Frigidaire.
Today, if it is not white or stainless steel then it has no place in our kitchens.
Frigidaire knew this trend well and was wise enough to go with the flow of the trend and change their appliances color and material to the white and stainless steel that all HGTV design shows would be proud to show on their episodes.
Christopher Robin Milne, son of author A.A. Milne, was an inspiration for the 'Christopher Robin' character in his father's "Winnie-the-Pooh" stories. This photo might as well have been taken from the film as it is just so sweet.
Winnie the Pooh was a friend to children everywhere and was cross generational in his effect.
To this day, children are brought up with the story of the honey loving bear who just wanted to rest and relax along with his good friends who would always be together. Christopher Robin must have been proud of his bear and the inspiration it brought the world.
Big thanks to Willis Carrier, an American engineer, who invented air conditioning. In 1902, he invented the first electrical air conditioning unit and in 1915 started Carrier Corporation which furthered his business into heating and ventilation systems.
People everywhere owe their lives to this man who not only makes lives comfortable when the outdoor is humid and hot, or cold and wet, but literally keeps the elements out as they get more and more aggressive.
Could you imagine going through a summer without your best friend of an air conditioner? We did not think so because we sure could not.
At only 17 years of age, Judy Garland won our hearts in the iconic movie, Wizard of Oz in 1939. What others may not know is that Garland was bullied by studio executives and even forced to starve herself for the film - resulting in a life of eating disorder tendencies and drug addiction.
Her photo here of her audition shows her young self looking bright and hopeful, and while we could not imagine the film without her, we were saddened to learn that this was the beginning of a downward spiral that would end in her untimely death.
Hollywood can be very harsh sometimes.
This photograph taken in 1959 displays an adorable French girl who is holding her kitty happy as can be, which was taken during the New Wave which not only influenced cinema but had a part in recognizing special moments in everyday life - such as a child's love for animals.
The simple way of looking at the world through a child's eyes and remembering that the world is good and that there are simple joys to find in every day life.
This little girl could not possibly be more excited to hold her kitty, although the kitty is not at all too happy about it.
These unfortunate children grew up during the Great Depression and rather than indulging in turkey and special treats like we are used to for the holidays - were stuck with simple turnips and cabbage. These kind of photos serve as a reminder that there are worse times to be had and that we should be grateful for what we have today.
Something as simple as a hot meal was something that was not a given during those hard times and something that hopefully will not happen again if we play our cards right.
These children should never have had to go hungry.
In the late 1800s, America began welcoming immigrants through Ellis Island which ultimately led to 2 million immigrants to the United States. The people that came in through Ellis Island were mostly from Europe.
They came to the United States with the promise of a new brighter future that would help them move up in the world and have a better future for their children.
Seeing this family looking out onto New York City with such promise and nothing but the clothes on their backs and in their little suitcases. The children follow their parents along with their hopes as well.
Is that really Clint Eastwood? Look at this guy strolling down Via Veneto, one of the fanciest streets of Rome on a skateboard while rocking some fancy Italian shoes.
This was taken during the time Eastwood was beginning his fame from the Spaghetti Western movies.
The man is a legend in Hollywood to this day, with more movies directed and starring him than most other men in the industry, not to mention his longevity in the scene as a well-respected artist. Seeing him like this is a reminder of the quirky young man that he was, the one who started it all.
Legendary Jimi Hendrix struggled at 19 years old when he was given the choice of joining the Army or going to prison after being involved in riding stolen cars. Of course, Jimi chose the Army and after completing an eight-week program at For Ord, California was assigned to the 101st Airbone Division.
He is jamming out on stage here in 1968 looking all too happy about just being up there playing music and being alive!
Sadly, he joined the rest of the 27 club when he passed away at the age of 27 like a lot of other talented individuals.
Everyone has to start somewhere, and here we have Bill Gates showing off his groovy bike in the 1970s. Before Microsoft, Gates was just an average kid from Seattle.
Being a son of brainiacs, it is no surprise he excelled throughout his years in school and at an early age took an interest in programming, which resulted in his first computer program involving a game of tic-tac-toe for computer users.
Gates is one of the wealthiest men in the world today and is revered as a man who changed the face of technology as we know it. We could not agree more.
At 14 years old, Olive Oatman's parents were killed by a tribe of Native Indians. Oatman and her younger sister were enslaved and a year later traded to a Mohave tribe.
The sisters were tattooed on the chin, and unfortunately her younger sister passed away due to starvation.
It is interesting to see the difference between the tattooed chin and the delicate young woman in her Sunday best - they do not go together very well and make it all the more apparent that this was not the way her life should have gone. Olive was never the same after her ordeal.
