Rare & Amazing Photos From The Past
That Will Leave You In Awe!
They say that a picture is worth 1000 words, and in this case, these pictures are probably worth a lot more.
These photos will entertain, delight, amuse, and some will even take your breath away or bring a tear to your eye, especially if you lived through any of them.
German Soldiers Watching Footage from Concentration Camps.
One of the most shocking photos from the end of WWII, the image captures a group of German soldiers watching film put together by the U.S. Army that shows footage taken from inside concentration camps. It is important to remember, looking at this picture, that not every soldier in the German Army was a Nazi.
Many were simply patriots trying to fight for their country. Also take into consideration that the Third-Reich kept what was going on in most concentration camps a pretty well-guarded secret. There was a large majority of soldiers during that time who didn’t have a clue they were fighting for a system that was systematically committing mass genocide.
Those who did know about what was happening during the Holocaust had to stay quiet about, because in those days if you were even suspected of harboring feelings contrary to that of the Reich, the German secret police would capture you and your family. Now these misguided fighters were forced to confront the demons that they fought for.
This film showed corpses of men, women, and children who had been burned, starved, and beaten. There was an incredible wave of shock and shame that went through the prisoners that day. No one wanted to believe that their glorious cause was just a façade that hid such grisly calamity. There would go on to be an entire Allied denazification process that would span months, attempting to rebuild Germany as a country of tolerance.
New economies were set up and multiple papers and pamphlets were published telling the citizens of the horrors of the Third Reich. Eventually, German society would recover and the people would scorn those who committed these atrocities while pretending to be saviors.
Statue of Liberty Construction
In the amazing photo above, French workers can be seen constructing the Statue of Liberty while in France.
The Statue of Liberty was the brainchild of Edouard de Laboulaye, a French politician, in 1865 as a way to honor the centennial independence of the United States and the friendship of France. French sculptor Auguste Bartholdi was tasked with designing the Statue.
The entire Statue, except for the pedestal, was constructed in France. Then, the Statue was transported in pieces to the United States via ship. After it arrived in the United States, it was reconstructed on Bedloe’s Island, which was renamed Liberty Island in 1956. The island was chosen because from that location, the Statue of Liberty would be visible to every ship entering New York Harbor.
Originally, the Statue of Liberty was a dull brown color when it was first built, as the exterior is copper. Over time, the copper weathered and a patina formed, giving it the now famous green color.
Robin Williams – That Mime Looks Familiar
Although the photo was taken in 1974, the photographer did not realize that one of the mimes was Williams until 35 years later.
If just catching Robin Williams before he became famous was not enough, if you look closely at the photo, Williams can be seen wearing a pair of rainbow suspenders. These suspenders are identical, if not the same exact pair, that Williams wore in one of his first major break out roles, where he played the alien “Mork” on Mork & Mindy.
Williams would go on to star in many very popular films such as: Mrs. Doubtfire, Jumanji, Good Will Hunting, Good Morning Vietnam, Dead Poets Society, and Hook, before he passed away in 2014.
Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address
Here we have one of the only known photos from Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address. You can see him in the center of the photo, which was taken in March of 1865.
What may be even more astonishing is the fact that John Wilkes Booth, and some of the other conspirators involved in Lincoln’s assassination, are present in the top of the photo, looking down on the President. Lincoln would be assassinated just a few weeks later by the very same men that are in the photo with him.
Originally, John Wilkes Booth wanted to kidnap the president, transport him to Richmond, and then exchange Lincoln for prisoners of war from the Confederate side. However, once it became clear that the Union had won and the war was over, the plan turned from kidnapping him to assassinating him.
The bombing at the Boston Marathon.
Above is a picture of good trying to respond to the terror of evil. The photograph was taken on April 13th 2013 at the infamous Boston Marathon bombing.
Policemen are scrambling to secure the area from further attack, as well as help any wounded they can find. The poor man on the ground had been knocked down by the blast of two bombs built from pressure cookers that were set off around 2:49 that afternoon, but luckily, he didn’t receive any substantial injuries. The event is made all the more tragic by the fact that this race that had been destroyed through terrorism was meant to be an event that would commemorate Patriots’ Day and celebrate America.
Three people were killed by the bombs that had been packed with lethal shrapnel and an estimated 260 others received wounds. Many people required amputations to save their lives.
The city of Boston would become paralyzed with fear as police would issue a manhunt that would sweep the city multiple times in search of suspects caught on tape. These two men were Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, brothers from Kyrgyzstan who had immigrated to the United States ten years prior. For four days this would go on until the Boston Police Department found Tamerlan, who proceeded to open fire upon them. No policemen were injured, but Tamerlan was killed in the altercation.
