Today we record our history continuously, displaying almost every step in life on social networks. What if we imagine that there are only a few photos for a lifetime which no one will see today, or maybe in many years they will be seen by strangers without any comments left by us? Such a situation is really difficult to imagine, but in reality, people used to have one or two photos in life. And these photos didn’t display the happiest moments in life. Let's take a look at such photos and think a little about life captured on these monochrome pictures.
Happy Boy
Are we really happy with the gifts we receive from our relatives, friends, from our life in general? Most of us sooner take a lot in life as something for granted, something that has always been and will be. Today, a person feels lost in life, having left a telephone at home. How about not being able to see or to hear? They say that we can only truly appreciate something after experiencing a loss.
This kid probably didn’t even know about the existence of such a gift as the ability to hear. He seems to be confused as his world of silence came alive, became multifaceted, and incredible.
Child
War takes not only many lives, but also many wonderful moments with the family. War means living in constant fear for the people we love. On the other hand, how touching is the moment of reunion. How great it is when the nightmare comes to the end and we can touch and hug someone we were waiting for for many years! For this little girl, the long-awaited moment has come.
It seems that she cannot believe that her father is finally around. The darkest days are over for this family and their days will be filled with joy and happiness only.
Frida
What do we think when we see a woman in trousers? Most of us will not see anything special in it. Nothing extraordinary. Clothing has ceased to be an element of gender distinction. But more recently, women could not so easily go out into the street in clothes that were considered masculine. Such an action was disregarded and treated as a challenge to society, requiring courage and self-confidence from the woman.
Look at this wonderful photo of Frida Kahlo! Only such a strong woman could put on a man's suit and really look into the eyes of society with such superiority.
Young Churchill
What is a stereotype concerning famous people? Let’s think about it for a moment. Probably it is something when we say Charlie Chaplin and a man with a mustache and a hat appears in our minds. And what were he and other famous people like in everyday life? Will we be able to recognize in this young man a person who had an impact on the course of WWII? Let's take a closer look.
In this young, handsome guy in magnificent military uniform, we can hardly recognize Winston Churchill. This boy is the future Prime Minister of Great Britain, whose decisions influenced the course of world events.
Lisa
Is art eternal? In a broad sense - yes! But actually, nobody thinks how difficult protecting art really is. Thousands of exhibits in museums around the world could have been simply lost during the world wars. For example, the Mona Lisa could have been lost forever for mankind. Fortunately, thanks to the efforts of caring people, many of the world's paintings were returned in peacetime to the museums after WWII.
Anyway, let’s hope that the original painting was returned to the Louvre. In any case, even in this great photo, all the beauty of the Mona Lisa can be felt.
Tsar And His Daughter
How do your parents feel about smoking? If they still have a negative attitude towards smoking, then show them this photo. In the photo, Tsar Nicholas II is holding his daughter's cigarette and sweetly smiling at the camera. It seems that this is not the first cigarette for a young lady. What a great picture - sweet girl in a beautiful hat, together with her father, are delighting themselves with tobacco taste.
This is a rare shot of the royal family, which tells us a lot about the simple weaknesses of the royal families and the immutability of life on this earth.
Guillotine
Bread and circuses, please, as Romans said! Fortunately, most of the countries in the world have abolished the death penalty. This rule contradicts the international conventions. But even if this capital punishment was still widespread today, how morally would it be to observe the execution of the death penalty? None of us has the right to condemn the other, but many people have always been interested in watching such a picture.
This long line to the last public execution by guillotine in 1939 speaks a lot about human curiosity. Hard to believe but this is our horrifying history which we simply cannot erase or deny.
Marilyn
Was there hype before the 21st century? Of course, it was, this truly iconic photo of Marilyn Monroe is the standard of hype. Even the most famous Internet bloggers of the 21st century are unlikely to be able to repeat what Merilyn did in this photo. The elegance, charm, beautiful smile of the great actress combined with the director's creative ideas have been remembered for many decades and still are very popular today.
This photo captures the moment when the world's most legendary footage was created. Everything is very elegant, simple, and without unnecessary pathos. Only sincere emotions and sincere interest in the great talent of the actress.
