32 Rare Historical Photos That’ll Blow Your Mind

Nathan Johnson Published 02/18/2016 in ftw

Although we cannot ever really know the details behind each photo in full, we can at least begin to scratch the surface and see our connections to the past

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1.
1875: A Japanese man with traditional irezumi on his back. This type of ink is often associated with yakuza, Japan's organized crime syndicate.
2.
July 1888: A photo of the iconic Eiffel Tower during construction.
3.
1899: The Dewey Arch in Madison Square celebrated the victory in the Battle of Manila Bay, Philippines. It began to deteriorate soon after it was built, and was demolished in 1900 after funds to rebuild a stronger version could not be raised.
4.
1903: A look at Times Square, New York City, at the turn of the century.
5.
1906: The ruins of the Temple of Castor and Pollux, originally built in 495 BC, in Agrigento, Italy.
6.
1910: Together with their children, Greek women harvest tea in Chakva, Georgia.
7.
1913: André Grapperon, a French champion motorcyclist, rides his 1912 Indian Board Track V-twin.
8.
1915: Lumberjacks fell a giant redwood in northwest California.
9.
1919: Stacks of lumber out to dry in Seattle. See man for scale.
10.
1920s: Dining with friends at the California Alligator Farm in Los Angeles.
11.
1922: An armored car in Cork, Ireland, from the landing of the Free State troops.
12.
25 August 1944: A colorized photo of three French boys fascinated by a German Panther tank used in the Falaise Pocket, Normandy.
13.
1946: Meanwhile in Romania, here are a few folks attempting to heal rheumatism with a bear.
14.
April 1936: The Dust Bowl Days in Oklahoma.
15.
20 October 1939: Factory representative J.J. Hickey demonstrates an electrical shave on Ted Budrodeen at a Mick Simmons store in Sydney.
16.
May 1943: Women wipers, or those who cleaned engine spaces and machinery, at the Chicago & North Western Railroad in Clinton, Iowa.
17.
1944: Queen Elizabeth II when she was Princess Elizabeth at an American air base in England.
18.
1953: American writer Ernest Hemingway poses with a cape buffalo on a visit to Africa.
19.
1953: Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dalí on a carriage pulled by his goat.
20.
1955: An interstate in downtown Atlanta.
21.
5 August 1959: Russian attendees examine television sets and radios at the USSR Exhibition in Sokolniki Park, Moscow. The exhibition competed with the American National Exhibition next door.
22.
1959: Fidel Castro, who served as Prime Minister in Cuba after overthrowing Batista, stands at the Thomas Jefferson memorial in Washington, D.C.
23.
1964: Early morning commuters in Japan.
24.
1 November 1964: A two-stage Saturn I launch vehicle undergoes weight and balance tests at Cape Canaveral.
25.
1965: The largest IKEA store in the world opens in Kungens Kurva, Sweden.
26.
1965: A look in the direction of New York's East 42nd Street.
27.
1967: A romantic flashback of the streets of Chicago.
28.
1969: Bernadette Devlin, the youngest female MP (Member of Parliament) ever elected to the House of Commons, with her autobiography just before a press conference.
29.
1969: Astronaut David Scott soaks in the incredible view during an EVA (extravehicular activity) from Command Module Gumdrop.
30.
1975: Bill and Hillary Clinton tie the knot.
31.
May 1980: The north face of Mount St. Helens collapses in Skamania County, Washington. The eruption caused multiple deaths and billions of dollars of damage.
32.
1989: A look back at Bernie Sanders, a candidate for this year's presidential election, when he served as Burlington Mayor. Here he is with Jessie Jackson in Montpelier, Vermont. Sanders had endorsed him for president in the 1988 election.

