50 Rare Historical Photos You Won't Find In Books

There is a lot more to history than some of the famous photos that we have all seen in textbooks.

Sometimes, the monotony of those same glimpses into history over and over again can really put a damper on learning about the past, but there are some interesting facts and moments that the books often leave out.

Here are fifty rare historical photos that usually don’t make it into history books, but should.

HydrolicKrane via Reddit
Source:

HydrolicKrane via Reddit

#1 Ann Frank’s father

Here is an image of Anne Frank’s father, Otto, coming back to visit the attic where they hid from the Nazis. He was the sole survivor in the family.

#2 The US Supreme Court in session

This photo was taken in 1937 by a woman who had concealed a camera in her handbag. Cameras were not allowed in the Supreme Court. As far as anyone knows, this is one of only two photographs that have been taken when the court was in session.

#3 “Human Fly” George Willig

This photographer captured George Willig scaling the exterior of the World Trade Center’s South Tower in 1977. The climb took three and a half hours and resulted in his arrest as well as $1.10 in fines.

building — NewRetroPepsi via Reddit
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NewRetroPepsi via Reddit

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#4 Seinfeld finale

In this photo, New Yorkers stopped to watch the Seinfeld finale in Times Square. Some things are worth pausing for, even in New York.

#5 German SS guards taking a break

During forced labor to clear the bodies at Bergen-Belsen in 1945, British soldiers allowed the German SS guards to take a break, but only if they were lying down in one of the mass graves.

#6 Nikola Tesla as an old man

This photograph was taken in 1943 and, as far as anyone knows, is the last photo capturing Nikola Tesla before his death.

#7 The oldest aerial photograph

This photo, taken over Boston, is the oldest aerial photograph that can be found. It was taken in October of 1860.

#8 Time Square when Germany surrendered

This photo captures the celebrating crowd on May 7th, 1945 after the surrender of Germany and the end of World War 2. That’s quite a few people!

#9 The inside of an old airplane

A 1930s airplane interior didn’t look quite like what we are used to today. There may have been a few less safety features.

#10 JFK’s funeral

While there are plenty of photos of the day of his assassination, here is one we don’t see so often. This is inside of JFK’s funeral in November 1963.

#11 Lyndon B. Johnson yelling

Lyndon B. Johnson was yelling at the pilots of a plane to cut their engines so John F. Kennedy could be heard when he spoke in Amarillo Texas. The future president can be seen trying to calm him down.

JFK — Kornichon via Reddit
Source:

Kornichon via Reddit

#12 John F. Kennedy Jr.

The photo of this little guy was captured in 1963 in the presidential plane. He looked like he was a pilot in the making.

#13 The bullet bra

Just in case you ever think that the current trends are going too far… remember what they were wearing in the 1940s and 50s.

#14 The alligator table

This bizarre scene was captured in the 1920s at the Los Angeles’ California Alligator Farm. The alligators were trained and visitors were allowed to roam freely among them.

#15 The Young Pioneers

The Young Pioneers were a Soviet government youth group. In this picture they can be seen with gas masks for an attack preparation drill in 1937.

#16 The London Scottish Regiment

During the First World War, the soldiers prepared for war by throwing each other in the air. This image was captured in 1915 in England.

#17 Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali

This 1963 photo catches Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali kidding around together. We can see how this less than serious photo may have been skipped in the history books.

men — histolines via Flickr
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histolines via Flickr

#18 The World Trade Center in 1972

This photo was taken a year before construction of the buildings was completed. The sun shines through the incomplete buildings spectacularly.

Twin Towers — histolines via Flickr
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histolines via Flickr

#19 Female snipers in 1945

These are the snipers of the 3rd Shock Army, 1st Belorussian Front. Between them, they had seven hundred and seventy-five confirmed kills.

#20 1972 gay pride rally

This was the first gay pride rally. It was held in Philadelphia in 1972.

#21 Sean Connery signing a coconut

Here’s an unexpected surprise. Sean Connery signs a coconut for a Jamaican child while on the set of Dr. No in 1962.

#22 Ghostbusters taking a break

Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd were captured taking a break on set. Even actors need a break from hunting ghosts.

#23 Execution of a German Communist

While Redditors question if the image itself might be staged for effect, it depicts a German communist being executed by firing squad in Munich in 1919.

#24 Joseph Kennedy’s birthday

This family photo, taken in Hyannis Port in 1963, captures the family in a less serious moment. It also captures some interior decorating choices that an entire generation would like to put behind them.

#25 Plate glass manufacturing

This 1903 photograph was taken inside the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company in Tarentum, PA. It captures an earlier method of making the glass compared to what is used today.

