Some individuals will never know these little intricacies that have been lost to the past. However, it is our duty as modern citizens to acknowledge these missing moments and educate others. Here is a list of some extremely special moments from history that have rarely been seen, and even less frequently talked about...
Queenie the Waterskiing Elephant
Queenie was an African elephant who used to be forced to wear waterskis and get pulled out into flat water. She died of stress just 3 years into her career as a waterskier, but her custom skis inspired an entire era of dingy engineering.
Pearl Harbor
During WWII, Japanese troops conducted the most devastating attack on American soil. Here is the U.S.S. Shaw exploding during the fateful storming of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on December 7th, 1941.
The Great Parisian Flood
In 1910, Paris was decimated by an enormous flood that covered the city in 3-10 feet of water. People still needed to get from point A to point B though, so they constructed makeshift boats out of pallets and boxes around town.
The Grandson of a Samurai
Felice Beato took this photograph in the early 1900s and it was colorized recently. This is the grandson of a samurai wearing a traditional samurai's garb.
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong plays the trumpet aside the Sphynx of Giza with an onlooking lover. An Egyptian photographer captures this special moment as it unfolds.
Ghandi Reading and Writing
Mahatma Gandhi sits cross-legged, post-meditation, pouring over his meditative thoughts for his memoir. This was captured amidst the Indian struggle for independence.
U.S.S. Gerald Ford
This aircraft carrier was one of the first in existence. This enormous ship cost the US government $13 billion to construct and it remained a secret for 5 years after its deployment.
Abe Lincoln
Even though this is a photo of a photo, the original photo was one of a kind and has yet to be located in modern times. This is the earliest known photograph of Lincoln, which was taken 4 years before his presidency.
The First Selfie
This photo is quite possibly the first selfie that has ever been taken. Although we don't know who the picture taker was, we do know that this photo was taken on February 1st, 1900.
Bikini Atoll
This top-secret nuclear testing location is halfway between Hawaii and Japan on a remote island called Bikini Atoll. The United States military tested the first nuclear bombs in the open waters of the Pacific here.
Toeing the Line
This high-wire walker was the first woman to walk between two buildings with no safety restraints. This happened in cologne, Germany above a destroyed apartment building in 1946, during the Nazi reign.
An American Ship, Destroyed
This is one of the American vessels that got destroyed during the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. Technically, America won that battle, but the sheer destruction left behind polluted the waters of Pearl Harbor for several decades after the fact.
Going Down, Down, Down...
Here is a WWII Naval officer conducting some much-needed repairs to the top of this submarine vessel before they descend into the depths. This massive metal structure was a major risk for the US Navy, but fortunately, it was staffed with capable hands.
Einstein, Just Chillin'
Albert Einstein was a huge fan of physics, anthropology, relaxing in the sun, and smoking his pipe. Here we can see our beloved science hero taking a load off in the sunshine, presumably on US government property.
The Tsar and His Family
Here sits Tsar Nicolas II and his family posing for a picture in 1913. Strangely enough, his wife is to the left, and so is his daughter. He married his daughter after his wife died. This dude was pretty weird.
Soccer Soldiers
Whenever there was downtime during WWII, troops were forced to learn how to entertain themselves cheaply. They would carry around fireproof nets and solder goals together to play football to keep morale high, However, they still had to wear their headgear in case there was a gas attack.
Marching Forward
During WWII, troops were forced to find alternate routes around cover-cleared and bombed-out sections of forest. These particular Australian soldiers used premade palates to create a path for themselves to get through a swamp in Belgium.
The Broken Nose
This is a picture of the Saudi Air flight that almost exploded during its takeoff in 1989. This single photograph was captured after the pilot sacrificed her life to save the 90 passengers from certain death.
Stalin and His Family
There are few pictures of Joseph Stalin in social settings, and this is the only one in existence that has both his son and daughter in the photo. His wife never posed for pictures, probably due to the political controversy her husband caused.
