Surreal Photos From History That Will Leave You Questioning Everything You Know
A picture might be worth a thousand words, but some photos in history could write an entire book. These photos don't just take a snapshot of a certain time, but they will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew. Some of these photos are especially incredible, shocking, or chilling that you need to see them to believe it.
Check out these mind-blowing photos from history and reevaluate everything you knew before. If these won't change how you view the past, we don't know what will.
Crew Members Flee The Hindenburg Airship
This rare and shocking photo was taken on May 6, 1937, and it documents one of the most infamous disasters of the 20th century. The Hindenburg airship was filled with hydrogen and suddenly caught fire when trying to land.
You can see crewmen and passengers fleeing the site, but sadly, 36 people died.
The First Man To Undergo Advanced PLastic Surgery
The man behind the mask here is Walter Yeo. He was the first person to undergo advanced plastic surgery way back in 1917. Yeo was a war veteran who was wounded badly in the Battle of Jutland.
He seemed to be pretty pleased with the end result, despite it obviously being very experimental.
The Family Of A Prisoner Of War Greets Him For The First Time In Five Years
The looks of pure joy on everyone's face in this family is remarkable. This famous photograph is from 1973 and shows Lt. Col Robert Stirm's family running to greet him after he was released as a prisoner of war from Vietnam.
Stirm was held captive in Vietnam for more than five years before "Operation Homecoming" brought him back stateside.
1960s Flight Attendants Show Off Their Uniforms
Being a flight attendant in the 1960s was all about making sure the mostly-male passengers were happy, but it also came with a lot of strict rules. You were expected to be young, single, and a certain height and weight.
Some airlines even required flight attendants to retire once they reached their 32nd birthday!
Alcohol Is Poured Out Of A Speakeasy In Prohibition-Era Detroit
No, this isn't a weird urban waterfall, it's a photo of police dumping contraband alcohol out of an illegal bar in Detroit. Bootleggers, speakeasies, and rum runners were commonplace throughout America during prohibition.
Like most things, if you tell someone it's illegal, it makes them want it even more.
Queen Elizabeth Rides Right By A Passed Out Guard
This photo from 1970 of Queen Elizabeth II riding past a soldier who has fainted definitely didn't paint the royal family in a good light. Whether he was nervous or just didn't drink enough water that day, you'd think she'd show some concern.
This happened right when the royal family decided to try and modernize. The hope was Prince Charles marriage to Diana would help but, well, we all know how that ended.
MLK And His Son Inspect A Burned Cross On Their Front Lawn
Revered Martin Luther King Jr. had seen worse in his fight for civil rights than a burned cross like this, but it's still surprising. The grace that he uses to casually remove the scorched cross in April 1960 proves how powerful a peaceful protest could be.
It's even harder to watch his young son look on though.
Bill And Hillary Clinton Share A Rare Intimate Moment
Since the 1990s, the public has rarely seen Bill and Hillary Clinton share an intimate moment. The two are notoriously private, despite some of the revealing details that came out after the Monica Lewinsky scandal.
Back before they had to show their faces 24/7 for the American public, they were just a governor and a wife sharing a kiss in their backyard.
Captain A.L. Kahn Captures The "Great Manta"
It took three long hours and dozens of crew members but finally, on August 26, 1933, Captain A.L. Kahn captured the largest manta ray fish ever seen before.
This photo was actually taken after a taxidermist preserved the Great Manta. Before being gutted and stuffed, this manta ray weighed more than 5,000 pounds.
A House Being Blown To Pieces From A Nuclear Test
Unless you lived through it, most people in America tend to forget that we did nuclear testing on our own soil. You can still even visit the "Survival City" site in Nevada where scientists and the government looked to test the effects and results of a nuclear bomb.
This photo just proves how much the government knew, and still dropped two atomic bombs on Japan.
Einstein Lectures At A Historically Black College
Albert Einstein (you may have heard of him) rarely did public lectures. He was more apt to working silently in his office. On the rare occasion that he did choose to lecture, it was always on his terms.
Here, he chose to do one of his final public lectures as a historically black college in 1946.
Men Plan To Use Bison Skulls As Fertilizer
This massive mountain of bison skulls is seriously surreal. It goes to show just how destructive and efficient mankind can be. The photo was taken around 1870, and it's a surprise that so many bison were left on the American plains.
Many people believed they were over-hunted years beforehand.
Big Jay McNeely Makes The Boys Go Crazy
Big Jay McNeely, the famous blues artist and saxophonist, knew how to make crowds of men or women go wild. Crowd reactions like this wouldn't be seen again until Elvis shook his hips on television.
Here, McNeely is blowing the roof off the Olympic Auditorium, and the minds of these young men, in 1953.
A Woman Uses A State Of The Art Gas Carriage To Walk With Her Child
This isn't your average baby carriage. This type of stroller was all the rage in Great Britain during WWII. The gas-proof box allowed mothers to walk with their children without having to worry about a possible Nazi gas attack.
Of course, it wasn't exactly the most fashionable carriage, but it got the job done.