#26 Navy beard contest

The sailors were having a beard contest in 1944. It gets scraggly out there at sea.

beards — GeneReddit123 via Reddit
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GeneReddit123 via Reddit

#27 1945 military dog

This wounded dog poses with his handler in Japan in 1945. The US soldier is holding a “good luck” flag stolen from a Japanese soldier.

dog — derzto via Reddit
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derzto via Reddit

#28 1918 Red Cross fundraiser

The nurses and officers in this image were part of a Red Cross fundraiser that was held in Birmingham, Alabama in 1918.

#29 The White House swimming pool

This was the White House swimming pool in 1946. It has since been converted into the Briefing Room.

#30 An unusual sight

This 1897 photograph captures an alligator pulling along a little girl. Somehow, we don’t think safety regulations would allow it today.

#31 American airborne liberation

Lieutenant Briand Neaudin and Paul Lehman are seen celebrating in this photo. They had been captured by the Germans and liberated by other U.S. airborne infantryman in June, 1944.

#32 John McCain being treated by a doctor

Then US Navy Lieutenant-Commander John McCain is being treated by a doctor in this photograph after his A-4 Skyhawk was shot down in North Vietnam in 1967.

hospital — derzto via Reddit
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derzto via Reddit

#33 Italian pasta shop

This 1865 photo captures drying racks outside a pasta shop. It was taken in 1865 in Palermo, Italy.

#34 Winston Churchill and Charlie Chaplin

This colorized image shows Winston Churchill and Charlie Chaplin standing together to be photographed in 1929. The two look fairly relaxed together.

posing — HydrolicKrane via Reddit
Source:

HydrolicKrane via Reddit

#35 French battleship damage

This is the French battleship, Jean Bart, at Casablanca in 1942. It shows damage from US Navy bombs as well as shells.

ships — Goldeagle1123 via Reddit
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Goldeagle1123 via Reddit

#36 Women physicians in Philadelphia

This 1885 photograph captures a group of women from India, Japan, and Syria. They had all completed their education as physicians in Philadelphia in that year.

#37 IRA warning sign

Just so the British troops would know what they were up against, the IRA put up this sign. The photo was snapped in 1994.

#38 John Lennon’s Times Square billboard

This colorized photo shows the billboard John Lennon and Yoko Ono paid for in 1969. It declared that the war was over – ‘if you want it.’

#39 An epic shot

This chaotic scene was photographed in March of 1944. It shows an active and deadly Mount Vesuvius in Italy with B-25s flying past.

volcano — Roguecop via Reddit
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Roguecop via Reddit

#40 A former president’s goodbye

George H.W. Bush gazes down at the White House after Bill Clinton’s inauguration ceremony. We wonder what was going through his mind.

#41 Flying the Chinese flag

In 1941, Ruth Lee, a Chinese restaurant hostess, would fly a Chinese flag while sunbathing so she wouldn’t be mistaken for Japanese. The photo was taken on a beach in Miami.

#42 The imprint of a kamikaze plane

The imprint of a kamikaze plane is clearly seen on the side of the H.M.S Sussex. This photo was captured in 1945.

#43 Princess Diana and an AIDS patient

This 1991 photograph captures Princess Diana holding the hand of an AIDS patient. In a time when hysteria about the virus was still high, her holding his hand without a glove was significant.

#44 Armed 106-year-old woman

This image was taken during an armed conflict in Armenia. The woman was protecting her home in Degh village.

#45 Banned Hitler photo

Hitler had this photograph banned because he didn’t like how it came out. However, it still managed to resurface and here it is on the internet.

AllThatsInteresting
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AllThatsInteresting

#46 Queen Elizabeth as a mechanic

This 1939 photo shows a young Queen Elizabeth in a role we’re generally not accustomed to seeing her in. She spent time as a mechanic during World War II.

#47 A single day of shells

This significant pile of 105mm shells was left over from an allied bombardment. They had all been fired in a single day on German lines in 1916.

#48 British infantry in 1941

This eerie image is of a British infantryman in 1941. He is holding a long WWI-style bayonet which is attached to his rifle.

soldier — TimothyGonzalez via Reddit
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TimothyGonzalez via Reddit

#49 The McDonald brothers

The McDonald brothers were captured in this photo in front of their not first McDonald’s prior to it opening. The picture was taken in 1948 in San Bernadino, California.

#50 A cigarette

This is a depiction of a US Marine giving a cigarette to a Japanese soldier who had been buried in the sand. The photo was taken in Iwo Jima in 1945.

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r/HistoryPorn via Reddit

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