Kim Jong on a Horse
It's bizarre, but there are hundreds of paintings of Kim Jong Un and Ill on horses. Kind of like how Vladamir Putin decorates his mansions with paintings of him with exotic animals, the Jong family decorates their home with paintings of them on horses.
The Original Avengers
This team of American and German Jewish Nazi hunters called themselves The Avengers. They would track down high ranking Nazi officials and execute them brutally. This team is what the movie "Inglorious Bastards" was named after.
The Original Bombshell
Although this was broadcast on Johnny Carson to millions of people, few actually captured the exact moment the term "blonde bombshell" was coined. The love interest Blazing Saddles, Robyn Hilton, was the first receiver of that title, which has carried all the way into modern times.
Jamie Lee Curtis
The film "Perfect" seems to have gotten lost in time. However, we will never forget this iconic film when Jamie Lee Curtis sported her famous mini-mullet, and John Travolta danced just as well as he did in Pulp Fiction.
The Valkyrie Prototype
This is a picture of the top-secret 6-engine Valkyrie prototype plane that was developed in 1969 during the peak of the cold war. This was the first high-speed jet that was designed to carry nuclear weapons, and it was never deployed, according to government statements.
Man on the Moon
This is the first picture of Neil Armstrong placing the American Flag on the moon. Some speculate that this is actually Buzz Aldrin, and when questioned, neither of them actually remembered which one stood for the picture.
A Smaller Mount Rushmore
This unbelievable national treasure was originally intended to host the entire top halves of these iconic presidents. Instead, a smaller scale was implemented to save time and cash.
Archduke Franz Ferdinand
This picture was taken mere hours before Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated, toppling the domino effect leading to WWII. Despite his unfortunate sudden passing, he was in extremely poor health and was predicted to die within the month he was murdered.
The Transcontinental Railroad
A Native American looks on upon the Transcontinental Railroad segment running through his former homeland in Nevada. Manifest destination separated this man from his tribe and essentially destroyed the land he formerly called his own. His posture in this photo speaks volumes.
Skirt Check
In 1959, regulations for working women were significantly more restrictive than they are now. Here are three airline attendants posing for a mandatory "proof of skirt length check" after receiving complaints from passengers.
Air Raid over Kobe
Kobe Japan is famous for Wagyu beef, and the horrific bombing that the US military conducted in 1946. This was a preface to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Two Bullets Colliding
Only a handful of relics from this kind of event still exist. This pair of bullets was found after WWII, but some sets of combined bullets have surfaced in modern times, one was actually auctioned purchased on Pawn Stars.
Coal Kids
Child labor laws weren't even a consideration during WWI. While their fathers were out fighting in the war, their young sons were back on the homefront working in the coal mines.
Jackie in Hollywood
When Jackie Chan got cast for his biggest role ever in 1996, he celebrated by climbing on the Hollywood sign. Oh, forgot to mention, he climbed it without using a ladder, or ropes, or any safety gear at all for that matter.
Codename: Trinity
This monstrosity is the first nuclear bomb ever created. Believe it or not, it is not full of explosives, the tubes around it create a highly charged magnetic field that causes atoms to collide into one another and expel massive amounts of energy.
Tommy Lee Jones
This is an early photo of the legendary actor Tommy Lee Jones before he had even considered acting. He wanted to be a professional football player before a rare bone growth disorder squashed that dream for him.
Machu Picchu
Before it was identified as one of the coolest tourist destinations in the world, the mountains of Machu Picchu were vastly untraveled. In fact, it wasn't until 1911 that two Yale professors were on an exhibition and they accidentally discovered the ancient Incan ruins.
Che and Castro
These men were of few words and many cigars. Here they are taking a political fishing trip together off the coast of Cuba right before the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Testing the Hydrogen Bomb
Unlike other nuclear warheads, the hydrogen bomb was particularly destructive. In fact, this bomb was so destructive that it was used to level two cities in Japan in WWII.
The Moment It Happened
This was the exact moment that Adolph Hitler declared war on America. Although the original photo is not colorized, a man named Mads Madsen re-scanned it for its Smithsonian exhibit.