1.
1875: A Japanese man with traditional irezumi on his back. This type of ink is often associated with yakuza, Japan's organized crime syndicate.
2.
July 1888: A photo of the iconic Eiffel Tower during construction.
3.
1899: The Dewey Arch in Madison Square celebrated the victory in the Battle of Manila Bay, Philippines. It began to deteriorate soon after it was built, and was demolished in 1900 after funds to rebuild a stronger version could not be raised.
4.
1903: A look at Times Square, New York City, at the turn of the century.
5.
1906: The ruins of the Temple of Castor and Pollux, originally built in 495 BC, in Agrigento, Italy.
6.
1910: Together with their children, Greek women harvest tea in Chakva, Georgia.
7.
1913: André Grapperon, a French champion motorcyclist, rides his 1912 Indian Board Track V-twin.
8.
1915: Lumberjacks fell a giant redwood in northwest California.
9.
1919: Stacks of lumber out to dry in Seattle. See man for scale.
10.
1920s: Dining with friends at the California Alligator Farm in Los Angeles.
11.
1922: An armored car in Cork, Ireland, from the landing of the Free State troops.
12.
25 August 1944: A colorized photo of three French boys fascinated by a German Panther tank used in the Falaise Pocket, Normandy.
13.
1946: Meanwhile in Romania, here are a few folks attempting to heal rheumatism with a bear.
14.
April 1936: The Dust Bowl Days in Oklahoma.
15.
20 October 1939: Factory representative J.J. Hickey demonstrates an electrical shave on Ted Budrodeen at a Mick Simmons store in Sydney.
16.
May 1943: Women wipers, or those who cleaned engine spaces and machinery, at the Chicago & North Western Railroad in Clinton, Iowa.
17.
1944: Queen Elizabeth II when she was Princess Elizabeth at an American air base in England.
18.
1953: American writer Ernest Hemingway poses with a cape buffalo on a visit to Africa.
19.
1953: Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dalí on a carriage pulled by his goat.
20.
1955: An interstate in downtown Atlanta.
21.
5 August 1959: Russian attendees examine television sets and radios at the USSR Exhibition in Sokolniki Park, Moscow. The exhibition competed with the American National Exhibition next door.
22.
1959: Fidel Castro, who served as Prime Minister in Cuba after overthrowing Batista, stands at the Thomas Jefferson memorial in Washington, D.C.
23.
1964: Early morning commuters in Japan.
24.
1 November 1964: A two-stage Saturn I launch vehicle undergoes weight and balance tests at Cape Canaveral.
25.
1965: The largest IKEA store in the world opens in Kungens Kurva, Sweden.
26.
1965: A look in the direction of New York's East 42nd Street.
27.
1967: A romantic flashback of the streets of Chicago.
28.
1969: Bernadette Devlin, the youngest female MP (Member of Parliament) ever elected to the House of Commons, with her autobiography just before a press conference.
29.
1969: Astronaut David Scott soaks in the incredible view during an EVA (extravehicular activity) from Command Module Gumdrop.
30.
1975: Bill and Hillary Clinton tie the knot.
31.
May 1980: The north face of Mount St. Helens collapses in Skamania County, Washington. The eruption caused multiple deaths and billions of dollars of damage.
32.
1989: A look back at Bernie Sanders, a candidate for this year's presidential election, when he served as Burlington Mayor. Here he is with Jessie Jackson in Montpelier, Vermont. Sanders had endorsed him for president in the 1988 election.

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1. 1875: A Japanese man with traditional irezumi on his back. This type of ink is often associated with yakuza, Japan's organized crime syndicate.

2. July 1888: A photo of the iconic Eiffel Tower during construction.

3. 1899: The Dewey Arch in Madison Square celebrated the victory in the Battle of Manila Bay, Philippines. It began to deteriorate soon after it was built, and was demolished in 1900 after funds to rebuild a stronger version could not be raised.

4. 1903: A look at Times Square, New York City, at the turn of the century.

5. 1906: The ruins of the Temple of Castor and Pollux, originally built in 495 BC, in Agrigento, Italy.

6. 1910: Together with their children, Greek women harvest tea in Chakva, Georgia.

7. 1913: André Grapperon, a French champion motorcyclist, rides his 1912 Indian Board Track V-twin.

8. 1915: Lumberjacks fell a giant redwood in northwest California.

9. 1919: Stacks of lumber out to dry in Seattle. See man for scale.

10. 1920s: Dining with friends at the California Alligator Farm in Los Angeles.

11. 1922: An armored car in Cork, Ireland, from the landing of the Free State troops.

12. 25 August 1944: A colorized photo of three French boys fascinated by a German Panther tank used in the Falaise Pocket, Normandy.

13. 1946: Meanwhile in Romania, here are a few folks attempting to heal rheumatism with a bear.

14. April 1936: The Dust Bowl Days in Oklahoma.

15. 20 October 1939: Factory representative J.J. Hickey demonstrates an electrical shave on Ted Budrodeen at a Mick Simmons store in Sydney.

16. May 1943: Women wipers, or those who cleaned engine spaces and machinery, at the Chicago & North Western Railroad in Clinton, Iowa.

17. 1944: Queen Elizabeth II when she was Princess Elizabeth at an American air base in England.

18. 1953: American writer Ernest Hemingway poses with a cape buffalo on a visit to Africa.

19. 1953: Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dalí on a carriage pulled by his goat.

20. 1955: An interstate in downtown Atlanta.

21. 5 August 1959: Russian attendees examine television sets and radios at the USSR Exhibition in Sokolniki Park, Moscow. The exhibition competed with the American National Exhibition next door.

