15+ Striking Historical Shots That Bring the Past to Life

Photographers are a great help for historians: they capture the most memorable events and important facts and their images can explain the atmosphere of an entire era. But unfortunately, the most interesting pictures of the past are not shown in the history books in school. So, we decided to show you what Charlie Chaplin looked like when he was young, what the first scooter was like, and who Mark Twain was friends with.

Bright Side has found some interesting photos of the past that are full of historical value.

Apeman found in the jungles of Brazil, 1937

This picture was originally posted on Imgur and immediately went viral because there was no explanation of where the photo came from and what it means.

Leningrad during the USSR, 1970s

Cutting a sunbeam, 1886

Charlie Chaplin, 1916

The movie legend is 27 years old here.

Coca-Cola advertisement in Venice

Venice is famous for the number of pigeons there. The local authorities even prohibited the tourists to feed these birds on St. Mark’s Square because there were a lot of them. In 1960, Coca-Cola used it for their advertisement campaign: they spread the seeds so that the pigeons that flew to eat them made a giant Coca-Cola inscription.

Mark Twain in Tesla’s lab

Telsa and Twain were good friends despite the fact that the writer was 21 years older than Tesla. The famous writer spent a lot of time in his friend’s lab. Once, Twain even wanted to test Tesla’s rejuvenating electric current. The experiment didn’t end well and the writer felt sick afterward.

This photo was made in 1894. Twain is holding an experimental electronic lamp.

Girls delivering ice, 1918

In the past, the hard work that men used to do had to be done by women.

A woman riding an Autoped

An Autoped is an early version of an electric scooter that was made by a New York company Autoped Company. It was produced from 1915 to 1921.

This photo was taken in 1916.

David Bowie at the age of 16

When David was 9 years old, he wanted to become a saxophone player. And at the age of 15, he organized his own band called The Konrads.

This is the earliest of Lincoln’s portraits. It was made by Nicholas Shepherd in 1846.

Princess Elizabeth II serving in the Women’s Auxillary Territorial Service

In 1945, the future Queen served in the Women’s Auxillary Territorial Service.

A beggar catches up with the carriage of King George the V

Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and George V of the United Kingdom

Look at how similar the English King and the Russian Tsar look! The thing is, they were cousins: their mothers were sisters.

The last Thylacine on the planet

Thylacines are animals that went extinct not that long ago. This is Benjamin yawning in the zoo in 1933.

The construction of the Golden Gate Bridge

The construction of the Golden Gate Bridge took 4 years — from 1933 to 1937. It was the biggest bridge from 1937 to 1964. Now, it’s not the biggest bridge in the world but definitely the most recognized one.

Which photo impressed you the most? Tell us in the comments section below.