Throughout the decades, a number of important and interesting sites and landmarks have been lost, many due to the urbanization of cities, sometimes they’re torn down due to mounting maintenance costs after falling into disrepair, and sometimes they’ll fall prey to natural disasters. The years between 1880 and 1920 changed American cities as they went through a period of industrial progress, and to make room for more important buildings, many of the old ones were torn down....

A Spanish engineer and aeronautical pioneer, Juan de la Cierva, developed the original “autogiro”. Its name was derived from the self stabilization accomplished by a four-bladed horizontal screw turned by wind produced in the sky. In addition to the name autogyro, they have been known as gyrocopters, gyroplanes, and autogiros. They were the first rotary wing aircraft to fly successfully with sufficient control. Autogyro was invented to solve the main issue: How to design an aircraft that won’t crash from the engine stalling?...

This is an advert for the Sno-Blo, meant for clearing out one’s nostrils after snorting the white powder. These vintage ads for cocaine and cocaine paraphernalia show how crazy and disturbing the 1970s were. While the War on Drugs was underway and cocaine was still very much illegal, selling and marketing coke equipment (with the fine print “Not intended for illegal use!”) was a legitimate and lucrative business. Here, we look at some of the advertising from the coke era between 1976 and 1981 (collected from various magazines by The World’s Best Ever blog)....

Step back in time with us as we embark on a journey through an extraordinary collection of rare historical photos, providing undeniable evidence that humanity’s peculiarities have transcended the ages. These captivating snapshots, many of which hail from the early 1900s, stand as testament to the quirky and unconventional nature of people In an era marked by the tumultuous upheavals of the World Wars, these images reveal a fascinating dichotomy—a world where amidst the somber shadows of darkness, a glimmer of laughter and eccentricity emerged, serving as a balm to soothe the souls of those facing the trials of their time....

A polar bear in the flooded bear enclosure in the Botanical Gardens. In late January 1910, following months of high rainfall, the Seine River flooded Paris when water pushed upwards from overflowing sewers and subway tunnels and seeped into basements through fully saturated soil. The waters did not overflow the river’s banks within the city but flooded Paris through tunnels, sewers, and drains. In neighbouring towns both east and west of the capital, the river rose above its banks and flooded the surrounding terrain directly....

In this article, we’ve collected some fun and interesting images from New Year’s Eve celebrations from times long gone. In many countries, New Year’s Eve is celebrated by dancing, eating, drinking, and watching or lighting fireworks. The celebrations generally go on past midnight into New Year’s Day, 1 January. In the United States, New Year’s Eve is celebrated via a variety of social gatherings, and large-scale public events such as concerts, fireworks shows, and “drops”—an event inspired by time balls where an item is lowered or raised over the course of the final minute of the year....

Helene Mayer, remains one of the Olympics’ great mysteries. She was, by definition of German law at the time, part-Jewish, which had cost her most of her citizenship rights. Her country’s press was forbidden to mention her name. Once she had been one of Germany’s most beloved athletes, but by that afternoon she had been living a four-year exile in the US, unwanted by her homeland. So why did she throw out her arm in tacit acceptance of so much hate?...

Before it broke apart into the independent nations of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia, the Balkans were united under the name Yugoslavia. This diverse region has always been rich in history, tradition, and cultural identity, but one of its most unexpectedly delightful legacies lies in its pop and folk music scene from the 1970s and 1980s. During the 1970s and 1980s, Yugoslavia experienced a cultural boom, especially in the realm of pop and folk music....

These early color photographs provide a unique glimpse into the past. With their vivid hues and striking detail, they allow us to experience history in a way that black and white photographs cannot. The history of color photography dates back to the mid-19th century when photographers first experimented with ways to capture the full spectrum of colors in a single image. However, it wasn’t until the early 20th century that the first color images were widely available, and they were met with awe and amazement....

Mrs. Irene Bracker, mother of two, a wiper at the roundhouse. During World War II, America’s railroads were an important part of the war effort and it’s estimated that from 1941 to 1945 trains transported close to 44 million American troops. Between the war years of 1942 and 1944, trains carried 98 percent of military personnel and more than 90 percent of freight for the military. These incredible photos show how women in America helped keep the railroads running smoothly and helped maintain this vital part of the war effort....

