In 1954, Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio were on their honeymoon in Tokyo, Japan, when Marilyn received an invitation from General John E. Hull’s Far East command to entertain the U.S. troops stationed in war torn Korea. Joe objected to her going to Korea at that time because he feared for her safety. She was going to do some of her shows very close to the front lines, which was still a very dangerous place at that time, but she said it was ”the least she could do.”
How cool is this? You’re looking at the intact seal on the tomb of Tutankhamen, in 1922. It was left untouched for 3,245 years. It’s believed that during the construction of the tomb of Ra Meses VI, the workmen dug out rock and stone from the cliff face and deposited it in an area which was in fact on top of the tomb of Tut Ankh Amun. From that time forward, no one thought to dig in this area.
A kiss is just a kiss. Or is it? Usually when we say goodbye to our loved ones, we are saying goodbye for a day or a short period of time. But these couples were being broken up by wartime, and had no idea if they would ever see each other again. War tore so many families apart, and cameras captured the potential last moments these lovers would ever spend together. Because while some came home from war, others weren’t so lucky.
You know the Golden Gate Bridge, but do you know when it was built? That wouldn’t be until 1933. It was in 1935 that an architect on the project proposed it be painted an orange color that would go well with its surroundings. In 1936, the two sides of the bridge met in the middle. And sadly, eleven workers lost their lives during construction, all but one of them in a single accident shortly before the bridge opened.
Airplane food doesn’t exactly have a great reputation. In fact, it’s rare that you even get more than a bag of pretzels and some ginger ale unless you’re fancy up in first class. But that wasn’t always the case, as you can see from this veritable buffet on a Scandinavian flight. Soups, cold cuts, breads, desserts — you name it, you got it — all served by a stewardess thousands of feet up in the air.
While it might sound a little bit dark, some people are so evil that their death is cause for celebration. That was the case when Joseph Stalin finally kicked the bucket. The Great Famine in the Ukraine that killed millions of people was thought to be planned by Stalin as a way to eliminate a Ukrainian independence movement. So when he died, free borsht for all!
Who wants to have class outside? Open air schools or schools of the woods were purpose-built educational institutions for children designed to prevent and combat the widespread rise of tuberculosis that was happening in the time leading up to the Second World War. The thought was that fresh air, good ventilation, and exposure to the outside contributed to improved health. Who can argue with that?
We now have powerful marches full of women fighting for equal rights and respect, but it wasn’t always that common. But in 1979, more than 100,000 women gathered on the streets of the Iranian capital to protest against the new Islamic government’s compulsory hijab ruling, which meant that women would be required to wear a headscarf when away from home. The protest was held on International Women’s Day, and women from all walks of life marched loud and proud.
This 1945 image, held by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, shows the faces of German POWs, captured by Americans, watching a film about a concentration camp. As part of something that was meant to purge Germany of the remnants of Nazi rule and rebuild its civil society, infrastructure, and economy, “forced confrontation” brought Germans face-to-face with the worst works of the Third Reich.
Here you see African American track star Jesse Owens winning his fourth gold medal at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. His relay team set a new world record of 39.8 seconds, which held for 20 years. Owens also became the first American to win four track and field gold medals at a single Olympics (100m, 200m, 4x100m relay and long jump), a record that stood unbroken for 48 years.
This is just craziness. You’re looking at 17-year-old extreme right-wing student Otoya Yamaguchi killing the socialist politician Inejiro Asanuma with a sword during a speech in Tokyo in 1960. Yamaguchi was member of a right-wing ultranationalist Japanese group. Inejiro Asanuma was leader of the socialist party in Japan. Let’s just say that had different political views and their meeting didn’t end well.
I can’t even imagine knowing that your loved one was orbiting around in space, but that was the case for the families of the crew of Apollo 8. On Dec. 21, 1968, Apollo 8 and its astronauts — Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders — launched into space and over the course of their mission, became the first people to orbit the moon. And when their families finally heard their voices from orbit? Relief.
The settlement of Deadwood began illegally in the 1870s on land which had been granted to American Indians in the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie. In late 1876, General George Crook pursued the Sioux Indians from the Battle of Little Big Horn on an expedition that ended in Deadwood and is known as the Horsemeat March. Long story short, it wasn’t that pleasant there.
Here Technical Sergeant William E Thomas and Private First Class Joseph Jackson of the 333rd Field Artillery Battalion show off their Easter eggs for Adolph Hitler during the Battle of Remagen in 1945. Three months earlier, 11 members of this unit were among the 84 American POWs murdered in the Malmedy massacre. The 11 black troops had sought shelter in the Belgian town of Wereth after being overrun during the Battle of the Bulge.
Can you even imagine if alcohol was banned in society today? With that in mind, you can understand why people were celebrating on December 5, 1933 when prohibition was repealed. Of course it’s not like the country was completely dry during that period, as people continued to produce and drink alcohol, and bootlegging helped foster a massive industry under the control of organized crime. But still, cheers to legality!