#1 In May 1944, 23-Year-Old Phyllis Latour Jumped Out Of A Us Air Force Bomber And Parachuted Into Occupied Normandy, France
Phyllis had been trained by the British Special Operations Executive (SOE). She learned how to send secret messages in Morse code, how to fix wireless radios, and how to spy without being caught. She also went through tough physical training in the Scottish highlands. One of her trainers was a former cat burglar, who taught her how to climb walls and sneak around without leaving a trace. Phyllis wanted to get revenge on the Nazis who had k****d her godfather.
Her mission was dangerous. Years later, Phyllis said, “The men who had been sent before me were caught and k****d. I was chosen because I would be less suspicious.” She would ride a bicycle through the region, pretending to sell soap, and secretly pass messages to the British about German locations. She acted like a silly country girl, chatting with German soldiers to avoid raising suspicion. She moved from place to place to stay hidden and often slept in forests, finding her own food.
Phyllis also came up with a clever way to hide her secret codes. She wrote them on a piece of silk and pricked it with a pin each time she used a code. She kept it hidden inside a hair tie. Once, when the Germans briefly detained her and searched her, she took out the hair tie and let her hair fall, showing she had nothing to hide. In the summer of 1944, Phyllis sent 135 coded messages, helping Allied bombers find German targets.
After the war, Phyllis married and moved to New Zealand, where she raised four children. Her children didn’t know about her wartime service until 2000, when her oldest son found out online. In 2014, on the 70th anniversary of D-Day, the French government honored her with the Chevalier of the Legion of Honour. This hero passed on October 7, 2023. May she rest In peace....
#2 Phillis Wheatley Was The First African-American Writer To Publish A Book In The United States
"She is seven years old! She will make a good mare!"
She was groped, n@ked, by many hands.
At thirteen, she was already writing poetry in a language that was not her own. No one believed that she was the author. At twenty, Phillis was questioned by a tribunal of eighteen distinguished gentlemen in robes and wigs.
She had to recite texts from Virgil and Milton and some passages from the Bible, and she also had to swear that the poems she had written were not plagiarized. Sitting on a chair, she endured her long examination, until the tribunal accepted her: she was a woman, she was black, she was a slave, but she was a poet.
Phillis Wheatley was the first African-American writer to publish a book in the United States.
#3 How Rare To Find A Photo Of Any Victorian-Era Woman Smiling, Much Less An American Indian Woman Smiling. But This Happy Navajo Woman Obviously Loved Her Life
There are different ways people engage with history. Most Americans do so in the form of TV shows. A whopping 83% of Americans say they watch shows with historical content sometimes or very often, according to a national 2019 survey. Fifty-nine percent also learn new things about the past by researching history topics online, either often or at least sometimes.
Interestingly, there's also a gender divide in how much people like historical content. The 2019 survey showed that 50% of American men and only 42% of women watch shows with historical content. Other folks wish they paid more attention in history class, as 43% say they'd like to have studied history more while in school.
#5
A grandmother gave the new bride the following recipe:
This is an exact copy as written and found in an old scrapbook, spelling errors and all.
WARSHING CLOTHES
Build fire in backyard to heat kettle of rain water. Set tubs so smoke wont blow in eyes if wind is pert.
Shave one hole cake of lie soap in boilin water.
Sort things, make 3 piles
1 pile white,
1 pile colored,
1 pile work britches and rags.
To make starch, stir flour in cool water to smooth, then thin down with boiling water.
Take white things, rub dirty spots on board, scrub hard and boil, then rub colored don't boil just wrench and starch.
Take things out of kettle with broom stick handle, then wrench, and starch.
Hang old rags on fence.
Spread tea towels on grass.
Pore wrench water in flower bed. Scrub porch with hot soapy water.
Turn tubs upside down.
Go put on clean dress, smooth hair with hair combs. Brew cup of tea, sit and rock a spell and count your blessings.
The effects of learning history may be different depending upon which country you're curious about. For some, learning more about your country's history may have the reverse effect: upon learning certain things, you might feel deterred from looking any more into history.
The Brits are quite a good example. Just last year, many Britons admitted they're not as proud of their country's history as they once were. The British Social Attitudes survey found that pride in Britain's history has fallen from 86% to 64%, marking a rise of skepticism about Britain's imperialist past.