Mrs. Thatcher visiting British troops in Falkland Islands, January 1983. Thatcher is surrounded by troops on a visit to Goose Green in January 1983, where the Parachute Regiment had secured a crucial victory seven months earlier. The war was a turning point in her premiership. The Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges called the Falkland War: “The Falklands thing was a fight between two bald men over a comb”. Thus, describing how useless the islands were to both nations, as bald men do not have hair and have no use of a comb....

The iconic photo of Marina Ginestà i Coloma by Juan Guzmán on top of the Hotel Colón in Barcelona. Marina Ginestà became famous due to the photo taken by Juan Guzmán on the rooftop of Hotel Colón, Barcelona during the July 1936 military uprising in Barcelona. As she was a reporter, it was the only time Ginestà was carrying a gun. The rifle she is carrying is M1916 Spanish Mauser, manufactured at the famous Oviedo factory in Spain for the Spanish Army....

Susan Joice, 16, arrested for stealing money from a gas meter. 1903. These mugshots of Edwardian Britain depict minors arrested for petty crimes and are part of a wide photographic collection of Tyne Wear Archives. The age of the subjects starts from 12 years old to 21 which was the legal age of adulthood. These minors were arrested in the British town of North Shields. By the time Edward VII took the throne in 1901, Victoria had reigned for so long (64 years) that most people couldn’t remember a previous monarch....

Muhammad Ali knocks out Cleveland Williams, 1966 A dramatic overhead shot by Neil Leifer, generally regarded as one of the greatest sporting images of all time, features the prostrate form of Cleveland Williams while Muhammad Ali strikes a victory pose during a knockdown in their 1966 title fight. As Neil Leifer’s all-time favorite photograph, this amazing shot was captured from a camera hung on a rig 80 feet (24 meters) above the ring at the Houston Astrodome....

In the dazzling realm of classic Hollywood, one name shines bright as a timeless star: Myrna Loy. With her beguiling beauty, enchanting grace, and impeccable acting skills, Loy graced the silver screen for over four decades, leaving an indelible mark on cinema and securing her place as one of the most beloved and influential actresses of her era. Born on August 2, 1905, as Myrna Adele Williams in Helena, Montana, Loy’s journey to stardom began in the picturesque landscapes of the American West....

Extremists assassinate Anwar Sadat in Cairo, 1981. The assassins’ bullets ended the life of a man who earned a reputation for making bold decisions in foreign affairs, a reputation based in large part on his decision in 1977 to journey to the camp of Egypt’s foe, Israel, to make peace. President Sadat was the first Arab leader to recognize the state of Israel since its creation in 1948. In September 1978, he met with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin in the United States, where they negotiated a peace accord and, in 1979, a peace treaty....

Flanked by Jackie Kennedy and his wife, Ladybird, Vice President Lyndon Johnson is sworn in as president of the United States of America by Dallas Federal District Judge Sarah T. Hughes on November 22, 1963. President Lyndon B. Johnson takes the oath of office aboard Air Force One at Love Field in Dallas, Texas, following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy . Jackie is angled in such a way as to hide the blood on her coat....

Princess Diana shaking hands with one of the residents of Casey House, an AIDS hospice, in Toronto, Canada. By the time of this photograph, AIDS might have been more widely understood, but people were still wary about how it was transmitted because it wasn’t widely understood by the general public at the time. Princess Diana was a very important figurehead in convincing people that merely touching AIDS victims was alright, and they wouldn’t die by shaking their hands....

An artillery unit poses on a massive railway gun in France. 1918. From the days of catapults and trebuchets, military men have dreamed of the ultimate weapon that could smash an enemy’s wall, castle, or defensive stronghold. For a span of eighty-five years, that weapon was the railroad gun, large enough to do substantial damage but also movable to wherever railroad tracks could go. Railroad guns had a shorter life span than other practical military technologies spawned during the American Civil War, such as submarines, repeating rifles, and machine guns....

Kim Il-sung, the founder of North Korea, had a baseball-sized growth on his neck. Official photos of the “Eternal President” were therefore taken from a leftward angle to hide the growth. In the picture: Kim Il-sung in a meeting with the Hungarian communist leader János Kádár. Kim Il-sung holds a unique position in North Korea; although dead since 1994, he remains North Korea’s official leader, embalmed and ennobled in a massive mausoleum in Pyongyang....