Time Travel Through 42 Rare Historical Photos You Won’t Believe Exist
Life is full of surprises, but nothing quite prepares you for the absolute gems that history has left behind. From bizarre competitions to legendary figures caught in candid moments, these historical photos will not only educate you but might also leave you questioning how humanity has managed to make it this far. Some will warm your heart, others will make you do a double-take, and a few might just make you glad you live in the 21st century.
If you think history is all about dull textbooks and black-and-white boredom, buckle up, because these snapshots are about to prove you wrong. Let’s dive into 42 of the most fascinating, jaw-dropping, and outright bizarre historical photos from the Instagram account years_in_photos!
#1. The contestants of the World’s Most Beautiful Legs competition in 1951
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#2. Timothy Treadwell ‘The Grizzly Man’ who thought he could live with bears. Known for his crazy antics. Timothy spent 13 summers camping in Alaska until his eventual demise. Photo taken in the late 90s
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#3. On Feb 8, 1943, 17yo partisan Lepa Radić was hanged by the Germans in Bosnia. Offered her life for names of other fighters, she replied: “I am not a traitor of my people. Those you’re asking about will reveal themselves when they succeed in wiping out all you evildoers, to the last man.”
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#4. Workers Eating Lunch Atop Beam [1925]
New York: The new telephone company skyscraper at Vesey Street and the North River under construction. Photo shows the iron workers perched on a girder twenty stories in the air and enjoying their lunch. Unconcerned about the twenty story drop below.
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#5. A lamb approaches a Navajo baby in a traditional baby carrier, Wind Rock Navajo Reservation, Arizona, circa 1930. (Photo by H. Armstrong Roberts)
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#6. A mother and her 10 daughters, Boston, 1952
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#7. Bedouin Mother, Saudi Arabia 1948
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#8. Marie Curie. 1930
Maria Salomea Skłodowska-Curie (Polish: [ˈmarja salɔˈmɛa skwɔˈdɔfska kʲiˈri]; née Skłodowska; 7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934), known simply as Marie Curie was a Polish and naturalised-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person to win a Nobel Prize twice, and the only person to win a Nobel Prize in two scientific fields.
Her husband, Pierre Curie, was a co-winner of her first Nobel Prize, making them the first married couple to win the Nobel Prize and launching the Curie family legacy of five Nobel Prizes. She was, in 1906, the first woman to become a professor at the University of Paris.
Source: years_in_photos
#9. University of Madras student ties his hair to nail to prevent sleeping at night while preparing for exams, 1905
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#10. Photo restoration of Old West outlaw Billy the Kid, 1880 – Billy the Kid (born November 23, 1859?, New York, New York, U.S.
died July 14, 1881, Fort Sumner, New Mexico) was an American outlaw who was one of the most notorious gunfighters of the American West. Although he claimed to have killed 21 men, the actual number is likely less than 10. At about age 21, Billy the Kid was gunned down by Sheriff Pat Garrett.
Born on New York City’s East Side, Billy as a child migrated with his parents to Kansas; his father died there, and the mother and her two boys moved to Colorado, where she remarried. The family moved to New Mexico, and, in his early teens, Billy fell into a career of thievery and lawlessness, wandering throughout the Southwest and northern Mexico, often with gangs.
In December 1880 he was captured by Garrett and stood trial for murder in Mesilla, New Mexico, in April 1881; he was found guilty and was sentenced to hang. He escaped jail on April 28, however, killing two deputies, and remained at large until tracked down and ambushed by Garrett, who shot him dead on the evening of July 14 at the ranch home of Pete Maxwell. Billy the Kid’s grave is in Fort Sumner, New Mexico.
Source: years_in_photos
#11. Coal Miner with his daughter. He has just gotten home from his job as a conveyor belt operator in a non-union mine. West Virginia, 1970s.
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#12. A striking image of a young mountain girl standing outside her family’s cabin in the Great Smoky Mountains. This photograph offers a rare glimpse into rural life in Appalachia, a region that was largely isolated by the rest of the country during this period. Circa 1912
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#13. Dawn Wells and Kurt Russell on the set of Gilligan’s Island,1965
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#14. Two Kashmiri guards along with American photographer James Ricalton at the Imperial Delhi Durbar in British India, 1903
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#15. Lieutenant Colonel Robert L. Stirm being reunited with his family after 5½ years of being a POW in Vietnam [1973]
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#16. A Great Depression Christmas dinner at the home of Earl Pauley near Smithfield, Iowa, 1936. The meal included potatoes, cabbage, and pie.
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#17. Friends posed for a photo on vacation in 1972 and recreated it 50 years later
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#18. A California teacher teaching the physics of surfing, 1970
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#19. Private Richie smells a letter sent by his girlfriend from Oklahoma, soaked with the scent of her perfume, Vietnam, 1966.
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#20. SoCal surfers in the 1960’s
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#21. On August 8, 1982, a line drive foul ball hit a 4 year old boy in the head at Fenway Park. Jim Rice, realizing in a flash that it would take EMTs too long to arrive and cut through the crowd, scooped up the boy and got him to the dugout where the Red Sox medical team gave him life-saving first aid.
Source: years_in_photos
#22. Girls just want to have fun, 1920s
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#23. Virginia Mayo (c. 1940s – 50s)
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#24. John F. Kennedy campaigning in the hills of West Virginia, 1960
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#25. A man with his dog , 1920s
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#26. Mother and daughter taking a walk in New York City, 1970
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#27. Negotiations between the zoo director and escaped chimpanzee. Belgrade, 1988
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#28. Cleaning Women Washing A Crucifix, 1938
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#29. A Patient Undergoing Treatment For Mental Illness, Germany 1890
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#30. Marilyn Monroe in line for a hot dog, New York, 1957
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#31. Children smile out a window as donated Christmas presents are delivered to their home. Detroit, Michigan, 1932.
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#32. A girl tries to get a reaction from a royal guard. Stockholm, Sweden, 1970s.
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#33. A couple making free love in a tent, Isle of Wight Festival, 1969.
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#34. The original Distracted Boyfriend (1958)
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#35. Dorothea Lange Portrait of Mother and Child during The Great Depression, 1939
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#36. Tina Tuner hanging off The Eiffel Tower, 1989.
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#37. Jane Fonda and Anthony Perkins, behind the scenes and promos for Tall Story, 1960
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#38. Milk delivery by dog cart, probably ca. 1910
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#39. A mother and daughter goofing around for the camera, early 1900s
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#40. Man cutting crying child’s hair with garden shears (United Kingdom c1920)
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#41. No Dog Biscuits Today. London, 1939
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#42. Tooth extraction taking place in a liquor store in 1872. An assistant is holding the person’s head in place with a towel while the “dentist” uses pliers to remove the tooth.
Source: years_in_photos
Looking at these historical photos, it’s clear that the past was far more than just names and dates in a book—it was a wild ride. Some of these moments feel like scenes from a movie, while others make you appreciate the small comforts of modern life (like not having to tie your hair to a nail to stay awake).
Which of these historical gems fascinated you the most? Have you ever come across an old photo that completely changed how you saw history? Share your thoughts in the comments!
