There are so many cool and amazing pictures out there. Just looking at them may fill you with emotion. But with a lot of them, understanding the backstory a bit more makes them even cooler, or more powerful.
Just like words, pictures tell stories . And these pictures definitely say things we may not even expect. It just goes to show you how incredible the world really is.
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“The end of the Great Wall of China.”
It’s funny, when you think about the Great Wall of China, you don’t really think about the fact that it has end points. It’s so large, it almost feels infinite. But it really isn’t. I feel like there’s a lesson to be had here about how not everything is what it seems.
“After 10 years of hard work from family, I have become first gen to graduate from University.”
I imagine this whole family must be so proud! Getting a university or college degree is nothing to sneeze at, and being the first in your family to do so is definitely an important accomplishment. It’s the result of a lot of hard work and perseverance. Kudos!
“Huge chucks of glistening ice spread across black volcano sand – Iceland.”
The backstory behind this is: Iceland is just really cool. This amazing country has some of the most spectacular, otherworldly views. If you ever make your way to the island, you’ll probably see some things you’d never expect.
Black sand is wild enough as it is, but the ice makes it look like another planet!
“Happy Birthday Buddy! He joined our family from the local shelter 2 years ago. He is a good boy.”
I just love seeing people celebrate their doggos. Rescuing pets is so important because it allows these animals to have the shelter and love they deserve. I’m very excited to see Buddy being celebrated on his big day, and here’s to many more years with his family!
“I make drawings using the letters and numbers from old/unwanted typewriters and here’s one that I created on location in the picturesque village of Finchingfield.”
This kind of art must take years and years of practice. It’s not as simple as drawing lines; you’re literally creating images out of letters and numbers! I’m impressed beyond words.
The village itself looks amazing, both in the artwork and in real life.
“Coloured photo of the Eiffel tower being built in 1888.”
Have you ever wondered what the Eiffel tower looked like while it was being built? Well, now you don’t need to! This amazing photograph really puts into perspective how much work it must’ve taken to build this iconic landmark. And for that matter, every building and tower in the world!
“Nearly 71% of Icelanders has Costco membership and there’s only one Costco in the country.”
Iceland is a pretty small nation. So I’m completely unsurprised that it only has one Costco. I’m also unsurprised that the majority of the country shops there.
This puts things into perspective for sure; Costco is a place that many of us take for granted, while the entirety of Iceland has to travel to one spot just to shop at theirs.
“A town in Norway surrounded by mountains uses three giant mirrors to get a little bit of sunlight for six otherwise dark months of the year.”
As much as we complain about the lack of sunlight every winter, it’s a totally different story in places like Norway. There are times during the winter months where they only have a few hours of sun every day. I guess with a bit of creativity, they’ve learned to get by in the dark.
“A twig? No, a moth!”
Nature is so strange. Just when you think you’re looking at one thing, it turns out to be something completely different.
This moth may look like a twig, but when you look a little closer, you can see its tiny legs. Moths really are masters of camouflage, aren’t they?
“Noodle delivery boy in Tokyo, 1935.”
I’m not sure what’s more impressive, the fact that this man is balancing all of those bowls and boxes on his shoulder, or the fact that he’s doing so while on a bike . I really want to know how he gets everything down safely once he’s reached his destination.
“Found out my wife’s grandmother was quite the artist. These are real eggs that were blown out and hand painted and decorated.”
These gorgeous eggs must’ve taken a long time to decorate. They’e probably also super delicate, to the point where I feel like they’re going to fall apart just from me looking at them.
But for these to be found among this person’s wife’s grandmother’s things means they would’ve survived for years. How incredible.
“A strange black house in the middle of the town.”
At one point, this house in Germany used to be covered in street art , but was slated for demolition in 2008. It was painted black as a sort of symbolic farewell to the building before it was to be removed. At least the house still lives on in photos.
“The place in Iceland where Green Fields, Yellow River, Black Beach and Blue Sea meet…”
Because there’s nothing more beautiful than the entirety of Iceland, here’s another breathtaking view. All of that volcanic activity has really made the land look like so unique. You literally can’t see things like this anywhere else in the world. What a beautiful country!
“There’s a trendy bar in Tokyo where guests can enjoy some drinks while they watch trash get crushed.”
I feel like there’s a deeper meaning behind this bar, maybe something to do with entertainment and how it’s rotting our brains… Or maybe people just really like the idea of watching trash get crushed while sipping on a drink. Either way, it’s definitely a unique concept.
“This whale survived being cut by a boat propeller way back in 2001. He is now named Blade Runner.”
I feel like there’s a sort of positive message behind this. No matter what humans do to nature, it will continue to persevere. As painful as the injury must’ve been for the whale, it survived, and has lived a long time since. It was even spotted last year !
