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25 Gripping Photos Depicting Monumental Historical Events

Edited By: Natalia J.
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The majority of people are familiar with the most dramatic events of the past few centuries and need no introduction to events like the two World Wars, the American Revolution, and the Holocaust. Still, many of us find it difficult to imagine just how vast, influential, and all-encompassing these events have been. We believe that photos can help us understand these things, which is why we’ve compiled a list of 25 gripping historical images that carry a deep and powerful message.

1. The Statue of David by Michelangelo was encased in bricks during WW2 to prevent damage from bombs

Historical Photos The Statue of David by Michelangelo had been encased in bricks during WW2 to prevent damage from bombs
Image Source: Reddit

2. A policeman in San Francisco scolds a man for not wearing a mask during the 1918 Influenza Pandemic

Historical Photos A policeman in San Francisco scolds a man for not wearing a mask during the 1918 Influenza Pandemic, 1918
Image Source: Reddit

3. The first and only photo of the Nine European Sovereigns

(standing, from left to right: King Haakon VII of Norway, Tsar Ferdinand of Bulgaria, King Manuel II of Portugal, Kaiser Wilhelm II of the German Empire, King George I of Greece and King Albert I of Belgium; seated, from left to right: King Alfonso XIII of Spain, King-Emperor George V of the United Kingdom and King Frederick VIII of Denmark)

Historical Photos The Nine Sovereigns at Windsor for the funeral of King Edward VII. Standing, from left to right: King Haakon VII of Norway, Tsar Ferdinand of Bulgaria, King Manuel II of Portugal, Kaiser Wilhelm II of the German Empire, King George I of Greece and King Albert I of Belgium. Seated, from left to right: King Alfonso XIII of Spain, King-Emperor George V of the United Kingdom and King Frederick VIII of Denmark.
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Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

4. A Serbian soldier and the father who visited him at the front seen sleeping (Belgrade, 1914-1915)

Historical Photos A Serbian soldier and the father who visited him seen sleeping near Belgrade (1914-1915)
Image Source: Reddit
Related Article: 20 Vintage Photos That Depict Historical Moments & Figures
 

5. "Lyndon B. Johnson yelling at the pilots of a nearby plane to cut their engines so that John F. Kennedy could speak as Kennedy is seen trying to calm him down. Taken during the 1960 presidential campaign in Amarillo, Texas"

Historical Photos Lyndon B. Johnson yelling at the pilots of a nearby plane to cut their engines so that John F. Kennedy could speak as Kennedy is seen trying to calm him down. Taken during the 1960 presidential campaign in Amarillo, Texas.
Image Source: Reddit

6. The faces of Jewish prisoners just after being liberated from a death train (1945)

Historical Photos The faces of Jewish prisoners just after being liberated from a death train (1945)
Image Source: Reddit

7. Anne Frank’s father Otto, revisiting the attic where they hid from the Nazis. He was the only surviving family member (1960)

Historical Photos Anne Frank’s father Otto, revisiting the attic where they hid from the Nazis. He was the only surviving family member. (1960)
Image Source: Reddit

8. The Las Vegas Strip in 1955

Historical Photos The Las Vegas Strip in 1955
Image Source: Reddit
Related Article: 25 Poignant Photos With Important Stories Behind Them
 

9. Photo of a nuclear detonation test from the "Tumbler Snapper" (1962) 

Historical Photos Photo of a nuclear detonation test from the "Tumbler Snapper" (1962)
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

10. Charles Thompson, the only African-American student at Public School No. 27, and his new classmates, just a few months after the Supreme Court made racial segregation illegal (photo by Richard Stacks for the Baltimore Sun; September 1954)

Historical Photos Charles Thompson, the only African-American student at this school, and his new classmates at Public School No. 27, just a few months after the Supreme Court made racial segregation illegal. (photo by Richard Stacks for the Baltimore Sun; September 1954)
Image Source: Reddit

