Rare Photos of Historical Events We Never Knew Existed

Year: 1921 
Est. Cost Of Event: N/A

Now, Miss America is a cash cow event, resulting in prize money for the winner of over $50,000. It has been around for more than a century, as the first-ever Miss America Pageant was hosted in 1921 in Atlantic City, and it featured women from seven different cities.

The First-Ever Miss America ©Hulton Archive/Getty Images

At its start, this small pageant was just a way to get tourists to spend their Labor Day holiday in Atlantic City. But, over time, it took off and became the major event it is today. Pictured here is Margaret Gorman, the first ever winner of the “mermaid crown.” 

Year: 1932 
Est. Cost Of Event: $1.6 billion to build, adj. for inflation* 

This black-and-white photograph was taken on September 20, 1932. It features eleven ironworkers eating their lunch atop a steel beam almost 900 feet above the ground. The group is level with the sixth-ninth floor of Manhattan’s RCA Building.

Lunch On A Skyscraper In 1932 ©LLs/Wikimedia

“Lunch Atop A Skyscraper” was a publicity stunt intended to promote the skyscraper, which stands now as 30 Rockefeller Plaza. Though the identity of the photographer is unknown (some think Charles Ebbets took it), the photo is an undeniable part of American history. 

Year: 1912 
Est. Cost Of Event: $198 million to build, adj. for inflation* 

It’s eerie to see this photo, which shows the Titanic docked in Southampton, England in 1912. The British passenger liner left Southampton in the spring of 1912, and she did not make it to New York City. The ship sank after hitting an iceberg, causing the death of thousands of people.

The Titantic Docked In Southampton ©PictureLux / The Hollywood Archive/Alamy

The Titanic and its tragic history have captivated people for generations. The ship’s doomed maiden voyage has been the subject of hit PARA movies, shows, deep-sea explorations, and more, even more than a century later.

Year: 1937 
Est. Cost Of Event: $3 million in damages* 

A famous disaster in American history was the explosion of the airship known as the Hindenburg. It occurred in May of 1937 in New Jersey, causing the deaths of thirty-six people. The rigid airship was one of the largest in the world, and it caught fire during landing, causing a massive conflagration that lit up the sky.

The Hindenburg Disaster ©Sam Shere/Wikimedia

The entire disaster was fast, taking just forty seconds to immolate the entire ship. The aftermath was swift, with the Hindenburg catastrophe launching dual investigations by both the U.S. and German governments. 

Year: 1920 
Est. Cost Of Event: N/A

This brave boy was known as Sergeant Stubby, and he was one of the most decorated dogs in World War I. Though he may not look fearsome, don’t be fooled. The pup was with the 102^nd Infantry Regiment of the 26^th Division of WWI, fighting with the Americans in seventeen battles and four offensives.

World War I’s Most Decorated Dog, Sgt. Stubby ©Masterdeis/Wikimedia

Stubby was a hero of the Western Front, winning a Humane Society Gold Medal for his troubles. He was a tough dog, surviving a grenade injury to live to the age of ten. Not bad for a stray that started his military career as a loose dog roaming about a New Haven, Connecticut military base.

Year: 1864 
Est. Cost Of Event: N/A

The Japanese samurai are an ancient legion of warriors in Japan, and one of the most famous photos from the time of the samurai was this one. Here, you can see a group of samurai standing in front of the Sphinx of Egypt.

Japanese Samurai Visit Egypt ©Antonio Beato/Wikimedia

The group was there on a diplomatic mission, sent to solve issues between Japan and Europe. In Egypt, they were welcomed and greeted by the heads of state. Though Japan no longer has practicing samurai, the great warriors’ influence is still felt all over the country.

Year: 1945 
Est. Cost Of Event: $500 million to transport all the U.S. troops back* 

This photo features the RMS Queen Elizabeth ship in 1945. She was returning from Europe with U.S. soldiers, and the ship was packed with young men arriving in New York. This August 11^th, 1945 photo was a triumphant one, representing reuniting families who’d missed their beloved soldiers.

Bringing Americans Home From WWII, Ca. 1945 ©BeAmazed/Reddit

This ship was packed because the soldiers came up top to see New York City for themselves. That wasn’t the only reason; ships like these were often crowded because Eisenhower wanted to bring home all of the soldiers at once, as opposed to recruiting more ships with fewer soldiers on each.

