35 Historical Photos That Shine A Light On The Past

History books may be filled with words, but a picture can tell us far more about past events. This collection of historical photos is filled with forgotten moments that really bring the past back to life. Giving us glimpses of popular trends, stirring up nostalgia and shining a spotlight on all the travesties mankind endured, these images tell a story better than any eloquent essay. Scroll below to check out these insightful photographs in the gallery below.

#1 How It Was Done Before There Was Fast Food On Every Corner

#2 My Grandparents’ Wedding, 100 Years Ago Today

#3 Old School Public Shaming In Times Square, 1955

#4 The Paramount Pictures Logo On The Day It Was Originally Painted. [1965]

#5 1950s Necklines

#6 Atelier Photo: “A Lesbian Couple In Semi Drag Wedding Attire”; Kingdom Of Hungary – Budapest, 1920

#7 The World’s Last Commercial Ocean-Going Sailing Ship – The Pamir – Rounding Cape Horn, 1949

#8 “Happiest Man In China”

Taken In 1901 By British Anthropologists After Deciding To Document The Chinese. The Chinese Didn’t Know Photos Were A “Serious Matter” And Decided To Be Goofy, Hence The Pose And Smile.

#9 The Dressing Room At The Moulin Rouge, 1924

#10 A French Woman With Her Baguette And Six Bottles Of Wine, Paris, 1945

#11 Google In The 1970s

#12 A Policeman In San Francisco Scolds A Man For Not Wearing A Mask During The 1918 Influenza Pandemic, 1918

#13 The 9 Kings Of Europe Gather For The First And Only Time For A Photograph At The Funeral Of King Edward Vii In London. May 20th, 1910

#15 A Businessman And Secretary Working In A Pool During A Heatwave In Berlin, Germany 1926

#16 Building Of The Atomium In Brussels For The World’s Fair 1958

#17 Forced Perspective On The Beach, Circa 1943

#18 My Mom As A Teenager With A Moose Calf In Alaska, 1952

#19 The Wives Of The Astronauts On The Apollo 8 Mission At The Moment They Heard Their Husbands Voices From Orbit, 1968

#20 President Harry Truman Shakes Hands With Pablo Picasso, Vallauris, France, 1958

#21 Incredibly Sharp Looking Kids In Harlem, 1970

#22 My Dad Taking A Selfie, Using A Piece Of Wood To Activate The Shutter, Circa 1957

#23 Woman In Vultee-Nashville, Tennessee Operating An Air Drill For A Dive Bomber, 1942. Not Colorized, Kodachrome

#24 Anti British Propaganda, Japan 1941

#25 Woman Inspecting This New Thing, The Security Belt In Her Car, Circa 1950s

#26 My Dad In 1984 Trying To Transfer Files From His Commodore 64 To His First Apple Computer

#27 John F. Kennedy Campaigning Door-To-Door In West Virginia In 1960

#28 Portable Beach Changing Rooms, 1930’s

#29 In My Research, I Came Across This Rare And Beautiful Photo Of A Jewish Jewelry Seller In Sana’a, Yemen. Probably Mid 1900s

#30 Mobsters Hide Their Faces At Al Capone’s Trial 1931

#31 My American Grandmother Visiting Athens In The 1960s

#32 A Man Browses For Books In The Old Public Library Of Cincinnati. The Building Was Demolished In 1955. Today An Office Building And A Parking Lot Stand Where It Used To Be

#33 Buzz Aldrin — Did You Know I Took The First Space Selfie During Gemini 12 Mission In 1966?

#34 An Undercover Police Officer On Duty. New York, Brooklyn, 1 July 1969

#35 Check Out The Gnarly Insect Screen Covering The Grill! 1957

Shanilou Perera

Shanilou has always loved reading and learning about the world we live in. While she enjoys fictional books and stories just as much, since childhood she was especially fascinated by encyclopaedias and strangely enough, self-help books. As a kid, she spent most of her time consuming as much knowledge as she could get her hands on and could always be found at the library. Now, she still enjoys finding out about all the amazing things that surround us in our day-to-day lives and is blessed to be able to write about them to share with the whole world as a profession.