Some photographs are so powerful that you no longer need to read the caption to learn their backstory. The image in itself is captivating enough to inspire you to create your own narratives.
This is especially true with historical pictures, as seen in this list. These mesmerizing snapshots are from the UtterlyUniquePhotos subreddit. With nearly 200,000 members, this online community thrives in the nostalgia that never fails to grab attention.
As always, we’ve collected the photos that stood out most. Scroll through and enjoy your trip down memory lane.
#1 This Is Judith Love Cohen, She Helped Create The Abort-Guidance System Which Rescued The Apollo 13 Astronauts. Judith Went Into Labour And Took A Printout Of The Problem She Was Working On To The Hospital, Solved The Problem, Called Her Boss, And Then Gave Birth To Jack Black
#2 May 1946, Albert Einstein Defied The Prevailing Racial Climate At The Time To Visit And Lecture At Lincoln University In Pennsylvania, The First Degree-Granting Black College In The Us
#3 Camberley Kate, And Her Stray Dogs In England. She Never Turned A Stray Dog Away, Taking Care Of More Than 600 Dogs In Her Lifetime. (1962)
Many of the pictures on this are likely the work of a photojournalist. In a nutshell, photojournalism involves using images to convey a story. The practice began during the American Civil War in the 1860s when photographs accompanied news reports.
But photojournalism didn’t enter its golden age until the 1920s. Around this time, smaller cameras began entering the scene after being invented in Germany in 1925.
#4 In 1963, Richard Avedon Took A Picture Of A Man Named William Casby. William Casby, Born In 1857, Was 106 Years Old At The Time. In His Hands, He Was Holding His Great-Great-Granddaughter, Cherri Stamps-Mccray
#5 After Astronomical Calculations And A 3-Year Wait For The Right Moment, Photographer Leonardo Sens Took This Photo
#6 Eric Idle And George Harrison On The Set Of ‘The Life Of Brian’ – Tunisia, 1978. The Film Had It’s Funding Pulled Just Before Filming So The Ex-Beatle Paid For It, Calling It “The Most Expensive Cinema Ticket Ever Issued”
What sets a photojournalist apart from a photographer is their code of ethics. Images must convey the truth and tell all sides of the story, regardless of how unpleasant or graphic they can get.
Likewise, time is of the essence. Photojournalists must feature subjects currently talked about in the world or among a group of people.
#7 A 20 Year Old Helen Mirren In A Production Of ‘Cleopatra’ At The Old Vic London (1965)
#8 President Jimmy Carter Enjoying Some Muddy Waters At A White House Picnic In 1978
#9 Robin Williams And His Old Roommate From The Julliard School, Christopher Reeve. Photographed Circa 1977
Photography, on the other hand, is a form of self-expression. A photographer’s primary goal is to showcase the human condition in its rawest form, as seen in many of the pictures on this list.
That raises the question, is photography an art form? According to Adobe Research Principal Scientist Aaron Hertzmann, there have been debates about it. As he explains in an article for Medium, artists like painters initially saw photography as a “threat to ‘real art.’”
#10 Mary Vincent Photographed In 1978. 15yo Mary Survived Being Assaulted, Having Her Arms Cut Off With An Axe By Her Attacker, Being Thrown Down A 30 Ft Cliff And Left For Dead. She Packed The Stumps With Mud And Climbed Back Up, Walked 3 Miles Naked In Search Of Help. I’ve Linked To Her Story Below
#11 13-Year-Old Dolly Parton Just Hours Before She Made Her Grand Ole Opry Debut Singing George Jones’ “You Gotta Be My Baby.”
#12 Dorothy Counts – The First Black Girl To Attend An All White School In The United States – Being Teased And Taunted By Her White Male Peers At Charlotte’s Harry Harding High School, 1957
Eventually, artists like the great Vincent Van Gogh learned to accept photography as a supplement to art. However, they believe an artist can capture something a camera cannot.
“Van Gogh and many other artists of their generation viewed realism as the job of photography,” Hertzmann wrote. “And the goal of the real artist was to find a way to go beyond realism—to do something that cameras could not do.”