Soldiers
Can a person feel fear and joy at the same time? It is difficult for us to judge because we are different and perceive life events in different ways. So and differently, these American soldiers perceive the fact that they managed to sink an enemy Nazi submarine U-175. An enemy is also a person, but if we do not make a critical decision in time, then we can be killed by the enemy.
We do not know if these guys managed to stay alive after the victory in WWII, but they won this little battle, as this monochrome photo tells us about their victory.
First Atomic Bomb
Humanity has made incredible progress in technology and science. But what is the use of this if humanity has not yet been able to assess all the risks and dangers from its achievements? We know very well that matches in the hands of a child are very dangerous not only for the child but may be dangerous for others, however, we still allow some countries to play with atomic bombs.
The photo shows the world's first atomic bomb, which was invented in 1945. It is terrifying to watch when the power of science is used not for the good of this world.
Nagasaki
A piece of iron weighing several tons or a weapon of mass murder? Believe it or not, this seemingly small bomb claimed the lives of thousands of people. The photo shows exactly that fatal atomic bomb, which was dropped on the city of Nagasaki in Japan on August 9, 1945. For those who did survive in Nagasaki, the day of the bombing forever divided their lives into before and after.
Winners are not judged and nothing can be fixed now. But humanity needs to think about the mistakes of the past for the sake of a peaceful future on the entire planet.
Lenin
А person can conquer the world, lead a revolution, and have unlimited power, but no one has ever managed to conquer this life, because it is fleeting. In this photo, we see a weak person who cannot even pronounce the words, whose strength and health are long gone. Vladimir Lenin after three strokes and after hundreds of decisions that have influenced millions of human lives. This is his last photo.
Life puts everything in its place. Someone talks about karma, someone believes in fate, but still, we all have only one life which we should appreciate in any social status.
Cruelty
Each of us felt that something in our life was inevitable. But if we can read this article, it still means that in all situations we had the right to choose. In this photo, these Hungarian jews did not have any possibility to change anything in their lives and that was an absolute inevitability. They were selected by Nazis to be sent to the gas chamber at Auschwitz concentration camp.
A neat woman, an old frightened woman, and many other poor people. No one on earth deserved such cruelty, no matter the reason. This picture really brings out emotions in people.
Rushmore
They say that constant dripping water wears away a stone. Have you seen this proverb in action? Then look at this photo. It's hard to imagine how much time this man spent to carve such an eye in the rock. Small improvised tools and a big desire to achieve a result are his two main assistants in such a meticulous matter. The palms become wet at one glance at this height from Mount Rushmore.
A little courage, a little luck, a little smile, and a lot of work - that's what this man would probably write if there existed any social nets in the distant 1930.
Exotic Fruit
Let’s take a quick look at our refrigerators. Well, can we see there any food that we can call exotic? If the answer is “No”, then let’s imagine that it is 1905 and we live in Norway? Just like in that photo. Undoubtedly, bananas would be exotic! Today we live in a world of abundance and all-accessibility. This is great but unfortunately, we are losing the value of what we have.
Let’s ask our grandparents what food they called exotic and how often they ate bananas. Incredibly, until recently, the world was different with different possibilities and completely different goods in stores!
Eiffel Tower
Thanks to this photo, we can feel a small dose of adrenaline without leaving our homes. This is the Eiffel Tower which was painted by a team of workers in 1932. It’s difficult to imagine how dangerous that work was at that time. Undoubtedly these guys were brave. But for another moment let’s think about another person - about the man who took this photo. He also must be very creative and bold.
Great views of Paris and great content for any blogger. Cool to think that in the past people used to take photos without chasing any likes and reposts but just for history.
Bench
After reading the phrase "Bench for Jews" some modern people may think that this is some kind of special bench with privileges. No wonder, of course since today, in an era of democracy, equality, and prohibition of discrimination many things may seem like something completely incredible and impossible. Unfortunately, our history is overwhelmed with facts of discrimination. Racial traits decided who could be in certain places and when, as in this photo.
How unpleasant it must be for this poor Jewish woman to bear all the hardships of the anti-Jewish regime of 1938. Such injustice and inequality are difficult to imagine today, although our world is still so far from being perfect.
