37 Historical Photographs That Are a Time Capsule of the Past

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37 Historical Photographs That Are a Time Capsule of the Past

You know what they say, "those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it." And while we agree, I don't think my learning about the Titanic has stopped me from repeating it, at least, I don't think it has.

By Nathan Johnson

Published 11 months ago in Ftw

But I could be wrong, and I wonder if you have any personal experiences that would have gone differently had you had the right historical context to understand yourself and your potential failure.

Take image one for instance. What would you have done differently had you known your cement truck would crash, leaving your cement mixer to be defaced by the community? Nothing. That's what we thought.

So don't worry about repeating history here, I doubt any of us are having such an impact on the world around us. Or heck, go out and repeat history, ain't nobody stopping you.

1
"A Crusader Sword, Believed To Be Around 900 Years Old, Was Discovered Off The Northern Coast Of Israel In October 2021" "The iron sword, measuring slightly less than 4 feet in length, is thought to have been owned by a Crusader who journeyed to the Holy Land around 1100 AD."

2
"Captured In 1914, This Image Portrays A Chest X-Ray Being Taken Within Dr. Maxime Menard's Radiology Division At Cochin Hospital In Paris" "Regrettably, Menard would eventually experience the loss of one of his fingers due to the adverse effects stemming from his operation of the X-ray equipment."

3
"A Replicated Sculpture Of The Giant Short-Faced Bear, Which Inhabited A Significant Portion Of North America Until Approximately 11,000 Years Ago" "These bears could reach a towering height of 12 feet when standing upright."

4
"In 1924, Ruth Malcomson Was Crowned Miss America At The Age Of 18, Following Her Victory As Miss Philadelphia In 1923"

5
"In 1935, A Man From Japan Is Seen Cycling Through Tokyo With A Shoulder-Load Of Soba Noodles"

6
"During The Ming Dynasty, A Method Was Used Where Smallpox Scabs Were Ground Into A Powder And Blown Into The Noses Of Healthy Individuals" "This would result in these individuals contracting a milder form of smallpox, and upon recovery, they would gain immunity to the disease. Although this technique had a 1-3% mortality rate, it was significantly lower than the 20-30% mortality rate associated with smallpox itself. This practice of deliberately exposing healthy individuals to smallpox-infected material in the hopes of providing immunity was known as variolation. The earliest documented case of variolation involves a Buddhist nun living on a mountain named O-Mei Shan in the southern province of Szechuan, China, during the period between 1022 and 1063 AD. She began practicing variolation after noticing that those who survived smallpox did not contract the disease again. It wasn't until 1796 that English Physician Edward Jenner discovered a vaccination for smallpox. He achieved this by injecting pus from a cowpox sore found on a milkmaid into an eight-year-old boy. Six weeks later, he attempted to infect the boy with smallpox, but the boy did not develop the disease, indicating that the prior exposure to cowpox had protected him from infection."

7
"Cast Of Star Wars Out Of Costume In 1977"

8
"Back In 1971, Close To Winganon, Oklahoma, There Was A Cement Truck Accident" "The weight of the mixer was so immense that relocating it wasn't feasible, prompting the decision to abandon it in place. Over time, the community members took it upon themselves to give the truck a makeover, transforming its appearance into that of a NASA space capsule."

9
"Over The Years, We Have Allocated A Significant Amount Of Public Space To Accommodate Cars" "This illustration was created by Swedish artist Karl Jilg, commissioned by the Swedish Road Administration, to visually represent the extent of public space that has been dedicated to car-related infrastructure and transportation."

10
"Wooden Leg, A Northern Cheyenne Warrior, Photographed In 1927" "He was notable for fighting against US Army officer and cavalry commander George Armstrong Custer at the Battle of the Little Big Horn."

11
"Korean Couple In Seoul, South Korea, 1904"

12
"A Late 19th-Century Victorian Radiator With A Built-In Warming Oven Is A Charming Relic From A Bygone Era"

13
"In November 1946, While Capturing A Portrait In Warsaw, A Photographer Employs A Personal Backdrop To Conceal The Remnants Of Poland's World War II Destruction"

14
"Photo Of An Ironworker During Construction Of The Columbia Tower, Seattle, 1984"

15
"This Photograph Was Taken In 1947 At The Astor Theatre, Situated At 1537 Broadway, On The Corner Of West 45th Street In Times Square, New York City" "Regrettably, the theater was later demolished in 1982 to clear the space for the construction of the Marriott Marquis Hotel."

16
"Charles Joughin, The Chief Baker Aboard The Titanic, Emerged As An Improbable Survivor Of The Tragic Sinking Of The Ship"

17
"Emmeline Pankhurst Arrested Outside Buckingham Palace, 1914" "Suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst being carried away from Buckingham Palace in London, England after being arrested while trying to present a petition to King George V of the United Kingdom, 21st May 1914."

18
"In 1968, Võ Thi Thang, A Vietnamese Revolutionary, Flashed A Smile At The Camera Despite Having Just Received A 20-Year Hard Labor Sentence From The South Vietnamese Government"

19
"The Great Blizzard Of 1888 Stands As One Of The Most Severe Blizzards Ever Recorded In American History" "This tempest rendered the East Coast immobile, depositing snow ranging from 10 to 58 inches (25 to 147 cm) across various regions of New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. The included photograph captures an unidentified young man positioned within a cleared space on Madison Avenue and 40th Street in New York City. The storm's impact was far-reaching: railways ceased operations, and individuals were confined to their residences for up to a week. Telegraph and railway lines suffered disruptions, prompting the decision to relocate these essential infrastructures underground."

