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50 Weird History Pics That May Change How You See The Past
History,CuriositiesAUG 28, 2025

50 Weird History Pics That May Change How You See The Past

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Did you know that on September 10, 1970, there was a Miss American Vampire pageant in Los Angeles? Organized as part of a promotional campaign for the television series Dark Shadows, it elected actress and activist Sacheen Littlefeather as the winner. You might recognize her as the woman who declined Marlon Brando's Oscar on his behalf at the 1973 Academy Awards.
Yet, she wasn't the one who was crowned Miss American Vampire. What really happened? Well, it's up to you to find out, as you scroll down this list of historical pics. We've rounded up the most interesting ones from the Instagram page "Ethereal Fields," and present to you here those we think you might not have seen yet before.
More info: Instagram

#1 Dutch Boys Ride The Freedom Train After Liberation From Germany. 1945

Dutch Boys Ride The Freedom Train After Liberation From Germany. 1945
40points

#2 Eartha Kitt With Kitties, 1952

Eartha Kitt With Kitties, 1952
37points

#3 Leningrad Region, Commuter Train, 1993

Leningrad Region, Commuter Train, 1993
36points

So, what really happened with the Miss Vampire America pageant in 1970? As Sacheen Littlefeather didn't come to LA to collect her win, the winner of the New Jersey regional, Christine Domaniecki, was declared winner instead. And it's the photo of her you can find on this list and the "Ethereal Fields" Instagram page.

The contest was meant to promote a new movie in the Dark Shadows franchise, House of Dark Shadows. As was promised, Domaniecki won a week's guest spot on the Dark Shadows TV series. 

The next year, the show's producers, in anticipation for another film Night of Dark Shadows, organized a Miss Ghost America pageant. However, since the prize was an appearance on the game show The Dating Game, the number of participants declined significantly.

#4 Tram 58 At Zugliget, Budapest, 1940

Tram 58 At Zugliget, Budapest, 1940
34points

#5 Anita Ekberg Threatening A Paparazzi With Her Bow And Arrow, 1960

Anita Ekberg Threatening A Paparazzi With Her Bow And Arrow, 1960
33points

#6 The Spanish Civil War

The Spanish Civil War
30points

The photograph of actress Anita Ekberg threatening a paparazzi might be a cool shot on its own, but it's even cooler when we consider the context and implications of that moment.

This shot was taken by photographer and 'king of paparazzi' Felice Quinto in Rome. He allegedly snapped a photo of Ekberg and a married movie producer kissing, prompting the actress to come out of her villa with a bow and arrow.

Quinto and another paparazzo didn't know that Ekberg was training for a role in The Mongols, and could shoot quite well. "We were getting on our motorbikes to leave, when Anita came running out of the house with a bow and arrow in her hand," he said later. 

In 1997, Quinto told ABC News that Ekberg struck his left arm and the other paparazzo's back a couple of times that night. Perhaps other celebrities ought to try this the next time modern paparazzi invade their privacy?

#7 A Woman Moving To Another Village Takes With Her The Bones Of Her Dead Son

A Woman Moving To Another Village Takes With Her The Bones Of Her Dead Son
30points

#8 Spanish Archaeologist Manuel Esteve Wearing The Corinthian Helmet He Had Found - 1938

Spanish Archaeologist Manuel Esteve Wearing The Corinthian Helmet He Had Found -  1938
29points

#9 Miss American Vampire Pageant, 1970

Miss American Vampire Pageant, 1970
29points

The photograph of the 1971 Munich hostage crisis definitely looks sinister, but some experts say that it changed the way the world thinks about t*******m forever. Four members of Black September, a Palestine Liberation Organization, took Israeli athletes hostage at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.

As Dr. Ronit Berger Hobson explained to NPR, governments created new special forces to respond and deter hostage situations and attacks. Most never had them before, and these included West Germany, France, the U.K., and the U.S. 

The Olympics games were also changed forever: security budgets for subsequent games increased dramatically. The 1976 Montreal Olympics, for example, spent 50 times more, and China dedicated $6.5 billion on security alone for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

#10 Marvin Koner, A Nun Watches Orphaned Children Sleep, 1940

Marvin Koner, A Nun Watches Orphaned Children Sleep, 1940
29points

#11 Visited The Latvian Museum Of Medical History

Visited The Latvian Museum Of Medical History
28points

#12 Notre-Dame By Marc Riboud, 1952

Notre-Dame By Marc Riboud, 1952
25points

The motto for most people on the Internet should be: check every source thrice. The case of the supposed photo of Mongolian Queen Genepil is a good lesson in how misinformation can spread online like wildfire.

The "Ethereal Fields" page notes that the picture they're featuring is not of Genepil, but rather of an unknown Mongolian noblewoman. Yet when it first started spreading online, it still made its way quickly through Facebook, Reddit, Twitter, and even Wikipedia.

#13 The Hungarian Revolution Of 1956

The Hungarian Revolution Of 1956
25points

#14 Croatian/Bosniak Traditional Tattoos

Croatian/Bosniak Traditional Tattoos
24points

#15 Palamar With The Trinity. 1970s The Village Of Kryvorivnia, Ivano-Frankivsk Region, Ukraine

Palamar With The Trinity. 1970s The Village Of Kryvorivnia, Ivano-Frankivsk Region, Ukraine
24points

The news agency AFP fact-checked this photograph with the British Library's Visual Arts Department, and their coordinate cataloguer Nicole Ioffredi said that there are no photos of Queen Genepil in their catalogue.

What's more, historians allude that it's impossible for Genepil to be in this photo. Professor of Mongolian history Christopher Atwood told AFP that Bogd Khan was not allowed to legally marry.

Genepil therefore could only be his consort, but in the photograph, she wears a headdress with 'horns,' an accessory only married women in pre-revolutionary Mongolia were allowed to wear.

#16 The Virtues Crushing The Vices, Strasbourg Cathedral, 1853

The Virtues Crushing The Vices, Strasbourg Cathedral, 1853
24points

#17 German Fireman Test A New Helmet Invention Ca. 1900

German Fireman Test A New Helmet Invention Ca. 1900
24points

#18 Maria Germanova As The Witch In Maurice Maeterlinck’s Play "The Blue Bird". Moscow Art Theatre, 1908

Maria Germanova As The Witch In Maurice Maeterlinck’s Play "The Blue Bird".  Moscow Art Theatre, 1908
23points

Although the photograph might just be of a random Mongolian noblewomen, it's still pretty significant to us here in The West. Some fans believe that the outfits of senator Padme Amidala from the Star Wars prequels was inspired by this photograph.

The costume designers have admitted that Amidala's escoffiate headpiece was Mongolian-inspired. "We felt this headdress was worth the effort, weight and expense of having real gold," one of the designers Trisha Biggar explained.

#19 The Last Sword Duel In History, France, 1967

The Last Sword Duel In History, France, 1967
23points

#20 Joan Jett

Joan Jett
22points
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