Remember, the first photograph, or at least the first surviving snapshot, was taken in 1826 or 1827 by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce, who lived in Paris from 1826 to 1827. We have only had the ability to photograph individuals and events for a very short period of time in human history, and as a result, we will never truly know what the appearances of many of history’s most famous people were like. Fortunately, some of them have been photographed.
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams was a lawyer, diplomat, and statesman who was born on July 11, 1767, in Boston, Massachusetts. He was the eldest son of John Adams, the United States’ second president and the United Kingdom’s third president. Quincy Adam was a member of the United States Senate and House of Representatives for the state of Massachusetts, as well as an ambassador, during his political career. He was elected president of the United States in 1825 as a member of the Democratic-Republican Party. He began to connect with the Whig Party in the 1830s, which he joined in 1840.
Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin is a well-known naturalist who was among the first to argue that all species descended from a common ancestor. Darwin is frequently referred to as the “Father of the Species.” Despite the fact that his opinions were widely rejected at the time by his peers and religious institutions, his hypothesis of evolution as a result of natural selection is today widely considered as one of the cornerstones of modern scientific thought. His evolutionary conclusions were published in his book On the Origin of Species, which was published in 1859.
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson began his legal career as a frontier lawyer before rising through the ranks to become a member of the United States Senate, a member of the House of Representatives, and a Tennessee Supreme Court justice. Jackson was also a distinguished soldier, commanding forces in engagements such as the Creek War, the War of 1812, and the First Seminole War, among others. He stood for president in 1824, but was beaten by John Quincy Adams. After establishing the Democratic Party, Jackson ran for reelection in 1828 and was unquestionably successful.
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke Of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley was a major political and military leader in the United Kingdom throughout the nineteenth century. He was an Anglo-Irish soldier who ascended through the ranks to twice become Prime Minister of Ireland. At the Battle of Waterloo, he is credited for putting an end to Napoleon’s campaign. He is largely recognized as one of the finest British military tacticians in history, having won many engagements against superior troops while sustaining very minor casualties among his own soldiers. His victory over Napoleon catapulted him to the rank of national hero, and in appreciation of his efforts, he made the first Duke of Wellington in 1814.
Vincent Van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh was a Dutch post-impressionist painter who flourished throughout the nineteenth century. He is famous for producing almost 2,000 pieces in less than a decade after his death in 1890. Despite his status as one of the founding fathers of contemporary art, his work gained little notice while he was still alive. However, after his death, he was universally regarded as one of the most influential individuals in Western art history. Unfortunately, Vincent van Gogh suffered from psychotic episodes and delusions for the majority of his life, until he eventually committed suicide in 1890.
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was a political leader and rebel who was killed in the nineteenth century. After escaping slavery in Maryland, he went on to become an anti-slavery campaigner and a leader in both the Massachusetts and New York abolitionist movements. His talent and influence clearly contradicted the prevalent belief that African-Americans could be self-sufficient citizens of the United States, with many Northerners surprised to hear that he had previously been a slave. Later in life, he became the first African-American to be nominated for Vice President of the United States, a move with which he disagreed.
Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren is largely considered as one of the Democratic Party’s most prominent founding members. During his political career, he served as governor of New York, secretary of state, and vice president of the United States, among other things. Martin Van Buren was elected president in 1836 with the help of Andrew Jackson, but he was defeated in his reelection effort in 1840 by William Henry Harrison. In 1848, Van Buren ran for president a third time, this time as a member of the Free Soil Party.
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Harriet Beecher Stowe was an abolitionist and author best known for her work Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which helped raise attention to the terrible treatment of slaves in the United States. As a result of its publishing, her work became internationally recognized and was used to inspire people to rise out against slavery, particularly in the northern hemisphere. During her career, Stowe published 30 books, many of which were closely concerned with societal issues and her opinion on them at the time of publication. Despite their antiquity, her works are still recognized as highly significant today.