“This small church on the island of Anafi, Greece.”
This cliffside may not look like much, but if you look a little closer, you can see the outline of a small building. It’s a church, sitting alone on a cliff, overlooking the sea, with nothing else around it. It’s beautiful and terrifying at the same time (imagine being inside that building).
“Today, order number 123 tipped me $4.56.”
There’s something about this that’s just so much fun. I wonder if the person who tipped that amount knew that they were continuing the sequence, or if it just so happened to be a happy coincidence based on what kind of tip percentage they chose. Either way, it really happened.
“This wooden lion took 20 people 3 years to finish, made from a single redwood tree trunk. person for scale.”
What an amazing statue! You know something like this took a lot of hard work. The fact that it’s made from a single tree trunk just goes to show you how big and incredible trees are. It’s a shame that the tree had to be cut down to make this, but it’s still a gorgeous statue.
“This is what a polar dog losing his winter fur looks like.”
Looking at this dog, you may wonder if it’s doing okay. But don’t worry; shedding is pretty normal for most dogs. Especially when the seasons change, and the think winter coats they have are too much for the summer heat. In a few months, that dog will have a thicker coat for the next winter.
“My dad brought a 1997 Bentley. It still has the original phone in the back seat arm rest. It still works too.”
Remember car phones (because I don’t)? At one point, this was at the cutting edge of technology. Those, and giant brick cell phones. Nowadays, we have phones we can wirelessly connect to our cars and activate by voice. Technology has come a long way, but it’s sometimes nice to look back on where we came from.
“A tree growing inside an abandoned silo.”
I guess nature can persist pretty much anywhere. I never would’ve thought that a tree could grow inside of something as tall as a silo, since it wouldn’t be getting a lot of sun. And yet, here it is, doing just fine, getting all the sun it needs right at the top.
“Ghost apples are created when freezing rain settles on the fruit and ices over immediately, creating a frozen coating. The rotted apple falls out the bottom, leaving behind an icy silhouette.”
That’s so cool (pun intended)! And no, it isn’t Photoshop. Ghost apples are real , Forbes reports.
Apparently, apples that are still left on a tree by winter are probably already rotten, and they just turn to mush eventually anyway. And since apples have a surprisingly low freezing point, they can still be mushy at low temperatures.
“A cow escaped from a Polish farm and was spotted months later living with a herd of wild bison.”
Cow, bison. Same thing, really.
Well, not really. Look at the difference in size between those huge bison and that tiny cow! As it is, cows are pretty big animals, so I can only imagine how much those bison weigh. Good thing they’re relatively harmless to people.
“Town square in Uelzen, Lower Saxony, Germany- during the Battle of the Rhine, April 1945 and 2021.”
For those of us who didn’t live through WWII, seeing photos and videos of the battles is surreal. But finding the exact spot where a photo was taken is something else. It’s so weird that such a peaceful space was once the setting of such a destructive battle.
“Photo of 11 year old Terry Jo Duperrault ‘the Sea Orphan.'”
Reddit user New-Huckleberry5167, who uploaded the photo, explains that the child “had been adrift without food, water or shelter when rescuers found her clinging to a small dinghy almost four days after her entire family was murdered at sea by the captain of the Bluebell in 1961.”
It’s amazing that she survived such a tragic incident. But being the only survivor must have been difficult.
“A picture of my parents atop the World Trade Center; photo was taken in 1997!”
The feeling of seeing a photo like this is hard to put into words. Knowing that just four short years later, this building would cease to exist, really puts things into perspective. It really does feel like looking at a piece of history.
“46 year old Gymnast Oksana Chusovitina takes her final bow as she competed at her eighth and last Olympics.”
Participating in 8 Olympics is impressive enough (considering that would be over the span of more than 30 years!). But participating as a gymnast? Unreal. Gymnasts are generally considered “old” by their early- to mid-20s, simply because of the physical toll the sport has to the human body.
Kudos to Oksana.
“My grandfathers journal when he was a POW in WWII, marking each day where he was. Captured Dec 17, 1944, held for 118 days.”
It’s amazing how what one person wrote to document a very difficult time can be an insight into history. While we know what happened during the war, there are so many stories from those involved that are still waiting to be told, and many more that never will be.
“After a decade of planning, I finally became a U.S. citizen yesterday!”
You wouldn’t believe how long it takes to become a citizen of another country. It takes so much planning and hard work, and it’s always a great feeling when it all comes to fruition. Photos like this are a celebration of all that hard work, so congrats!
“Waking right next to an active volcano.”
Volcanos are really scary when you think about it. They spew hot rocks and lava that can destroy anything they come in contact with. Not to mention all that smoke, which can spread for miles.
Living and sleeping this close to an active volcano is an experience, to say the least.
