Pictures are made to tell a story. Whether it be a beautiful artistic shot, or a simple selfie at home, every photo has an entire history leading up to it. Sometimes, that history makes the photo all the more interesting.
To show off that concept, here’s a list of pictures made even better once you know their backstories.
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Beating all the odds.
What looks like a standard selfie means a lot more to the man in taking it. “After 6 months homeless & jobless. I now have a new apartment, car and a job in a call center. And I did it on my own. So proud of myself,” he wrote in the caption. Seeing the pride on his face is inspiring!
Strength in the face of death.
This man’s story has to be one of the most frightening yet incredible tales I’ve ever heard. “John Thompson was home alone when he had both his arms ripped off in a farming accident. However, he still managed to get up and dial for help via holding a pencil in his mouth. He survived and both his arms were reattached.”
“A Korean news program actually filming on the top of the building instead of using a green screen.”
For anyone wondering why they might do this, someone in the comments went on to explain the context , “This was during the US-North Korea Hanoi summit in Vietnam. Korean news teams also set up temporary news rooms near the summit location for the Singapore summit and the inter-Korean summit. The summits were a massive news story in South Korea, as many were legitimately hoping for an official end to the Korean war and N.Korea joining the international community. “
Found family.
These photos are of Anais Bordier and Samatha Futerman. Anais saw Samantha for the first time on YouTube and noted how similar they looked. After the two got in contact and chatted for a while, they discovered that they were actually identical twins that were separated at birth! Talk about a fateful encounter.
“My 10 yr old self left me his ‘life savings’ for when I turned 18.”
The uploader said it totaled out to $124, which probably isn’t a ton for someone’s ‘life savings’, but that amount probably meant everything to his younger self!
“Welp 18 years after high school and I’m jumping in and showing my daughter anything is possible.”
Not only is he being an incredible role model for his daughter, but he’s bettering himself along the way! And he’s sporting a killer outfit for the first day of class.
Animal-aided skincare.
In a form of skin grafting, doctors have found fish skin (specifically tilapia skin) to be incredibly effective when treating burns and diabetic wounds. The skin eventually evolves into living tissue and binds with the leg, effectively healing the area!
“Shorts are now deemed “inappropriate” for retail counter workers at USPS. Skorts are still OK.”
I can’t imagine working in a mailroom in the summer heat is any fun, so good on these guys for finding a loophole. Plus, they’re rocking those skorts.
Bionic eye.
This is an image of an eye after keratoprothesis , a procedure that replaces one’s diseased cornea with an artificial one. Not only does it heal their eye, but it often improves their eyesight greatly!
Way ahead of their time.
Dishing out some car history, the uploader wrote, “Buick created the first car touchscreen all the way back in 1986. The technology was dropped because customers were complaining about taking their eyes off the road […].”
Beauty in breaking.
An art form I’ve always loved, this is kintsugi. It’s a Japanese art style that involves repairing broken pottery with gold. It plays into a philosophy that any sort of breaking and repair is part of the history of the object, and it ought to be embraced and seen as beautiful rather than hidden away.
“After many long years and struggling, I was finally able to pay for braces myself and get them today !”
As people get older, many consider themselves beyond getting things done that they feel they ‘should’ have done as children, like getting braces! There’s no wrong time, nor is it ever too late, to take your appearance and health into your own hands!
A man of many hobbies.
If you thought the man on top looked like Steve Irwin, you’d be right. Why is he pinning that other guy down? Accoring to the poster, “Irwin would regularly train with his security guards in-between filming episodes of his TV show.”
Making scary history.
August 15, 2020, the US National Weather Service had to issue its first-ever fire tornado warning as it was approaching inhabited areas, as seen above. As if this year couldn’t get any more frightening.
Sporting some new bling.
This is Cara, a 5-year-old Bengal tiger living in a shelter in Germany. After suffering some tooth damage when chewing on some bones, she was fitted with a brand new gold tooth. It’s safe to say she looks great and terrifying.
Just a rolling pea.
This is the Pea Car. It was built for a Birds Eye commercial originally, and uses parts from a Honda motorcycle, a Volkswagen Beetle, and a Lancia to create, well, a pea! I do happen to be in the market for a new car, anyone know where I can buy this thing?
Scent of outer space.
Explained by the uploader, “The fragrance of this candle was designed to mimic the way astronauts describe the smell on the outer layer of their suits/helmets after a space walk, the smell of space. An entirely unique scent of bittersweet metallic char & welding fumes.” So maybe not a nice smelling candle, but a unique one!
Not your standard home renovation.
During a home renovation project, a man in Spain discovered a 14th-century renaissance doorway in his walls. It was discovered to be the facade of the ‘Hospital de San Jeoge’, and was declared a world heritage site!
Stronger together.
Titled the Baltic Way, this was a peaceful political demonstration held in 1989. Millions of Lithuanians, Latvians, and Estonians joined hands and formed a human chain that stretched 420 miles to protest against the Soviet Union.
“I went to visit my parent’s headstone at the cemetery, that they share with four of my uncles and aunts. They are all still alive.”
I understand planning ahead and all that, but this still has to feel somewhat eerie. At least they all get along with their siblings well enough to want to be buried together!
