Photographs are our way of looking into the past. They can provide a glimpse into what life was like in much different times from our own. They can show tragedy, triumph or simply the way things are changing in the world. There are plenty of historical photographs that are circulated around all the time that everyone knows about. However, there are so many photographs that most people will never see that show pivotal or incredible moments throughout history. These 19 photos will absolutely blow your mind. They will make you wonder how you have never seen some of these crucial moments in history. Check out these incredible historical photographs, and gain a better understanding of history.
1. This photograph is a very powerful one. It show the moment of detonation of the atomic bomb that wiped out the city of Nagasaki, Japan on August 9, 1945. This and the detonation of the atomic bomb over Hiroshima caused the end of the Pacific campaign of WW2.
2. A very interesting photo, this one shows people who have crossed the border of East Berlin into West Berlin on November 10, 1989. These men marked this joyous fall of the Iron Curtain by checking out Western pornography.
3. What you are looking at here is a Nazi SS Officer initiation in 1938, just before Hitler invaded Poland. The atrocities that many of these men probably committed are disgusting.
4. This photo is actually dates back to 1934. It is the only known photo of Albert Einstein with his famous Relativity Equation, E=MC^2. One of the most important scientists in history with his most important discovery. This is quite the picture.
5. Before television was an everyday household item, there was a thing called radio. Radio was the ultimate form of communication and entertainment. This is a picture of the recording of a radio crime show called “Gang Busters” in the 1930’s.
6. These stone faces belong to none other than the famous outlaws Jesse James and Robert Ford. This photo was taken sometime in the 1880’s.
8. This dog is getting some serious air. This is actually a German messenger dog. They were used to carry messages across battlefields. This furry guy was carrying a message during a German offensive in January, 1918.
9. After Germany just ran through France like a hot knife through butter, Hitler decided to take in the sights. In this photograph he is visiting the tomb of Napoleon at the Invalides, Paris, France.
10. This photo shows one of the most shameful periods in American history. These white teenagers are harassing a black teen at a civil rights sit in located at a Drug Fair in Arlington VA. This photo was taken on June 10, 1960.
11. The Russian mystic Rasputin is legendary for having escaped death 3 times. Here he is shown at a Ghorokhovo street flat in Saint Petersburg, Russia in 1914.
12. Eva Braun at the Berghof. Burgh was Hitlers home located in Obersalzberg of the Bavarian Alps near Berchtesgaden, Bavaria, Germany.
13. This is Billy The Kid in 1879.
14. The first ever known photograph of a tornado. This photo was taken about 20 miles SW of Howard, South Dakota. It dates back to 1884!
15. Another photo from a very disturbing time in American history. What you are looking at here are spectators at a slave auction in the town of Easton, Maryland in the 1850’s.
16. Two of Americas most famous outlaws. Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker are pictured somewhere in Arkansas in 1933.
17. Private First Class Richie takes a break from the fighting in Vietnam to sniff the perfume of his girlfriend in Jay, Oklahoma as he opens her letter.
18. This is a 152mm Howitzer firing during the Belorussian Strategic Offensive Operation during WWII in 1944.
19. The classic couple of their generation, this is Marilyn Monroe and Joe Dimaggio in Banff, Canada. This photo was taken on August 19, 1953, 5 months before they were married.
I personally had never seen any of these photos. For someone who considers himself a history buff, I was a little disappointed in myself. These historical photographs definitely tell stories of many different points in world history. So many different time periods and struggles from different eras are represented. My hope is that we learn from history and don’t repeat the same mistakes again that are contained in some of these photos.