20
"Celebrating Halloween In 1886: A Man Adorns Himself As The Billiards King While His Two Sons Attire As The 8 Ball And Cue Ball"

21
"In 1939, Albert Einstein Was Captured In A Photo At Nassau Point, New York, Sporting Sandals" "Seated beside him was his friend and local store proprietor, David Rothman. An amusing incident preceded this snapshot, stemming from Einstein's heavily accented request for a pair of "sundahls," which Rothman misunderstood as "sundial." After some initial confusion in the store, Einstein eventually acquired the white sandals he was wearing for $1.35. He took the situation in good humor, attributing it to his "atrocious accent." Despite the mix-up, the two men maintained a strong friendship."

22
"The First Photograph Ever Taken, 1826" "The oldest surviving photograph to exist. It was taken by pioneer photographer, Joseph Nicéphore Niépce. The scene depicts a view from a window in Nicéphore Niépce’s estate known as Le Gras in Saint-Loup-de-Varennes, Bourgogne, France in 1826 or 1827."

23
"A Comparison Of Size Between The Titanic And A Contemporary Cruise Ship"

24
"In 1900, The Attire Worn By Dutch Men Was Greatly Influenced By The Prevailing Weather Conditions In The Netherlands"

25
"In Kyoto, There Are Five Temples With Ceilings Bearing Human Blood Stains"

26
"The Valley Of The Shadow Of Death, 1855" "The Valley Of The Shadow Of Death, 1855"

27
"Grotto In An Iceberg, 1911" "Geologist Thomas Griffith Taylor and Meteorologist Charles Wright photographed on the 5 January 1911 at the entrance of a grotto in the side of an iceberg with the Terra Nova ship in the background. This was a part of the British Antarctic Expedition led by Captain Robert Falcon Scott which lasted from 1910-1913."

28
"The Solvay Conference On Quantum Mechanics, 1927" "The 1927 Solvay Conference on Quantum Mechanics at the Institut International de Physique Solvay in Brussels, Belgium. This image features many of the greatest scientists in modern history. Some of those that you may recognize are: Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Max Planck, Niels Bohr, and Auguste Piccard"

29
"The Sweetheart Toaster From The 1920s Represents An Interesting Piece Of Kitchen Technology From That Era"

30
"Rosa Parks Being Indicted, 1956" "Rosa Parks being fingerprinted by Lieutenant D. H. Lackey as one of the people indicted as leaders of the Montgomery bus boycott on February 22, 1956. She was one of 73 people rounded up by deputies that day after a grand jury charged 113 African Americans for organizing the boycott"

31
"In 1935, While Visiting London, Kayan Lahwi Women Observed A Guard Stationed At St James's Palace" "The Kayan Lahwi, alternatively referred to as Padaung, constitute a minority ethnic community residing in Myanmar and Thailand. Their unique tradition involves elongating coils as the women mature, which results in the compression of the rib cage and the displacement of the collarbone. This practice gives the illusion of an extraordinarily elongated neck."

32
"The Photographs Of The Control Room Of A World War I German Submarine (Ub-110) In 1918"

33
"In December 1937, Two Soldiers Belonging To The Pontifical Swiss Guard Were Photographed In Vatican City"

34
"In 1928, A Figure Known As The Ice Man Could Be Seen Delivering A 25-Pound Ice Block In Houston, Texas"

35
"In 1972, You Could Buy Sandwiches In London For Various Prices"

36
"In 1957, A 21-Year-Old Yves Saint Laurent Attended Christian Dior's Funeral, Which Marked A Significant Moment In His Life "YSL had a deep admiration for Dior, expressing, "Dior fascinated me. I couldn't speak in front of him. He taught me the basis of my art. Whatever was to happen next, I never forgot the years I spent at his side." What's even more remarkable is the lesser-known story of Christian Dior's younger sister, Catherine. She played a courageous role in the French resistance during World War 2. In 1944, Catherine was captured by the Gestapo, enduring torture before being sent to the Ravensbrück and Buchenwald concentration camps. Remarkably, she survived both camps and was finally liberated near Dresden in 1945. Upon her return to Paris, Catherine's ordeal had taken a toll on her health, to the point where she was too sick to eat the welcome feast her brother Christian had prepared for her. She went on to testify against the Nazis and received several awards for her acts of resistance, including the Legion of Honour, the highest French order of merit. Christian Dior honored his sister by naming his first perfume "Miss Dior" after her. Despite her incredible bravery and resilience, Catherine remained averse to the spotlight, choosing to stay out of the public eye. Her inspiring story continued as she lived to the age of 90 and passed away in 2008, leaving behind a legacy of strength and courage."

37
"If Cameras Were Available During The Early 1500s, We Might Have Captured Leonardo Da Vinci's Depiction Of The Italian Noblewoman Lisa Del Giocondo Through The Iconic Artwork Known As The Mona Lisa"