Bloody Bill was born in 1840 and became the leader of a gang called the Quantrill's Raiders. During the Civil War, he had a lot of pent up rage and slaughtered Union soldiers whenever and wherever he could.
On one occasion, he killed 20 soldiers with his gang and massacred another 100.
This photo is a rare one because he was not photographed often and in this case he was shown in his full outfit regalia. History is an interesting thing, especially when we are able to capture it in photos so that we do not forget it or repeat it.
Among the many Apache Indians dressed in ceremonial pieces, are the Apache spirit dancers. This freaky looking costume and headpiece is their form of storytelling and healing from the "Mountain Spirits".
This photo was taken in 1887, but the Apache mountain spirit dancers live on through tradition.
It is eery to see an inside look into such ceremonies since they are so out of the range of normal for us Westerners. This kind of image seems like it could be out of a horror film, which makes it even more terrifying that it is actually real and acted out yearly.
One of the earliest forms of photography was referred to as ambrotype. It was used for about 10 years before tintype became more popular.
Ambrotype was done on glass.
The photo was printed on the glass and the way to take the image was time consuming to say the least as the individual needed to remain still for long minutes or else it would come out blurry, which is probably why the child looks not at all too pleased to be in this photo. The frame for the image is very intricate and compliments the black and white photo nicely.
This old west saloon in Michigan looks just like one of today's many bars. That is because the general layout of saloons and bars has not changed much in the last 150 years. There is a counter with a bartender who sells alcohol - the perfect combination.
We have always said, if it ain't broke do not fix it and it seems that the service industry agrees with us about that one.
A bar is a sacred spot that is structured the way it is for a reason - and that reason is efficiency. Serving customers and making the world happier one client at a time.
Captured by Frank G. Carpenter in the 1890s, this Eskimo Medicine Man was told to be exorcising "evil spirits" from a sick boy in Alaska. Looks like the treatment is scarier than the disease!
This would scare the kid into health in no time, or perhaps do the exact opposite to that effect.
The reasoning behind this one is not known but we can only imagine that there is meaning behind it. All we can see is the giant hands, face mask, and furry cloak that has a child on the side of it. Okay, enough, that is too scary for us to look at anymore.
Belle Starr, one of the most renowned female outlaws in the wild west. Born as Myra Maybelle Shirley Reed Starr; her family called her May.
She rode sidesaddle with two pistols and was killed in 1889.
Her murder remains a mystery to this day but it is said that she was killed during a gun fight which is a pretty cool way to go back in the wild west so at least that. She does not look that threatening in this photo but looks can indeed be deceiving which is probably how she got her way most of the time.
Wild Bill Hickock might have been the fastest gun in the west. Legend has it that he killed over 100 people. Bill was not happy when the count gave him the reputation of being a killer.
He was responsible for exaggerating his kill count when in reality, he killed only about 10 men.
This photo shows a man who seems rather bored with the concept of having his photo taken but it is important to have an image of a man who is written about. The clothing and hair style of the time also throws us back to the time this photo was taken.
Native Americans had a special name for any African American who served in the U.S. Army: Buffalo Solider. You might remember the term from Bob Marley's song. In 2005, the final living Buffalo Soldier passed away.
He was 111 years old.
Seeing an image like this one being captured is such a rare historical moment. This Buffalo Soldier served honorably and is shown here with his trumpet and his best uniform. This was taken during a ceremony that was taking place at the time with this solider being the one conducting. It is preserved in incredible condition as it is very clear.
Wyatt Earp is pictured with his friend, Bat Masterson. Wyatt is known for his role in the gunfight at the O.K. Corral where he, along with his brothers Morgan and Virgil, as well as his friend, Doc Holliday, squared off against four outlaws.
Gun fights were all too common back in the day, but when you won them you became famous for that and in doing so were respected wherever you went.
Wyatt and Bat were just that and in this photo are documented together in similar clothing and demeanor. They wanted to be known for their fighting skills, that is for sure.
Ned Christie, the Cherokee statesman is most noted for clashing with the U.S. lawmen. It all started when he was accused for murdering a United States Marshal in 1887.
This lead to what was called "Ned Christie's War". Two years later, the United States law enforcement burned down his home and he escaped, although was killed after that.
This photo was seen by many at the time and thereafter with his name becoming synonymous with rebellion and activism. Ned Christie is known today as the man who did what he wanted and did not care about the consequences or his actions.
