20 Stunningly Surreal Photos From History

Carly Tennes Published 04/29/2024 in wow

A whole lot has happened throughout history. Yet among all the invasions, monarchies, and even global power struggles that fill our history books, the past odd century has brought with it yet another way to reflect on the past — the camera. Since its fateful invention, people have been able to capture integral moments on film, allowing generations to come — us and our descendants included — to take a glimpse at what the world was like tens, if not hundreds of years ago.

From harrowing images of war to a very strong man flexing in front of his pals, here are 20 stunningly surreal historical snaps.

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1. “Women (two wearing high heeled leather boots), sitting on a stone wall at the University of Sulaymaniyah – Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan region of northern Iraq, Ba'athist era, c. 1979.”
2. “Nanjing road, downtown Shanghai during the Cultural Revolution, December 1967. The giant neon banner on the right reads ‘wishing a long life for Chairman Mao.’”
3. “Surrender of German troops, Courland (May 9-10, 1945).”
4. “Ultraviolet bath given to Soviet kids, USSR, 1980s.”
5. “Ethiopian troops arrived in Korea. The vast majority of UN troops were American, but the troops also included representatives from more than a dozen different national contingents. (1951)”
6. “An American soldier at Saddam Hussein's palace (Iraq) in 2003.”
7. “Wenceslao ‘El Fusilado’ Moguel, left disfigured after surviving a firing squad execution, sharing a moment with Robert L. Ripley on the set of Ripley's Believe It or Not! radio show, 1937”
8. “New York Giants quarterback Y.A. Tittle after being slammed to the ground by a Pittsburgh Steelers lineman in Pittsburgh on Sept. 20, 1964. The photograph immortalized Tittle in football lore as the epitome of the aging warrior who had finally fallen.”
9. “The world's worst nuclear disaster: 4th reactor at Chernobyl nuclear power station in USSR exploded. This is the only known photo taken of reactor number 4 on the day of the explosion.”
10. “A Chinese lady whose feet were bound from childhood. Late 1800s.”
11. “Man lifting weights in front of an audience. Mongolia, 1956.”
12. “A muddied Combat Engineer of the United States Fifth Army enjoys a cup of coffee and a doughnut supplied by the Red Cross in Italy, 1944.”
13. “A kendo class for boys. Japan, 1929.”
14. “The last Mughal emperor – King of Delhi Bahadur Shah Zafar. Only two photographs of him are known, this one was taken around 1860, shortly before his death in 1862, when he was in exile in Rangoon after the Indian Uprising (1857-1859). Most of his sons w
15. “German Army King Tiger '314' heavy tank with a Henschel turret, turned to its rear – on the streets of the capital city Berlin - during the Battle of Berlin, c. April 16th - May 2nd, 1945.”
16. “Nguyễn Cao Kỳ, former Prime Minister of South Vietnam, working at a liquor store in Los Angeles, after settling in the United States following the fall of South Vietnam - 1977”
17. “Jack Benny, Mary Livingstone, Edgar Bergen, Don Wilson, Phil Harris, and Dennis Day at a Rehearsal for Benny's Radio Program — 10/13/1946.”
18.  “Oklahoma farmers comparing yields of fertilized vs unfertilized corn, 1932.”
19. “It was one of the last herds of this size observed. From the beginning of the 20th cen. to the 1970s, the elephant population decreased 7.5 times and amounted to approximately 1.3 million. Currently it's around 400000.”
20. “The ISS Expedition 2 and Space Shuttle Endeavour STS-100 crew members get together for a group portrait in the emptied Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) on the International Space Station. 26 April 2001.”

