Sometimes looking back in the past can be quite exciting. While there are thousands photographs of past times, here is a list of 18 rare and amazing pictures from the past which you probably haven’t seen before. Some are weird, some are heartbreaking, some are cute and each one of them have their own story to tell.
1. A rare image of Charlie Chaplin during 1916 in a different avatar when he was 27
Don’t be surprised if you don’t recognize him at first sight.
Charlie Chaplin is probably the best comedian we’ve ever seen. He was also a successful actor, director, composer, and producer. His films and acts are considered to be masterpiece to this day. Who can forget his famous quote of “A day without laughter is a day wasted”.
If you were told to describe his appearance most of us would describe something like a funny looking man with a toothbrush moustache, wearing a black bowler hat and a coat.
Related: 25 Interesting Words Derived from the Names of People Throughout History
2. One of the weirdest vending machine from the past invented in 1940
When you think of vending machine what pops up in your mind? A machine that is designed to dispense goods such as snacks, cans, or any items it is meant to sell when you insert coin into it.
During 1940s, Vending machines were gaining popularity. And taking the advantage of this fact, a company called Star Manufacturing Co. came up with this fabulous machine which had lotions contained in it.
It photo is known to be taken at the Annual Vending Machine Convention held at Chicago. The name of the model is Betty Dutter.
3. Chimp posing after becoming the first hominid to orbit outer space in 1961
You must be knowing who was the first animal to orbit outer space. Yes, that’s a Russian dog named “Laika”. But who was the first hominid?
It’s Ham. Acronym for Holloman Air Base where he was trained. He was a chimpanzee born in Cameroon and was later purchased by the United States Air Force for its space mission. He was given special training for the space mission by neuroscientists.
Ham’s mission was also very crucial for the agency as it was a test whose results would have directly impacted the Freedom 7 mission carrying Alan Shepard, who later became the first American and second human to travel the space.
Ham’s mission was a success. He was kept for 17 years in the National Zoo in Washington DC. After his death, his skeletons were preserved, but he was buried at the International Space Hall of Fame located in Alamogordo, New Mexico. Take a bow, Ham!
Related: 25 Interesting Words Derived from the Names of People Throughout History
4. A helpless woman putting her children up for sale, 1948
What can be more of a shame than selling your own kids for money? This kind of incident happened in 1948 when a woman, named Mrs. Ray Chalifoux in Chicago, advertised for selling her kids. This photo was captured by a photographer and later published on national newspapers.
After Mr. Ray Chalifoux turned jobless and the couple were facing eviction, they decided to sale their children. Within 2 years of advertising, all the four children in the photograph including a fifth that Mrs. Ray was carrying in her womb at that time, were sold to different homes.
Years later, the scattered siblings tried to find each other. After 40-50 years later some of the siblings were lucky enough to find each other. And their story of reunion and past days are a mix of heartbreak and raw survival.
5. The only known authenticated photo of Billy the kid on official records taken in 1879
Billy the kid was a young and notorious gunfighter. His real name was Henry McCarty. He took part in the Lincoln County war held at New Mexico and had gunned down eight men.
It seemed like he loved running from the police and a long history of evading and hiding from cops.
He was killed by Sheriff Garrett who later wrote a book on him titled The Authentic Life of Billy, the Kid. (source)
Related: 25 Interesting Words Derived from the Names of People Throughout History
6. A rare historical photo of a hotel owner pouring muriatic acid when black people swan in his pool, 1964
Racism is definitely an ugly factor in current world. Back in the old days it was even worse with segregation at its peak.
It took place in the Monsoon Motor lodge, and the motel owner is reported to be James Brock. The hotel was a white-only place,
It was a part of a protest to end segregation at the Motel. He poured acid into the pool hoping that people would end it. It was photographed by Horace Cort. (source)
7. In 1967, rules changed from driving left hand side to right hand side in Sweden, and the result was this:
On Sunday 3rd 1967, the driving side rule of Sweden switched from left hand side to the right hand side. It was called Dagen H (H day). H stands for “Högertrafik” meaning right side in Swedish.
The photograph is of Kungsgatan, Stockholm on H day. The cars in Sweden were driven on the left, and on that day people found it a bit difficult to adapt to that which resulted in this messed up situation. (source)
8. A heart-rending photo from WWII of a girl comforting her doll after an air bombing, 1940
During the Second World War, United Kingdom was heavily bombed by the Nazi Germany’s air force Luftwaffe which left almost 250,000 Londoners homeless.
The period, known as Blitz, lasted for almost 1 year, and almost completely changed London.(source)
