The history of the world is indeed intriguing. There have been events and personalities that have changed its course over time. The rare historical photos on this list provide insight into the lives of people from all over the world. Once taken merely to document their present, they now help us witness the past. Many images only become iconic shots years later, once we understand their importance and historical context. From historical landmarks and famous people to the basic daily routines of the past, these old photos portray the history in a way that we can empathize with and understand more intimately.
51In 1973, Canada and Denmark both claimed Hans island, barren rock with no strategic significance, as their own
No agreement was reached between the two countries and as a result, they just sail out to the island once a year. The Canadians take down the Danish flag, put up a Canadian one, leave a bottle of Canadian booze and a sign that reads "Welcome to Canada". When the Danish Navy sail out to the island, they do the same
52The Sandlot (1993)
53On the set of Hook (1991)
54John Candy and Bill Murray, 1976
55Bass Reeves (1838 - 1910) was the first black U.S. Marshall, west of the Mississippi River. He arrested 3,000 felons in his career and shot and killed 14 outlaws in self-defense
There is some speculation that the Lone Ranger was inspired by Reeves. The two share many similarities, which includes wearing disguises, riding a white and grey horse, high marksmanship and horsemanship skills, giving out silver keepsakes and having a Native American partner.
5630-year-old Sir Ian McKellen
57Department of Transportation employee, Bill Koch, stands next to a set of power lines during the great North Dakota blizzard of 1966
58In 1964, on a New York highway, Ringo Starr snapped a photo of some high school students who had skipped class to see the Beatles during their first trip to the US
The group had no idea the photo even existed until Ringo published his book of photos and asked the group to come forward. Nearly 50 years later, the group reunited and recreated the photo
59Astronaut Walt Cunningham writes using a Fisher AG-7 Space Pen during the Apollo 7 mission, 1968
There's a popular urban legend that NASA spent millions of dollars and several years developing a pen that could be used in space while the Soviet cosmonauts opted to simply use pencils. The true story is that in the early years of space flight, pencils were used by both the Soviets and the Americans. However, graphite is a highly conductive material and any pencil sheddings and particles in zero gravity become hugely problematic since they can easily get sucked into air ventilation or electronic equipment, causing shorts and triggering fires in a pure oxygen-based environment. After the Apollo 1 fire which killed all the astronauts on board, NASA required writing material that was not a fire hazard. Paul Fisher, a ballpoint pen manufacturer, took it upon himself by investing $1 million of his own money to develop an anti-gravity pen. Fisher's AG-7 pen used a pressurized cartridge and gel-like ink that was able to function in extreme temperatures, underwater, and upside down. NASA bought his pens for $2.95 each and eventually, the Soviet Space program followed suit and switched over from pencils
60Dante and Virgil in Hell' (1850) by William Adolphe Bouguereau, based on Dante's 14th-century epic poem Divine Comedy
61Colonel Carmen Robles was an Afro-Mexican woman who was one of the leaders of the Mexican Revolution (1910 - 1920)
She fought alongside Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata who made alliances with battalions of Afro-Mexicans. These battalions included Afro-Mexican widows from Guerrero who also became soldiers. Legend has it that Colonel Carmen Robles participated in many battles and that she would shoot her pistol with her right hand and hold her cigar with her left
62Before smartphones, recording on the cassette tape at the music festival, the 80s
63I am the first pig to fly, 1909
The pig was strapped to a wastepaper basket in a private biplane piloted by English aviator and politician, J.T.C (John Theodore Cuthbert) Moore-Barbizon
64Stevie Nicks flipping the bird, the 70s
6515-year-old Dorothy Counts walks to school as the first black student at Harry Harding High School, Charlotte, North Carolina, 1957
66A young Benedict Cumberbatch with his rugby team during the 80s
67Young Ainu woman, 1910s
68A priest giving last rites to a dying soldier shot by snipers during a revolt in Venezuela, 1962
69Teddy Roosevelt as an undergraduate at Harvard, circa 1877
70College student, Samuel L. Jackson, early 70s
71Maya Angelou 1928 - 2014
72Irena Sendler (1910 - 2008) was a Polish social worker and nurse who smuggled approximately 2,500 Jewish children out of Nazi-occupied Warsaw
73Sir Michael Caine and his wife Shakira Baksh in Rome, 1972
74In the 15th century, Turkish law stipulated that women could legally divorce their husbands if they did not provide the daily quota of coffee
75Two women building a snow woman in New York. The photo originally appeared in an 1892 issue of The Strand Magazine