1. “Women (two wearing high heeled leather boots), sitting on a stone wall at the University of Sulaymaniyah – Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan region of northern Iraq, Ba'athist era, c. 1979.”
2. “Nanjing road, downtown Shanghai during the Cultural Revolution, December 1967. The giant neon banner on the right reads ‘wishing a long life for Chairman Mao.’”
3. “Surrender of German troops, Courland (May 9-10, 1945).”
4. “Ultraviolet bath given to Soviet kids, USSR, 1980s.”
5. “Ethiopian troops arrived in Korea. The vast majority of UN troops were American, but the troops also included representatives from more than a dozen different national contingents. (1951)”
6. “An American soldier at Saddam Hussein's palace (Iraq) in 2003.”
7. “Wenceslao ‘El Fusilado’ Moguel, left disfigured after surviving a firing squad execution, sharing a moment with Robert L. Ripley on the set of Ripley's Believe It or Not! radio show, 1937”
8. “New York Giants quarterback Y.A. Tittle after being slammed to the ground by a Pittsburgh Steelers lineman in Pittsburgh on Sept. 20, 1964. The photograph immortalized Tittle in football lore as the epitome of the aging warrior who had finally fallen.”
9. “The world's worst nuclear disaster: 4th reactor at Chernobyl nuclear power station in USSR exploded. This is the only known photo taken of reactor number 4 on the day of the explosion.”
10. “A Chinese lady whose feet were bound from childhood. Late 1800s.”
11. “Man lifting weights in front of an audience. Mongolia, 1956.”
12. “A muddied Combat Engineer of the United States Fifth Army enjoys a cup of coffee and a doughnut supplied by the Red Cross in Italy, 1944.”
13. “A kendo class for boys. Japan, 1929.”
14. “The last Mughal emperor – King of Delhi Bahadur Shah Zafar. Only two photographs of him are known, this one was taken around 1860, shortly before his death in 1862, when he was in exile in Rangoon after the Indian Uprising (1857-1859). Most of his sons w
15. “German Army King Tiger '314' heavy tank with a Henschel turret, turned to its rear – on the streets of the capital city Berlin - during the Battle of Berlin, c. April 16th - May 2nd, 1945.”
16. “Nguyễn Cao Kỳ, former Prime Minister of South Vietnam, working at a liquor store in Los Angeles, after settling in the United States following the fall of South Vietnam - 1977”
17. “Jack Benny, Mary Livingstone, Edgar Bergen, Don Wilson, Phil Harris, and Dennis Day at a Rehearsal for Benny's Radio Program — 10/13/1946.”
18.  “Oklahoma farmers comparing yields of fertilized vs unfertilized corn, 1932.”
19. “It was one of the last herds of this size observed. From the beginning of the 20th cen. to the 1970s, the elephant population decreased 7.5 times and amounted to approximately 1.3 million. Currently it's around 400000.”
20. “The ISS Expedition 2 and Space Shuttle Endeavour STS-100 crew members get together for a group portrait in the emptied Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) on the International Space Station. 26 April 2001.”

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“Women (two wearing high heeled leather boots), sitting on a stone wall at the University of Sulaymaniyah – Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan region of northern Iraq, Ba'athist era, c. 1979.”

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1. “Women (two wearing high heeled leather boots), sitting on a stone wall at the University of Sulaymaniyah – Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan region of northern Iraq, Ba'athist era, c. 1979.”

2. “Nanjing road, downtown Shanghai during the Cultural Revolution, December 1967. The giant neon banner on the right reads ‘wishing a long life for Chairman Mao.’”

3. “Surrender of German troops, Courland (May 9-10, 1945).”

4. “Ultraviolet bath given to Soviet kids, USSR, 1980s.”

5. “Ethiopian troops arrived in Korea. The vast majority of UN troops were American, but the troops also included representatives from more than a dozen different national contingents. (1951)”

6. “An American soldier at Saddam Hussein's palace (Iraq) in 2003.”

7. “Wenceslao ‘El Fusilado’ Moguel, left disfigured after surviving a firing squad execution, sharing a moment with Robert L. Ripley on the set of Ripley's Believe It or Not! radio show, 1937”

8. “New York Giants quarterback Y.A. Tittle after being slammed to the ground by a Pittsburgh Steelers lineman in Pittsburgh on Sept. 20, 1964. The photograph immortalized Tittle in football lore as the epitome of the aging warrior who had finally fallen.”

9. “The world's worst nuclear disaster: 4th reactor at Chernobyl nuclear power station in USSR exploded. This is the only known photo taken of reactor number 4 on the day of the explosion.”

10. “A Chinese lady whose feet were bound from childhood. Late 1800s.”

11. “Man lifting weights in front of an audience. Mongolia, 1956.”

12. “A muddied Combat Engineer of the United States Fifth Army enjoys a cup of coffee and a doughnut supplied by the Red Cross in Italy, 1944.”

13. “A kendo class for boys. Japan, 1929.”

14. “The last Mughal emperor – King of Delhi Bahadur Shah Zafar. Only two photographs of him are known, this one was taken around 1860, shortly before his death in 1862, when he was in exile in Rangoon after the Indian Uprising (1857-1859). Most of his sons w

15. “German Army King Tiger '314' heavy tank with a Henschel turret, turned to its rear – on the streets of the capital city Berlin - during the Battle of Berlin, c. April 16th - May 2nd, 1945.”

16. “Nguyễn Cao Kỳ, former Prime Minister of South Vietnam, working at a liquor store in Los Angeles, after settling in the United States following the fall of South Vietnam - 1977”

17. “Jack Benny, Mary Livingstone, Edgar Bergen, Don Wilson, Phil Harris, and Dennis Day at a Rehearsal for Benny's Radio Program — 10/13/1946.”

18. “Oklahoma farmers comparing yields of fertilized vs unfertilized corn, 1932.”

19. “It was one of the last herds of this size observed. From the beginning of the 20th cen. to the 1970s, the elephant population decreased 7.5 times and amounted to approximately 1.3 million. Currently it's around 400000.”

20. “The ISS Expedition 2 and Space Shuttle Endeavour STS-100 crew members get together for a group portrait in the emptied Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) on the International Space Station. 26 April 2001.”