Just because history has already happened, that doesn’t mean it can’t still have a few surprises for us. It’s easy to just make a few assumptions based on what we have learned so far but you know what they say about people who assume things.
So it’s best to just check out some fascinating historical pics and prepare your eyebrows for a bit of raising.
Street surfin’
Some things never go out of style, apparently. It looks like basically as long as there have been cars and surf boards, people have been taking advantage of lightly flooded streets to pull these stunts.
Eras collide
During WWII, the Italian campaign brought GIs into contact with soldiers seemingly from another point in history, the Swiss Guard who protect the Vatican.
Strike a pose
Hey, smart phones haven’t been around that long, all things considered.
Back in the day, if you wanted to record a concert, this is how you did it: holding up a tape machine. Hanging a boombox around your neck was basically a shoulder-saving lifehack.
Um, what?
In a surprisingly normal familial scene, North Korean dictator Kim Il-Sung visits with an East German family. You don’t really think of North Korean leaders doing photo ops around the world like this.
After all, the nation is known as The Hermit Kingdom for a reason. But it apparently wasn’t always like that.
When you’re feeling it
A playful traffic warden took the opportunity to photobomb a couple out for a fashionable photo shoot in late ’60s London. You’ve got to seize the moments to have some fun when they come along!
Be her guest?
It seems out of keeping with such a serious place and a serious role but First Lady Betty Ford can be seen dancing on the table in the Cabinet Room in the White House here.
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I guess it was another one of those “seize the moment” things.
Innovation
The Kettering Bug, pictured here, represents one of the earliest attempts to create an unmanned aerial vehicle for war.
It was really something akin to a cruise missile, basically a torpedo with wings that could be set to drop its wings off after reaching a certain distance, dropped to earth with a high explosive punch.
Not sure if it was red or not
In 1979, during the depths of the Cold War, two families attempted to escape East Germany via homemade hot air balloons.
It took a year and a half from start to finish — including one failed attempt that almost got them caught — but they did make across the border to West Germany eventually.
A for effort
If this firefighter’s bicycle was ever put into use, it sure didn’t catch on.
It’s easy to see where it might be appealing to have a firefighter be able to cycle to an emergency, hook a hose up to a hydrant, and get going but of course there are tons of reasons why this wouldn’t have been practical.
Kinda rude, really
The device this lady is sitting in is called an Orgone Accumulator , which was marketed as being able to help people build up a supposed life-energy called orgone.
It was a complete sham, but before it was banned, one reviewer , who identified himself as a college professor told the FDA that even though he knew it was baloney he found it useful because “My wife sits in it four hours a day and keeps her mouth shut.”
A simple thanks
In 1944, Lisieux, France, a local woman pours a class of (presumably) cider for a British soldier stationed by her home. A small show of kindness and gratitude in the middle of chaos.
Turning a blind eye
In Warsaw, Poland, 1941, a woman is seen impoverished on the streets while others walk by her blindly. Many people commenting on this photo were quick to draw comparisons, noting how this exact image could still be taken today.
Derailed
Disaster struck the Montparnasse terminus in Paris in 1895 when a train derailed and crashed through the side of the building. The crash occurred due to the driver trying to make up for lost time as the train had been running late . He entered too fast, the brake couldn’t stop it in time, and through the building it went.
Some breakfast guests
Two Australian soldiers had some surprise guests while eating in 1941, a group of thorny devil lizards. A brief reprieve from their duties, both soldiers seem rather amused at the sight, one even trying to feed them some of his food!
Cheers!
What could this cheerful crowd be celebrating? The end of prohibition in Chicago, 1933! That certainly calls for a drink.
Whoa
These fishermen appear to have had quite the battle on their hands with a massive ray.
At their largest, manta rays can be up to 29 feet wide from tip to tip so it’s little wonder that these guys wanted a pic with their big catch.
Across time
This photo shows Margaret Ann Neve at age 110, one year before she passed. Born in 1792, she was the first person ever recorded in history to have lived in three different centuries.
Up above
In 1910, this woman sits perched above the city of Berlin. What’s she doing up there? Well, she worked as a mason, and was repairing some stone upon a roof!