Nazi Poster
The Eiffel Tower is considered one of the most romantic and beautiful places on the planet today. Lovers’ walks, romantic offers, and declarations of love, flowers, coffee, and croissants. This is what most of us think when we hear about this place. Let’s go back to the distant 1940 and see the Eiffel Tower completely different. The Nazi poster “Germany wins on all fronts” was decorating the tower at that time.
The world has not always been the way we see it today. Let’s appreciate the freedom we have, even though it seems so difficult in the era of a pandemic.
Before WWII
It is always interesting to reflect on what the world would be like if the fate of the world dictators had turned out differently. In this photo, for example, we can see young Hitler. This person might not have survived until the end of the First World War, and it seems that then the life of all mankind would have developed differently. Such thoughts are always very interesting and disputable.
Unbelievable, but if it hadn’t been for the hundreds of details, world history could have been completely different. Well, the world has its laws and regulations. And in this photo, Hitler is a no-name whom everyone will soon talk about.
Boxing Aboard
How to entertain yourself on a ship? Many days in a closed space with the same people and every day is also the same... The guys from this photo are well aware of this. Bets are placed, the referee is attentively observing every movement of the athletes, the spectators are waiting for the decisive round. What a pity we don’t know who won this match aboard the USS on July 3, 1899.
Each of the boxers is determined to win and believes that fate will be favorable to him. After all, victory is not only honor and respect from colleagues but also a good monetary motivation for a young ambitious guy.
First
Sometimes we think that our life is too difficult and there are too many complications that prevent us from being happy. But do we think that a simple visit to the school can be something incredibly difficult? This can even take resilience and courage. In the days of spread segregation, this was a reality that was difficult to change. This young girl from the photo was the first black girl to go to an all-white school in the USA in 1957.
Even though she was teased by her white schoolmates, she was holding on. We can see how difficult it was for her to stay calm. It is difficult to imagine what feelings gripped her in those minutes and days.
Perfect Present
Toys, sweets, gadgets - this is probably the most popular list of gifts among children today. Rarely can we see a situation when a child will be happy with a present such as food or clothes? Of course, after all, these things seem to most of today’s children as something that their parents are obliged to give them just like that. Every parent tries to give the best to the child, working hard and refusing something.
But what if a pair of shoes can be the best that the parents can give. This little Austrian boy from the photo seems to be the happiest in the world.
Job Hunting
Do we think about how people were looking for a job a hundred years ago? Job sites could be a great solution, but the lack of the Internet was too much of a problem for that. Well, people had to become a site for job search themselves. This photo is amazing and shows us the process of job hunting in the 1930s. We cannot say that this practice was widespread at that time.
Because of financial difficulties this educated and experienced man was forced to walk the streets in the hope of finding a job that could help him provide for his three children.
Miracle
The fate of a person is truly something incomprehensible and incredible. In one minute, it seems that the world has collapsed, and in a few seconds everything can be fine. For these Jewish prisoners, life was over a few minutes ago, they were on a train heading to concentration camps. These people understood that they were heading to a place with no return and only a miracle could save them. And the miracle happened.
In the photo, we see their happiness and a slight distrust of how lucky they were. In our life, incredible things can happen every minute. These people were blessed since their lives did not stop.
New Rules
How does it feel when we change our life upside down? Something similar was experienced by the citizens of Sweden when they changed from driving on the left side to driving on the right side in 1967. It was quite an interesting practice in the country. In a few months, everything was actually alright but this first day after the introduction of a new traffic rule seems to be a total disaster.
Want to try something similar? For an experiment, you can try to do everything with your left hand if you are right-handed, and vice versa - if you are left-handed.
Race
Is it always easy to be the first? Of course, it is very difficult to beat an opponent in a competition. Especially if all the opponents are men, and you are the only woman in the competition. And it is not even about the physical advantages of men. The fact is that it is difficult for men to accept a woman's victory. Such a victory undoubtedly hurts them and their pride.
The victory of a woman seemed to be impossible at that time. In this photo, we see male organizers of the 1967 Boston marathon preventing Kathrine Switzer from competing in the marathon. Fortunately, they failed to do this.
