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Christopher J. McCandless, known by his chosen pseudonym Alexander Supertramp, remains one of the most polarizing adventurers of the modern era. His journey into the Alaskan wilderness and tragic demise have inspired countless people to reexamine their own lives and values. To some, McCandless is a visionary transcendentalist who dared to reject societal norms and seek deeper meaning. To others, he was an idealist whose decisions brought profound grief to his family....

One of the most unexpected figures to gain internet fame centuries after his time, Joseph Ducreux was an 18th-century French painter whose self-portraits have found new life in the digital age. Unlike the stiff, formal portraits typical of his era, Ducreux’s work stands out for its exaggerated facial expressions and playful gestures, qualities that have made his art perfect for memes. His most famous piece, Self-Portrait in the Guise of a Mockingbird (1793), featuring him pointing toward the viewer with an open mouth as if dramatically delivering a line, has been widely used for humorously old-fashioned phrasings of modern slang....

The Soviet sniper girl Kyra PetrovskayaKyra was born in 1918 on the coast of the Black Sea in Crimea. Some sources say that her original name was “Cyrus.” Her father was a decorated pilot in the Imperial Russian air force, receiving the Order (Cross) of Saint George. Remaining loyal to the “Whites”, he was executed by the Bolshevik firing squad after the Russian Revolution, when Kyra was 7 months old....

Matthäus Hetzenauer, Austrian sniper with 345 confirmed kills, 1944. Matthäus Hetzenauer was an Austrian sniper in the 3rd Mountain Division on the Eastern Front of World War II, who was credited with 345 kills. His longest confirmed kill was reported at 1,100 meters (3,600 ft). Hetzenauer was also a recipient of the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership....

The return of victorious Soviet soldiers at a railway station in Moscow in 1945. At the end of the war, millions of people were dead and millions homeless, the European economy had collapsed, and much of the European industrial infrastructure had been destroyed. The Soviet Union, too, had been heavily affected. Borders were redrawn and homecomings, expulsions, and burials were under way. But the massive efforts to rebuild had just begun....

A V-2 rocket ready for launching at Cuxhaven in Lower Saxony. 1945. In the early 1930s, the German military began seeking out new weapons which would not violate the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. Assigned to aid in this cause, Captain Walter Dornberger, an artilleryman by trade, was ordered to investigate the feasibility of rockets. Contacting the Verein fur Raumschiffarht (German Rocket Society), he soon came in contact with a young engineer named Wernher von Braun....

The European, standing in the center, shows the Eurocentric world view of the time. The picture/poster shows five men representing five different cultural spheres: an American Indian, an Australian Aborigine, an African, an Asian, and a European. The European, standing in the center, dominates the scene and thus shows the Eurocentric world view of the time (early 20th century). This poster was printed as an illustration in a Dresden-based German magazine....

Adolf Hitler declaring war on America, December 11, 1941. On December 11, 1941, several days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the United States declaration of war against the Japanese Empire, Nazi Germany declared war on the United States, in response to what was claimed to be a series of provocations by the United States government when the US was formally neutral during World War II. The decision to declare war was made almost entirely by Adolf Hitler, without consultation....

The World Trade Center project was initiated in the early 1960s through the influence of David Rockefeller in part to reclaim a part of the city that had fallen on hard times. The vision was meant to use the trade facility and urban renewal as tools to clear and revitalize what had become a “commercial slum”. The construction of the towers yielded not only a new frontier for business but also the landfill for a new shore on the banks of the Hudson....

The decisive year was 1968. In the early morning of 30 January, Vietcong forces launched the Tet Offensive, named for the Vietnamese holiday then being observed. In coordinated attacks throughout South Vietnam, the Vietcong assaulted major urban areas and military installations in an attempt to spark a popular uprising against the Saigon regime and its American backers. (Note: the other part of this photo collection: Vietnam War: The Early Years through rare photographs , 1965-1967)....