Geronimo was the leader of the Apaches who united several Native tribes against their American and Mexican common enemies. The name of this leader preceded him throughout the ages for his work within the Native American tribes, but for his own work within the tribes themselves and putting their own differences aside to unite over a greater cause for them.
The man lived to a very old age as you can see in this photo and was considered a revered man within the community.
He is the quintessential image of a Native American tribesman as we picture in our minds.
In the late 1800s, you could make a lot of money mining gold, silver or copper. Owning the mine netted you the biggest profits, but the miners themselves also made out big.
The gold rush was a real thing that brought hoards of people to the United States to mine for the precious materials and strike it big.
This photo shows the men going into the mine day in and day out to try their luck in finding their mineral lotto ticket. They would spend hours every single day looking for the small nugget of gold to show them the way to the larger jackpot.
Guns were an integral part of survival in the wild west and everyone had one. Since photographs were a relatively new invention and very exclusive, many cowboys were filled with pride when they got their photograph taken.
They always wanted to show off their guns in the pictures.
In this one the small dog on the floor was included as he was the cowboy's furry counterpart who went everywhere with them and made the cut to be in the photo as he earned it. These men all had the same style - hat, boots, mustache, and feet up on the foot stool.
Laura Bullion, also known as the "Rose of the Wild Bunch", learned the trade from her father who was a bank robber. This female rebel was remembered for her "rough" looks, and romantic involvement with several outlaws from the Wild Bunch.
She eventually gave up her life in crime after spending several years in jail.
This image is not her mug shot but might as well have been as that was the image used to try and find her before she was placed in the jail cell that had her change her ways for good. She saved herself after all.
This is probably one of the eeriest photos we have ever seen, which explains why it was difficult to find history behind it. The date of the photo is unknown, although it might be the creepiest "westworld host" we've ever seen!
The only thing we are wondering about, other than the creepy mask, is where in all of creation are her legs and feet in this photo?
This image is set to give us nightmares and so we will make sure to try and get the down low about it so we can finally sleep at night. Seriously, where are her legs?
Rufus Buck started a short-lived, but deadly gang including part Creek Indians and African-Americans. They killed some people, robbed, raped and were eventually captured. The gang was sentenced to death.
This image of the group is a very rare one as they were not photographed throughout their spring of crimes.
The men were led by their own greed and desires and were finally caught after months of terror to other neighborhoods. Back then, the kind of crimes that they did were punishable by death and so they were put to death for their crimes as was customary and protested by the public.
Two Oglala Lakota Natives, known as Elk and Black Elk were part of Buffalo Bill's Wild West show. They traveled all around the world with the show and were famous for dancing while wearing shells and bells.
The men here are about to do the dance that others so wanted them to do as a part of their native rituals.
The dance was done by young and old as you can see the young boy on the left of the leader, all of the others are in various ages and all dressed in their native garb for the dance to commence.
Jesse James, known as an unstoppable outlaw, would go to great lengths to follow through with a crime. The last thing you probably think of him as is a husband or father. Turns out, this dangerous outlaw had another side to him that was kind of "soft".
Here are his two children, Jesse Jr. and daughter, Mary in the early 1880s.
Even criminals want other things for themselves other than a life of crime and Jesse James was no different. His children were a motivator for him to not get caught and provide them with the very best that he never had growing up.
Speaking of Jesse James, this rare photo was taken of Jesse James on July 10th, 1864 in his hometown of Missouri when he was just 16 years old. Even here he is already looking mighty tough and holding the pistol he got for his birthday. The look in his eyes is already angry and on a mission that the world had yet to find out of.
These photos were taken carefully and with precision in mind. The clothes that he is wearing were very customary for that time period, even if he was just 16 years old and holding a pistol.
Buffalo Bill's biggest attraction was his cowboys and their gun fight re-enactments. The best cowboy sharpshooters made it into the show and had to pass an audition to prove their skills.
The show paid very well and was a good job to have back in these days.
The only downside is that you show your skills by shooting at another so you had a chance at hurting someone else as you were auditioning. Somehow though, we are sure that they did not care any bit for the fact that they may be hurting another since it was such an honor to be a part of the show.
There were quite a few female gunslingers and outlaws back in the old Wild West. Big Nose Kate pictured above was not only known as being outlaw Doc Holliday's wife, but she also helped him escape from jail by setting jail on fire.
The women back then had to be rebellious in nature.
Kate was a woman who would do anything for her husband and proved that with her actions to free him from jail, but she was also a fearsome woman in her own right and everyone knew not to mess with her. Come on, would you mess with her?
Rose Dunn, also known as Rose of Cimarron, fell in love with a wild west bandit named George “Bittercreek” Newcomb after being introduced to him by her brothers. In 1895, George was killed by the brothers after they became bounty hunters.