#7 An East German Soldier Defying Orders To Help A Child Return To His Family After He Was Separated From Them When The Newly Erected Berlin Wall Was Built, 1961
#8 These Are Believed To Be The First Ever Lesbian Self-Portraits Which Were Taken In 1910. Photo Booths Were How Most Of The Earliest Forms Of Queer Visual Documentation Started. It Was The Only Way They Could Capture A Photo In Total Secrecy Since There Was No Need For A Third Party Taking The Picture
#9 This 1926 Portrait Captures Ezylphia Mary Watt Flynn At The Age Of 101
Ezylphia’s husband, Richard, was well-known for his courageous efforts in running the Underground Railroad route from Chattanooga through Flynn's Cove to Kentucky. Together, they provided shelter, support, and guidance to freedom seekers in their home. While Richard led the operations, Ezylphia was a key partner in the cause, offering both practical and emotional support to those in need. Their home in Flynn's Cove became a vital refuge for those escaping slavery, and their family became an integral part of this crucial network.
This photograph of Ezylphia, taken near the end of her life, serves as a tribute to her extraordinary legacy. Living through the Civil War and the post-war years, she witnessed the end of slavery and the continued struggle for civil rights. Ezylphia’s story is one of resilience, compassion, and quiet bravery, and this image stands as a powerful reminder of her invaluable contributions to one of America’s most important social movements.
But let's explore some of the stories shared here by the history buffs from Antique Historical Photographs, shall we?
Like the story of the four Hunter brothers who spent 23 days in an airplane without landing. In the photograph, you can see one of the brothers doing repairs mid-flight. The brothers actually had to make quite a lot of repairs:
- oiling engine parts;
- replacing aircraft pieces;
- changing spark plugs;
- and adjusting engine bolts.
After a week in the air, brothers Albert and Walter had to fly in to supply fuel every three hours, since one of the plane's fuel tanks started leaking. However, the brothers persevered and set a new world record for a non-stop flight.
#10 Micheline Fajgenbaum, A French Jewish Girl, Was Born In Paris. She Was Deported To Auschwitz From Pithiviers On 7 August 1942 And Did Not Survive
#11 The Lost Era Of Snow Rollers: Packing Roads For Sleighs
#12 A Young Man From The Lower East Side, New York City, Photo By Rebecca Lepkoff, 1948
Any sort of photos from old Hollywood look cool. But when they have black felines in them, they look even cooler. In 1961, auditions were held for a role in a movie based on Edgar Allen Poe's short story "The Black Cat." The movie appeared in a horror compilation "Tales of Terror," and a black cat was one of the main characters in the film.
Hollywood auditioned exactly 152 cats and disqualified several who had white noses or paws. It turns out that the role was already filled by "a well-known professional cat," but they still hired seven other lucky ones from the auditions as understudies.
#14 Waterloo Bridge: A Testament To The Women Who Built I
If you've ever wondered how people got their mail in the past, here's your answer: it would be delivered by mailmen on horses. There was even a "Pony Express," a U.S. express mail service from April 3, 1860, to Oct. 26, 1861. The post preferred to hire orphans, and the workers had to swear on the Bible that they would not curse or hurt their horses.
#17 A Pair Of Housewives, Who Would Have Lived Inside The Tower's Walls Along With Their Husbands, Are Pictured Drying The Yeomen's Washing At The Foot Of One Of The Battlements
#18 In 1947, Norwegian Adventurer Thor Heyerdahl Came Ashore In French Polynesia. He'd Sailed All The Way Across The Pacific, Setting Out From Peru By Himself On A 4,300-Mile Journey — In A Homemade Raft Made Only With Balsa Logs And Hemp Rope
The Tower of London is a popular tourist attraction, but it also has permanent residents. It's like a tiny city of its own! There's a doctor, a chaplain, and even a pub. The residents inside the Tower are the legendary guardians Yeomen Warders, their families, and the Resident Governor.
#19 A Female Firefighting Team On A Converted Motorcycle In London, 1932
#20 A Romani Family Pose For A Picture. 1926. Two Young Girls Sitting, One With A Fox On Her Lap
