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‘Lost In History’: 50 Photos That Might Change How You See The Past (New Pics)
HistoryOCT 3, 2023

‘Lost In History’: 50 Photos That Might Change How You See The Past (New Pics)

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It’s not just dusty old books that lend us insights into the past. Photography can be an incredible tool when helping us understand the context of modern history, from fashion and style trends to the technological and architectural quirks of the time. 
The ‘Lost in History’ Instagram page is a project that is dedicated to showcasing rare modern historical photos. We’ve collected some of the most impactful ones to share with you, Pandas. The odds are that these images will give you a fresh new perspective on our recent past. You’ll find them as you scroll down.

#1

‘Lost In History’: 50 Photos That Might Change How You See The Past (New Pics)
You're A 19 Year Old Kid. You Are Critically Wounded And Dying In The Jungle Somewhere In The Central Highlands Of Viet Nam . Its November 14, 1965 . Lz (Landing Zone) X-Ray. Your Unit Is Outnumbered 8-1 And The Enemy Fire Is So Intense From 100 Yards Away, That Your Co (Commanding Officer) Has Ordered The Medevac Helicopters To Stop Coming In. You're Lying There, Listening To The Enemy Machine Guns And You Know You're Not Getting Out. Your Family Is Half Way Around The World, 12,000 Miles Away, And You'll Never See Them Again. As The World Starts To Fade In And Out, You Know This Is The Day. Then - Over The Machine Gun Noise - You Faintly Hear That Sound Of A Helicopter. You Look Up To See A Huey Coming In. But.. It Doesn't Seem Real Because No Medevac Markings Are On It. Captain Ed Freeman Is Coming In For You. He's Not Medevac So It's Not His Job, But He Heard The Radio Call And Decided He's Flying His Huey Down Into The Machine Gun Fire Anyway. Even After The Medevacs Were Ordered Not To Come. He's Coming Anyway. And He Drops It In And Sits There In The Machine Gun Fire, As They Load 3 Of You At A Time On Board. Then He Flies You Up And Out Through The Gunfire To The Doctors And Nurses And Safety. And, He Kept Coming Back!! 13 More Times!! Until All The Wounded Were Out. No One Knew Until The Mission Was Over That The Captain Had Been Hit 4 Times In The Legs And Left Arm. He Took 29 Of You And Your Buddies Out That Day. Some Would Not Have Made It Without The Captain And His Huey. Medal Of Honor Recipient, Captain Ed Freeman, United States Army, Died At The Age Of 80, In Boise, Idaho. I Bet You Didn't Hear About This Hero's Passing, Medal Of Honor Winner Captain Ed Freeman
372points

#2 A Victorian Couple Trying Not To Laugh While Getting Their Portraits Done, 1890s

A Victorian Couple Trying Not To Laugh While Getting Their Portraits Done, 1890s
273points

#3

‘Lost In History’: 50 Photos That Might Change How You See The Past (New Pics)
In 1922, A Group Of Scientists Went To The Toronto General Hospital Where Diabetic Children Were Kept In Wards, Often 50 Or More At A Time. Most Of Them Were Comatose And Dying From Diabetic Keto-Acidosis. Others Were Being Treated By Being Placed On An Extremely Strict Diet, Which Inevitably LED To Starvation. These Children Were Essentially In Their Death Beds, Awaiting What Was At That Time, Certain Death. The Scientists Moved Swiftly And Proceeded To Inject The Children With A New Purified Extract Of Insulin. As They Began To Inject The Last Comatose Child, The First One To Be Injected Began To Wake Up. Then One By One, All The Children Awoke From Their Diabetic Comas. A Room That Was Full Of Death And Gloom, Suddenly Became A Place Of Joy And Hope. In The Early 1920s, Frederick Banting And Charles Best Discovered Insulin Under John Macleod At The University Of Toronto. With The Help Of James Collip, Insulin Was Purified, Making It Available To Successfully Treat Diabetes. Both Banting And Macleod Earned Nobel Prizes For Their Work In 1923. In The Same Year, Banting, Collip, And Best Decided To Sell The Insulin Patent To The University Of Toronto For $1. Banting Famously Went On To Say, “Insulin Does Not Belong To Me, It Belongs To The World.”
256points

At the time of writing, the ‘Lost in History’ social media project had 60.6k followers on its Instagram page. According to the founder of the page, the account focuses on sharing “the wonderful” fashion, makeup, people, and culture of the 20th century.

And it has been doing so since June 2016, when it was founded. However, the project also sometimes also features interesting photos from the 19th and 21st centuries as well.