Two Inmates Play Chess Through The Bars
Life in prison in the 1970s wasn't exactly easy, but you didn't see the overcrowding, strict rules, and obvious extortion that you see in the American prison system today.
You'd be hard pressed to go to a prison today and see two inmates playing chess patiently. The guards would be way too worried.
The New York Knickerbocker Baseball Team In 1858
This is the first ever photo of two baseball teams together. The tradition began on one sunny afternoon in 1858 in the little town of Hoboken, New Jersey. Here, the New York Knickerbockers faced the Brooklyn Excelsiors.
At the time this photo was taken, America's pastime had very different rules and regulations and would take a few decades to grow into the game we recognize today.
Nineteen-Year-Old Robert Wadlow Shows Off His Legs
This unique image doesn't just capture a very tall man, but the tallest man in history. Robert Wadlow lived from 1918-1940 and stood at the staggering height of 8 feet 11.1 inches.
Wadlow was only 19 in this photo and makes the other man look minuscule, despite being average sized.
Arnold Takes Ballet Classes To Improve His Poses
Arnold Schwarzenegger was never above trying new things and testing himself. In order to perfect his poses for bodybuilding competitions, Arnold took ballet lessons from the famous dancer, Marianne Claire.
If you ever forgot just how huge Arnold was while in his prime, this photo of him beside a petite ballet dancer should drive the point home.
Muhammad Ali Talks Someone Off The Ledge
The man in the hoodie was ready to jump to his death. He believed he was in Vietnam and the Viet Cong were coming after him. Little did he know, Muhammad Ali would be the one to talk him off the ledge.
When Ali heard about a man standing on the edge of a building nearby, he jumped in his car, drove over, and ran up. To the man, he yelled "You're my brother! I love you, and I couldn’t lie to you."
One Of The First Video Gaming Conventions
Any kid growing up in the 1980s would have given their left arm to witness the national Space Invaders Championship in person. This convention was put on by Atari and brought in more than 10,000 participants.
Nowadays, massive video game tournaments still bring in millions of viewers. It's practically a competitive sport.
A Woman Wears A Respirator During A Los Angeles Smog Alert
Los Angeles and the San Joaquin Valley is notorious for its smog. In 1970, the Clean Air Act was passed in America and Los Angeles needed it the most. It was the most polluted city in America.
This woman chose to drive around in a deregulated respirator rather than suffer the effects of smog, or put the convertible top up on her car.
An Airline Stewardess Examines A Showgirl's Skirt
The airline stewardess on the left must have know the 1960s would bring about a change in uniform. Here, in 1959, she stops to examine a woman showing off the possible new uniforms for the Swedish airline.
It doesn't look like she's too pleased about her new scand-lous Scandinavian uniform.
Soviet Soldiers Feed Some Of Their Rations To A Polar Bear
Soviet soldiers made a name for themselves during the Battle of Stalingrad, but this photo of one soldier fearlessly feeding a polar bear makes them even more intimidating.
This photo was taken in 1950 right at the start of the Cold War. It looks like America had a hard battle ahead of them.
Robin Williams Mimes His Way Through Central Park
This photo of the late, great comedian Robin Williams was taken in 1974, just a few years before he'd get his big break on Mork & Mindy.
Williams' miming abilities were put to the test when he had to use them to busk and make money after dropping out of Julliard.
John And Caroline Kennedy Show Off Their Halloween Costumes To Dad
We often forget that while the President of the United States might be busy doing, you know, presidential things, they are also human beings. They have families and kids.
And sometimes, those kids want to show off their Halloween costumes to dad before trick-or-treating along the West Wing.
The Inventor Of The Trampoline Tries It Out With His Kangaroo
George Nissen was a former gymnast who went on to become the inventor of the modern trampoline. Not only did he invent the trampoline, but he was also the person who crafted it into a legitimate gymnastic event.
Here, he's shown jumping on his new invention with his pet Kangaroo, Victoria.
A Captured 14-Year-Old Returns With A Chin Tattoo
Olive Ann Oatman was only 14 when she and her sister were captured by a Native American tribe. She was adopted by a Mohave chief and was given a chin tattoo to make it official.
Many believe that she was the first white American woman to have a tattoo.
Ruby Bridges Gets An Armed Guard To Escort Her Into School
On November 14, 1960, little Ruby Bridges became the first African-American to attend a white elementary school. The official call from the federal government to desegregate schools left many districts rioting.
Speaking later on in life about Ruby, the U.S. marshal escorting her said, "She showed a lot of courage. She never cried. She didn't whimper. She just marched along like a little soldier."
WWII Soldiers Use Their Gas Masks To Peel Onions
Some days of war are more eventful than others, but that doesn't mean your gear and time should go unused. These Allied soldiers from World War Two made it clear that there was more than one good use for peeling onions.
I've never been in wa,r but I've shamelessly worn ski goggles while chopping onions, so I get it.
James Dean Fuels Up His Car An Hour Before His Fatal Crash
This was the last photo captured of the 1950s heartthrob, James Dean. Here, he was fueling up his car at a gas station before taking it out on a drive.
Little did Dean, or the photographer, know was that this happy-go-lucky photo would be the last photo before the car crash that killed him.