Historical pictures are likely the closest thing to time travel we have so far. From family gatherings to crucial events such as human rights demonstrations, they can be revisited thanks to photographers who decided to document them.
The Instagram account “Historical Leaks” shares some of the most interesting images from different periods of the past. Their educational and often awe-inspiring content has already gathered thousands of followers and continues to grow people’s interest in history. Scroll down for the pictures and feel free to upvote your favorites.
Bored Panda has reached out to “Historical Leaks” via Instagram and will update the article once we've heard back from them.
P.S. Make sure to check out their previous Instagram account for more interesting photos.
#1 “When I Told My Father I Was Going To Marry Jake He Said, ‘If You Marry That Man You Will Never Set Foot In This House Again.’
He was horrified that I could contemplate marrying a black man, and I soon learned that most people felt the same way. The first years of our marriage living in Birmingham were hell — I cried every day, and barely ate. No one would speak to us, we couldn’t find anywhere to live because no one would rent to a black man, and we had no money. People would point at us in the street. Then I gave birth to a stillborn son at eight months. It wasn’t related to the stress I was under but it broke my heart, and we never had any more children. Now it’s very hard to comprehend the prejudice we encountered, but you have to remember that there were hardly any black people in Britain in the Forties. I met Jake when he came over during the war from Trinidad, as part of the American forces stationed at the Burtonwood base near my home in Lancashire. We didn’t even know they spoke English, but Jake and I got chatting. He quoted Shakespeare to me, which I loved. Jake returned to Trinidad, but we carried on writing to each other, and a few years later he returned to the UK to get better paid work. 'No family came to our register office wedding in 1948... I do not regret marrying him for an instant, despite all the pain we have suffered' He asked me to marry him, quite out of the blue, when I was only 19. My father threw me out, and I left with only one small suitcase to my name. No family came to our register office wedding in 1948. But gradually life became easier. I got teaching jobs, ending up as a deputy head teacher. First Jake worked in a factory, then for the Post Office. Slowly we made friends together, but it was so hard. My father died when I was 30 and although we were reconciled by then, he never did approve of Jake. Today we have been married for 63 years, and are still very much in love. I do not regret marrying him for an instant, despite all the pain we have suffered.”
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It is not only the visual representation of history in pictures that is captivating, but also the history of photography itself. It has come a long way from a box with a hole to a phone camera producing images of nearly professional quality.
You can trace the beginning of it to a thing known as Camera obscura. Translated from Latin, it means “dark room”, which is exactly what it is. The term describes a dark chamber with a small hole in one of the walls, which becomes the only source of light. The wall opposite the opening then projects an inverted image of the setting behind the hole.
Camera obscura became the foundation for a smaller, pocket-friendly version called a pinhole camera. It uses the same principle, but instead of a room, all you need is a small box with a dark-colored interior and a hole for the light to come through.
#2 The Date Was August 8, 1982. The Red Sox Were Playing An Afternoon Game At Boston's Fenway Park
Suddenly a screaming foul ball whizzed past the first base dugout and Red Sox left fielder Jim Rice heard the unmistakable sound of ball striking flesh. Looking around the corner of the dugout into the stands Rice saw 4 year old Jonathan Keane bleeding profusely from his head. Realizing in a split second that it would take several minutes for park EMT's to get to the scene, the future Hall of Famer sprang into action. Rice leaped over the railing into the stands, cradled the young fan into his arms and carried the boy into the dugout where he received immediate attention from the team's medical staff. Within just a few minutes Jonathan was rushed to the hospital where doctors credited Rice with saving the boys life. Jim Rice played the rest of the game in a blood stained uniform, a true badge of courage
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#3 In 1996, A Newborn Baby Girl Was Left In A Garbage Can Near The City Of Kolkata, India
Three friendly street dogs discovered and protected her for nearly two days, even attempting to feed the child before authorities were contacted and the young one was saved.