Castro Kickin' It
Fidel Castro was famous for his hard stance on capitalism and his even harder lockout on the court. Some say he drained 3's cleaner than he drained the bank accounts of the exploitative Cuban elites.
Bombing Nagasaki
These are actual aerial captures that were taken just moments before the hydrogen bomb was dropped. What used to be a bustling, healthy society, is now still a smoldering crater.
Holding Steed-Y
During WWI, Horses were a common method of combat transportation. Horses were also trained to stand still around loud noises and flashes of light, which worked most of the time.
Bombs over Bridgeport
During WWII, there was a huge general fear that the Axis powers would gas the UK at some point. Children were outfitted with custom gas masks through their schools.
Public Assassination
During a televised debate on October 12, 1960, Japenese politician Inejhiro Asanuma was murdered by a young man. This boy, named Otoya Yamaguchi, committed suicide just two weeks after this event.
Grand Central Station
Back when New York was small, the sun used to shine through the enormous windows at Grand Central Station. Nowadays, the building has to be internally lit at all times due to enormous buildings obstructing the sun.
One of Many
Did you know that there are actually hundreds of different Abbey Road photos? This one just happened to be the one that was chosen, but some different versions circulate in art markets and sell for millions of dollars.
Blazing Booze
The "Leaning Tower of Booz'a" was constructed right before the alcohol prohibition ended. This was constructed to be set ablaze, but fortunately, all of these barrels of booze were saved before they could be destroyed.
Friendlies Only
If a plane from a different faction of the military would land on a different faction's aircraft carrier, it was commonplace for the soldiers to paint it full of banter. No slurs were allowed, only playful messages to be transferred to neighboring forces.
Cats Suspended in Space
During the space race, scientists wanted to discover the effects of weightlessness on living creatures. Since sending a human up there to conduct the experiment would have been too dangerous, they did it to a kitten instead.
Having a Chuckle on the Fields of Battle
Soldiers had to keep themselves entertained somehow. Making phallic jokes was just one way these guys learned to pass the time.
Banning Booze
In the 1910s alcohol was prohibited to be sold and distributed. However, some people got away with it in places like "speakeasy's" and "moonshiners." Unfortunately, this particular operation didn't get away with it.
Freeing the Slaves
Brittan transported 3.4 million slaves into Europe during the 245 years the Transatlantic slave trade was active. However, in 1907, Great Britan abolished slavery entirely, changing the world's economy massively.
That's a Big Bug
This is a joke, the grasshopper was an elaborately decorated bag of sand. But, since it fooled you in 2020, can you imagine its reactions in 1930?
The Final Public Execution
The last public execution in American history happened on August 14th, 1936. The man who was executed was named Rainey Betha, he was executed for murdering a 70 year old woman.
Thanskgiving in the Third Reich
This is a picture of the Reichserntedankfest rally, which was the Nazi equivalent of a Thanksgiving ceremony. If someone was found in the town without attending this massive rally, they were publicly executed.
One Big Gun
No, this is not a joke. This is known as a "puck gun," which was used to hunt large flocks of geese and ducks at once. One shot from this gun could easily take out 50 ducks.
Watching the Mushroom Cloud
Uneducated on then effects of radiation on humans, a mother and her son watch the nuclear testing from their home in Nevada. Although they are far away, the effects of this nuclear testing were devastating for families in surrounding areas.
A Letter from Gandhi
This is a letter that Gandhi wrote to Hitler in the heat of WWII. He saw the danger in Hitler's ideals and wanted to address them for the sake of humanity. Needless to say, this letter fell on deaf ears.
Baby for Sale
During wartime periods in Europe, it wasn't uncommon for individuals to try and sell their children to make enough money to feed themselves. This picture was taken as an advertisement for French adoptors.
Nazis Getting What Was Coming to Them
This Russian prisoner was identifying a Nazi guard who had been particularly cruel to his fellow prisoners of war, which was outside of their stated protocol. This guard was then beaten to death by three members of the US military.