A photo means nothing without the story behind its taking, and these 20 seemingly innocent photos have way more to them than meets the eye.
From unsolved crimes to political scandals, here are 20 normal-looking photos with some jarringly important context.
1
Sarah Winchester’s Mansion
In 1884 Winchester began building the mansion to escape the ghosts of those killed by her family. (Her family was involved in removing Native Americans from their land.) She died believing that if she ever stopped building they would get her.
2
Thelma Pauline
While on a hike with her friends in 1981, the 58-year-old "Polly" inexplicably began speeding up until she disappeared down the trail, never to be seen again.
3
Tomás Garrido Canabal
A Mexican politician who ruled the state of Tabasco from 1919 to 1943. He held far-left beliefs and attempted to eradicate religion.
4
Exeter Cathedral
This 14th century door allegedly contains the world’s oldest cat flap.
5
Dorothy Arnold
In 1910, she vanished walking down Fifth Avenue. It remains one of the country’s oldest missing person cases.
6
Whitby Abbey
In the 1800s, a nun named Constance de Beverley betrayed her vows to marry a knight. She was allegedly punished by being built into the Abbey’s walls. Her ghost apparently still resides in the ruins.
7
Charles Whitener, Jr.
This six-year-old boy was responsible for a train derailment in the 1930s. As punishment, a judge ordered his tonsils removed.
8
Bone Music
In order to play banned western music, Soviet bootleggers pressed records onto X-rays.
9
Blair Adams
In 1991, the Canadian Adams informed his friends he was convinced somebody was trying to murder him. He went on the run and was found killed in Tennessee a few days later. The case remains unsolved.
10
Dom Pedro II
Dom Pedro II ruled Brazil as its emperor from 1830 to 1889. When he helped abolish slavery in the country, slave owners overthrew the monarchy and established a republic.
11
Sister Margaret Ann Pahl
In 1980, she was discovered violently murdered. The church urged police not to investigate, but when another woman came forward to allege an assault, they took control and made an arrest.
12
Julia Tuttle
A widow in the 1890s, Tuttle convinced tycoon Henry Flagler to extend his railroad to her. The added traffic helped her sell oranges, and the area became Miami.
13
Belle Gunness
Called the "Black Widow of the Midwest," she brought at least 14 men back to her farm before killing them. She faked her death in a fire and vanished in 1908.
14
Boris Yeltsin and Bill Clinton
The Russian leader was allegedly found multiple times roaming the streets drunk in his underwear, looking for pizza.
15
South Fork Bridge
This 1941 photo of the Canadian bridge opening led many to believe a time traveler wearing modern sunglasses was present.
16
Bill Clinton and Intern Monica Lewinsky
The pair’s affair led to the President’s impeachment.
17
WWII Soldiers
A soldier and his two best friends. Only the man in the middle came home.
18
Dean and Tina Clouse
The pair were found murdered in 1981, but the daughter remained missing. In 2022, the then 42-year-old daughter was identified, only aware that she’d been dropped off at a church as an orphan at a young age.
19
Roman Polanski
Sitting outside his home the day after his wife and unborn child became victims of the Manson “family.”
20
Pep
Pep the dog was wrongly sentenced to life in prison after killing the Pennsylvania governor’s cat in 1924. He was actually used as a therapy dog to help rehabilitate prisoners.
