35 Rare Photos From History and the Stories Behind Them

The world is filled with rich histories of discovery, inventions, and even heartbreaking moments. All of these, however, contribute to the state of the world as we know it. Hence it is always exciting to revisit the past – even through photos – to cherish every captured moment.

Thanks to these images, we can be witnesses to these big events in the past. Elite Readers have collected a list of archive photos that will give you a look-see of yesterday. Check them out and get ready to be in awe!

#1. Irish children jeer at British troops in Derry, Northern Ireland, 1972.

#2. Helen, an American Indian telephone and switchboard operator, Montana, 1925.

#3. French soldiers eat at a police station in Neuvilly after spending days in the trenches in heavy rain, 1915.

#4. Muhammad Ali Vs. Cleveland Williams. Ali won the bout through a technical knockout in the third round, 1966

#5. Nazi rally in the Cathedral of Light, 1937.

#6. Kurt Cobain having a smoke with Ronald McDonald in Singapore, 1992.

#7. North American B-25s are pictured flying past Mount Vesuvius in Italy as lava and ash spew from the top of the erupting volcano, 1944.

#8. Trench Warfare. Photo was taken by an official British Photographer during World War I, 1917.

#9. Colorized picture of Lt. Custer & Union Troops, 1862.

#10. Ebony Magazine ran a feature called, “What They May Look Like In The Year 2000.” Here’s Michael Jackson’s future portrait, 1985

#11. Young Pioneers Defence, Leningrad, 1937.

#12. JFK’s funeral at the Capitol, November 1963.

#13. Mississippi’s First Interracial Couple, August 3, 1970.

#14. The Greensboro sit-ins. A series of nonviolent protests in Greensboro, North Carolina, 1960.

#15. Roza Georgiyevna Shanina was one of the best Soviet snipers, 1943.

#16. Men celebrating the end of prohibition, December 5, 1933.

#17. Ruth Lee, a hostess at a Chinese restaurant, flies a Chinese flag so she isn’t mistaken for Japanese when she sunbathes on her days off in Miami, Dec. 15, 1941 (Colorized).

#18. Rally against Nazism in New York, Madison Square Garden, 1937.

#19. The first man to walk on the Moon — Neil Armstrong lights a cigar, March 1969.

#20. Thanksgiving on the frontline, World War 2 (colorized).

#21. Winston Churchill and Charlie Chaplin on the set of City Lights, September 24, 1929.

#22. The crowd in Times Square, New York City celebrating the surrender of Germany, May 7th, 1945.

#23. “Jewish Market” New York, Upper Eastside, 1895 (colorized).

#24. Hiroshima, before and after the atomic bombing on August 6th, 1945.

#25. A German World War I U-boat stranded on the south coast of England after the surrender, 1918.

#26. Portrait of a bride and groom; the hat is adorned with feathers for luck, Kraków, Poland.

#27. View of Boston, the oldest surviving aerial photograph ever taken, October 13th, 1860.

#28. A girl trying to cut a sunbeam, 1886.

#29. This Chicago mother hides her face from cameras as she puts a “4 Children For Sale” in her front yard.

#30. A Muslim woman covers the yellow star of her Jewish neighbor with her veil to protect her, Sarajevo, 1941.

#31. The day of Reich’s veterans, 1939.

#32. Boy receiving a new pair of shoes at an orphanage in Austria, 1946.

#33. Hotel owner pouring acid in the pool while black people swim in it, California, 1964.

#34. Anne Frank’s father Otto, revisiting the attic where they hid from the Nazis, 1960.

#35. Captured flags of the defeated Third Reich being displayed during the victory parade in Red Square, Moscow, June 24, 1945.

So, what do you think about this compilation of historical photos? Share your thoughts in the comments below!