22 Vintage Historical Photos That Offer a Glimpse Into the Past

Daniel Bonfiglio Published 04/15/2024 in wow

It's no secret that history is written by the victors.

These 25 snapshots from recent and not-so-recent history help tell a more complete story of our past by immersing us in the visuals of what really happened.

These photos come with helpful context that hopefully will teach you a thing or two about what you're looking at. Here are 25 cool historical pics with a few facts attached.

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1.
Soviet cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev stuck in space during the collapse of the Soviet Union, 1991.
2.
Students Dance In Tiananmen Square Before The Arrival Of The Chinese Military, June 4th 1989.
3.
An enthusiast for men's dress reform walking down the Strand in London. The MDRP, (Men’s Dress Reform Party), was formed in the interwar years in Britain, 1930.
4.
A photo of Mbaye Diagne, a UN peacekeeper who disobeyed his orders to stand down during the Rwandan Genocide in 1994. Acting entirely on his own initiative, he embarked on rescue missions. He is credited with single handedly saving the lives of as many as 1000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus.
5.
FBI informant Ronald Reagan testifies against fellow actors before House Un-American Activities Committee.
6.
A baseball team of death-row inmates. Their executions were delayed only as long as they kept winning. 1910.
7.
1976 photo from the restaurant Windows on the World, which sat atop New York City's World Trade Center's north tower.
8.
Anne Frank, with her sister Margot at Zandvoort Beach, 1940.
9.
Mugshot of Bertha Boronda, the woman who was arrested for cutting off her husband’s p**** with a razor in 1907.
10.
Statue of Liberty towering over Paris just before it was disassembled and shipped to New York, 1886.
11.
Simple bridge made from two chains in China, circa 1930.
12.
Leftist revolutionary woman cleaning her gun. Tehran, Iran, 1979.
13.
Actress Veronica Lake with her hair twisted in a drill press, demonstrating potential dangers to women in factories during WWII, November 9, 1943.
14.
A 17-year-old attempting to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II (1981).
15.
Royal Danish Navy coastal defense ship HDMS Niels Juel under attack from German aircraft during a failed escape attempt to Swedish waters. 29 August, 1943.
16.
Fidel Castro playing basketball against students during a visit to Krakow, Poland, 1972.
17.
A photo of Abdul Wali, an Afghan farmer. In 2003, he was falsely accused of being a terrorist. Hoping to clear his name, he turned turned himself in to the Americans. A CIA contractor would brutally torture Wali to death over the course of 3 days, beating him until he begged for death.
18.
Maori women from New Zealand in 1902.
19.
George Harrison of the Beatles taking a selfie at the Taj Mahal in 1966.
20.
A traffic cop fines a woman for wearing a bikini. Rimini, Italy, 1957.
21.
A father looking for his two missing sons that went missing during the Kosovo war in 1999.
22.
Flattening hills to build Seattle, 1905-1930.

1.
Soviet cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev stuck in space during the collapse of the Soviet Union, 1991.
2.
Students Dance In Tiananmen Square Before The Arrival Of The Chinese Military, June 4th 1989.
3.
An enthusiast for men's dress reform walking down the Strand in London. The MDRP, (Men’s Dress Reform Party), was formed in the interwar years in Britain, 1930.
4.
A photo of Mbaye Diagne, a UN peacekeeper who disobeyed his orders to stand down during the Rwandan Genocide in 1994. Acting entirely on his own initiative, he embarked on rescue missions. He is credited with single handedly saving the lives of as many as 1000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus.
5.
FBI informant Ronald Reagan testifies against fellow actors before House Un-American Activities Committee.
6.
A baseball team of death-row inmates. Their executions were delayed only as long as they kept winning. 1910.
7.
1976 photo from the restaurant Windows on the World, which sat atop New York City's World Trade Center's north tower.
8.
Anne Frank, with her sister Margot at Zandvoort Beach, 1940.
9.
Mugshot of Bertha Boronda, the woman who was arrested for cutting off her husband’s p**** with a razor in 1907.
10.
Statue of Liberty towering over Paris just before it was disassembled and shipped to New York, 1886.
11.
Simple bridge made from two chains in China, circa 1930.
12.
Leftist revolutionary woman cleaning her gun. Tehran, Iran, 1979.
13.
Actress Veronica Lake with her hair twisted in a drill press, demonstrating potential dangers to women in factories during WWII, November 9, 1943.
14.
A 17-year-old attempting to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II (1981).
15.
Royal Danish Navy coastal defense ship HDMS Niels Juel under attack from German aircraft during a failed escape attempt to Swedish waters. 29 August, 1943.
16.
Fidel Castro playing basketball against students during a visit to Krakow, Poland, 1972.
17.
A photo of Abdul Wali, an Afghan farmer. In 2003, he was falsely accused of being a terrorist. Hoping to clear his name, he turned turned himself in to the Americans. A CIA contractor would brutally torture Wali to death over the course of 3 days, beating him until he begged for death.
18.
Maori women from New Zealand in 1902.
19.
George Harrison of the Beatles taking a selfie at the Taj Mahal in 1966.
20.
A traffic cop fines a woman for wearing a bikini. Rimini, Italy, 1957.
21.
A father looking for his two missing sons that went missing during the Kosovo war in 1999.
22.
Flattening hills to build Seattle, 1905-1930.