Needless to say, Rose was angry at the death of her loved one and became an outlaw all on her own.
Here she is photographed with her very own bounty poster behind her. She looks angry and on a mission to avenge the death of her lover, or so we would like to imagine since it looks straight out of a movie.
This 19th-century man, shown in a Kansas City newspaper, is wearing the traditional garb of the wild west. The hat he’s wearing is a Mexican sombrero and was vital to survival in the harsh wild western climate.
We do not know the reasoning behind the photo in the newspaper and why he was featured but the clarity and detail of the photo are what make it as cool as it is and a rare find for us.
The peak into the world of then is not something you can hope for every day and so this one is a winner.
Kit Carson was an American frontiersman who helped develop the state of California. He was illiterate and spent a lot of time with Natives where he married two of their women. Additionally, Kit married a third wife who was Mexican.
Kit and his three wives shared 10 children together.
This photo of him in his uniform is one for the books. We wish there was one to show his blended family with the wives and children, that would have been a great image to capture and a look into a rather unique situation for the time. Kit Carson truly made his mark.
General Custer was most famous for losing at the Battle of Little Big Horn. He had risen in the Army ranks during the Civil War and the Indian Wars.
The American battle was one that kids today learn about in American History classes, but seeing the man who led it and lost it is somehow more powerful.
The image is also in very good quality and shows the facial details on General Custer, his coloring almost even though the photo is black and white. His freckles and hair are also on display unlike ever before, making this image a unique one.
Frustrated for not being paid their wages, the Dalton brothers decided to take matters into their own hands. In 1890, they made the choice to become "outlaws." They managed to stop quite a few trains over the course of the following two years, but their life mission as outlaws came to a halt when they were caught robbing a bank in Kansas of 1892.
All of the brothers were shot, 2 killed, and the survivor Emmet went on to serve 14 years in jail.
This photo shows them when they were caught by the authorities and were taken down by the police.
In the late 1800s, photographer John Grabill sent almost 200 pictures to Congress for copyright. His photos chronicled the development of South Dakota, Wyoming, and Colorado, as well as its effects on the local Natives.
Many of his photos are in history books today and are the only documented images of the development of the states and so are kept under lock and key to preserve the original negatives.
John Grabill is responsible for documenting the important years in the development of the region, without which we may not know what and how everything ended up the way we know it today.
Pearl Hart gained notoriety just before the turn of the 20th century as a female stagecoach robber. She cut her hair short, dressed in men’s clothing, and was eventually sentenced to five years in prison, but pardoned after three years.
There are more and more female bandits than ever thought and it is thanks to the images of the time and the photos taken of these women that the history books could be corrected and these women could be written into them.
Pearl really wanted to be something that she was not but worked hard at it. It ended alright for her.
One of the most successful cavalry regiments on the Confederate side of the Civil War was Terry’s Texas Rangers. The regiment was formed in 1861 and was involved in at least 275 engagements until it was finally dissolved in 1865.
These men are the inspiration behind the western war movie genre - just look at them! They are the epitome of how we portray them in films today.
Of them, it was said, "Though lesser known than the Texas Brigade, famous for their actions during the Battle of Gettysburg, the 8th Texas Cavalry distinguished itself at several battles during the American Civil War."
Back in the 19th century, people moved around, just not as frequently as they do today. Here is a couple taking a break in Kansas as they head west to start a new life.
The way people moved anywhere back in the early 19th century was a slow and steady process with a horse and buggy.
It was not always safe but it was always necessary for these families to find new ways to provide for themselves and at times remain safe during times of war and pillage. This couple here, taking a break, were on their way to a new life.
This picture depicts a true cowboy, Charlie Nebo, along with Nicholas Janis. Charlie never tried to inflate his achievements and was happy to live like a true frontier man.
What being a true frontier meant that he lived a modest life in search for the simple and good in the world while keeping to himself and claiming what is his when necessary.
Men needed their guns and horses at that time to get where they needed and wanted to go and this is exactly how Charlie and Nicholas crossed the land that they were going through. This is image is a piece of history.
Santiago ‘Jimmy’ McKinn was a 12-year old who lived with his family in the lower Mimbres Valley in New Mexico. One day, while out with his older brother Martin, a group of Chiricahua Apache led by Geronimo approached the two and then quickly killed Martin and abducted young Santiago.
Here we see the young boy with the Native tribe, sticking out like a sore thumb as you could tell he was not of the same coloring and upbringing as he was far paler and stands there looking fearful for his life.
He was not the same after the events of that day.