These pictures show Les Halles, Paris’ former fresh food market, which sprawled haphazardly over the center of the city and was known as “the Belly of Paris.” Once alive with the cries of fruit-sellers, fish-vendors, butchers, and florists, the scent of brightly-colored flower bouquets intermingling with wafts of freshly baked bread, and heaving with swarms of market-goers, today there is no trace of the 900-year-old market place that used to stand in the center of Paris at Les Halles....

In this day and age, it’s easy to take our modern-day refrigerators for granted. We expect them to keep our food fresh and cold without giving them a second thought. However, it wasn’t always this way. Back in the early 1900s, refrigerators were a luxury item that only the wealthy could afford. They were often large, ornate, and made of expensive materials such as wood or metal. In fact, early refrigerators were sometimes called “iceboxes,” as they relied on blocks of ice to keep food cold....

A good toolbox is essential for any woodworker, but nothing compares to the exceptional Studley Tool Chest. This stunning piece, measuring 20×40 inches when closed and 40×40 inches when open, houses an astounding 300 tools. The chest is a masterpiece of craftsmanship, made from mahogany, rosewood, ebony, and mother-of-pearl. Beyond its impressive functionality, the Studley Tool Chest carries a rich history, even earning a place on display at the Smithsonian....

The men of Easy Company of the U.S. Army 101st Airborne at Hitler’s “Eagle’s Nest”, 1945. Colorized by Sanna Dullaway. Toward the end of World War II, American soldiers of Easy Company were assigned to occupation duty in Germany, specifically to Berchtesgaden, which was home to Adolf Hitler’s famous Eagle’s Nest. Specifically, the duty of capturing the Kehlsteinhaus was given to the 101st paratroopers unit. Berchtesgaden changed from a strategic to a prestige objective....

The Berlin Wall’s story began in the early hours of August 13th, 1961, when the government of East Germany ordered the closure of all borders between East and West Berlin. As the sun rose that morning, Berliners were awoken by the sound of trucks, jackhammers, and other heavy machinery. Watched by Soviet troops and East German police, workmen began breaking up roads, footpaths, and other structures, before laying thousands of meters of temporary but impassable fencing, barricades, and barbed wire....

The Islamic Republic imposes strict rules on Iranian life. This extended photo collection shows Iranian society prior to the 1979 Islamic Revolution and, it’s obvious that Iran was a very different world. It was also a world that was looking brighter for women. And, as everyone knows, when things get better for women, things get better for everyone. After the revolution, the 70 years of advancements in Iranian women’s rights were rolled back virtually overnight....

Lesbian couple at Le Monocle, Paris, 1932. During the 1920s Paris had gained a reputation for the variety of its nighttime pleasures and for its free and easy attitude toward life in general. Within this climate of relative tolerance, many gay and lesbian nightclubs opened and flourished. Among these was Le Monocle, which is credited with being one of the first, and certainly the most famous of lesbian nightclubs....

The 20th century marked a significant period of evolution in the field of robotics, ushering in a transformative era of technological advancement. Starting with the term itself, coined by Czech playwright Karel Čapek in his play “R.U.R.” (Rossum’s Universal Robots) in 1920, the century witnessed the conceptualization and subsequent development of a wide range of robotic technologies. In 1927, the film “Metropolis” showcased the iconic robot Maria, an emblematic representation of the era’s imaginative exploration of human-like machines....

A staff nurse greets some new arrivals at the Queen Charlotte Hospital in London, 1945. After the end of World War II, birth rates in the United States and other Western countries abnormally jumped up in a phenomenon that came to be called the baby boom . Technically, baby boomers are those people born worldwide between 1946 and 1964, the time frame most commonly used to define them. There are about 76 million boomers in the U....

An album’s artwork represents the first impression to many fans and it creates an aesthetic vibe about its music. In the days before the internet, bands would have to rely on their covers to catch the eye of any potential fans. And many people discovered their favorite bands by simply picking up an album simply because it looked cool. Unfortunately not all the bands or singers were able to pull off a good album cover....

Stalin’s monument was torn down on October 23, 1956, by enraged anti-Soviet crowds during Hungary’s October Revolution. Built as the birthday present to Stalin on his seventieth birthday (December 21st, 1949), the Stalin Monument in Budapest has become the iconic scene of the Hungarian Uprising in 1956. The monument was erected on the edge of Városliget, the city park of Budapest. The large monument stood 25 meters tall in total....

During the Second World War, propaganda posters in the United States were commonly seen on a walk or commute to work, a trip to the store, in a newspaper or magazine, and any other time one went around town. However, posters were more common than the other methods of spreading propaganda. They could be made in mass quantities and spread around a large area, whereas a movie could only be seen by those going to the theater....

The Battle of Midway was a turning point in the Pacific War. Before the Battle of the Coral Sea on 7-8 May 1942, the Imperial Navy of Japan had swept aside all of its enemies from the Pacific and Indian oceans. At the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Japanese won a tactical victory, but suffered an operational-level defeat: it did not invade Port Moresby in New Guinea and set up a base from which its land-based planes could dominate the skies over northern Australia....

Ray Campbell vs Dick Hyland (1913). Ray Campbell is listed as the official winner of this fight. It appears that Campbell is the fighter on the left and Hyland is on the right. This picture shows the end of a brutal boxing match between Ray Campbell and Dick Hyland. Take a look at the condition of the two fighters, battered, bloodied, bruised, and staring down at each other at the end of the fight....

These disturbing 1970s New York City photos reveal the dark side of a city on the brink of economic and societal collapse. During this decade, the city gained notoriety for high rates of crime and social disorders; the city’s subway system was regarded as unsafe and dangerous, and people were warned not to walk the streets after 6 PM. Prostitutes and pimps frequented Times Square, while Central Park became feared as the site of muggings and harassment....

Castro visiting the Lincoln Memorial during his visit to the United States, 1959. Shortly after Fidel Castro took power in Cuba in 1959, he visited the United States for two weeks, invited by the American Society of Newspaper Editors. The trip had all the features of a diplomatic tour — he met American officials, appeared on Meet the Press, and visited national landmarks such as Mount Vernon and the Lincoln Memorial....

Back in 1904, Louis Coulon made headlines with his extraordinary 11-foot-long beard (3.35 meters), which he even used as a cozy resting spot for his beloved cats! This incredible facial hair not only captured hearts but also secured his place in history, as he held the record for the longest beard ever worn in France. Legend has it that Louis was already shaving by the age of 12, but his razor blade couldn’t keep up with his rapid beard growth....

In today’s world, we’re well aware of the dangers of radium and the lethal risks of radiation. But there was a time when radium was hailed as a wonder substance, believed to have health benefits. In the early 20th century, radium paint was used on numerous household items without a second thought. However, that changed when factory workers, who were frequently exposed to radium paint, began to fall ill and die....

A member of the state militia faces off against an African-American veteran during the 1919 Chicago Race Riot. July 27, 1919. In 1919 Chicago was in the throes of an exhausting heatwave. Thousands flocked to the beaches lining Lake Michigan for some relief. Among them: a group of black boys that included 17-year-old Eugene Williams . Eugene, who was on a raft, inadvertently drifted over the invisible line that separated the black and white sections of the 29th St Beach....

Reshevsky, at age eight, giving a simultaneous exhibition in France, 1920. He defeated everyone in this picture. Twenty graybeards sitting in a square played chess in Paris against a very small boy 8 years old, and Samuel Reshevsky beat them all. According to New York Times: on May 17, 1920, Reshevky faced 20 players in a simul in Paris and the boy “moved quietly from one board to another, reducing their most skillful plans and wiles to nothingness....