Annie Oakley
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, a female sharpshooter named Phoebe Ann Mosey (better known as Annie Oakley) rose to prominence while playing in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. Oakley learned to shoot at an early age in order to provide for her family through hunting. She rose to national popularity when, at the age of 15, she won a sharpshooting competition and went on to play with Buffalo Bill’s show in 1885. With the exception of Bill, she received the highest income during her stint on the show.
Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman, who is synonymous with the Underground Railroad, was born into slavery and eventually escaped. She, on the other hand, dedicated herself to guaranteeing other people’s freedom. She personally led 13 missions to rescue more than 70 other slaves through a network of antislavery activists and safe houses. The Underground Railroad is the name given to this network. Additionally, throughout the Civil War, Tubman maintained her fight for independence by working as an army scout and spy for the Union Army, which aided her cause.
Leo Tolstoy
Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, also known as Leo Tolstoy, was a Russian writer who lived in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He has been regarded as one of the greatest athletes of all time since the start of his career. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature three times between 1902 and 1906, in 1901, 1902, and 1909. In addition, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1901, 1902, and 1909. Among his most well-known works are Anna Karenina, War and Peace, and The Death of Ivan Ilyich, to name a few.
Samuel Wilson Or “Uncle Sam”
Uncle Sam is a symbol of the United States government and American society that first appeared during the War of 1812 and has remained in use ever since. According to popular culture, he is frequently depicted as a man wearing a top hat, white hair, and a beard, as well as other American-related trappings. According to common belief, the character was inspired by a guy called Samuel Wilson, who worked as a meatpacker during the War of 1812. The letters “US” were said to stand for “Uncle Sam” on his barrels, which also contained the letters U.S. for the United States.
Butch Cassidy
Butch Cassidy, real name Robert LeRoy Parker, was a deadly train robber in the Old West. He was also the leader of the “Wild Bunch” a criminal outlaw organization, and he was eventually forced to flee the country with his accomplice Alonzo Longbaugh, or “The Sundance Kid,” and his wife Etta Pace, who was also a member of the Wild Bunch. The story became widespread when Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were thought to have been killed in a shootout with the Bolivian Army in 1908. Cassidy has become a mythical figure in the American Wild West.
The Wright Brothers
Orville and Wilbur Wright were two brothers who learned mechanics by working on various inventions at their Dayton, Ohio, business. They would later design and build the world’s first successful motor-driven airplane. The Wright brothers took their first flight in the Wright Flyer on December 17, 1903, in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The Wright brothers are credited for not only putting humans in the air, but also with creating aircraft controls that made fixed-wing powered flight a possibility.
Helen Keller
Helen Keller was born blind and deaf due to an illness she contracted when she was just over a year old. She met Anne Sullivan as a child, who became her instructor and longtime partner. Anne Sullivan taught her how to read, write, and communicate effectively through language. She attended Radcliffe College of Harvard University as a young adult, where she received a bachelor’s degree, making her the first deafblind person to do so. She was a persistent advocate for women’s rights, labor rights, and the rights of persons with disabilities, in addition to writing 14 books and giving numerous lectures and essays.
Billy The Kid
Billy the Kid, actual name Henry McCarty, was an Old West outlaw who began his criminal career as a child after being orphaned at the age of 15. Henry McCarty was born and became known as Billy the Kid. McCarty had been wanted by the federal authorities since he was a child, and his name appeared on wanted posters under the nickname “Billy the Kid.” He fought in the Lincoln County War in New Mexico when he was younger, and he is suspected of murdering three men. He is believed to have killed at least eight men in the years leading up to his death at the age of 21.
Calamity Jane
Calamity is considered a Wild West story. Mary Jane Cannary, commonly known as Jane, was a sniper and frontierswoman who was close with Wild Bill Hickock. Because of their connection, she was eventually given the opportunity to participate in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show. Nonetheless, her manner was regarded to be particularly different because she was known to be both kind and rough-and-tumble, frequently dressed in men’s clothing. Her name appears near the top of the list, alongside the names of other notable Old West individuals.