#4

‘Lost In History’: 50 Photos That Might Change How You See The Past (New Pics)
During Military Training In Ww2, Gilbert Bradley Was In Love And Exchanged Hundreds Of Letters With His Sweetheart Who Would Only Sign The Letters With The Initial "G". 70 Years Later, When The Letters Were Transcribed, It Was Discovered That G Actually Stood For Gordon. Gilbert Had Been In Love With A Man. They Had To Keep Their Relationship A Secret Because Homosexuality Was Illegal At The Time And A Soldier Could Get Even Get Shot For Engaging In Homosexual Behavior. In One Of Their Letters Contained The Lines: "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."
254points

#5 Married Couple Mildred And Richard Loving Answer Questions At A Press Conference The Day After The Us Supreme Court Ruled In Their Favor In Loving V. Virginia. June 13, 1967

Married Couple Mildred And Richard Loving Answer Questions At A Press Conference The Day After The Us Supreme Court Ruled In Their Favor In Loving V. Virginia. June 13, 1967
247points

#6 Members Of The Owls, A Black Women’s Softball Team In The 1930s

Members Of The Owls, A Black Women’s Softball Team In The 1930s
233points

The images that are shared on the account are a gorgeous mix of black-and-white snaps and color photography. Through them, the curator of the page doesn’t just document what life was like back then. They also show how photography advanced and changed as an art form during the past century.

#7 Us Athlete Jesse Owens Salutes During The Presentation Of His Gold Medal For The Long Jump After Defeating Nazi Germany’s Lutz Long During The 1936 Summer Olympics In Berlin

Us Athlete Jesse Owens Salutes During The Presentation Of His Gold Medal For The Long Jump After Defeating Nazi Germany’s Lutz Long During The 1936 Summer Olympics In Berlin
232points

#8 Cats That Sailed On Ships Until The Mid-20th Century To Catch Rodents Had Passports Signed With Their Paw Prints

Cats That Sailed On Ships Until The Mid-20th Century To Catch Rodents Had Passports Signed With Their Paw Prints
231points

#9 "There's No Hogwarts Without You, Hagrid." Rest In Peace Robbie Coltrane, Thank You For Being Part Of Something So Special

"There's No Hogwarts Without You, Hagrid."  Rest In Peace Robbie Coltrane, Thank You For Being Part Of Something So Special
229points

Recent advances in technology mean that many of us have a smartphone with a powerful camera sitting in our pockets. This has made photography a very approachable form of art, when compared to two centuries ago.

However, despite this, some photographers—professionals and amateurs alike—still choose to take pictures the ‘old-fashioned’ way, with film.

#10 Insane To Think Charles Darwin And Steve Irwin Both Owned The Same Turtoise

Insane To Think Charles Darwin And Steve Irwin Both Owned The Same Turtoise
227points

#11 A Little Boy Has A Surprise For His Girlfriend.. :)

A Little Boy Has A Surprise For His Girlfriend.. :)
227points

#12 1938

1938
226points

“Film cameras offer a more hands-on and in-depth approach,” professional photographer Dominic Sberna, from Ohio, shared his thoughts about old-school photography with Bored Panda during an interview earlier. 

“Film cameras offer a more hands-on and in-depth approach,” he explained to us.

#13 Cheri, A Great Dane Puppy, In Deep Sleep Moments After Stealing 5 Lbs Of Ham Off The Kitchen Counter, 1953

Cheri, A Great Dane Puppy, In Deep Sleep Moments After Stealing 5 Lbs Of Ham Off The Kitchen Counter, 1953
219points

#14 Life Magazine, July 25, 1949

Life Magazine, July 25, 1949
198points

#15 1953: Cairo Mary, A Bouncer At Shanghai Reds (5th And Beacon In San Pedro) Escorts A Customer To The Door

1953: Cairo Mary, A Bouncer At Shanghai Reds (5th And Beacon In San Pedro) Escorts A Customer To The Door
192points

"Sure, it [film photography] won't be used commercially, but artists will always find a way to keep a medium alive and I think that's great," Sberna said.

According to the expert, photographers should focus on what they genuinely want to do, when it comes to their work and how they share it with others, instead of bowing to social pressure.

#16 Sharpshooter, Annie Oakley Shooting Over Her Shoulder Using A Hand Mirror, 1899

Sharpshooter, Annie Oakley Shooting Over Her Shoulder Using A Hand Mirror, 1899
191points

#17 A Girl And Her Kitten, 1931

A Girl And Her Kitten, 1931
191points

#18 Marilyn Monroe, 1939

Marilyn Monroe, 1939
185points

"Just do your thing. If you want to share your work, share your work. If not, keep it to yourself," he said that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. "I went to high school with a great photographer whose work I rarely saw. He didn't have any interest in sharing things on social media or online. At the end of the day, you need to do what you're comfortable with and what's best for you and your situation. If your goal is to show your work to a wider audience, over time you will get there by creating a following,” he urged photographers to do what’s right for them.

#19 Film Actress Fay Webb With Her Pet Goose, Which Is Wearing An Attractive Pair Of Glasses, 1925

Film Actress Fay Webb With Her Pet Goose, Which Is Wearing An Attractive Pair Of Glasses, 1925
182points

#20 Carrie Fisher On Vacation In Europe, 1971

Carrie Fisher On Vacation In Europe, 1971
176points
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