These days, we have the luxury of having a high-definition camera in our pockets at all times. And because of this, the most notable things are constantly being documented for the world to see (along with some less-than-notable moments, of course).
However, that’s not how things used to be. For a long time, cameras were big, bulky, and hard to come by. So if you were able to snap a photo of something amazing, it was big news.
Luckily for us, some of these awesome photos have survived through the years and still live on in the digital age.
Check out this list of 25 amazing historical portraits and be sure to share it with a friend!
1. Tesla’s Magnifying Transmitter, 1899
This picture depicts famous inventor, Nikola Tesla, sitting and reading in his laboratory next to his giant electrical machine in Colorado Springs.
Although the Magnifying Transmitter did in fact work, the picture itself is a bit of a promotional stunt.
The cameraman used a double exposure technique to first photograph the machine and its electrical pulses, then turn it off and sit Tesla in the room to complete the image.
Either way, it’s a pretty awesome picture.
2. Constructing The Hoover Dam
It’s hard to remember a time before the Hoover Dam was in place, but this picture depicts its construction. The building of the dam took place between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression.
By the time it was completed, more than 100 workers had lost their lives trying to complete this massive undertaking.
3. End Of The Great Wall Of China
While the Great Wall of China seems to go on forever, it actually does have an end. Here is a picture of it meeting the sea in Shanhaiguan, China.
4. Nuclear Bomb Detonation
This is known as the “Baker” explosion. It was part of Operation Crossroads which was a nuclear weapon test done by the United States military at Bikini Atoll, Micronesia on July 25, 1946.
This test left the water and surrounding ships with nuclear contamination.
5. Ancient Lovers
These two skeletons are known as the Hasanlu Lovers. They were found in 1972 at the Teppe Hasanlu archaeological site which is located in the Solduz Valley in the West Azerbaijan Province of Iran.
They died together sometime around 800 BCE.
6. Bulletproof Vest Test
I don’t know about you, but I would not want to be the first guy to test out the new bulletproof vest!
However, these guys look pretty confident and the vest did in fact work, so good for them. This test took place in Washington DC on September 13, 1923.
7. The Opening Of King Tut’s Tomb
This picture shows us the moment that researchers first opened King Tut’s tomb in January 1924.
Luckily, someone decided to bring along a camera so we could all enjoy this historic moment.
8. One Of The Original Expeditions To Antarctica
This photograph depicts Borchgrevink, one of the members of the Southern Cross Expedition, using a theodolite on the ice in Antarctica.
This Expedition took place in 1899 and was the forerunner to the better-known Ernest Shackleton expedition of 1914-17.
9. Nikola Tesla and Mark Twain Messing With Electricity
It’s easy for us to take electricity for granted these days. However, back during the time of its discovery, people were enamored by it.
This picture depicts Mark Twain holding Tesla’s experimental vacuum lamp in Tesla’s lab in the spring of 1894.
10. Mt. Rushmore Being Carved
Although somewhat controversial these days, the carving of Mt. Rushmore is still a pretty incredible artistic feat. Here is a picture of the beginnings of the construction, the carving of George Washington’s face.
11. First Known Photo of Abraham Lincoln
This is a shot of a young Abraham Lincoln before he became the president of the United States. It was taken in the mid-1840s when Lincoln was the Congressman-elect from Illinois.
12. “Fat Man” Bomb
This image depicts a mock-up of one of the United States military’s most powerful nuclear weapons from the time.
It was known as the “Fat Man” Bomb and was detonated over Japan during WWII.
13. Bonnie And Clydes’ Death
We’ve all heard of the infamous bank-robbing duo Bonnie and Clyde. But in case you didn’t know how they died, here is a picture of their car covered in bullet holes after a successful ambush made by the local police.
This picture was taken by FBI investigators on May 23, 1934.
14. Hitler’s Destroyed Bunker
Once the American forces were able to successfully storm the beaches of Normandy, it was the beginning of the end for Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime.
The Allied troops then began closing in on Hilter’s bunker, where he was hiding, but Hitler committed suicide before they were able to get to him.
15. The Second Inaguration Of Lincoln
This picture depicts the second inaugural address of Abraham Lincoln which he gave on March 4, 1865, on the east portico of the U.S. Capitol.
Lincoln can be seen in the middle of the photograph on the lower landing, while John Wilkes Booth, Lincoln’s later assassin, is standing on the balcony above.
16. Gold Miners On Their Way To Dawson City, 1898
The promise of extreme fortune and wealth from the gold rush drew in thousands of people from all over the world who wanted to get their piece of the pie.
This picture shows hundreds of miners climbing the Chilkoot Trail during the Klondike Gold Rush in September 1898.
17. The Gettysburg Address
This is a rare image of the day that Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg Address. The photo lay unidentified for over 50 years until someone finally noticed Abraham Lincoln in it.
It is believed that this photo was taken just a few hours before he gave his famous speech.
18. Woodstock
This photograph depicts the opening ceremony at Woodstock on August 15, 1969.
The famous music festival hosted over 400,000 people and is considered to be a pivotal moment in popular music history.
19. Young Winston Churchill
This photograph shows us a 21-year-old Winston Churchill in 1895 wearing the military uniform of a hussar. A hussar is a light cavalry unit from the Hungarian military.
20. Game 1 of the 1912 World Series
The first World Series game took place in 1903 between the Pittsburg Pirates and Boston Americans (later becoming the Red Sox).
In 1912, the Red Sox were once again in the World Series, this time playing the then, New York Giants. The Red Sox won, four games to three.
21. Elvis Being Sworn In
At the time, Elvis was probably one of the most recognizable soldiers in the US Army. This photo of Elvis Presley was taken in a room with other young men who were being sworn into the US Army at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas on March 25, 1958.
22. Official Presidential Daguerreotype of John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams was the 6th president of the United States and the son of John Adams, the 2nd president of the United States.
This image of him is from 1843.
23. Hitler’s 4th Grade Class Photo
This photo was taken in April 1899 at the School of Leonding. It’s Hitler’s fourth-grade class and he can be seen in the top row, directly centered.
24. The Last Jew In Vinnitsa, 1941
This is iconic photograph is titled “The Last Jew In Vinnitsa” and depicts the executions that took place during WWII. This Jewish man is about to be murdered by a member of Einsatzgruppe D which is a paramilitary death squad of the Nazi SS.
The image was taken near the town of Vinnytsia, Ukraine.
25. Bison Skulls, Circa 1892
This mountain of bison skulls awaited industrial processing at Michigan Carbon Works in Rogueville, Michigan. The bones were used to make glue, fertilizer, and dye, or they were burned to create “bone char,” a component for sugar refining.
Gruesome, but an amazing photo nevertheless.
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