George Armstrong Custer
Calamity is considered a Wild West story. Mary Jane Cannary, commonly known as Jane, was a sniper and frontierswoman who was close with Wild Bill Hickock. Because of their connection, she was eventually given the opportunity to participate in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show. Nonetheless, her manner was regarded to be particularly different because she was known to be both kind and rough-and-tumble, frequently dressed in men’s clothing. Her name appears near the top of the list, alongside the names of other notable Old West individuals.
Geronimo
Geronimo, commonly known as “the one who yawns,” was an Apache leader and healer from the Bedonkohe tribe. Geronimo, a feared and revered Native American chief, was responsible for a series of attacks against Mexican and United States soldiers during the Apache-United States conflict, which arose as a result of Americans establishing Apache land following the Mexican-American War. Geronimo was constantly on the run from the US after escaping from numerous Indian reservations until he was apprehended and imprisoned. Following his release, he supported himself by visiting exhibits and other public events.
Conrad Heyer
Conrad Heyer’s claim to fame is that he is likely the world’s oldest photographed man. Before joining the American Revolutionary War, Heyer, who was born in 1749, worked as a farmer. When General George Washington ordered the crossing of the Delaware River in December 1776, he fought under his command and even participated in the historic event. He lived till he was 106 years old.
James K. Polk
James K. Polk, the 11th President of the United States, was the first to resign after only one term in office and without standing for re-election. He is primarily known for winning the Mexican-American War, strengthening the executive branch, and lowering tariffs, all of which contributed to the United States’ territorial expansion. According to historians and scholars, President Polk was usually recognized as a successful leader who accomplished the key items on his agenda.
John “Johnny Appleseed” Chapman
Johnny Appleseed, also known as John Chapman, was a pioneering nurseryman who lived in the early 1800s. He journeyed across the United States, bringing apple trees to towns in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, West Virginia, and even Ontario, Canada. He was a pioneer in bringing apple trees to the United States. Johnny Appleseed was a wonderful man and environmentalist who became somewhat of a legend in his own time.
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Harriet Beecher Stowe was an abolitionist and novelist best known for her novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which was initially published in 1852 and quickly became a classic. When the novel was released, it described life in the United States during that time period, which both empowered and outraged the North. During her career, Stowe wrote 30 novels, including three travel memoirs.
Jefferson Davis
During the American Civil War, Jefferson Davis served as President of the Confederate States of America from 1861 to 1865. He grew up in Tennessee after being born in Virginia. However, that was not his only accomplishment during his lifetime. Davis also served as a senator from Mississippi and as Secretary of War under President Franklin Pierce, and he fought in the Mexican-American War.
Sir John Herschel
Sir John Herschel possessed a diverse set of skills. Before creating the world’s first blueprint, Hischel was a mathematician and inventor, as well as a chemist, experimental photographer, and astronomer. Herschel named seven Saturn moons and four Uranus moons found by his father, Sir William Herschel, during his lifetime as part of his studies into the stars.
Butch Cassidy
Butch Cassidy was born in 1866 and rose to popularity as the head of the “Wild Bunch” that operated throughout the Wild West. He wreaked havoc across the western United States for more than a decade. With the authorities closing in, Cassidy and his sidekick Harry Alonzo Longabaugh, alias the Sundance Kid, as well as Longabaugh’s sweetheart, Etta Place, fled the country.
Grigori Efimovich Rasputin
During the reign of the Tsars, Vladimir Ivanovich Rasputin was a Russian holy man and mystic who served as a personal advisor to Emperor Nicholas II and the rest of the Romanov dynasty. Despite having established friends with the royal family, Rasputin ended up betraying them. Rasputins have appeared in a variety of forms in popular culture, including the 1997 film Anastasia.
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway, a famous American author, was born in 1899. He had a huge impact on twentieth-century literature because some of his most famous works were released during this time period. His best-known works include The Old Man and the Sea, Farewell to Arms, and For Whom the Bell Tolls, among many others. Many of his novels have become masterpieces in their own right.
Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna
Tsar Nicolas II and Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna gave birth to Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1901. Her father was Imperial Russia’s last Tsar, and she was born into a royal family. Despite widespread rumors that she had escaped during the palace siege, Grand Duchess Anastasia and her family died in their residence on the night of July 17, 1918.
Edvard Munch
Many people thought Norwegian painter Edvard Munch was insane, especially following the release of his famed painting The Scream, which was first seen in public in 1893. Munch did, in fact, suffer from clinical anxiety and hallucinations, which can be seen in many of his works, including drawings and paintings. Munch sought treatment at a therapeutic facility in 1908 after realizing his “condition was verging on madness,”
Charles Dickens
Great Expectations, The Tale of Two Cities, and Oliver Twist are just a handful of English novelist Charles Dickens’ iconic works that are being read today. In fact, the work has inspired both plays and films. Dickens was known to have suffered from severe depression and bipolar disorder throughout his life, which is a tragic fact. In 1870, he passed away.
Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor, futurist, and engineer born in America. His mind was one of the most brilliant in history, although he struggled with mental stability at times. Tesla was born into a family with two mentally ill parents. According to folklore, his OCD was so acute that he was required to wear white gloves during every meal to avoid contamination.
Jack Kerouac
The Sea is My Brother, Jack Kerouac’s first novel, was published 40 years after his death. However, while he was still alive and well, his work The Town and the City, originally published in 1950, attracted international notice. He has left a lasting legacy that is thought to have impacted many great musicians, including Bob Dylan, during the course of his career.
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt was born in 1858 and ascended through the ranks to become the United States’ 26th President. During his presidency, Roosevelt accomplished a great deal, including the expansion of the progressive movement and the adoption of his legendary “Square Deal” domestic initiatives. According to scholars and historians, President Teddy Roosevelt is one of the top five presidents in history.
Ulysses S. Grant
Before becoming the 18th President of the United States in 1861, Ulysses S Grant commanded the Union Army throughout the American Civil War. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest generals in global history. He even served as Secretary of War for a short time. One of his most remarkable accomplishments was becoming the first former President to go around the world during his post-presidency journey.
Lewis Carroll
We are introduced to the world through Lewis Carroll’s marvelous mind, the fantastic stories of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There, and the world has been enchanted ever since. The English author, born in 1832, had a stutter as a child, which inspired the Dodo bird in Alice in Wonderland.
Karl Marx
Karl Marx, a German philosopher, is well-known for his political, economic, and philosophical concepts. He was an outspoken critic of the governmental system from 1836 to 1860. He is best known for penning The Communist Manifesto in 1846, which has been studied by generations of people all around the world. Marxism, as it is currently understood, was his view that the working class could unite and defeat the capitalist system to create a world without classes.
Jack London
Jack London, who was born into poverty, tried his hand at gold mining before embarking on his writing career. Because the majority of people had never read science fiction before, his writing style was innovative for the time. Many of his books, including The Call of the Wild (1903), White Fang (1906), and The Sea Wolf (1904), were big successes. His personal life was not without controversy, as he was an avowed socialist and member of the radical literary collective “The Crowd” in San Francisco.
Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill, one of the most well-known personalities of the twentieth century, served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during World War II. He is remembered for his role in defending European liberal democracy and for warning people about the “iron wall” when fascism and the Soviet Union were threats. Churchill was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953. During his lifetime, he also created over 500 paintings.
Robert Frost
Robert Frost is an American poet and one of the twentieth century’s most well-known authors. Nothing Gold Can Stay, After Apple-Picking, and Stopping By The Woods on a Snowy Evening are examples of his works on American rural life.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Nietzsche, a German philosopher, began his career as Chair of Classical Philology at a German university when he was only 24 years old. He discussed his “death of God” theology in particular, which was first mentioned in his written works in 1882. He also talked about other radical perspectivist ideas. Nietzsche had serious health issues that necessitated constant care from his mother and, later, his sister. His sister was discovered to have been editing his unpublished papers, changing their meaning to meet her own and contradicting his.
