Skip To Content

32 Extremely Rare And Unseen Historical Pictures That Will Completely And Totally Transform The Way You Think About The Past

These are absolutely mesmerizing.

1. This is a photo of conjoined twins Violet and Daisy Hilton, pictured here in the mid-1920s. They spent most of their lives on the sideshow circuit, later suing for emancipation in the 1930s, and eventually working at a grocery store in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Two identical twins with long, curled hair stand back to back, wearing similar flowing dresses, smiling at the camera. Ornate background details

2. Violet was even briefly engaged to a musician named Maurice Lambert. They could not find a state to issue them a marriage license:

Three people in vintage attire; a man and woman share a kiss while a second woman stands beside them, smiling

3. Here's what the bottom of Manhattan looked like in 1933:

Aerial view of a smoke-filled, early 20th-century urban skyline with skyscrapers, docks, and a waterfront

4. And here's what that same part of New York City looks like today:

Aerial view of Manhattan, New York City, showcasing the dense urban skyline and surrounding waters

5. President Woodrow Wilson had notoriously poor dental health. Here you can see a rare photo of him smiling:

Smiling man wearing a flat cap and glasses

6. Here’s a look at a woman competing in the high jump from all the way back in the 1908 Olympics:

A woman in early 20th-century athletic attire performs a high kick over a rope on an empty sports field

Here's a photo of a much more recent women's high jump competition:

Athlete performing a high jump at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, clearing the bar gracefully

7. This photo shows two women being led off a beach by police in 1922 for violating a law that banned abbreviated bathing suits:

People in vintage swimwear on a crowded beach, one person helps another to walk

8. Some of the women being arrested even fought back:

1920s scene: A woman is being carried by a man towards a vehicle, with onlookers and police officers in period attire observing

9. This is apparently the first photo of Canada ever taken. It's from 1840 and is, appropriately, of Niagara Falls:

Vintage photo of Niagara Falls with water flowing over cliffs and mist in the air, seen from a distance

10. This, ladies and gentlemen, is a prototype flying car, meant to well, drive on land and fly in the sky:

Vintage flying car prototype with wings attached to a car body, flying over landscape

11. This is Millvina Dean who, until 2009, was the last living survivor of the Titanic:

Elderly woman with glasses holding a large print of the Titanic; she's wearing a black and white patterned outfit

12. Speaking of the Titanic, this is what one of the actual life vests worn that night looks like:

A person wears a historical style life vest with ropes tied in front, standing confidently with hands on hips

13. Here's what Paris looked like in the year 1900:

A historic scene of people in Victorian clothing overlooking a river with ornate bridges and distant exhibition towers

14. Speaking of neat photos, check out this aerial show of Edinborough, Scotland from 1920:

Biplane flying over a historical cityscape with a prominent castle, under dramatic cloud-filled skies

15. This is what one part of the border between Belgium and the Netherlands looks like:

House with Belgian flag on the left and Dutch flag on the right. A border line runs across the sidewalk and doorstep, dividing Belgium and Netherlands

16. Speaking of which, this picture from 1915 shows what the USA-Mexico border looked like in Arizona over 100 years ago:

Two men in early 20th-century military uniforms stand on either side of a US and Mexico border marker, each holding rifles

17. Last week, I shared some pictures of Missouri's Gateway Arch being constructed in the 1960s. Here's another picture, this time of the final piece being put into place:

Construction of the Gateway Arch in progress, with cranes at the top and workers below, as people and cars gather to watch by the waterfront

18. Here's a closer look that shows just how huge the arch actually is. You can see some tiny little people up top:

Construction workers and cranes on top of the Gateway Arch during its assembly, with partial framework visible

19. This the only picture of Abraham Lincoln's actual casket. It was lost for almost 100 years and rediscovered in the 1950s:

A historical black-and-white photo of a solemn ceremony with a casket and three statue busts on display

20. You're probably familiar with the Costa Concordia, the cruise ship that ran aground and tipped over off the coast of an Italian island...

Cruise ship partially submerged and tilted on its side near a rocky coast, with a seagull flying nearby and rescue boats in the distance

21. Well, did you ever see what it looked like AFTER it was put back upright? Check out the intense damage:

Damaged cruise ship partially submerged in water, showing extensive damage to its side. Emergency barriers float nearby

22. This, in all its glory, is a scene from a New York City Burger King in 1998. The restaraunt had a bunch of computers set up, free to use:

People seated at computer stations in a fast food restaurant with a mural depicting various foods and Wall Street

23. Okay, let's go back in time. Here's an old picture of an Inuit man teaching his young child how to use a bow:

Two Inuit individuals in traditional fur garments sitting and standing on snow, one holding a bow

24. This is Brigadier General J.C. Campbell addressing his men after capturing the bridge in the closing months of World War I:

Massive crowd of soldiers densely gathered on a hillside and an adjacent stone bridge, possibly posing or awaiting orders during a historic event

25. Speaking of World War I, here's a photo from years after the war, showing a giant crowd gathering for a moment of silence on the anniversary of the end of the war:

Large crowd gathers outside a historic bank building in an early 20th-century urban scene

26. This is Jacques Plante, who in 1959 became the first goalie to ever wear a protective face mask:

Jacques Plante, wearing a Montreal Canadiens jersey, sits in a locker room holding a hockey mask. His face shows signs of injury

27. Here's Jacques BEFORE he donned his game-changing mask:

Historic hockey game: a Boston Bruins player attempts to score against a Montreal Canadiens goalie who is defending the net. Spectators watch intently

28. This is one of the last pictures taken of President Harry S. Truman, shortly before his death in 1972:

Three elderly men in suits stand together, two holding rectangular boxes. They are in a formal room with a cane near one man. Names unknown

29. This is Civil War veteran Jacob Miller, a man who was shot right between the eyes and lived for 17 more years:

An elderly man with a long white beard, wearing a suit with a star-shaped medal pinned to his chest. Unknown identity

30. This is the first picture of a tornado ever taken:

Historic black and white photo of a tornado touching down from a stormy sky

31. During World War II, the statue of "David" by Michelangelo was completely encased in bricks to prevent damage from bombs:

David encased in bricks in the shape of a dome

32. And, finally, this is how condoms were tested in the 1930s:

Two workers inspecting a large number of expanded condoms on a factory table