If you think you know your history, get ready to be humbled. The rare photographs below show a different perspective of historical events, and you probably wouldn’t find them in any school textbook.
1. A priest praying over the victims of the Titanic (1912).
2. The first “The Apple”, India’s first satellite being transported manually.
3. Filming of the MGM opening credits (1928).
4. Hitler and Speer were mesmerized by the Schwerer Gustav, one of the largest piece of artillery ever used in Combat (1941).
5. The only female in history to strike out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. You go Jackie Mitchell! (1931)
6. Circumcision was used by Pakistani soldiers to identify Hindus during Bangladesh’s War of Independence (1971).
7. A Sikh soldier of the British Indian Army fits a gas mask to a mule (circa 1939 – 1945).
8. You won’t see this at the zoo anymore: The only known photo of a living Quagga at the London Zoo (1870).
9. Known as Little Nap, the “Napoleon of the Chimpanzee World”, this chimp became a popular tourist attraction (1915).
10. Racing cars on the roof of the Fiat Factory in Turin, Italy (1923).
11. Elephants know how to have fun. Just ask Queenie, the first one to water surf (circa 1950).
12. Back in 1956, a PanAm plane was needed to to transport a 5 MB hard drive.
14. The 1937 “walking machine” tested wear on shoes (1937).
15. The first international match at Wimbledon in 1883.
17. 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).
18. Queen Elizabeth II fires a British L85 battle rifle (1993).
19. The glasses John Lennon wore when he was assassinated (1980).
20. The first black biker’s club around 1960s in Oakland California, the East Bay Dragons.
21. Anne Frank’s father Otto, revisiting the attic where they hid from the Nazis. He was the only survivor (1960).
22. A well-dressed beggar running alongside King George V’s coach (1920).
24. An Actors’ portrayal of President John F. Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe’s rumored affair.
25. The very first individual to be captured on film. Bet Hannah Stiley wishes she smiled a little.
26. Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev as a young gentleman.
28. The only photograph in existence of infamous outlaw Billy the Kid (1879).
29. One for the movies: a stripper entertains some Wall Street employees.
30. Gabby Hartnett signs a baseball for Al Capone’s son (1931).
31. Back when computers didn’t have screens.
32. A black liquid called Coca-Cola was first introduced to France in 1950.
33. Human-size chess game with actual soldiers in St. Petersburg, Russia (1924).
34. During the Oil Crisis, the roads were so deserted that people could have picnics on highways (1973).
35. The unbroken seal of the tomb of Tutankhamun, untouched for over 3000 years (1922)
36. The “Colditz cock”: A glider made of bed-sheets, floorboards and other material and used to escape maximum a Maximum security British prison (1945).
37. Test pilot George Aird narrowly escapes death by ejecting sideways from a prototype jet that nosedived (1962).
38. The Indiana Jones movie set – no CGI back then!
39. To promote liberty bonds, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. holds up Charlie Chaplin at Wall Street 1918.
40. Fun and games for George Lucas and Steven Spielberg in 1983 Sri Lanka.
41. Cold and happy: Alfred Hitchcock with his grandchildren enjoying the snow (1960).
41. A Japanese commuter train early in the morning.
42. New Yorkers always knew how to have fun. See the 1960 swimmobile drive around town.
43. To study facial muscles, Neurologist Duchenne de Boulogne electrocuted a man’s face (1862)
44. A utility worker giving mouth-to-mouth to a co-worker after he accidentally touched a high voltage wire (1967).
44 Rare Historical Photos. You Won't Find In The History Books
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