22. 1959: Fidel Castro, who served as Prime Minister in Cuba after overthrowing Batista, stands at the Thomas Jefferson memorial in Washington, D.C.

23. 1964: Early morning commuters in Japan.

24. 1 November 1964: A two-stage Saturn I launch vehicle undergoes weight and balance tests at Cape Canaveral.

25. 1965: The largest IKEA store in the world opens in Kungens Kurva, Sweden.

26. 1965: A look in the direction of New York's East 42nd Street.

27. 1967: A romantic flashback of the streets of Chicago.

28. 1969: Bernadette Devlin, the youngest female MP (Member of Parliament) ever elected to the House of Commons, with her autobiography just before a press conference.

29. 1969: Astronaut David Scott soaks in the incredible view during an EVA (extravehicular activity) from Command Module Gumdrop.

30. 1975: Bill and Hillary Clinton tie the knot.

31. May 1980: The north face of Mount St. Helens collapses in Skamania County, Washington. The eruption caused multiple deaths and billions of dollars of damage.

32. 1989: A look back at Bernie Sanders, a candidate for this year's presidential election, when he served as Burlington Mayor. Here he is with Jessie Jackson in Montpelier, Vermont. Sanders had endorsed him for president in the 1988 election.

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1.
1875: A Japanese man with traditional irezumi on his back. This type of ink is often associated with yakuza, Japan's organized crime syndicate.

2.
July 1888: A photo of the iconic Eiffel Tower during construction.

3.
1899: The Dewey Arch in Madison Square celebrated the victory in the Battle of Manila Bay, Philippines. It began to deteriorate soon after it was built, and was demolished in 1900 after funds to rebuild a stronger version could not be raised.

4.
1903: A look at Times Square, New York City, at the turn of the century.

5.
1906: The ruins of the Temple of Castor and Pollux, originally built in 495 BC, in Agrigento, Italy.

6.
1910: Together with their children, Greek women harvest tea in Chakva, Georgia.

7.
1913: André Grapperon, a French champion motorcyclist, rides his 1912 Indian Board Track V-twin.

8.
1915: Lumberjacks fell a giant redwood in northwest California.

9.
1919: Stacks of lumber out to dry in Seattle. See man for scale.

10.
1920s: Dining with friends at the California Alligator Farm in Los Angeles.

11.
1922: An armored car in Cork, Ireland, from the landing of the Free State troops.

12.
25 August 1944: A colorized photo of three French boys fascinated by a German Panther tank used in the Falaise Pocket, Normandy.

13.
1946: Meanwhile in Romania, here are a few folks attempting to heal rheumatism with a bear.

14.
April 1936: The Dust Bowl Days in Oklahoma.

15.
20 October 1939: Factory representative J.J. Hickey demonstrates an electrical shave on Ted Budrodeen at a Mick Simmons store in Sydney.

16.
May 1943: Women wipers, or those who cleaned engine spaces and machinery, at the Chicago & North Western Railroad in Clinton, Iowa.

17.
1944: Queen Elizabeth II when she was Princess Elizabeth at an American air base in England.

18.
1953: American writer Ernest Hemingway poses with a cape buffalo on a visit to Africa.

19.
1953: Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dalí on a carriage pulled by his goat.

20.
1955: An interstate in downtown Atlanta.

21.
5 August 1959: Russian attendees examine television sets and radios at the USSR Exhibition in Sokolniki Park, Moscow. The exhibition competed with the American National Exhibition next door.

22.
1959: Fidel Castro, who served as Prime Minister in Cuba after overthrowing Batista, stands at the Thomas Jefferson memorial in Washington, D.C.

23.
1964: Early morning commuters in Japan.

24.
1 November 1964: A two-stage Saturn I launch vehicle undergoes weight and balance tests at Cape Canaveral.

25.
1965: The largest IKEA store in the world opens in Kungens Kurva, Sweden.

26.
1965: A look in the direction of New York's East 42nd Street.

27.
1967: A romantic flashback of the streets of Chicago.

28.
1969: Bernadette Devlin, the youngest female MP (Member of Parliament) ever elected to the House of Commons, with her autobiography just before a press conference.

29.
1969: Astronaut David Scott soaks in the incredible view during an EVA (extravehicular activity) from Command Module Gumdrop.

30.
1975: Bill and Hillary Clinton tie the knot.

31.
May 1980: The north face of Mount St. Helens collapses in Skamania County, Washington. The eruption caused multiple deaths and billions of dollars of damage.

32.
1989: A look back at Bernie Sanders, a candidate for this year's presidential election, when he served as Burlington Mayor. Here he is with Jessie Jackson in Montpelier, Vermont. Sanders had endorsed him for president in the 1988 election.