11. Arch at Twelfth St., Chicago, President Abraham Lincoln's hearse and young ladies (Chicago, 1865)

Historical Photos "Arch at Twelfth St., Chicago, President Abraham Lincoln's hearse and young ladies (Chicago, 1865)"
Image Source: The Library of Congress

12. Albert Einstein, his secretary Helen (left), and daughter Margaret (right) becoming U.S. citizens to avoid returning to Nazi Germany, 1940

Historical Photos Albert Einstein, his secretary Helen (left), and daughter Margaret (right) becoming U.S. citizens to avoid returning to Nazi Germany, 1940
Image Source: Reddit

13. Reunion of Confederate and Federal veterans at Gettysburg (1913)

Historical Photos Reunion of Confederate and Federal veterans at Gettysburg
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

14. A booking photo of Rosa Parks following her famous arrest in February 1956

Historical Photos A booking photo of Rosa Parks following her famous arrest in February, 1956
Image Source: Alabama Department of Archives and History

15. Road traffic in Sweden the day they switched from driving on the left side of the road to the right (September 3, 1967)

Historical Photos Road traffic in Sweden the day they switched from driving on the left side of the road to the right (September 3, 1967)
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

16.  The lottery used by the Selective Service to determine who would be drafted for Vietnam first. In each capsule is a day of the year, determining the order of draftees by their birthday. Washington D.C. 1969

Historical Photos The lottery used by the Selective Service to determine who would be drafted for Vietnam first. In each capsule is a day of the year, determining the order of draftees by their birthday. Washington D.C. 1969
Image Source: Reddit
Related Article: A Stroll Back in Time - Fascinating Historical Photos!

17. A game of human chess in Leningrad (now St Petersburg, Russia; c. 1924)

Historical Photos A game of human chess in Leningrad (now St Petersburg, Russia; c. 1924)
Image Source: Reddit

18. A German soldier going against direct orders to help a young boy cross the newly formed Berlin Wall after being separated from his family, 1961

Historical Photos a German soldier going against direct orders to help a young boy cross the newly formed Berlin Wall after being separated from his family, 1961
Image Source: Imgur

19. Indian Soldiers arriving in France, World War I, 1914

Historical Photos Indian Soldiers arriving in France, World War I, 1914
Image Source: Reddit

20.  Soviet citizens look at the "Wall of Sorrow", honoring the hundreds of thousands of people killed by Stalinism. In 1988, the Soviet government allowed information regarding the victims of Stalin's Great Purge to become public.

Historical Photos Soviet citizens look at the "Wall of Sorrow", honoring the hundreds of thousands of people killed by Stalinism. In 1988, the Soviet government allowed information regarding the victims of Stalin's Great Purge to become public
Image Source: Reddit
Related Article: These Historic Photos Illustrate Love Among War Couples

21.  Wedding bands that were removed from Holocaust victims before they were executed

Historical Photos Wedding bands that were removed from holocaust victims before they were executed
Image Source: Reddit

22. Freddy Mercury and his mother (1947)

Historical Photos Freddy Mercury and his mother (1947)
Image Source: Reddit

23. Hiroshima before and after the bombing (August 6, 1945)

Historical Photos Hiroshima before and after the bombing (August 6, 1945)
Image Source: Imgur

24.  The uniform of Archduke Franz Ferdinand from 1914, whose assassination triggered the outbreak of World War I

Historical Photos The uniform of Archduke Franz Ferdinand from 1914, whose assassination triggered the outbreak of World War I
Image Source: Imgur

25.  An American soldier cradles a wounded Japanese boy and shelters him from the rain in the cockpit of an airplane during the Battle of Saipan while waiting to transport the youngster to a field hospital

Historical Photos An American soldier cradles a wounded Japanese boy and shelters him from the rain in the cockpit of an airplane during the Battle of Saipan while waiting to transport the youngster to a field hospital.
Image Source: Reddit
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