Bronze pessary. A pessary in this context is a way of blocking the cervix. The gap allows a rod to be placed into the cervix to hold the pessary in place. While it could remain in place during intercourse, such intercourse could be painful. Roman, 500 BCE-400 CE. Although the birth control pill and other hormonal contraceptive devices are modern inventions, birth control forms have been around for thousands of years....

The year 1990 marked the beginning of democracy in Romania, a time of social unrest and political struggles that would shape the country’s trajectory for years to come. It was a period of newfound freedom but also deepening divisions, some of which still resonate in Romanian society today. In the aftermath of the revolution, photographer Duccio Pugliese captured a striking visual record of Romania at this historical moment. His photos offer a glimpse into the realities of 1990, revealing a nation in flux, caught between the remnants of its past and the promise of an uncertain future....

In 1890 the first hairdryer was invented by French stylist Alexander Godefroy. Blow dryers were invented in the late 19th century. The first model was created by Alexander F. “Beau” Godefroy in his salon in France in 1890. His invention was a large, seated version that consisted of a bonnet that attached to the chimney pipe of a gas stove. Godefoy invented it for use in his hair salon in France, and it was not portable or handheld....

Men’s hairstyles in the 1970s embraced a wide range of styles, from long, flowing hair to shorter, more structured cuts. The shag, with its layered, tousled look, became a defining style of the decade, while the bowl cut offered a more uniform shape with its blunt fringe. The afro, a powerful expression of natural texture and cultural identity, gained prominence among Black men, reflecting the era’s growing embrace of individuality....

Building parcel lottery ,1909 In 1909 a number of Jewish residents decided to move to a healthier environment, outside the crowded and noisy city of Jaffa. They established a company called Ahuzat-Bayit and with the financial assistance of the Jewish National Fund purchased some twelve acres of sand dunes, north of Jaffa. In April, 66 Jewish families gathered on a desolate sand dune to parcel out the land by lottery using seashells....

Adolf Hitler, the infamous dictator of Nazi Germany, is known for his dark legacy. Yet, few realize he also pursued a career in painting. During his Vienna years (1908–1913), he produced hundreds of artworks, hoping to support himself by selling paintings and postcards. Despite his efforts, he found little commercial success. After World War II, some of his paintings surfaced and fetched tens of thousands of dollars at auctions....

Clothing has been an integral part of human history for centuries, with origins lost in the mists of time. While the exact inception of clothing remains shrouded in mystery due to the perishable nature of early fabrics, genetic analysis suggests that humans began wearing clothing around 170,000 years ago. Archaeological discoveries provide fascinating insights into this ancient practice. For instance, sewing needles have been dated back to approximately 40,000 years ago, while evidence of dyed fibers dates back to 36,000 BC....

This picture is taken in the early 1900s at the Wyndham prison. Wyndham is the oldest and northernmost town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. It was established in 1886 as a result of a gold rush at Halls Creek. However, the circumstances and the story behind this picture remain unknown. The Aboriginals could have been arrested under the various local laws passed that forbid them from entering or being within a certain distance of named towns....

The world of geisha and maiko women has always been shrouded in mystery and fascination. These women, who have dedicated their lives to mastering the art of traditional Japanese entertainment, have been the subject of countless books, films, and artworks. However, very few have had the opportunity to see them as they were in the 19th century when the geisha culture was at its height. In this photo collection, we have gathered a series of stunning photographs that offer a glimpse into the lives of these remarkable women during this period....

Bobby Fischer playing 50 opponents simultaneously, 1964. Bobby Fischer is considered by many to be the greatest chess player who ever lived. In this particular simultaneous exhibition, he won 47 of the matches, drew 2, and lost 1. He lost to Donn Rogosin, not a well-known player. Fischer was 21 in this picture. He is playing white, that’s a big advantage in high-level chess. You can choose an opening that you know well and your opponent doesn’t know well....