History is not learnt only through textbooks, but everywhere around us. It’s captured in the quick unscripted moments that happen when not everyone is paying close enough attention.
These photos freeze this moments from the past that carry stories interesting enough to feel surprising and powerful. No matter how many years have passed, they’re still being talked about.
You might not know some of these, or you just might not know the story behind them, but they will help connect the dots between then and now that make them so interesting.
1
Philippe Petit at the Notre Dame towers, 1971
Tightrope visionary showcased his performance in high-risk form.
2
Houdini’s “Chinese water torture cell”, 1910
Harry Houdini performed this escape upside-down, locked in a water-filled tank and became one of the most famous illusions ever.
3
Lou Gehrig’s “Luckiest man” speech, 1939
On July 4th, he said goodbye to baseball while battling ALS.
4
Grand Motor show in Uruguay, 1962
Featuring a display of vintage Volkswagen cars.
5
Winston Churchill at Hitler's bunker, 1945
Conducting an on-site assessment.
6
Wedding rings taken from holocaust victims, 1945
Heartbreaking evidence of all the damage done in WWII.
7
Refugees leaving Belgrade, 1944
As WWII escalated, civilians migrated to secure an exit.
8
The first battle of the Marne begins, 1914
French forces advance against German units, reshaping the trajectory of WWI.
9
1958 World Cup draw in Sweden
Stakeholders got together to see where the event would take place.
10
Houdini visiting hospitalized children, 1925
Between shows, he spent time entertaining sick children, bringing them tricks and puppets.
11
Arnold Schwarzenegger lifting the bavarian stone, 1967
Before Hollywood he smashed the Bavarian stone lifting record by lifting 508 pounds.
12
Baltic way human chain, 1989
Nearly two million participants across Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia synchronized to make a human chain.
13
Photographer masks war ruins in Poland, 1946
In a post-conflict landscape, he brought a hand-painted backdrop to create an aspirational photo.
14
Margaret Hamilton with Apollo software, 1969
This stack of code is what guided Apollo missions to the moon, and she wrote it line by line with her team.
15
Boy with a handmade bicycle, 1912
Factoy-made toys were rare, so this kid from Estonia, built his own bike from scrap wood.
16
Ribbentrop announcing war on the Soviet Union, 1941
Germany’s foreign minister delivered the public declaration that launched Operation Barbarossa, the largest military invasion in history.
17
Breakthrough point of the channel tunnel, 1990
French and British workers finally met beneath the English Channel after years of digging.
18
French civilians using a carrier cycle, 1940
During WWII, cars were seized and people had to improvise transport.
19
First recorded offensive V-sign, 1901
Long before it meant “peace,” it was basically the old equivalent of flipping someone off.
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