Runestones were most commonly raised as memorials to deceased relatives and friends, but they were not burial markers. Instead, they were often placed close to roads or other communication routes. Runestones are the oldest existing original works of writing in Scandinavia. Originally they were written in a script consisting of 24 characters, known as the Elder Futhark (f-u-th-a-r-k being the sounds represented by the first six characters). Beginning in the early eighth century, this writing system was replaced by a revised alphabet, known as the Younger Futhark, with just 16 characters....

During the Great Patriotic War, it was a tragic reality that many Soviet families lost sons, fathers, and brothers on the battlefield. Entire households often found themselves without a single male survivor after the brutal conflict. Amid this harsh reality, the story of Evdokia Danilovna Lysenko and her ten sons remains a striking exception. Hailing from the small Ukrainian village of Brovakhy, these ten brothers were sent to the frontlines during the Second World War....

Since Japanese coastal defense guns were firing at the plane while it was in the water during take-off, this brave young man, after rescuing the pilot, manned his position as a machine gunner without taking time to put on his clothes. A hero photographed right after he’d completed his heroic act. Naked. The photo was taken by Horace Bristol (1908-1997). In 1941, Bristol was recruited to the U.S. Naval Aviation Photographic Unit, as one of six photographers under the command of Captain Edward J....

The French proposal wasn’t received with much enthusiasm by the Russian High Command, but Czar Nicholas II expressed his desire to send the troops to France. The Chief of State, General Alexeyev, proposed a compromise saying that Russian soldiers would be sent under the following conditions: the soldiers would be sent in consolidated units to be overseen by Russian officers who would be working under the French High Command. These troops would be armed by the French and transported to the battle site by the French Navy....

The decisive year was 1968. In the early morning of 30 January, Vietcong forces launched the Tet Offensive, named for the Vietnamese holiday then being observed. In coordinated attacks throughout South Vietnam, the Vietcong assaulted major urban areas and military installations in an attempt to spark a popular uprising against the Saigon regime and its American backers. (Note: the other part of this photo collection: Vietnam War: The Early Years through rare photographs, 1965-1967)....

The conclusion followed his frustration at being unable to find a cause for the deaths of women in bed after childbirth. Although most women delivered at home, those who had to seek hospitalization because of poverty, illegitimacy, or obstetrical complications faced mortality rates ranging as high as 25–30 percent. Some thought that the infection was induced by overcrowding, poor ventilation, the onset of lactation, or miasma. Semmelweis proceeded to investigate its cause over the strong objections of his chief, who, like other continental physicians, had reconciled himself to the idea that the disease was unpreventable....

Travel on these liners was not a recreational cruise but merely a means of transport between the two continents. The crossing took around five days when these photographs were taken. Liners were divided by economic class, and for first-class passengers, life on an ocean liner was dreamy. Luxury transatlantic travel reached its zenith, with the waters dominated by the British companies Cunard and the White Star Line, as well as the French Line Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (CGT)....

In this article, we’ll uncover the captivating evolution of vintage toasters, unearthing the magic behind these cherished culinary companions. The primary technical problem in toaster development at the turn of the 20th century was the development of a heating element which would be able to sustain repeated heating to red-hot temperatures without breaking or becoming too brittle. The first stand alone electric toaster, the Eclipse, was made in 1893 by Crompton & Company of Chelmsford, Essex....

On May 13, 1940, the VS-300 completed its inaugural “free” flight. Recognized as the inaugural American single main rotor helicopter, it lifted to a height of 15-20 feet and traversed 200 feet forward before hovering, reversing, and then safely landing. The original design, alongside its subsequent improvements, has greatly influenced the configuration of numerous features seen in today’s modern helicopters. Igor Sikorsky’s quest for a practical helicopter began in 1938, when as the Engineering Manager of the Vought-Sikorsky Division of United Aircraft Corporation, he was able to convince the directors of United Aircraft that his years of study and research into rotary-wing flight problems would lead to a breakthrough....

Once a city of great cultural and architectural significance, Warsaw was reduced to a pile of rubble and ashes after years of brutal German occupation and a subsequent failed uprising by the Polish Home Army. The city’s rich heritage, which included a vibrant Jewish community, was almost entirely wiped out in the wake of the destruction, leaving a city in ruins and a people reeling from the horrors of war....

