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Old pictures combine two elements that curious minds like – history and photography. But have you ever wondered why you like looking at pictures more than written history? Why is that volume of World History so boring and less informative when it doesn’t have any photographs in it? That's because our brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text, making it easier to learn through visual stimuli.

With the help of online communities such as Historical Pictures, we can keep learning more about our history and planet. It's a Facebook group where people post fascinating images from the past. "Going back to the past. Exploring Earth's true history," the group admin's bio claims. So let's explore the past together, Pandas, shall we?

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Interesting-Historical-Pics

A group of kids had arranged to care and feed the dog after the owner had died, England 1936.

Արո Զադոյան Report

#2

Interesting-Historical-Pics

Young girl Kiowa tribe , Oklahoma , 1894

Mourad Hm Report

#3

Interesting-Historical-Pics

A streetcar conductor in Seattle not allowing passengers aboard without a mask during the Spanish Flu pandemic, 1918.

Mourad Hm Report

Historical Pictures is a Facebook group created by a page of the same name. And the creator is the same person behind the Historic Pix IG page. We've written about it before and even spoken with its creator, Peter Cors. Both the IG and FB pages share interesting and rare historical photos. 

The difference with the Historical Pictures group is that it's a community effort – members can share photographs they deem worthy of sharing. The group boasts over 66k members and has been going strong since 2018. It also has an educational mission, as it urges its community members to learn more about the US and world history through this group.

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#4

Interesting-Historical-Pics

Austrian Boy Receives New Shoes During WWII.

Adam Halawa Report

#5

Interesting-Historical-Pics

Jesse Owens breaking the World record 200 - meter race at the 1936 Olympic Games of Berlin

Mourad Hm Report

#6

Interesting-Historical-Pics

Child labor strike in Philadelphia, 1902

Khaled Mohamed Fouad Report

Back in 2022, the admin of the Historical Pictures page and its group told Bored Panda why he thinks historic photographs are important today. "Especially in this day and age, it is a good reminder that, while history isn't always pretty, it's okay to talk about it and enter in respectful discourse."

"I try to comment to, and talk with, as many followers as possible to share opinions and debate. It feels really good to have healthy and respectful discussions with strangers. It reminds me that this is what social media is all about. It makes me very happy to talk with others about a shared hobby/interest," Peter told Bored Panda back then.

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#7

Interesting-Historical-Pics

19 year-old Shigeki Tanaka was a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and he then went onto win the 1951 Boston Marathon. The crowd was silent.

Adam Halawa Report

#8

Interesting-Historical-Pics

In 1941, Slovenian Albina Mali-Hočevar joined the People's Liberation Movement at the age of 16. She was wounded twice as a resistance fighter at the age of 17. For the remainder of the war, she worked as a nurse.

Amila Prasanna Report

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#9

Interesting-Historical-Pics

U.S. cavalry soldiers pose in front of a sequoia in Yosemite known as "Grizzly Giant," in 1900.
This tree still stands today.

Sujit Samajpati Report

The creator of the Historical Pictures group also previously told us his motivation behind creating the Historic Pix IG page. "I want people to feel something when they see a piece of history. Especially for myself, seeing a memorable picture from the past helps me put life into context and appreciate the little things a bit more."

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#10

Interesting-Historical-Pics

An exotic dancer demonstrates that her underwear was too large to have exposed herself, after undercover police officers arrested her in Florida! 1983

Adam Halawa Report

#11

Interesting-Historical-Pics

The 3,000 men who helped build the Chase Manhattan Bank in New York City pose for a photo near the end of the constructional work, Aug 19, 1964.

Shisa Printables Report

#12

Interesting-Historical-Pics

Native Americans photographed by , Roland W. Reed between 1907 and 1913

Mourad Hm Report

The pictures seen on this list are snapshots of a moment in time – a documentation of a certain period. Over time, they become historical and more meaningful. But that is the intention of these photographers, who most often are photojournalists or documentation photographers. Their main goal is to capture facts and reality. A photojournalist or a documentation photographer is merely an observer, and patience is key to them.

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#13

Interesting-Historical-Pics

The return of a German soldier from Soviet captivity. He was taken to the war when his son was 1 year old. Germany. 1956

Grigory Sarkisov Report

#14

Interesting-Historical-Pics

New York City. 1957. A Llama in Times Square.

Biniam Hirut Report

#15

Interesting-Historical-Pics

Social distancing from 1953. A child with measles sits and eats alone during a Coronation party in Chelsea, England.

Shisa Printables Report

One might argue that street photography can also capture history. In a way, yes, but the primary goal of a street photographer won't be for the photograph to have historical significance. Different from street photographers, for example, photojournalists aim to capture pictures that are interesting to the broad public. Street photographers capture what they personally deem worth attention.