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NEXT GALLERY Monday Morning Randomness: 38 Awesome Randoms to Kickstart Your Week

1. Soviet cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev stuck in space during the collapse of the Soviet Union, 1991.

2. Students Dance In Tiananmen Square Before The Arrival Of The Chinese Military, June 4th 1989.

3. An enthusiast for men's dress reform walking down the Strand in London. The MDRP, (Men’s Dress Reform Party), was formed in the interwar years in Britain, 1930.

4. A photo of Mbaye Diagne, a UN peacekeeper who disobeyed his orders to stand down during the Rwandan Genocide in 1994. Acting entirely on his own initiative, he embarked on rescue missions. He is credited with single handedly saving the lives of as many as 1000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus.

5. FBI informant Ronald Reagan testifies against fellow actors before House Un-American Activities Committee.

6. A baseball team of death-row inmates. Their executions were delayed only as long as they kept winning. 1910.

7. 1976 photo from the restaurant Windows on the World, which sat atop New York City's World Trade Center's north tower.

8. Anne Frank, with her sister Margot at Zandvoort Beach, 1940.

9. Mugshot of Bertha Boronda, the woman who was arrested for cutting off her husband’s p**** with a razor in 1907.

10. Statue of Liberty towering over Paris just before it was disassembled and shipped to New York, 1886.

11. Simple bridge made from two chains in China, circa 1930.

12. Leftist revolutionary woman cleaning her gun. Tehran, Iran, 1979.

13. Actress Veronica Lake with her hair twisted in a drill press, demonstrating potential dangers to women in factories during WWII, November 9, 1943.

14. A 17-year-old attempting to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II (1981).

15. Royal Danish Navy coastal defense ship HDMS Niels Juel under attack from German aircraft during a failed escape attempt to Swedish waters. 29 August, 1943.

16. Fidel Castro playing basketball against students during a visit to Krakow, Poland, 1972.

17. A photo of Abdul Wali, an Afghan farmer. In 2003, he was falsely accused of being a terrorist. Hoping to clear his name, he turned turned himself in to the Americans. A CIA contractor would brutally torture Wali to death over the course of 3 days, beating him until he begged for death.

18. Maori women from New Zealand in 1902.

19. George Harrison of the Beatles taking a selfie at the Taj Mahal in 1966.

20. A traffic cop fines a woman for wearing a bikini. Rimini, Italy, 1957.

21. A father looking for his two missing sons that went missing during the Kosovo war in 1999.

22. Flattening hills to build Seattle, 1905-1930.

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eBaum's Picks

1.
Soviet cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev stuck in space during the collapse of the Soviet Union, 1991.

2.
Students Dance In Tiananmen Square Before The Arrival Of The Chinese Military, June 4th 1989.

3.
An enthusiast for men's dress reform walking down the Strand in London. The MDRP, (Men’s Dress Reform Party), was formed in the interwar years in Britain, 1930.

4.
A photo of Mbaye Diagne, a UN peacekeeper who disobeyed his orders to stand down during the Rwandan Genocide in 1994. Acting entirely on his own initiative, he embarked on rescue missions. He is credited with single handedly saving the lives of as many as 1000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus.

5.
FBI informant Ronald Reagan testifies against fellow actors before House Un-American Activities Committee.

6.
A baseball team of death-row inmates. Their executions were delayed only as long as they kept winning. 1910.

7.
1976 photo from the restaurant Windows on the World, which sat atop New York City's World Trade Center's north tower.

8.
Anne Frank, with her sister Margot at Zandvoort Beach, 1940.

9.
Mugshot of Bertha Boronda, the woman who was arrested for cutting off her husband’s p**** with a razor in 1907.

10.
Statue of Liberty towering over Paris just before it was disassembled and shipped to New York, 1886.

11.
Simple bridge made from two chains in China, circa 1930.

12.
Leftist revolutionary woman cleaning her gun. Tehran, Iran, 1979.

13.
Actress Veronica Lake with her hair twisted in a drill press, demonstrating potential dangers to women in factories during WWII, November 9, 1943.

14.
A 17-year-old attempting to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II (1981).

15.
Royal Danish Navy coastal defense ship HDMS Niels Juel under attack from German aircraft during a failed escape attempt to Swedish waters. 29 August, 1943.

16.
Fidel Castro playing basketball against students during a visit to Krakow, Poland, 1972.

17.
A photo of Abdul Wali, an Afghan farmer. In 2003, he was falsely accused of being a terrorist. Hoping to clear his name, he turned turned himself in to the Americans. A CIA contractor would brutally torture Wali to death over the course of 3 days, beating him until he begged for death.

18.
Maori women from New Zealand in 1902.

19.
George Harrison of the Beatles taking a selfie at the Taj Mahal in 1966.

20.
A traffic cop fines a woman for wearing a bikini. Rimini, Italy, 1957.

21.
A father looking for his two missing sons that went missing during the Kosovo war in 1999.

22.
Flattening hills to build Seattle, 1905-1930.