Grigori Rasputin, Russian mystic and spiritual advisor to the Romanovs and a highly influential figure in the court of Tsar Nicholas II. Reportedly, Rasputin’s first assassination attempt occurred in 1914, when the prostitute Khioniya Guseva stabbed him in the gut with a dagger in what was thought to be a mortal wound. Eyewitnesses claim that as Rasputin’s entrails fell from his stomach Guseva shouted, “I’ve killed the antichrist.” Though Rasputin survived the attack, his demeanor changed permanently. In 1916, the country’s distaste for Rasputin hit an all-time high, and a group of conspirators including Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich and Prince Felix Yusupov set out to kill him. Using Yusupov’s wife to lure Rasputin to their home, the conspirators fed Rasputin wine and cakes laced with cyanide. Though it was reportedly enough poison to kill five men, Rasputin was unaffected. Unperturbed, the conspirators continued their attack by beating him repeatedly, then shooting him in the back and causing him to fall to the floor. Yet Rasputin, much like antibiotic-resistant pathogen, still wasn’t dead. According to some, Rasputin jumped up violently, only to be shot several more times. The men then wrapped the body in a sheet or carpet and tossed him into the Neva River. Rasputin’s body was pulled from the water three days later. Though autopsy reports differ, most attest that he was still alive when thrown into the water and that from the positioning of his body, he had tried to break free before either drowning or dying from hypothermia. The exact cause of death has been debated for decades.

Circus showman and founder P.T. Barnum and his three dwarves, General Tom Thumb, Lavinia Warren and Commodore Nutt, 1800s

Women protesting forced hijab days after the Iranian Revolution, 1979. The date was March 8, International Women’s Day, and the image shows women from all walks of life — nurses, students, mothers — marching, smiling, arms raised in protest. More than 100,000 of them. At the time, Golestan recalls, Iranian people were very “politically charged” and believed change could be effected by demonstrating in the streets. “This time they were disappointed,” she says. “From the next day everybody had to wear the scarf.”

Before the creation of the EPA, New York was one of America’s most polluted cities – 1966

A man selling his new Chrysler for a fraction of its value after the Stock Market Crash of 1929, New York. 1924-1929 Chrysler Series 75. MSRP for the base model started around $1600, or $22,590 in todays dollars. He’s asking the equivalent of $1400 for his new $22000 car.

Deadwood, USA 1876

The Clark Doll Experiment, 1939. This was a test done for a Master’s thesis that involved children being presented with 2 dolls, 1 black 1 white. They asked the children which they would play with, which one is nicer/better, etc. The experiment showed a clear preference for the white doll. Some of the actual data is hard to find, but the work was accepted enough that the Supreme Court used it in Brown v Board of Education.

Muhammad Ali prevents a suicide 1981. “Over the next few days, Ali spent over $2,000 getting the man clothes, an apartment and a job. The poor fellow broke down in tears. He couldn’t believe the heavyweight champion was helping him,” Bingham said.” “He grasped Ali by the hands, tears running down his cheeks, and said: ‘I spent years alone after returning from Vietnam. ‘I became convinced that nobody cares whether I live or die, so I decided I would die – but you changed that for me. You have given me the strength to carry on,’” Bingham claimed. Ali stayed in touch with the vet for years, Bingham said. “The champ called him every few months. There’s no doubt that Ali saved his life and helped him get a new start,” he said.

Adolf Hitler showing symptoms of amphetamine use. Though a mild cocaine user, Adolf Hitler prefered the use of stronger amphetamines. He utilized them for not only medical treamtent but during speeches and war as well. Methamphetamine in the form of the tablet Pervitin was distribute to Wehmacht soldiers, allowing his army to expend themselves much further than the allies.

Sudanese man grabs maize from a starving child during food distribution at a humanitarian aid feeding center. Ajiep, Sudan, 1998. ‘They are innocent people trapped and battered by circumstances beyond their control. Ordinary humans in extraordinary situations, displaying immense courage, sacrifice, dignity and the determination to survive what has befallen them and their loved ones. So don’t feel sorry when you look at these pictures – feel angry that we need to be reminded of such folly. It is sad but necessary that these photographs exist.’

Teenagers at a party in Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1947

Chang ‘The Chinese Giant’ with his wife and manager. His height was claimed to be over 8 feet and he was reportedly able to speak between six to ten languages 1871

Badly burned U.S officer lies on his hospital stretcher in a church in Leyte while there is a mass going on. The church worked as a temporary hospital, Philippines 1944

Vance, a Trapper Boy, 15 years old. Has trapped for several years in a West Va. Coal mine. $.75 a day for 10 hours work. All he does is to open and shut this door: most of the time he sits here idle, waiting for the cars to come. On account of the intense darkness in the mine, the hieroglyphics on the door were not visible until plate was developed. 1908

Luftwaffe bomber crew patched up, apparently shot down in the Leningrad region in 1941.

A Harlem couple wearing raccoon coats with a Cadillac 1932

Al Capone’s FBI criminal record, showing most of his criminal charges were dismissed 1932

Ford Model T assembly line 1920s

President of Chile Salvador Allende moments away from death during military coup at Moneda Palace in Santiago.