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Interesting-Historical-Pics

The original Moulin Rouge the year before it burned down in Paris , 1914 . Photograph Albert Kahn

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#17

Interesting-Historical-Pics

One of the first-known photographs of Niagara Falls captured by British chemist Hugh Lee Pattinson in 1840, sits within a glass case at the National Gallery of Art.

Dave Bennison Report

#18

Interesting-Historical-Pics

A fleet of Concordes at London Heathrow Airport, 1986

Robert Lordan Report

Documentation photography also contributes to the vast volume of historical photographs. But it's different from photojournalism, and the difference is time. Storytelling in documentary photography might take weeks, sometimes even years. The photographers aim to raise awareness about an issue: environmental, social, political, or other.

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Interesting-Historical-Pics

A farmer paints stripes on her cow to increase its visibility at night and prevent car accidents should it wander onto the road during blackout conditions.

Alp Emeç Report

#20

Interesting-Historical-Pics

Mt St Helens erupeted 40 years ago today. The photo was taken by Richard Lasher who did survive. Nobody knows what happened to the Pinto or the Yamaha.

Steve Michaels Report

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#21

Interesting-Historical-Pics

Two widows gathered for Martin Luther King’s funeral, April 1968

Grigory Sarkisov Report

Photojournalists, however, have to work at a much quicker pace. They may also be interested in social, economic, or political issues, but their photographs may appear in news outlets, TV, and social media after a day or two. In online media outlets, sometimes even the same day or a few hours after capturing it.

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Interesting-Historical-Pics

Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, left, explores the completed tower with a friend, 1889.

Nika Danelia Report

#23

Interesting-Historical-Pics

Aircraft tester George Aird barely escapes death by launching sideways from his plane (1962). Aird fell through a nursery on his way down, breaking both legs.

Alfred T. Talamantes Report

#24

Interesting-Historical-Pics

This is probably the most famous photograph of Józef Kudelka. Until 1968, the photographer did not photograph news events. Everything changed on the night of August 21. In the midst of the turmoil of the Soviet invasion, he took a series of photographs that were miraculously smuggled out of Czechoslovakia. In this image, his hand shows the time when Soviet tanks began to invade Prague.

Ella Tomaszewski Report

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Who are some of the most famous photojournalists in the recent history of the 19th and 20th centuries? Dorothea Lange and Margaret Bourke-White are two of the most famous American photojournalists. Lange covered the Great Depression extensively, photographing poverty, joblessness, and homeless individuals. Her most famous photograph is of a migrant woman she took in 1936 at a migrant camp.

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Interesting-Historical-Pics

Swinging London, late 60s.

Stefan Bülck Report

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Interesting-Historical-Pics

Chicago. August 4, 1948. This photo originally published in the Vidette-Messenger of Valparaiso, IN, tells a tragically heart-breaking, yet all too familiar story about Chalifoux family and the trials and tribulations surrounding poverty. Well ... that's what the original caption wanted the reader to think. Facing eviction from their apartment, the jobless couple decided to sell their four children ranging in age from two to six. The mother posted a sign in the front yard and waited for buyers while Lana, Rae Ann, Milton, and Sue Ellen just sat on the steps oblivious that their fate was about to spiral out of control. According to several articles I read regarding this photo, It seems no one really knew whether the sign was up there for days, or years or just long enough for the camera to take its shot. Several family members even stated that the mother was paid to stage the whole thing. Regardless, within days newspapers across the country picked up the photo and job offers and financial help poured in. But that didn't change the inevitable. Rae Ann was sold and sexually abused. Milton went to live on a farm with John and Ruth Zoeteman who beat him daily, tied him up and worked as a slave. Lana's life remained a mystery to the other siblings. She died in 1998 of cancer. Unlike the others, Sue Ellen was adopted legitimately and seemed to fare better than the others. Years later and well into their sixties and seventies, sisters Rae Ann and Sue Ellen found each other and were telling their version about what actually happened to them. "I was sold for $2.00 so my mother could have bingo money," claimed Rae Ann, "and because the man she was dating wanted nothing to do us," Sue Ellen's response about her birth mother, "she needs to be in hell burning." 

L. Donsky-Levine Report

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#27

Interesting-Historical-Pics

Unpacking the Statue of Liberty. New York City. 1885. The colossal assemblage of 350 Neoclassical pieces, gifted by the people of France, took workers four months to put together.

L. Donsky-Levine Report

Bourke-White is one of the first famous news photographers. She covered WWII, the German invasion of Moscow in 1941, and the freeing of many concentration centers in 1945. Bourke-White took the famous photograph of Gandhi next to his spinning wheel, just hours before his assassination.

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Interesting-Historical-Pics

Teenagers of the 50th years of the last century. Feel the difference.