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A pinhole camera was later developed with the help of an angled mirror that flipped the inverted view. However, that was not yet a picture as there was no way to imprint the image.
The first photograph ever taken is attributed to the French scientist Joseph Nicéphore Niépce. He was the mastermind behind heliography, a process of using sunlight to draw. By developing the technique, J. N. Niépce was eventually able to produce an image using a pewter plate. In 1826, he took the photograph “View from the Window at Le Gras” which some consider to be the start of modern photography.
#4 In 1969, When Black Americans Were Still Prevented From Swimming Alongside Whites, Mr.rogers Decided To Invite Officer Clemmons To Join Him And Cool His Feet In A Pool, Breaking A Well-Known Color Barrier
In 1969, when black Americans were still prevented from swimming alongside whites, Mr.Rogers decided to invite Officer Clemmons to join him and cool his feet in a pool, breaking a well-known color barrier
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#5 Pictured Above Is Astronaut Leland D. Melvin's Official Nasa Portrait
When NASA astronaut Leland Melvin was assigned to a space shuttle mission in 2008, he was told he could bring his family for the official photo shoot wearing the famous orange “pumpkin suit.” They didn’t say two-legged or four-legged, and although dogs are not allowed on base at NASA, family is family. So, Melvin brought his rescue dogs Jake and Scout along with a neighbor to hold them and keep them quiet in the back of his van. “I got to the guard shack, flashed my badge, and I gunned the van and drove to the photo lab,” Melvin said. He then went up the back stairs where the photographer was waiting, went into the photo lab with 100 MilkBones to keep the dogs busy while he changed into the suit and came out. “They (the dogs) ran toward me, and I told the photographer to hold his finger on the shutter and that’s how the photo was born.” After the photo shoot, Melvin had to change and the MilkBones were gone. “The dogs started barking and a security guard came in and asked if there were dogs in there,” Melvin said. “We said, ‘No, that’s the doggy screensaver.’ ” After he changed he was able to quiet the dogs and get out of there
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J. N. Niépce continued to develop the technique with the help of a French inventor, Louis Daguerre. After Niépce’s sudden death, his colleague carried on working with heliography. Eventually, he presented an approach of his own, known as the daguerreotype process. It allowed him to produce images in physical form using a silvered copper plate and chemical reactions.
#8 A Photo From The Bush To Obama Transition, 2009
Here's an excerpt from a letter written by Barbara and Jenna Bush to Sasha and Malia. "...Sasha and Malia, here is some advice to you from two sisters who have stood where you will stand and who have lived where you will live: —Surround yourself with loyal friends. They'll protect and calm you and join in on some of the fun, and appreciate the history. —If you're traveling with your parents over Halloween, don't let it stop you from doing what you would normally do. Dress up in some imaginative, elaborate costume (if you are like us a pack of Juicy Fruit and a Vampiress) and trick-or-treat down the plane aisle. —If you ever need a hug, go find Ramsey. If you want to talk football, look for Buddy. And, if you just need a smile, look for 'Smiley.' —And, a note on White House puppies—our sweet puppy Spot was nursed on the lawn of the White House. And then of course, there's Barney, who most recently bit a reporter. Cherish your animals because sometimes you'll need the quiet comfort that only animals can provide. —Slide down the banister of the solarium, go to T-ball games, have swimming parties, and play Sardines on the White House lawn. Have fun and enjoy your childhood in such a magical place to live and play. —When your dad throws out the first pitch for the Yankees, go to the game. —In fact, go to anything and everything you possibly can: the Kennedy Center for theater, State Dinners, Christmas parties (the White House staff party is our favorite!), museum openings, arrival ceremonies, and walks around the monuments. Just go. Four years goes by so fast, so absorb it all, enjoy it all! ...Many people will think they know him, but they have no idea how he felt the day you were born, the pride he felt on your first day of school, or how much you both love being his daughters. So here is our most important piece of advice: remember who your dad really is."
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Further development of photography was pretty rapid. It only took around two hundred years to go from a box with a hole to your grandmother taking pictures with her phone. And they’re better than the professional ones in her days.