Dzhokhar would be arrested later that day and is currently scheduled to be executed. The city of Boston would eventually recover from the tragedy this event created thanks to the brave men and women of the Boston Police and Fire Departments who bravely risked their lives to protect their people.
Charlie Chaplin on Wall Street.
Above is a picture of comedian Charlie Chaplin in the year 1918 as he stands in front of an enormous multitude of people on Wall Street in New York City. He is being held up by the famous director of the era, Douglas Fairbanks in an attempt to let the entire crowd see him.
The two showed up here on this day in an effort to promote Liberty Bonds to the various higher-ups and brokers of the economic center. Chaplin, one of the most notable comedians of the early 1900’s, was a star of black and white films, both with and without sound. He is often accredited with the popularization of films because of how universally loved his comedies were. Movies such as, “The Gold Rush,” “The Great Dictator,” and “A King in New York,” were some of his most beloved works and what landed him in the public eye.
Fairbanks was a director of some of America’s first movies. Mostly working in silent films, Fairbanks was considered a master of displaying characterization before dialogue could even be achieved on screen. A good majority of his movies were tales of rogues and swashbucklers, such as, “The Three Musketeers (1921),” and “The Mark of Zorro.”
Although the pair would never directly work together on a film, they did start a film company together in the form of United Artists. Chaplin and Fairbanks were good friends throughout life and decided together that they should use their combined popularities for good purpose and so they toured the country selling Liberty Bonds to support the country during WWI. As seen in the picture, the tour was immensely successful, garnering considerable support from patriotic movie fans.
Boeing Rocket Assisted Liftoff
Here we have a picture of a Boeing B-47 Stratojet utilizing a rocket assisted liftoff. Jets like this one were mostly utilized during the Cold War era as the United States’ primary method of dropping nuclear bombs should negotiations fall through.
Dubbed Stratojet because of their purpose to remain high in the stratosphere for long periods of time, these jets utilized six engines to help them keep flying high for extended durations of time. Introduced in 1951, the Boeing B-47 Stratojet was built to be the most advanced feat in aerodynamics at the time.
This was one of the first combat jets to put the engines underneath its wings to help its aerodynamics. Having such an aerodynamic design caused some observers to consider it the sleekest looking plane at the time. Being a bomber, however meant that it needed to be able to carry tremendous weights for its intended journeys. This is where the rocket assisted liftoff came in to play. Using this method, even the heaviest of loads could be sent airborne.
Keeping high above the clouds meant these flyers had the keen advantage of being able to keep off enemy radar. Enemy interceptors would also be unable to chase after them at such high altitudes. Thankfully, none of them would ever have to drop their destructive cargoes. It is estimated close to 2,000 of these machines were built throughout their time in service but their legacy lives on as the design would inspire the early concepts for modern jet airliners. These bombers remained active until 1965, afterwards being repurposed into recon crafts.
The USS Saratoga in New York Bay.
Above is a picture of the famous navy supercarrier the USS Saratoga as it leaves New York City. This photograph was taken in the 1957 as the ship was leaving its storage in the New York Naval Shipyard.
The ship was released ready for action after going through some minor yard work there. The Saratoga was launched officially in 1955 and was the first navy carrier to utilize high pressure boilers. It was determined that the carrier would be given the home port of Naval Station Mayport in Mayport Florida.
One of the vessel’s crowning achievements during its long life was carrying president Dwight Eisenhower for a naval operations demonstration. Highlighting the demonstration was demonstrations for strafing and bombing runs, along with having the deck of the Saratoga act as the final landing spot for two F8U Crusaders as they flew from one end of the nation to another.
The Saratoga was invaluable for national defense as well. The boat was outfitted with weapons such as subsonic guided missiles, which were the Navy’s first weapons system invented for nuclear deterrence. It participated in joint naval maneuvers between NATO Counties in 1957 at Operation Strikeback. Continuously it would be used as a part of the Atlantic and Mediterranean fleets to help keep the nation safe.
During the Vietnam War the ship was also deployed to Tonkin Gulf to aid operations in that area. Afterwards, it would return to its previous role as guardian of the Atlantic. In 1994 the Saratoga was officially decommissioned and struck from Navy registers.
Most Iconic Photos In History
A Utility Worker Tries to Resuscitate his Coworker.
Above is a photograph taken in 1967 of a pair of utility workers, one attempting to save the life of the other. The duo of Randall Champion and J. D. Thompson had been sent up the electric pole to perform a routine checkup.