Grigory Sarkisov Report

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Interesting-Historical-Pics

One of the most evocative photos.

Max Šesto Report

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Interesting-Historical-Pics

Ostrich reads the newspaper of the caretaker.
Nationaal Archief 1951.

Adam Halawa Report

One of the most famous French photojournalists is Henri Cartier-Bresson. Bresson captured the Spanish Civil War, Gandhi's funeral, and the student rebellion in France. Many call him the father of modern photojournalism because he wasn't afraid to photograph the most dangerous events in the world's history.

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#31

Interesting-Historical-Pics

The Picture shows a photographer taking a Picture of New-York City streets , 1925.

Mourad Hm Report

#32

Interesting-Historical-Pics

View of the St-Lawrence River from Québec City in the 1800's

Photos Historiques du Québec Report

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Interesting-Historical-Pics

A woman tests a stroller intended to be resistant to gas attacks in Hextable , England in 1938 , not long before the outbreak of World War II

Adam Halawa Report

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Interesting-Historical-Pics

Beach Volleyball , Venice Beach CA June 1934

Adam Halawa Report

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Interesting-Historical-Pics

Milano 1972

Numidia Report

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Interesting-Historical-Pics

Signing off, 1934

Sim Ang Mon Report

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#37

Interesting-Historical-Pics

Morning walk on the Brooklyn bridge , New-York , 1905

Mourad Hm Report

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Interesting-Historical-Pics

England - France 2-0 World Cup 1920 Dick Kerr Ladies Football Team , Preston , 28 May 1920.

The team captains of England and France exchange a goodwill kiss before the game in Preston .
Photo ~ Het Leven / Fotograaf onbeken

Adam Halawa Report

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Interesting-Historical-Pics

Manhattan, VW with Rolls Royce grille, New york City 1976

Kushal Suman Report

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Interesting-Historical-Pics

The U.S. military inspects a collection of works of art collected by Hermann Goering, 1945

Grigory Sarkisov Report

#41

Interesting-Historical-Pics

Italian troops raise a gun, a dog and a soldier on a mountain.
Italian Alps, World War I, 1915

Grigory Sarkisov Report

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#42

Interesting-Historical-Pics

Life in the Texas Dust Bowl, 1935. A dust storm gets ready to engulf everything in its path.

Shisa Printables Report

#43

Interesting-Historical-Pics

Patients being treated in an Army Hospital during the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic.

Shisa Printables Report

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Interesting-Historical-Pics

Manhattan New-York , ca 1917. A horse-car and a modern tram side by side

Mourad Hm Report

#45

Interesting-Historical-Pics

Born Free, 1966 George Adamson (Bill Travers) and his wife, Joy (Virginia McKenna)

Inde Takhar Report

#46

Interesting-Historical-Pics

German WWII POWs harvesting grapes for the Widmer Winery in Naples, NY. Every state housed prisoners but most camps were built in warm weather climes to save on barracks heating costs.

Ronald Paul Miller Report

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#47

Interesting-Historical-Pics

“Smokey” Buchanan from the West Palm Beach police force, measuring the bathing suit of Betty Fringle on Palm Beach, to ensure that it conforms with regulations introduced by the beach censors. 1925.

Obaidullah Arya Report

#48

Interesting-Historical-Pics

Marble Arch Tube Station, 1900

Inde Takhar Report

#49

Interesting-Historical-Pics

A heartwarmingly lovely photo of a young woman writing to her sailor.

Grigory Sarkisov Report

#50

Interesting-Historical-Pics

Petre Mshvenieradze, Tbilisi-born Olympic Soviet water polo player, with his grandson 1950.

Nika Danelia Report

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#51

Interesting-Historical-Pics

The Hotel Alcazar in St. Augustine Florida 1905.

Jon Seekford Report

#52

Interesting-Historical-Pics

Liberation of Paris from Nazi tyranny,1944 (photograph taken next day)

Grigory Sarkisov Report

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#53

Interesting-Historical-Pics

Installing a Greek column at the Civil Courts Building in St. Louis around 1929.

Adam Halawa Report

#54

Interesting-Historical-Pics

Troops of the Eight nations alliance of 1900 .
Left to right: Britain , United States , Russia , British India , Germany , France , Austria-Hungary , Italy , Japan .

Adam Halawa Report

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Interesting-Historical-Pics

Children were used at Pennsylvania coal company’s mine to separate impurities from coal by hand. Pittston, 1910.

Khaled Mohamed Fouad Report

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Interesting-Historical-Pics

Constantinople (İstanbul), 1890.