Research shows that nowadays people only take 7% of pictures with their cameras and use smartphones for 92.5%. It also unveiled that a person stores an average of 2,100 pictures on their phone.
#9 A Member Of The Harlem Hellfighters (369th Infantry Regiment) Poses For The Camera While Holding A Puppy He Saved During World War I, 1918
. The 369th Infantry Regiment, formerly known as the 15th New York National Guard Regiment and commonly referred to as the Harlem Hellfighters, was an infantry regiment of the New York Army National Guard during World War I and World War II. The Harlem Hellfighters were an African-American infantry unit in WWI who spent more time in combat than any other American unit. The regiment was nicknamed the Black Rattlers. The nickname Men of Bronze (French: Hommes de Bronze) was given to the regiment by the French and Hell-fighters (German: Höllenkämpfer) was given to them by the Germans. During WWI, the 369th spent 191 days in frontline trenches. They also suffered the most losses of any American regiment, with 1,500 casualties
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#10 During World War II, Gilbert Bradley Was In Love And Wrote Many Letters With His Loved One Who Signed His Letters With The Initial “G”
70 years later, it became known that the G it was a diminutive for Gordon. In that time homosexuality was illegal and they had to hide their relationship. In one of his letters he said: “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all our letters could be published in the future in a more enlightened time. Then all the world could see how in love we are.”
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#11 Jewish Prisoners After Being Liberated From A Train That Was Taking Them To A Concentration Camp, 1945
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Let’s go back to a time way before the smartphone era. In 1839, an inventor and, surprisingly, a dentist, Alexander S. Wolcott, reached another milestone in photography. He was the first to get a patent for a camera, which was called the Daguerreotype mirror camera. Together with his partner, John Johnson, he was also arguably the first one to open a portrait studio.
#12 Pnina Kaltman, Is The Small Girl On The Right. On The Left Is Her Sister. Against All Odds - They Both Survived The Holocaust, Along With Their Mother And Other Sister
They were the only kids who survived the war from their small village next to Chernivtsi, Ukraine. She was four years old when the war started and about 8 years old in this photo. It was taken in 1945, after the Red Army defeated the Nazis and took over their work camp in Obodivka. They survived because there was absolutely nothing their mother wouldn’t do to save their lives. Her name was Sima Perlmutter and she was a hero. Her granddaughter, @noamout said: “My grandmother has been and still is dedicating her life to tell her story to as many people as she can about this — it’s her lifelong project. She wants to make sure people never forget so that it never happens again. She wrote her testimony 16 years ago in Hebrew thinking no one would ever read it. I decided to translate her story to English as a surprise gift for her but then I realized I can do something much bigger than originally planned. Her story is now shared on countless of international Instagram pages, American publications and even going to be featured in a museum in Australia! She has absolutely no idea about any of this. I am taking screenshots of every comment, every story, any kind of mention and translating it to Hebrew. When I tell her about this, I will have fileus of people from all over the world talking about her story.”
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#13 Soldiers Paying Tribute To 8 Million Horses, Donkeys And Mules That Died During World War I, 1915
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#14 Marine Sergeant Frank Praytor Feeding An Orphaned Kitten. He Adopted The Kitten After The Mother Cat Died During The War, 1952
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As photography was gaining popularity, people all over the world found ways to develop it. They managed to minimize the time of exposure and capture movement, among other things. That is how they achieved a breakthrough in the history of motion-picture presentations.
Photographer Eadweard Muybridge took pictures of a moving horse by lining a series of cameras along its way. While trotting along, the animal would move a thread attached to each camera and release the shutter. The result was a sequence of pictures of the horse at different points of movement. However, the series received skepticism from some people. Muybridge proved them wrong by using a lantern-slide projector and showcasing the images one after the other.