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, made substantial contributions to psychology, psychiatry, and psychotherapy during his lifetime (1856–1939). He developed therapeutic techniques such as free association and recognized transference, which are still in use in Western culture today. He also looked into how thoughts affect the unconscious mind and how dreams are interpreted.
Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman, an American poet and writer, is often regarded as the creator of free verse. He was well-known for his historical realism and dedication to the truth. According to art historian Mary Whitall Smith Costelloe, “You cannot completely understand America without Walt Whitman and Leaves of Grass. No student of history philosophy can do without him because he expressed that civilisation, or, to put it more precisely, “up to date,” as he would say.”
Tsar Nicholas II
Tsar Nicholas II, the last ruler of Imperial Russia, reigned from 1894 to 1917. The Tsar faced severe opposition while attempting to pursue his prime minister’s objectives, particularly economic reform, which ultimately contributed to his and his family’s demise during the revolution. His most well-known descendant is undoubtedly Grand Duchess Anastasia.
Pablo Picasso
Tsar Nicholas II, the last ruler of Imperial Russia, reigned from 1894 to 1917. The Tsar faced severe opposition while attempting to pursue his prime minister’s objectives, particularly economic reform, which ultimately contributed to his and his family’s demise during the revolution. His most well-known descendant is undoubtedly Grand Duchess Anastasia.
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe is best renowned for his cryptic and seductive short stories, such as The Fall of the House of Usher, The Tell-Tale Heart, and The Masque of Red Death, in addition to his poetry. Without including his writings A Dream Within a Dream, Annabel Lee, and The Raven, no study of Poe would be complete.
Dorothy Counts
Dorothy “Dot” Counts-Scoggins, an American civil rights activist, was one of the first black students admitted to Harry Harding High School. Dorothy’s parents removed her from school after four days of harassment that threatened her safety, but pictures of Dorothy being verbally abused by her white classmates went viral.
Harold Whittles
Harold Whittles, 5, has just had a doctor fit him with a hearing aid, therefore he is hearing for the first time in his life. This photograph was taken in 1963 by photographer Jack Bradley.
Bolaji Badejo
Bolaji Badejo was a Nigerian graphic artist and actor. He rose to prominence as the Alien in Ridley Scott’s 1979 film Alien. He was 6-foot-10 inches (208 cm) tall, which convinced Scott to cast him. He only has one other acting credit. In this photo, he is dressed as an alien.
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, better known by his stage name Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He was the first and founding leader of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1924, and the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1924. The Communist Party formed a one-party socialist state in Russia, and later the Soviet Union, under his leadership. Leninism refers to his contributions to Marxist philosophy. Here’s one of his final shots, taken after many strokes.
Rhoda Derry
Rhoda Derry was a young woman who became a mental patient and lived in that state for the bulk of her life, but it is her story that has caught the public’s imagination. Rhonda was dating a young man named Charles, and Charles’s mother did not approve of their relationship. The mother cast a spell on Rhoda and threatened to cast another if she did not abandon her child. Rhoda was scared of witches. Rhoda began displaying indications of mental illness at the age of 18 and was soon labeled with “madness” She was admitted to the Adams County Almshouse when she was 25 years old, despite being described as “blind and insane” and she spent the rest of her adult life in institutions, living to be one day shy of 72.
Abraham Lincoln
Before becoming the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln worked as a lawyer, Illinois state politician, congressman, and Whig Party leader. Following Lincoln’s election as President in 1860, pro-slavery states began to secede from the Union, igniting the American Civil War. In the years that followed, Lincoln led the country through the Civil War, effectively preserving the Union until his death in December 1865. He is still recognized as one of the best presidents the United States has ever had.
Daniel F. Bakeman
Daniel F. Bakeman served his country during the Revolutionary War and was the last living soldier to receive a veteran’s pension as a result of his service. Baker served as a private in the Tryon County militia throughout the war’s final four years. He settled down after the war and married Susan Brewer, with whom he had eight children in total.
