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In 1939, photographer Dorothea Lange passed through Oregon’s Willamette Valley, documenting life during the Great Depression. While traveling, she paused to observe a string bean harvest, where a large influx of temporary workers had arrived to pick crops for a few weeks in August. Many of these workers were migrants from outside Oregon, including Kansas, who traveled from one harvest to another. One small farmer remarked to her, “We watch all the time for agitators....

PBY Blister Gunner, Rescue at Rabaul, 1944 This young crewman of a US Navy “Dumbo” PBY rescue mission has just jumped into the water of Rabaul Harbor to rescue a badly burned Marine pilot who was shot down while bombing the Japanese-held fortress of Rabaul. Since Japanese coastal defense guns were firing at the plane while it was in the water during take-off, this brave young man, after rescuing the pilot, manned his position as a machine gunner without taking time to put on his clothes....

The majority of homes in the 1960s were furnished with an eclectic mixture of furniture from a variety of periods, featuring large, bold images, such as posters and brightly decorated bedspreads and window blinds set against brightly colored walls. Green, (such as pea green and drab), yellow, pink, and orange (such as peach and saffron) hues were popular for wallpaper, carpets, curtains, sofas, chair seats, and cushions, often with patterns or bright flowers....

A tricycle made for two at Daytona. 1983. These pictures show what was acceptable in the 1980s at Spring Break. Mostly from Daytona Beach and Fort Lauderdale, these show a party scene that seems alien, the kind of en masse binge-drinking you could have before the intervention of social media. Take a look at these images for a quality nostalgia of tiny swimsuits, big hair, and most likely loads of cocaine....

Three archers stand poised in an outdoor setting, 1860 – ca. 1900. The men are practitioners of Kyudo, Japanese Zen archery. Their outfits and the way they hold their second arrows (Ya) between their fourth and fifth fingers give this away. The target is most likely 28m away from the men since they are shooting outdoors at what appears to be a makeshift range. Traditionally, 28m outdoor shooting is the final and most advanced stage of training in Kyudo....

Sometimes the Japanese used sexual images in order to influence Allied soldiers to pick up surrender leaflets. During World War II there were many different forms of propaganda to support the war effort in Japan. Sometimes the Japanese used sexual images in order to influence Allied soldiers to pick up surrender leaflets. The leaflet above depicts a bare-breasted female in an inviting pose. The bearer of the present ticket is considered as “willing to surrender to the Japanese army”....

In the mid-1990s, television audiences were introduced to a group of six friends whose daily lives in Manhattan would soon redefine the meaning of modern friendship. Friends, created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, premiered on NBC on September 22, 1994, and instantly captured the spirit of a generation. Set in New York City, the show followed Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler, and Ross—played by Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer—as they navigated relationships, careers, and the often chaotic realities of adulthood....

This collection of photographs shows some of the world’s oldest and oddest vending machines. Nowadays almost anything imaginable can now be purchased from the vending machines, however, the trend for automated purchases is nothing new, as these vintage photographs prove. Vending machines are defined as self-contained automatic machines that dispense goods (such as candy or soft drink) or provide services (such as a weighing scale) when coins are inserted....

Winston Churchill with a Tommy Gun during an inspection near Hartlepool, 1940. The short-barreled version of the Thompson was Winston’s personal favorite weapon of all time. He looks like a gangster from an old Hollywood movie. This photo was taken during an inspection of invasion defenses near Hartlepool, on July 21, 1940. The interesting thing about this picture is that both the British and the Germans used it for propaganda purposes....

A worker assembles part of the cowling for a B-25 bomber motor at the North American Aviation plant in Inglewood, California. 1942. More so than any war in history, World War II was a woman’s war. Women, motivated by patriotism, the opportunity for new experiences, and the desire to serve, participated widely in the global conflict. Within the Allied countries, women of all ages proved to be invaluable in the fight for victory....

