11 Strange Photos From The Past That Will Forever Change Your Perspective On History

ashleyhyshka | October 18, 2024 12:00 am

With the rise of cell phones, taking a photograph has never been simpler, and many of us often don't think twice before whipping out our phones to take a picture. But in previous decades and centuries, picture-taking was not nearly as simple.

The following pictures are proof that in every historical photo or artifact, there is a fascinating and emotional story just waiting to be told.

The Office Beverage Dispenser

15th February 1960: At the Second Automatic Vending Exhibition in London, a woman helps herself to a vending machine-mixed whisky and soda.
Photo Credit: Ron Case/Keystone/Getty Images
Photo Credit: Ron Case/Keystone/Getty Images

It's time to throw your office water dispenser out the window and swap it out for this new beverage dispenser!

This woman here is seen pouring herself a drink, but the dispenser doesn't contain water—it's full of whisky (white wine would also be acceptable). Seriously though, did people actually get any work done back in the 1950s?

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The Tallest Man On Earth

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Robert Wadlow, 2.80 m tall, Illinois USA. With his brothers and sisters. 1936
Photo Credit: ullstein bild/ullstein bild via Getty Images
Photo Credit: ullstein bild/ullstein bild via Getty Images
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No, that's not a father posing with his small children, that's actually Robert Wadlow posing alongside his siblings in 1936.

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The Illinois-born Wadlow was the tallest man in recorded history, measuring a staggering 8 feet and 11 inches tall.

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A Trip To Ancient Rome

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A gold and precious stone necklace from the Roman Empire, 3rd century AD.
Photo Credit: DEA / A. DAGLI ORTI / De Agostini via Getty Images
Photo Credit: DEA / A. DAGLI ORTI / De Agostini via Getty Images
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Now we're going to go a little bit further into the past. Here is a stunning necklace crafted with yellow gold and precious gemstones that dates back to the Roman Empire.

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You know the saying, "Things aren't made like they used to be"? Well, that could absolutely apply here, because this glittering gold necklace is nearly an astonishing 2,000 years old.

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We've All Been There Before

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People in New York celebrate the end of Prohibition with beers in 1933.
Photo Credit: Imagno / Getty Images
Photo Credit: Imagno / Getty Images
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Celebrating with giant glasses of never-ending beer. Now, does that bring back any fuzzy memories from your youth?

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Prohibition was a nationwide ban on the production or sale of alcohol from 1920-1933 in the United States, and this is how a crowd of very happy drinkers in New York City celebrate it finally coming to an end.

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Mickey Mouse Therapy

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A 16-month-old girl sits in a hospital bed and is greeted by Mickey Mouse to cheer her up, but she isn't quite sure what to make of him in 1977.
Photo Credit: Bill Peters / The Denver Post via Getty Images
Photo Credit: Bill Peters / The Denver Post via Getty Images
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In this photo from 1977, a 16-month-old girl is sitting in bed at a children's hospital when she receives a visit from the big guy himself—Mickey Mouse.

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Mickey hopes to cheer the little girl up, but the expression on her face says she's not sure whether to be excited or terrified.

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Here Comes The Queen

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Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh during a royal procession in Vancouver, Canada during a visit.
Photo Credit: PA Images via Getty Images
Photo Credit: PA Images via Getty Images
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From hot gossip out of the U.K. to shows like Bridgerton, people have always had a fascination with the royal family, and this photo from 70 years ago is proof that some things never change.

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This aerial photo from 1951 shows the procession of then-Princess Elizabeth and the late Duke of Edinburgh traveling down the streets of Vancouver, Canada, during a royal trip, being greeted by hundreds of onlookers.

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The City That Never Sleeps

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A black and white photo of Times Square during a busy night.
Photo Credit: Bettman / Getty Images
Photo Credit: Bettman / Getty Images
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This is a photo from 1949, and it's of a specific location and city that is world-famous. Any guesses? No problem, this is a tough one without all the glitz and glam it's famous for.

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This is New York City's famous Times Square decades before the dazzling lights and hub of activity turned it into the place we're familiar with today.

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World War II

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Child refugees in the Soviet Union during German occupation in 1943.
Photo Credit: Wolff & Tritschler/ullstein bild via Getty Images
Photo Credit: Wolff & Tritschler/ullstein bild via Getty Images
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The deadliest conflict in human history, World War II claimed the lives of an estimated 75 million people, including soldiers and civilians alike.

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This photo depicts child refugees in the Soviet Union during German occupation in 1943. The expression on this little girl's face is a harrowing reminder of the horrors of war.

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Kamikaze Missions

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The imprint of a Japanese fighter aircraft after crashing into the side of an American ship during a suicidal mission in WWII.
Photo Credit: L. Jackman / Australian War Memorial
Photo Credit: L. Jackman / Australian War Memorial
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In the height of the bloody Pacific Theater in World War II, Japanese pilots would embark on missions against American naval forces by deliberating crashing their fighter aircraft into ships. Also referred to as "kamikazes," these missions were suicidal.

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This is the H.M.S. Sussex with the imprint of a Japanese fighter aircraft seared into the side of the ship's hull after one of these missions.

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A Truckful Of Irony

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A man experiences irony as his car, laden with used tires, has a flat tire, Houston, Texas, March 1966.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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"Man experiences irony, 1966."

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Carrying a pickup truck full of spare tires, this driver, unfortunately, found himself waiting at the side of the road for help after one of the tires on his truck got damaged and couldn't drive any further. "Oh truck my life," is totally what this guy would've said.

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McDonald's

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The first McDonald's location in Illinois, lit up at night in 1955.
Photo Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Photo Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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One of the largest fast-food chains on Earth, this photo from 1955 shows the more humble roots of McDonald's before it became the fast-food giant we know today.

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This is the first-ever McDonald's, located in Illinois, and the McDonald brothers probably couldn't even begin to imagine what their company would one day turn into.