John Tyler
Following William Henry Harrison’s death in 1841, John Tyler served as Vice President under Harrison before becoming President after Harrison’s successor. He was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1841 until 1845. Unfortunately for Tyler, many historians give his administration a low grade, despite the fact that several experts admired his political ideas.
Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson was a well-known American poet who lived between 1830 and 1886. During her lifetime, Dickinson wrote over 1,800 poems. Unfortunately, only ten poems and one letter from her whole collection of art were released before her terribly short death. Her unusual poetry, which used short lines, no titles, and slant rhymes, was a little different from the standard for the time period.
Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce was born in 1804, and he was elected as the 14th President of the United States in 1853. Unfortunately, a lot of his acts during his presidency aided in the commencement of the American Civil War in 1861. Despite the fact that Pierce was a friendly and open man, many historians and experts see him as one of history’s poorest presidents and one of the least known.
Sylvia Plath
Sylvia Plath, an American poet, wrote a vast number of poems, novels, and poetry collections during her career. Her best-known works include the novel The Bell Jar, the poetry collections Ariel and The Colossus and Other Poems, and the novel The Bell Jar. She died in 1963, but she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry the following year, in 1982.
Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee is most remembered as a Confederate general during the American Civil War for his acts as a result of his service to the Confederate States of America. During the war, he earned a reputation as a highly skilled tactician, which he kept throughout his career. Later in life, he became president of Washington College, which was later named after him (Washington and Lee University).
Marie Curie
Curie was a brilliant scientist and physicist who pioneered studies on radioactivity, a term she invented during her time at the laboratory. She was also an intriguing woman. Curie, born in 1867, was the first woman to receive the Nobel Prize. She eventually added another honor to her collection, making her the first and only woman in history to acquire two at the same time.
Ichabod Crane
Colonel Ichabod Crane was a career military officer who served for 48 years in the United States Army and the United States Marine Corps, including two tours in Vietnam. Crane experienced many wars as a child of the American Revolution, including the War of 1812, the Patriot War, and the Black Hawk War. Some individuals may recognize his name as the protagonist of Washington Irving’s novel The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Chief Seattle
Chief Seattle was born in 1786 and grew to prominence as the Suquamish and Duwamish tribes’ chief. “Doc” Maynard, an American pioneer, was among the first settlers to arrive in Washington state, and he is well-known for forging relationships with them. Seattle was named after the Chief in recognition of the peaceful connections he fostered with the people of the region.
Leo Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy, a Russian author, wrote a plethora of great writings that have remained to this day. Tolstoy’s most well-known works of literature include War and Peace, Anna Karenina, and the trilogy Childhood, Boyhood, and Youth. While he never won a Nobel Prize, he was nominated three times for one in Literature and once for the Nobel Peace Prize, among other honors.
Vincent Van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh, a Post-Impressionist painter from the Netherlands, is usually regarded as one of the most important artists in Western art history. After creating over 2,100 works of art in his lifetime, Van Gogh’s use of vibrant color, expressive brushwork, and dramatic lines became the foundations of contemporary painting. Some of his most famous paintings include The Starry Night, The Courtyard of the Hospital at Arles, and The Road with Cypress and Star.
Harry Houdini
Harry Houdini, possibly the greatest magician of all time, prepares for one of his countless life-threatening illusions in this rarely seen shot dated April 30, 1908. While handcuffed and collared while performing this performance, Houdini dove 30 feet into the Charles River. He emerged to the surface carrying the chains only 40 seconds after diving, much to the relief of 20,000 spectators. Even the mayors of Cambridge and Boston attended.
Booker T. Washington
Booker T. Washington, the famed orator and activist, is shown giving a speech in this roughly 1912 photograph. This photograph was taken near Mound Bayou, Mississippi, by Arthur P. Bedou, Washington’s personal photographer. He, like Washington, was African-American and sought to end black Americans’ lack of voting rights in the post-Reconstruction era.