What was meant to be a by the numbers maintenance run turned tragic when Champion’s arm brushed against a deadly high voltage wire. He was immediately rendered unconscious and began to fall from his perch but was luckily saved from the fall by his safety harness. Even luckier was that his associate had seen the problem and rushed over to lend his aid. Thompson immediately made his way over to the hanging figure of Champion. Some quick thinking produced the idea that mouth to mouth would be the best course of action. CPR was impossible because of the multitude of harnesses and safety gear Champion was wearing, so Thompson continuously attempted to resuscitate his comrade.
Eventually, Thompson felt a pulse again, so he unbuckled Champion and took him down to the ground where CPR was performed on him immediately. Champion managed to hang on until the paramedics arrived, then he was transported to the hospital. Thanks to his friend, Champion made a full recovery and lived on happily past this accident until he passed away in 2002. Thompson was recognized as a hero for his deeds and happens to still be alive to this day. This photograph was taken by a passerby reporter named Rocco Morabito, and his emotional capturing of the incident landed him the Pulitzer Prize in 1968. The picture is called, “The Kiss of Life.”
Raising The Flag At Ground Zero
In this iconic photo from history, three New York City firefighters, George Johnson, Dan McWilliams, and Billy Eisengrein, can be seen raising the American Flag at Ground Zero of the World Trade Center following the September 11th, 2001 attacks.
The flag came from the Star of America, a yacht that had been docked in the Hudson River. The yacht owner, Shirley Dreifus, used a saw to cut the yardarm off and then take the flag to the firefighters. They found a pole about 20 feet off the ground and proceeded to raise the flag.
After the flag was removed from Ground Zero, both the governor of New York, George Pataki, and the mayor of New York City, Rudolph Giulliani signed the flag and then it was continued to be flown at New York City Hall.
In a strange ending to the flag’s story, when the original owner of the flag, Dreifus, prepared to officially donate the flag, it was found that the flag on hand was not the original flag from the Star of America and the original flag from the photo is still missing.
The Blues Brothers
Here is another iconic photo, this one from the 1980 American Film, The Blues Brothers.
It features John Belushi (right) and Dan Aykroyd (left). Belushi and Aykroyd played Jake and Elwood Blues respectively in the now cult classic, which was originally developed from a Saturday Night Live skit.
Both “brothers” are seen wearing their distinctive black suits, white shirts and black “skinny” ties, along with matching fedora hats, and similar but distinctive dark sunglasses. The sunglasses worn by both actors are the iconic Ray-Ban Wayfarer style, with Aykroyd displaying a traditional black frame and lenses, and Belushi’s sunglasses sporting a tortoiseshell finish and dark lenses. The popularity of this film, and its subsequent cult following have helped to give this particular Ray-Ban frame somewhat of a cult following itself.
The film this picture is taken from was the last of three films that Belushi and Aykroyd would make together, the other two being 1941 and Neighbors.. The duo also performed together on Saturday Night Live together.
First Cable Car Crossing Niagara Falls
This iconic photo from history shows the first crossing of the Whirlpool Cable Car going over the Niagara Falls gorge, on August 8th, 1916.
This attraction is still open, however it is now called the Whirlpool Aero Car. This equipment was designed by Leonardo Torres Quevedo, a Spanish engineer, and has been in operation since 1916.
The cable car is made up of six sturdy cables and offers a wonderful view of the Niagara Whirlpool which is formed at the end of the rapids where the gorge turns abruptly counterclockwise, and the river escapes through the narrowest channel in the gorge. It has 14 pulleys going back and forth above the cables that allows the wagon or the cargo carrier to move easier and make it light enough.
Below are a few highlights about the Whirlpool Aero Car:
- The Whirlpool Aero Car opened on August 8, 1916. Upgrades in design and function occurred in 1961, 1967 and 1984.
- The aerial cable car travels safely between two different points of the Canadian shore of the Niagara River over the spectacular Whirlpool.
- A round trip is about one kilometer (3,600 feet) and takes about 10 minutes to navigate, carrying its capacity of 35 standing passengers.
A Family Portrait Out Of This World
The photo above is simply a snapshot of a family portrait, however this portrait is unique, because it is sitting on the moon and has been for the last 40 years.
In April of 1972, Apollo 16 touched down on the moon and the pilot, Charles Duke, began his lunar trip. At the time, he was just 36, making him the youngest ever to set foot on the moon.
As a memento, Charles left a portrait of his family there. With him is his wife Dottie and his two sons, Charles and Tom. Charles also decided to take a photo of the portrait so that he would have proof of what he left behind.
Charles also left the following message on the back of the portrait, just in case another life form finds the portrait and understands how to read english:
“‘This is the family of Astronaut Duke from Planet Earth. Landed on the Moon, April 1972,”
R2-D2 & C-3PO Behind The Scenes
This iconic photo is of two of the most fan favorite characters to ever grace the big screen, but most viewers won’t recognize them out of costume.
