May 24th, 2017 | Updated on February 28th, 2024
“A picture is worth a thousand words”. It’s a simple notion that applies to many aspects of our lives, but especially to historical photography. Sometimes, one simple picture can tell you more about history than any story you might read or any document you might analyze.
We compiled this collection of iconic & famous historical photos, taking into account cultural significance, news value and overall aesthetics. Check out below.
1. A priest praying over the victims of the Titanic (1912).
2. The first “The Apple”, India’s first satellite being transported manually.
3. Hitler and Speer were mesmerized by the Schwerer Gustav, one of the largest piece of artillery ever used in Combat (1941).
4. Known as Little Nap, the “Napoleon of the Chimpanzee World”, this chimp became a popular tourist attraction (1915).
5. Racing cars on the roof of the Fiat Factory in Turin, Italy (1923).
6. Elephants know how to have fun. Just ask Queenie, the first one to water surf (circa 1950).
7. Back in 1956, a PanAm plane was needed to to transport a 5 MB hard drive.
8. The 1937 “walking machine” tested wear on shoes (1937).
9. The only known photo of Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address. John Wilkes Booth can actually be seen in the center of the top row of the top platform (March 4, 1865).
10. Queen Elizabeth II fires a British L85 battle rifle (1993).
11. A well-dressed beggar running alongside King George V’s coach (1920).
12. The real life Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh (1928).
13. Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev as a young gentleman.
14. One for the movies: a stripper entertains some Wall Street employees.
15. Gabby Hartnett signs a baseball for Al Capone’s son (1931).
16. The Man That Refused To Give The Nazi Salute, 1936
17. Nikola Tesla In His Laboratory, Sitting Behind His “Magnifying Transmitter”
18. Austrian Boy’s Moment Of Pure Happiness After Receiving New Shoes During WWII
19. Race Organizers Attempt To Stop Kathrine Switzer From Competing In The Boston Marathon. She Became The First Woman To Finish The Race, 1967
20. The Unbroken Seal On Tutankhamun’s Tomb, 1922 (3,245 Years Untouched)
21. Painting The Eiffel Tower, 1932
22. Unknown Soldier In Vietnam, 1965
23. First Morning After Sweden Changed From Driving On The Left Side To Driving On The Right, 1967
24. Animals Being Used As Part Of Medical Therapy, 1956
25. Annette Kellerman Promotes Women’s Right To Wear A Fitted One-piece Bathing Suit, 1907. She Was Arrested For Indecency.
26. Elvis in the Army, 1958
27. Testing of new bulletproof vests, 1923
28. Hindenburg Disaster, May 6, 1937
29. Circus hippo pulling a cart, 1924
30. Disneyland Employee Cafeteria in 1961
31. Soldier shares a banana with a goat during the battle of Saipan, ca. 1944
32. Little girl with her doll sitting in the ruins of her bombed home, London, 1940
33. Bookstore in London ruined by an air raid, 1940
34. Suntan vending machine, 1949
35. Measuring bathing suits – if they were too short, women would be fined, 1920’s
source : boredomtherapy.com, pulptastic.com, boredpanda.com