#15 The Kiss Of Life - A Utility Worker Giving Mouth-To-Mouth To Co-Worker After He Contacted A High Voltage Wire, 1967
Taken in 1967 by Rocco Morabito, this photo called "The Kiss of Life" shows a utility worker named J.D. Thompson giving mouth-to-mouth to co-worker Randall G. Champion after he went unconscious following contact with a low voltage line. They had been performing routine maintenance when Champion brushed one of the low voltage lines at the very top of the utility pole. His safety harness prevented a fall, and Thompson, who had been ascending below him, quickly reached him and performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. He was unable to perform CPR given the circumstances, but continued breathing into Champion´s lungs until he felt a slight pulse, then unbluckled his harness and descended with him on his shoulder. Thompson and another worker administered CPR on the ground, and Champion was moderately revived by the time paramedics arrived, eventually making a full recovery. What´s even more incredible is Champion not only survived this thanks to Thompson, but he lived an extra 35 years. He died in 2002 at 64 years old. Thompson is still alive today.
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#16 In 1912, Jim Thorpe, A Native American, Had His Running Shoes Stolen On The Morning Of His Olympic Track And Field Event
He found this mismatched pair of shoes in the garbage and ran in them to win two Olympic gold medals that day. Thorpe was the first Native American to win a gold medal for the United States in the Olympics. Considered one of the most versatile athletes of modern sports, he won two Olympic gold medals in the 1912 Summer Olympics (one in classic pentathlon and the other in decathlon). He also played American football (collegiate and professional), professional baseball, and basketball.
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#17 Chinese Doctor Says Goodbye To His Wife Before Going To Wuhan To Help Treat Covid-19 Patients, China, 2020
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Another turning point in photography was the introduction of colored images. Auguste and Louis Lumière were among the first to start developing ways to do it in the early 20th century. However, the first color camera appeared only in 1935, when Leopold Godowsky, Jr., and Leopold Mannes invented the Kodachrome film.
#18 The Last Photo Taken Of Hachiko On March 8, 1935
Hachiko was a Japanese Akita dog remembered for his unwavering loyalty to his owner. Hachiko, was an Akita dog that belonged to a professor at the University of Tokyo. Every day he would meet his master at Shibuya Station until one day in 1925 when the professor never returned. Unbeknownst to Hachiko, his master had suffered a fatal brain hemorrhage and would never come home again. But there Hachiko sat, day after day, waiting in vain for the return of his master. The story of the dog that never gave up gained a lot of attention from local and national news, inspiring many people to visit Hachiko at Shibuya Station to offer treats. Hachiko was found dead on a street in Shibuya in 1935. His owner’s wife and station staff sit around his body, mourning the loss of the faithful companion. Years later, a statue was erected in Hachiko’s honor and a replica of the original still stands near Shibuya Station
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#20 Polish Resistance Veterans Of The Warsaw Uprising (1944), Pictures Then And Now
The Warsaw Uprising (Polish: powstanie warszawskie; German: Warschauer Aufstand) was a major World War II operation, in the summer of 1944, by the Polish underground resistance, led by the Polish resistance Home Army (Polish: Armia Krajowa), to liberate Warsaw from German occupation. The uprising was timed to coincide with the retreat of the German forces from Poland ahead of the Soviet advance. The operation failed. In the end, German troops destroyed the majority of Warsaw during and immediately after the uprising. Among the demolished buildings was the Royal Castle. The Warsaw Uprising failed because of lack of support from the Soviets and British and American unwillingness to demand that Stalin extend assistance to their Polish ally. The Soviet advance in Poland stopped on the Vistula River, within sight of fighting Warsaw. Stalin had broken off diplomatic relations with the Polish government in exile when, in the spring of 1943, it asked the International Red Cross to investigate the killing of thousands of Polish officers at Katyn. The Polish officers were prisoners of the Soviets following its 1939 invasion of Poland in collaboration with Hitler. The Soviets tried to pin the blame on the Germans and did not admit the April 1940 summary executions of at least 21,000 Polish prisoners until some 50 years after the fact.
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