#13 A Mother And Daughter Hamming It Up For The Camera, Ca 1900
#14 You May Be Cool, But You’ll Never Be As Cool As Paul Newman In 1981
#15 A French Man Reacts To Trying Coca-Cola For The First Time, 1950s
What about you, dear readers? Which of these photos captured your attention the most and why? What is it about them that drew you in? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
#16 Robin Williams Enjoying Video Games At Home In 1993
#17 Thathlo Harjo. Born In 1791. He Fought In Two Seminole Wars. Was Relocated To Indian Territory In 1842. Joined 1st Regiment In 1861. After The War He Settled In What Is Now Seminole County Oklahoma. He Saw Men Fight With Muskets And People Driving Automobiles. He Died In 1904 At 113 Years Old
#18 A Stunning Marilyn Monroe Free From Makeup, 1955
#19 Anne Frank Photographed With Her Sister Margot At The Beach In Zandvoort, Netherlands, In 1940
#20 Dan Aykroyd Leads The Funeral Procession Of His Friend, John Belushi. March 10th 1982
#21 Paul Mccartney Buying A Newspaper From St John’s Wood Station, The Day After John Lennon Was Killed. Taken By Linda From Their Car
#22 George Harrison And Stevie Nicks, 1978
#23 Me And My Us Gi Dad ..vietnam 1970
#24 A Man Poses For A Photo In-Front Of Soyuz Rocket, (1980s), Baikonur, Kazakh Ssr. Photographer Unknown
#25 July 16, 1918. “Alex, A 14 Year Old Working Boy In St. Etienne, France, Was Found Intently Studying The Playground Exhibit At The Children’s Welfare Exposition Of The American Red Cross. He Has Been Working Since 11 Years Of Age
#26 Elvis Presley And Cissy Houston (Whitney Houston’s Mother), 1969
#27 Aerial Photograph Taken Of Manhattan, New York City Ca. 1939
#28 Pure Sass.this Photograph Was Taken In The 40′s In Yakima, Washington
#29 Lesbian Couple At Le Monocle, Paris, 1932
#30 1978: Youth With A Stone During A Riot At The Top Of Leeson Street, West Belfast, Ireland
#31 The Tomb Of Marie Curie, Located In The Pantheon In Paris, Is Encased With Three Centimeters Of Lead To Shield Visitors From Radiation, As Her Remains Continue To Emit Radioactive Particles
#32 Young Fdr Jr. In 1937 At Age 23
#33 The Seal Of Tutankhamun’s Tomb Before It Was Opened In 1923, It Was Unbroken For Over 3000 Years
#34 Amy Peterson Inspecting Champagne Bottles While Wearing A Steel Mesh Mask. The Picture Was Taken In 1933
#35 The Niagara Falls L Without Water, 1969
#36 Luigi Lineri, The Italian Collector Who Gathers And Chategorizes Stones From The Adige River In Northern Italy For Over 50 Years
#37 Buford Pusser Holds A Pair Of Autographed Sticks On Aug. 1, 1963. Pusser Endured Numerous Attacks As Sheriff, Surviving Multiple Assassination Attempts, Including Being Stabbed Seven Times, Shot Eight Times, And Even Run Over By A Car, All While Relentlessly Pursuing Justice In Mcnairy County
#38 Rosie Dorothy Berdych, A 7 Year Old Oyster Shucker, Works All Day At The Varn & Platt Canning Co. Bluffton, South Carolina 1913. (Photo By Lewis Hine, American Sociologist/Muckraker)
#39 An 18 Year Old Diana Spencer Whilst Working As Nanny Taking Her Charge For A Walk, 1979
#40 1980, John Lennon Signing An Autograph For His M****rer
#41 Wyatt Earp Photographed At Home In Los Angeles, 1923. His Final Years Proved To Be Just As Intriguing As His Life In The Wild West
#42 Laura Belle Devlin After Her Arrest In 1947 For M***ering And Dismembering Her 75-Year-Old Husband With A Hacksaw, Throwing Some Of His Body Parts In The Wood Stove And The Rest In Their Backyard In Newark, Ohio
#43 1976 Photo From The Restaurant Windows On The World, Which Sat Atop New York City’s World Trade Center’s North Tower
#44 The Old Cincinnati Library Before Being Demolished, 1874-1955
#45 Thought To Be The Last Photo Of Anne Frank, Taken While She Leaning Over The Balcony Of Her Apartment In 1941
#46 Mobsters Hiding Their Faces At Al Capone’s Trial, Chicago, 1931
#47 Two Kids Find A 1974 Ferrari Dino Buried In Their Backyard, 1978
#48 My Grandmother And Her Friend, 1940s
#49 Ann Thomas, Tina Turner And A Lucky Fan Backstage In 1965
#50 Bill Murray At The Funeral Of Elvis, 1977
#51 A Lady Preparing Gravy In The Kitchen, Missouri, 1938
#52 Houston Police Officers Stand Outside The House In Clear Lake City, Where Andrea Yates Drowned Her 5 Children. June 2001
#53 Satchel Paige At His Final Pro Baseball Game In Which He Pitched 3 Scoreless Innings For The Kansas City A’s In 1965 At The Age Of 59. An Easy Chair And A Nurse Were Provided In The Bullpen
#54 Liberace Being Seen Off To France By A Fan In The 1950s. I Bet Those ‘French Gals’ Kept Him Busy!
#55 Princess Diana Look-Alike Contest In Washington D.c., 1985
#56 A Beer Vendor At Wrigley Field In 1975
#57 One Of The Last Photos Of Charlie Chaplin Taken In 1977
#58 This Photograph, Taken By Andrew Mcauley During His Attempt To Kayak 991 Miles Across The Tasman Sea From Australia To New Zealand, Captures One Of His Final Moments. He Vanished At Sea, And His Kayak Was Later Found 30 Miles From His Intended Destination. His Story Is Linked Below
#59 Krystal The Waitress, 1964
#60 Kids Dressed For Halloween On A School Bus, 1980s
#61 As It Is His Birthday, Steve Irwin Feeding Croc Whilst Holding A Baby
#62 An Iconic Photograph Of The Notorious Crime Duo Bonnie And Clyde Sharing A Kiss, Shortly Before They Were K***ed In A Shower Of Gunfire In May 1934, During A Police Ambush
#63 Elvis Dad And Grandma At Breakfast In 1959
#64 A Rare Photo From Saddam Hussein’s Engagement Day In 1963
#65 The Toilet At NYC Club Cbgb – By Chris Stein
#66 Frank Lucas Outside Madison Square Garden Before The Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier Fight In 1971. It Was This $50,000 Chinchilla Coat And $10,000 Matching Hat That Piqued The Interest Of The FBI
#67 Betty Brosmer, 1950s
#68 The Moment Of The Execution Of Nicolae And Elena Ceaușescu, 25 December 1989, Târgoviște, Romania
#69 Jack Gilbert Graham – The Man Who Blew Up United Airlines Flight 629 In November 1955. His Main Target Was His Mother. 43 More People Died On That Flight. He Was Executed In The Gas Chamber In 1957