Alp Emeç Report

#57

Interesting-Historical-Pics

Pennsylvania Railroad Station , New-York , 1940s . Photo by ; Marjory Collins

Mourad Hm Report

#58

Interesting-Historical-Pics

Titanic survivor, with bandaged feet, 1912

Grigory Sarkisov Report

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#59

Interesting-Historical-Pics

18-year-old German amateur pilot Matthias Rust, who landed his plane "Cessna" on Red Square in Moscow, dines in a Soviet court. September 2, 1987.

Grigory Sarkisov Report

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Interesting-Historical-Pics

Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya), formerly serving as a mosque and church, 1860’s.

Today it is a museum, it carries traces of Turkish and Greek cultures.

Alp Emeç Report

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Interesting-Historical-Pics

Soviet and American soldiers celebrate victory over Germany. Germany. May 1945. World War II

Grigory Sarkisov Report

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Interesting-Historical-Pics

Jakob Nacken (221 cm), the tallest German soldier of World War II, chatting with British corporal Bob Roberts after surrendering to him near Calais, France, 1944.

Alp Emeç Report

#63

Interesting-Historical-Pics

Japan kamikaze 1945

Amihai Bedein Report

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#64

Interesting-Historical-Pics

Chinese soldiers advancing via the Great Wall of China in October 1937

Orient Express Podcast Report

#65

Interesting-Historical-Pics

A central control operator directs progress of trains, throws switches, and sends train operators 1930 Chicago, Kaufmann & Fabry Co. (Chicago)

Biniam Hirut Report

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Interesting-Historical-Pics

Mother and children going to the Pictures, 1951.
Photo by: H. Armstrong Roberts.

Mourad Hm Report

#67

Interesting-Historical-Pics

The mysterious Bianca Deconciliis. A life size statue of a young woman who died at 20 in 1942. Calvary Cemetery, Pittsburgh, PA.

Yvonne Cellana Report

#68

Interesting-Historical-Pics

The Barrymore Clan, America's preeminent acting family - Lionel, Ethel and John, 1904.

Shisa Printables Report

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#69

Interesting-Historical-Pics

Indians visit Great White father President Roosevelt receive Drag Wolf (I) and Foolish Bear while Arthur Mandan interprets the purpose of the visit , 13 january 1938 .

Mourad Hm Report

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New York City 1942

Sk Galib Hassan Report

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Interesting-Historical-Pics

Circa 1907 Fountain Square , Cincinnati Ohio United States

Adam Halawa Report

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Interesting-Historical-Pics

Belgian Carabiniers with their advanced head gear and war dogs walking towards battle 1914.

Grigory Sarkisov Report

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Interesting-Historical-Pics

A triple decker bus..Germany Berlin.1926

Sk Galib Hassan Report

#74

Interesting-Historical-Pics

Johnsons and Agnews watch launch of Apollo 11 to moon, July 1969

Grigory Sarkisov Report

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#75

Interesting-Historical-Pics

Cotton club , 1920's

Mourad Hm Report

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Interesting-Historical-Pics

Sculpting begins on the face of Lincoln , Mount Rushmore , Black Hills National Forest , SD , 1927

Mourad Hm Report

#77

Interesting-Historical-Pics

German soldiers in the Antwerp cathedral after capturing the city in 1914.

Orient Express Podcast Report

#78

Interesting-Historical-Pics

Red Army soldiers take out icons and church utensils from the Simonov Monastery in Moscow. USSR. 1923

Grigory Sarkisov Report

#79

Interesting-Historical-Pics

Desert Dream caravan on the road, 1950

Adam Halawa Report

#80

Interesting-Historical-Pics

Iran-Poland football match 1943 in Tehran - Iran
Polish spectator platform

Hossein Sattari Report

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#81

Interesting-Historical-Pics

Jackie Kennedy in Paris , 1961

Mourad Hm Report

#82

Interesting-Historical-Pics

Gold Rush. At the end of the day, scrambles in front of a bank to buy gold. The last days of Kuomintang, Shanghai, 23 December 1948.

Mamys Mutfak Report

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Interesting-Historical-Pics

Stevenson as Presidential nominee and JFK as Senate aspirant, Boston, 8 years earlier.

Grigory Sarkisov Report

#84

Interesting-Historical-Pics

Qurna-Luxor - Egypt
1929..photographed by H. Leichter.

Hossam Eltairy Report

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#85

Interesting-Historical-Pics

Former Public Service Bird of the Week Diana Turner was also an entrant in the 1973 Miss Australia Quest . Photo : Russell McPhedran

Adam Halawa Report

#86

Interesting-Historical-Pics

US prisoners in Tunisia, circa 1943.

Ангел Нојковић Report

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#87

Interesting-Historical-Pics

Spectators watch a horse diving act at an unspecified location
( perhaps Pueblo , Colorado ) on July 4 , 1905 .

Adam Halawa Report