Whipping is the act of beating the human body with special implements such as whips, rods, switches, the cat o’ nine tails, the sjambok, the knout, etc. Whipping was a common form of punishment during the early colonial period in America. English colonists brought with them a legal tradition that included whipping as a means of disciplining offenders. It was used for various offenses, including theft, public drunkenness, and disobedience....

The famine ultimately covered an area of 670,000 square kilometers (257,000 sq mi) and caused distress to a population totaling 59 million. In part, the Great Famine may have been caused by an intense drought resulting in crop failure in the Deccan Plateau. But, the regular export of grain by the colonial government; during the famine, the viceroy, Lord Lytton, oversaw the export to England of a record 6.4 million hundredweight (320,000 ton) of wheat, this weaken the rich cultural and economic strength especially of southern India....

The design trends of the Edwardian era revolved around the S curve when corsets created an S-shaped female silhouette, a change from the Victorian hourglass figure. The S bend corset forced the hips back and bust forward. The ideal female figure was a mature woman with a pigeon-shaped monobosom. Outdoor dressing in the Edwardian Era was quite different from other types of dressing. Tailored clothes were preferred for outdoor activities....

From the bustling streets of urban centers to the simplicity of rural life, these images capture a bygone era filled with charm, innovation, and a sense of adventure. Get ready for flappers and fellas, quirky contraptions, and a glimpse into a bygone era that’s both amusing and strangely cool. The 1920s pulsed with a newfound energy. Cities boomed, wages rose, and the “flapper” symbolized a generation yearning for social liberation....

At 10:56 pm, Armstrong spoke his famous quote, which he later contended was slightly garbled by his microphone and meant to be “that’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind”. He then planted his left foot on the gray, powdery surface, took a cautious step forward, and humanity had walked on the moon. Buzz Aldrin joined him on the moon’s surface at 11:11 pm, and together they took photographs of the terrain, planted an American flag, ran a few simple scientific tests, and spoke with President Richard Nixon via Houston....

Born in Zschochau, Saxony during the middle of World War II, he enlisted in the East German state police following his 18th birthday. Since he had always shown himself to be a loyal and hardworking young citizen of the German Democratic Republic, local military officials offered him an elite position in the paramilitary Bereitschaftspolizei or BePo (“riot police”), which was specifically conceived to suppress the rebellion. On 15 August 1961, the 19-year-old Schumann was sent to the corner of Ruppiner Strasse and Bernauer Strasse to guard the Berlin Wall on its third day of construction....

Then in 1798, Napoleon arrived at the head of a French army, closely followed by the British, who had hitherto shown little interest in Egypt. After the French retreat, Egypt became gradually Westernised under the Albanian Ottoman Muhammad Ali Pasha, so that by the time the English novelist Thackeray visited Alexandria in 1845, the Nile ‘was lined with steel mills’ and looked ‘scarcely Eastern at all’. Egypt’s early tourism trade started in the 19th century and increased in popularity alongside the rise of Egyptology as an academic and amateur pursuit....

The German railroad ploughs were produced by the Krupp factory in 1942. The platform on which was mounted a giant hook that spearheaded went under the sleepers, hauled by two locomotives to work for him at the speed of 7-10 km/h. The hook was lowered into the middle of the track resulting in pulling the rails out of alignment, tearing up the middle of the track, and breaking the sleepers....

Seizing the moment in the excitement of the race, she shook Hitler’s hand and boldly kissed him, while the crowd of 20,000 erupted in laughter. Hitler, in a cheerful mood, joined in the amusement, clapping along with the crowd as the woman, Carla de Vries, returned triumphantly to her seat. De Vries, a 40-year-old American traveling through Europe, had been determined to meet Hitler. Her brother-in-law later remarked, “She wanted to meet Hitler, but I’m surprised at how she went about it....

Jakob Nacken stood quietly while the British troops frisked him and this David vs Goliath match-up provided a rare moment of amusement during the fighting. Jakob Nacken was born in Düsseldorf, Germany, on February 15, 1906. Both his parents were six feet two inches (1.88 m). His sister Josephine was six feet two inches (1.88 m) tall; his two-years-younger brother Wilhelm grew to be six feet two inches (1.88 m) tall; his other brother, who was eight years older than Nacken, became six feet seven inches (2....