Evil
A Roman philosopher once said, “I'm human, and nothing human is alien to me”. This quote fits the description of this photo perfectly. We see the reaction of German soldiers to footage of contraction camps in 1945. Each soldier reacts differently. They were the executors of the terrible plans high-ranking military officers made. We see the moment when full comprehension of all the evil that had happened came to these soldiers.
The lives of people from the contraction camps are lost and maimed forever. But even the cruelest soldier cannot look at such photos without pain, sadness, and regret, because we are all just people.
Liberty
What is more interesting in work - the result of the process of work? We can think about this for a long time and each of us will answer in different ways. Here we can see a rare photo of one very important process in human history. If we look closely, we can see the hand of one of the most recognizable statues! No other but the Statue of Liberty!
Few people know that the Statue of Liberty was constructed in Paris and delivered to the United States as a gift from France for the 1876 World's Fair and the Centenary of American Independence.
Soldier Dog
For many of us, dogs are true friends. And this is not surprising, because dogs are very loyal and sacrificial creatures. How many stories do we know about when a dog saved a person's life. In this photo, we see a combat dog that was wounded during a real action on the Orote Peninsula in 1944. This dog, like a soldier, was wounded in battle, he is a real fighter.
How anxiously the soldiers help this wounded dog, how carefully they take care of him. It is a very touching picture and I want to believe that this dog recovered from his injury.
Survivors
The story of the Titanic is famous all over the world. Many Hollywood movies have been made and books writen about the Titanic and its tragic fate. Here we can see a rare shot of people who survived the disaster. They were taken by the ship Carpathia. We see that there are not so many survivors. Before us are only a few boats with those rescued after the famous shipwreck.
It is always sad to think about big human tragedies, as well as that all this could have been avoided and people would have remained alive. Titanic is forever in our hearts.
Slaves
What can we think of a group of men who are just communicating with each other? nothing special, right? They are probably talking about boxing or politics. No. The moment captured is a dark one. These men are negotiating the price for slaves in front of Lynch’s slave market. The photo was taken in 1852 in Missouri which was one of the most violent places known for slave trade.
How often do we perceive tragic moments in history as a common fact that does not concern us? Not to repeat the mistakes of the past, we should know the lessons of history and that we are responsible for making sure that they don't repeat.
Tesla
Today, when we hear the word Tesla, a new stylish, innovative car immediately appears in our imagination. Undoubtedly, this car has become a breakthrough in the automotive world. But stop right there. Tesla is the name of a great scientist and inventor. In this photo, we can see him during his work. Here Nikola Tesla is sitting in his laboratory while working on his “Magnifying transmitter”. He was a genius!
It is a pity that great people are sometimes remembered only through the prism of popular and advertised things. There is no doubt that Nikola Tesla is a great scientist.
East And West
How do you like the story that a man went to the store in the morning and was not able to see his family for the next twenty or thirty years? No messengers no facetime, absolutely no connection. But only such rare meetings through a barbed wall, as on the photo, to see at least how children grow up. It is a creepy story, but there were thousands of similar stories in the last century.
The construction of the Berlin Wall was a historic moment that divided the lives of many people before and after. Very strange feelings when to look at these residents of West and East Berlin.
Courtroom
What do we know about provocation and courage? If either of us still lacks the courage to do something important, then let’s take a look at the woman in this photo. She is giving us a free workshop now. All she's trying to do now is to prove that her underwear was too large to have exposed herself. It must have been an unusual court trial for everyone in the courtroom.
Before this photo, we could think of litigation as dull trials with boring people. Well, now we know that there are sharp and piquant moments in jurisprudence, as this dancer showed us.
Piper
If we look at this rare photo, our first thought will be - why is this guy proudly walking across the military battlefield. Every second he runs the risk of being shot and dying. But we see not just a musical instrument in his hands. This soldier is playing the bagpipes and is not afraid of any danger. Is it madness, despair, or heroism? It is hard to say with certainty.
The bagpipe of this Scottish piper in a kilt is his only weapon. The photo was taken during World War One. There were many heroes at that time but this one deserves special respect.