Warren G. Harding
Warren G. Harding, the Republican Party’s nominee and soon-to-be 29th President of the United States, takes a break from demonstrating his political abilities to demonstrate his proficiency on a sousaphone! Harding ran a “front porch” presidential campaign in 1920, staying mostly in his own state and encouraging supporters to attend his events. (You can also play!)
Amelia Earhart
The first leg of America’s favorite female pilot’s planned round-the-world tour is ready to take off, from Oakland, California, to Honolulu, Hawaii. She is standing in front of the plane she has chosen: a Lockheed Electra 10E custom-built for her. She will depart on March 17, 1937, not long after this photograph was taken. However, the Electra was damaged during Earhart’s takeoff from Hawaii, requiring the trip to be canceled.
Shirley Temple
In this shot, the young actor, who appears to be nine or 10 years old, is playing a cowgirl in a Western program. Her cowboy buddy is Montie Montana, a well-known rodeo trick rider and stuntman. In this rare photograph, taken around 1938 in Palm Springs, California, the two prepare to take the stage at the Desert Inn.
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth
In this 1939 photograph, the present British monarch’s parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, may be seen strolling across the grounds of Windsor Castle. They’re not just enjoying a stroll; they’re inspecting a bunch of British Scouts ahead of a St. George’s Day celebration. St. George, whose feast day is April 23, is the patron saint of the Scouting movement. In 1939, the royal family welcomed the Scouts to Windsor’s Chapel of St. George as a mark of respect.
Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong
This 1946 photograph shows two great musicians collaborating. Duke Ellington plays the piano while Louis Armstrong blows his trumpet. In the RCA Victor recording studio in New York City, the two work on Leonard Feather’s piece “Long, Long Journey” For the first time, the two jazz legends collaborated on a CD.
Jackie Robinson
In this seldom seen 1951 photograph, Brooklyn Dodgers second baseman Jackie Robinson trades his baseball bat for a tennis racket. Robinson was one of the participants in a celebrity tennis competition to benefit the American National Theater and Academy. Robinson seeks assistance from tennis legend Althea Gibson, who became the first black athlete to win a Grand Slam title in 1956.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower
President Dwight D. Eisenhower is seen in this 1960 photograph delivering a message to the American people over radio and television. His most recent South American trip took him to Uruguay, Brazil, Chile, and Argentina. Eisenhower, who was elected president in 1953, was the first Commander-in-Chief to hold the presidency of each of the 50 states.
President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jackie Kennedy
On January 20, 1961, at the inauguration ball in their honor, newly sworn-in President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jackie Kennedy take advantage of a rare occasion for leisure. To create her magnificent white gown, Jackie Kennedy worked with the head of Bergdorf Goodman’s bespoke salon.
Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews, 35, glows in a sparkling gown as she attends the premiere of her 1970 film Darling Lili. She co-starred with Rock Hudson in the musical romance set during World War I.
Neil Armstrong
Neil Armstrong is honored as the first recipient of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in this 1978 photograph. During this ceremony, President Jimmy Carter (right) honored Armstrong and five other space pioneers, including John Glenn and Alan Shepard, with the new accolade. Since the occurrence on October 1, 1978, 22 more astronauts have won the medal.
Ronald Reagan and Queen Elizabeth II
During their 1982 visit to Windsor Castle, President Ronald Reagan and Queen Elizabeth II, who was 56 at the time, rode horses in Windsor’s Home Park. The diplomatic visit, which lasted barely 48 hours, is said to have resulted in the development of 500 pages of British diplomatic records.
Princess Diana
Before she was named Princess of Wales, Diana was known as “Lady Diana Spencer” by her friends and family. Despite coming from a wealthy and aristocratic family, she taught kindergarten and lived in a flat in London with her friends, where this photograph was taken in December 1980.
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein, a theoretical physicist born in Germany, was one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. Einstein is most known for his contributions to the theory of relativity, but he also made substantial contributions to the theory of quantum mechanics. Relativity and quantum mechanics are the foundations of modern physics. E = mc2, his relativity theory-derived mass-energy equivalence formula, has been dubbed “the world’s most famous equation”