Year: Early 1900s 
Est. Cost Of Event: Potential imprisonment

This might surprise people, but same-sex activities were actually illegal in fourteen U.S. states, the U.S. military, and Puerto Rico up until 2003, when Lawrence v. Texas changed that. LGBTQ+ communities have been criminalized historically, including in the Victorian Era.

Two Gay Men In Love In The Victorian Era @Google/Pinterest

Still, they have persisted despite threats against them. In this photo, you can see two gay men in the Victorian Era holding a sign saying, “NOT MARRIED, BUT WILLING TO BE.” Alas, they’d have to wait more than a century before getting that right.

Year: 1956 
Est. Cost Of Event: N/A

A pivotal figure in the Civil Rights Movement, Rosa Parks helped kick off the freedom movement by participating in the Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott. In 1956, she refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white man, leading to her arrest.

Rosa Parks Gets Indicted ©Gene Herrick/Wikimedia

Pictured here is Parks at her indictment. When the bus driver threatened her with arrest during the incident, all Parks said was, “You may do that.” Her arrest for civil disobedience galvanized the Civil Rights protestors, helping push the needle toward a freer, more equal American society.   

Year: 1940
Est. Cost Of Event: $4 trillion* (Cost of WWII) 

When we think of Anne Frank, we tend to think of her in the context of her victimization. She documented her life during Nazi Germany in her diary, keeping a ledger of her family’s time hiding in an attic in Amsterdam.

Anne and Margot Frank Before WWII ©interestingasfuck/Reddit

Anne and Margot Frank are pictured here before WWII. It’s a sad sight to see, considering what happened to them. The two were found in their Amsterdam attic eventually and sent to Bergen-Belsen, a concentration camp where they caught typhus. Neither survived past 1945, though their legacies, particularly Anne’s, have lived on around the world.

Year: 1840s/1850s 
Est. Cost Of Event: $5-$10 per patient, in today’s prices* 

This picture may be hard to look at for some, and it certainly wouldn’t be something someone would be posting on Instagram today. This picture was taken centuries ago, right when mandatory smallpox vaccination became mandatory in parts of the U.S. and England.

The Smallpox Vaccine Saves Lives @DrJennersHouse/Twitter

Eventually, enough people got vaccinated, and smallpox was eradicated in America. Mandatory vaccination ceased in 1972. Still, pictures like these remind us of what the smallpox vaccine was so important against this deadly, disfiguring, and contagious disease.

Year: 1907
Est. Cost Of Event: Unconfirmed 

Captain Enos B. Petrie came up with the Iron Man diving suit, which, though it may look dated now, was cutting edge in 1907. The gigantic suit had pressure protection systems and electric changing, and it was high-tech for its time.

An Iron Man Diving Suit In 1907 @wwindish3298/Pinterest

That said, the Iron Man was far from the first-ever diving suit, and its tech put to shame diving suits such as The Old Gentleman of Raahe, a 1700s-era suit made from cow skin that is stored, to this day, in a Finland museum.

Year: 1979 
Est. Cost Of Event: N/A 

Here, we can see brave Iranian women protesting the 1979 Hijab Law, which was put in place by Ayatollah Khomeini in March of that year. The Hijab Law required all women to wear a hijab head covering in their workplace, stating that to appear “unveiled” would be considered the same as appearing “naked.”

Iranian Women Protest The 1979 Hijab Law In Tehran @ablack6287/Pinterest

One day after Khomeini put the law in pace, thousands of women flooded Iranian streets, holding signs with slogans like “Freedom Of Choice In Clothes.” Alas, by 1983, it was obligatory for Iranian women to wear a hijab. 

Year: 2014 
Est. Cost Of Event: N/A 

The Last Eyewitness Project is an important endeavor, which seeks to broadcast stories of people who have seen and been through historical events (among other videos). One of the most famous LEP features was this one, which showed Holocaust survivors being reunited.

Auschwitz Survivors Reunite @sandibachom/Twitter

These men arrived at Auschwitz, a German concentration camp, on the same day in 1944. As you can see from their arms, they were tattooed with a string of numbers to identify them in the camps. Seventy-two years later, the men were reunited as free men, who’d survived WWII and built families and prosperous lives.