Flattening hills to build Seattle, 1905-1930
This post was originally published on this siteStarting in 1897 and continuing through 1930, the hilly topography of central Seattle was radically altered by a […]
USA
Stunning vintage photos of car wrecks from the days before seat belts and airbags, 1930s
This post was originally published on this siteThese stunning photographs of car wrecks in the 1930s were captured by Leslie Jones, a famous photographer who […]
When NASA gave spiders drugs to see how it affected their webs, 1995
This post was originally published on this siteA NASA tech briefing “Using Spider-Web Patterns To Determine Toxicity” was published in April 1995. The work was […]
Alexander Graham Bell’s bizarre tetrahedral kites, 1902-1912
This post was originally published on this siteIn addition to developing the telephone, the Scottish-born inventor Alexander Graham Bell did extensive research in aerodynamics. This […]
The story of Ralph “Tex” Madsen also known as the Tallest Cowboy, 1920-1930
This post was originally published on this siteRalph Madsen, known as the Tallest Texan Cowboy, was above 7 feet 6 inches (2.28 meters) tall and […]
The street scenes and everyday life of New York City by Wallace G. Levison, 1880-1900
This post was originally published on this siteThese stunning photographs show how New York City looked like in the 1880s and 1890s. The images depict […]
Moving entire houses by horses, 1890-1910
This post was originally published on this siteThese vintage photographs from the 19th and early 20th centuries in the United States show teams of horses […]
Inside the Hoovervilles of the Great Depression, 1931-1940
This post was originally published on this siteA Hooverville was the popular name attributed to shanty towns that sprung up throughout the United States during […]
Life in the American concentration camp of Manzanar, 1943
This post was originally published on this siteManzarar, Spanish for “apple orchard,” began soon after 1900 in the dream of a fruit-growing empire and today […]
Newsies: Portraits of the working children who spread the news, 1908-1924
This post was originally published on this siteWith the rise of the daily newspapers in the 1880s, more than half of all newspapers in the […]
The story of New York City’s swimming pools through photographs, 1930-1960
This post was originally published on this site New Yorkers have been taking the plunge in the Big Apple since the late 1800s, when the […]
When a German U-Boat submarine and tanks ended up in New York’s Central Park, 1917-1918
This post was originally published on this siteThe so-called “Liberty Day” was a holiday invented by the federal government to finance the massive effort of […]
The Will and William West case: The identical inmates that showed the need for fingerprinting, 1903
This post was originally published on this siteOn May 1, 1903, an African-American man named Will West entered the United States Penitentiary at Leavenworth. Like […]
The Challenger disaster that unfolded on live television, 1986
This post was originally published on this siteJanuary 28, 1986, was an exceptionally cold day in Florida, where freezing weather is rare. The beaches near […]
The story of Isaac and Rosa, the emancipated slave children from New Orleans, 1863
This post was originally published on this siteThe boy and girl looked toward the camera. They were just old enough to understand the task assigned […]
Coney Island in old color images, 1948
This post was originally published on this siteFor e brief time, early in the twentieth century, Coney Island was the most dazzling spectacle in the […]
A Saturday afternoon in London (Ohio) through the photos of Ben Shahn, 1938
This post was originally published on this siteIn 1938, photographer Ben Shahn of FSA traveled to the small town of London, Ohio, and captured the […]
The iconic Hollywood sign in old photographs, 1924-1980
This post was originally published on this siteThe Hollywood sign may be unique among American icons. It is a landmark whose white letters are familiar […]
The extraordinary life aboard NASA’s Skylab, 1970s
This post was originally published on this siteSkylab was America’s first step toward making space something other than a nice place to visit. Developed in […]
The moment when President Bush was informed about the 9/11 terrorist attack, 2001
This post was originally published on this siteOn September 11, 2001, US President George W. Bush went to Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Florida […]
Building the iconic Golden Gate Bridge in rare photographs, 1930s
This post was originally published on this siteThe Golden Gate Bridge is unquestionably an American icon whose symbolism power rivals that of the Empire State […]
Colorized portraits of Ellis Island immigrants, 1906-1911
This post was originally published on this siteEllis Island served as the United State’s largest immigration station, processing up to 12 million people between 1892 […]
The hard life of roughnecks of the East Texas Oil Field, 1939
This post was originally published on this siteBy 1930, Texas was already the nation’s leading oil producing state, yet East Texas remained the only area […]
The ‘white’ slave children of New Orleans in rare photographs, 1863
This post was originally published on this siteOn January 30, 1864, Harper’s Weekly started to publish portraits of children captioned “Emancipated Slaves—White and Colored,” as […]
The story of Tupperware parties in pictures, 1950s
This post was originally published on this siteWhen an amateur inventor and designer named Earl Silas Tupper first invented Tupperware around 1942 (from a refined […]