Pictures illuminate the shadows of history, revealing the forgotten people and places that otherwise may have faded into oblivion. They help us make sense of the past and, in turn, allow us to understand the present.
So we at Bored Panda decided it would be a nice idea to explore the subreddit 'Rare Historical Photos' — it has 40,000 members constantly digging through the archives and sharing their best finds. Prepare to be transported through time!
#1 Renowned Photographer Walter Chandoha Created One Of His Most Famous Photographs Of His Daughter Paula And A Small Kitten Smiling At The Camera At The Same Time, 1955
Image credits: ua-stena
#2 A Seaman's Request For An Extraordinary Leave Of Absence, 1967. Reason: “My Wife Is Planning To Get Pregnant This Weekend And I Would Like To Be Present.”
Image credits: ua-stena
#3 Girls Sent Home From Mckinley High School For Wearing Slacks And Blue Jeans, Chicago, 1946
Image credits: USHistoryUncovered
#4 Ojibwe Woman, Ponemah, Minnesota, Photograph Taken By Roland W. Reed C.1908
Image credits: Quick_Presentation11
#5 A Baby Lamb Snuggles Up To A Sleeping Boy, 1940
Image credits: USHistoryUncovered
#6 A Police Officer Playing Duck Duck Goose With Children In New York, 1970
Image credits: Quick_Presentation11
#7 A GI Shares His Rations With Two Italian Children, 1944
Image credits: Quick_Presentation11
#8 A Former Prisoner Points Out The Most Brutal Guard. Germany. 1945
Image credits: ua-stena
#9 Shy Young Woman Smiling For The Camera 143 Years Ago
Image credits: USHistoryUncovered
#10 A Dog Says Goodbye To His Fallen US Soldier Friend. Afghan War, 2004
Image credits: ua-stena
#11 The Oldest Indian, John Smith, Managed To Live In Three Centuries At Once, Being Born In The 18th Century, Living Throughout The 19th Century And Dying In The 20th Century. It Is Alleged That He Lived For About 137 Years
Image credits: ua-stena
#12 Vancouver's First Official Lifeguard, Joe Fortes, 1905. Fortes, Who Was Born In Trinidad And Tobago, Was Credited With Saving Dozens Of Lives And Was Known As "Old Black Joe"
Image credits: ua-stena
#13 A Young Woman Photographed In The 1910s
Image credits: USHistoryUncovered
#14 Portrait Of A Family. Georgia, USA, Circa 1900
Image credits: USHistoryUncovered
#15 Five-Year-Old Albert Einstein, 1884
Image credits: ua-stena
#16 The Ship "Queen Elizabeth" Arrives At The Port Of New York. On Board Are Soldiers Returning From World War II, 1945
Image credits: ua-stena
#17 This Is What The Empire State Building Looked Like Against The Background Of Other Buildings, 1941
Image credits: ua-stena
#18 New York, 1958. Dancers In A Nightclub Play Chess. Smartphones Haven't Been Invented Yet
Image credits: ua-stena
#19 An Old Fisherman Photographed In Bergen, Norway In 1902 By Anders Beer Wilse
Image credits: USHistoryUncovered
#20 Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau Carries The Country's Future Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Under His Arm. Ottawa, 1973
Image credits: ua-stena
#21 Abraham Lincoln In 1861 And 1865. A Noticeable Four-Year Contrast Against The Backdrop Of War
Image credits: ua-stena
#22 A Lady From High Society. Ottoman Empire, 1900s
Image credits: ua-stena
#23 Man With Down’s Syndrome, 1890s
Image credits: World-Tight
#24 With Her Husband At War, Mom Works On The Car, 1944
Image credits: USHistoryUncovered
#25 Republican Party Supporters And Democratic Party Supporters Fight With Snowballs In Front Of The Capitol. January, 1921, Washington, USA
Image credits: ua-stena
#26 Young Couple Standing At A Speed Limit Sign. Oklahoma, 1920s
Image credits: USHistoryUncovered
#27 Queue For The Premiere Of The Star Wars Film. Vancouver, 1977
Image credits: ua-stena
#28 American Soldier Returning Home From The Great War, Ca 1918-19
Image credits: Quick_Presentation11
#29 Early Use Of A Selfie Stick In The 1940s
Image credits: Quick_Presentation11
#30 Pictured Is Paul Overby, One Of Two Drivers Trapped In The Cab Of The Truck. He Is Pulled By A Rope In The Pit River Bridge Over Lake Shasta Near Redding, California, May 3, 1953. Both Overby And His Partner Hank Baum Were Rescued Before The Car Plunged And Caught Fire
Image credits: ua-stena
#31 A Cowboy, 1890s
Image credits: USHistoryUncovered
#32 A Youthful Marine, Da Nang, Vietnam, August 3, 1965
Image credits: Quick_Presentation11
#33 Goodyear Illuminated Tires, 1961
Image credits: ua-stena
#34 A Typical American Family In 1950s, Detroit, Michigan
Image credits: USHistoryUncovered
#35 A Lady Walks Around Renting Out Books As A “Walking Library.”
Image credits: USHistoryUncovered
#36 A Mexican Baker, 1880-90s
Image credits: World-Tight
#37 Airmail Pilot, William “Wild Bill” Hopson Of The U.S. Mail Service In Omaha, Nebraska, 1926
Image credits: Quick_Presentation11
#38 Service At The Track Restaurant In Los Angeles, 1950s. Food Was Delivered Via Conveyor Belt Directly To Cars
Image credits: ua-stena
#39 A Victorian Home Being Moved Via Horse Power. San Francisco, California, USA. 1908
Image credits: USHistoryUncovered
#40 Cab Drivers In Madison Square Garden, New York, 1900
Image credits: ua-stena
#41 People Sit On A Curb Amid Confetti And Papers After Celebrating The End Of World War II In New York City On August 14, 1945
Image credits: ua-stena
#42 Crossing Over The Thames. Photo By René Groebli, 1949
Image credits: WistfulHush
#43 Drexel Institute Girls’ Rifle Team. Philadelphia, USA
Image credits: USHistoryUncovered
#44 Downtown Boston, 1910
Image credits: ua-stena
#45 A Fashionable Young Woman Exiting A NYC Streetcar In 1912
Image credits: USHistoryUncovered
#46 A Gentleman Tips His Hat To A Group Of Ladies, 1920s
Image credits: Quick_Presentation11
#47 Photo Of Marilyn Monroe First Wedding, She Was 16 Years Old, 1942
Image credits: ua-stena
#48 John D. Rockefeller Gifting A 5-Cent Coin To A Child, 1929
Image credits: senorphone1
#49 Passengers Onboard The Staten Island Ferry. New York, USA. 1895
Image credits: USHistoryUncovered
#50 Little Leonardo Dicaprio And His Parents George And Irmelin, 1976
Image credits: ua-stena