The driver of the motorcycle is Kenny Baker and his passenger is Anthony Daniels. They are, respectively R2-D2 and C-3PO, the lovable and sometimes quirky droid pair in the Star Wars Universe.
This picture, shot in black and white shows the famous duo in a rare out of costume moment together. The actors have famously (or infamously) not gotten along, and are the only two actors to have appeared in all 7 Star Wars films to date.
From our research, this is a publicity photo for the original 1978 film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, which attempts to show the two in a bit of off screen fun, with Baker piloting a miniature motorcycle with Daniels as his passenger, standing on the back pegs, and pointing to something in the distance over Baker’s head.
Baker’s grin appears strained in the photo, as if it is a physical exertion to smile, while Anthony Daniels’ face appears to have no emotion whatsoever.
Ford Model T Assembly Line
Above is an old black and white photograph showing the Ford Model T Assembly Line in 1924. Ford’s Model T, introduced in 1908, was simple, sturdy and relatively inexpensive–but not inexpensive enough for Ford, who was determined to build “motor car[s] for the great multitude.” In order to lower the price of his cars, Ford figured, he would just have to find a way to build them more efficiently.
Ford had been trying to increase his factories’ productivity for years. The workers who built his Model N cars (the Model T’s predecessor) arranged the parts in a row on the floor, put the under-construction auto on skids and dragged it down the line as they worked. Later, the streamlining process grew more sophisticated. Ford broke the Model T’s assembly into 84 discrete steps, for example, and trained each of his workers to do just one. He also hired motion-study expert Frederick Taylor to make those jobs even more efficient. Meanwhile, he built machines that could stamp out parts automatically (and much more quickly than even the fastest human worker could).
The most significant piece of Ford’s efficiency crusade was the assembly line. Inspired by the continuous-flow production methods used by flour mills, breweries, canneries and industrial bakeries, along with the disassembly of animal carcasses in Chicago’s meat-packing plants, Ford installed moving lines for bits and pieces of the manufacturing process: For instance, workers built motors and transmissions on rope-and-pulley–powered conveyor belts. In December 1913, he unveiled the pièce de résistance: the moving-chassis assembly line.
The “Commando” Gunner
Above is a truly rare and iconic photo taken during World War II aboard a US Navy “Dumbo” PBY in 1944, during a rescue mission in Rabaul Bay, which is located in Papua New Guinea in the Pacific Ocean.
The photo was taken while the crewman was manning his gun, right after he had just jumped into the Bay to rescue a Marine pilot who had been shot down by the Japanese during a bombing mission.
Horace Bristol, a war photographer, captured the timely photo and later recounted some of the story:
“…we got a call to pick up an airman who was down in the Bay. The Japanese were shooting at him from the island, and when they saw us they started shooting at us. The man who was shot down was temporarily blinded, so one of our crew stripped off his clothes and jumped in to bring him aboard. He couldn’t have swum very well wearing his boots and clothes. As soon as we could, we took off. We weren’t waiting around for anybody to put on formal clothes. We were being shot at and wanted to get the hell out of there. The naked man got back into his position at his gun in the blister of the plane.”
Bridgette Bardot – The Birdcage
A photograph of a young Brigitte Bardot next to an empty birdcage.
Above is a photograph from the history of international films. This is Brigitte Bardot, one of France’s most famous movie stars, in her younger years. It is estimated this photo was taken in her late teens before her rise to fame, but the exact time and place of this picture are currently unknown.
Bardot was born in Paris in 1934. Throughout her early life, she studied dance, especially ballet. She made her film debut in the year 1952, at only eighteen years of age, by appearing in the movie, Crazy for Love. At this point in time, Bardot would go on to act in an entire seventeen films just from 1952 to 1956 with only one of them gaining much exposure for her career. It was a movie called And God Created Woman at the end of this period that brought her into the limelight and cemented her as one of the world’s favorite international movie stars.
Bardot quickly became America’s favorite French actress because of her bewitching looks and impressive acting skills. She put this publicity to good use as in 1973, she decided to work towards helping promoting the rights of animals. Living life as an animal lover, she saw the poor treatment of animals in the world back then and felt she should do something to help.
Continuously she would attend fundraisers and meetings to promote her agenda. She has also been politically active against such groups as she has branded harmful to animal rights. To this very day she is continuing her battle and shows no signs of slowing.
Writer / Quiz Creator
Andrew Nicholas is a passionate reader and writer on the subjects of history and mankind. He is a published author, critic, and poet who grew up in the friendly scenery of rural Ohio. He is a graduate of Wright State University and a regular student of historical curiosities.