Gustav Mahler (1860-1911). Death masks are fascinating but slightly haunting relics from an age before photos. Until cameras rendered them redundant, it was common for notable people to have metal, wax or plaster applied to their face when they had died, creating a “death mask”. The motivation behind the masks morphed with time. It was a way for the living to reconnect with the past or to memorialize the dead....

The Norwegian Carl Størmer, a respected figure in mathematics and physics, had an intriguing side passion: amateur photography. He’d wander Oslo’s streets with a cleverly hidden, bulky camera, snapping impromptu pictures of passersby. These snapshots mostly date back to the 1890s when Størmer was just a 19-year-old student at the Royal Frederick University. His tool of choice? A Stirn Concealed Vest Spy Camera, a crafty contraption with a slim lens peeking discreetly through a vest pocket’s buttonhole....

Anti-weed movie poster. 1942. Recreational cannabis smoking took on a negative connotation in the American cultural imagination when people began to associate it with Mexican immigrants arriving in the US. After the Mexican Revolution of 1910, a wave of Mexican immigrants poured into the southwestern U.S. which helped popularize the recreational use of the drug. Many Mexican laborers smoked marijuana to unwind, as a cheaper alternative to alcohol during Prohibition....

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is an American tradition that has been celebrated for almost a century. Every year, millions of people gather on the streets of New York City to witness the iconic parade, featuring massive floats, marching bands, and gigantic helium balloons. Over the years, the parade has evolved and become more spectacular, but the magic of the early days is still alive in the vintage photographs that capture the spirit of the parade’s origins....

Execution of a German Communist in Munich, 1919. On the reverse of this photograph reads: “Zum ewigen Andenken an den Spartakisten Krieg in München Bayern”. English: “As an eternal memento of the Spartacist War in Munich, Bavaria” . According to some sources, this is a real situation, other sources claim that this is a staged photograph. It’s most likely to be a staged event due to the various discrepancies in the photo....

This photo collection shows historic newspaper clippings that feature weird and, sometimes, hilarious reasons for divorce that made local headlines in the early part of the 20th century. By the mid-to-late 19th century, divorce rates in the United States increased, and Americans obtained more divorces annually than were granted in all of Europe. Previously, divorces in the US were mainly granted to the middle and upper classes due to their cost, but the legal process became less expensive....

German SS men resting on the south lawn of the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany, August 1936. These troops are members of Leibstandarte SS “Adolf Hitler”, at this time the regiment acted as Hitler’s personal bodyguard and guard of honor in public ceremonies. Later it would grow to form the Elite 1st SS Division LAH. They were assigned the task of being Hitler’s personal bodyguards, a massive legion of SS soldiers would follow the Fuhrer wherever he went....

The 1980s saw the AIDS epidemic surge to catastrophic levels, leaving communities devastated and countless lives hanging in the balance. Across the U.S. and beyond, people were dying at an alarming rate, while others were gripped by fear of a mysterious disease they barely understood but believed could soon sweep through the population like wildfire. Yet, amid the panic and confusion, a powerful wave of change began. Activists took to the streets, determined to shatter the silence, forcing the world to confront the harsh realities and human suffering caused by this misunderstood epidemic....

The early days of space exploration were marked by groundbreaking achievements, from historic Moon landings to awe-inspiring spacewalks. These iconic NASA images capture the spirit of an era when humanity took its first steps beyond Earth. NASA’s origins can be traced back to the Cold War, a time when technological dominance was as much a battlefield as any other. The launch of Sputnik in 1957 by the Soviet Union sent shockwaves through the United States, prompting a swift response....

Outside the Coliseum. These vivid color images show the everyday life and the ancient landmarks of Rome in the 1890s. While transportation and engineering show the first sign of the modern world, the Eternal City still demonstrates its glorious past. The old photographs depict horse-drawn carriages on the cobblestone streets near the Pantheon, popular attractions such as the Roman Forum or the Trevi Fountain without tourists, people going with their everyday routine, etc....