The standing of The Godfather Part II (1974), nearly comparable to the fist, lies not only in its art, but in its outlook, so rare in American films from the early 1970s, on a flawed American protagonist as an emblem of the American empire. The Godfather Part II brings out the theme of redemption present in Coppola’s vision from the start. It is natural to regard these films as a trilogy to deal with the continuity of a directorial vision of the century-long working through of economic crime and punishment in the inner sanctum of an American dynasty....

By 1939 it had a population of over 1.5 million. The Biltmore Hotel was built in 1923. Also in 1923, the famous Hollywood sign was first erected. Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel was built in 1927. City Hall was built in 1928. Union Station was built in 1939. However, like the rest of the world, Los Angeles suffered during the depression of the 1930s. Between 1935 and 1939 many ‘Okies’ fleeing the dust bowl fled to the Los Angeles region....

At its height, the smoke produced by the city’s industries was so thick that it was said to block out the sun. The scale of the problem is revealed in these pictures from the Smoke Control Lantern Slide Collection at the archives of the University of Pittsburgh. The smoke, which lasted for decades, had a significant impact on the health and quality of life of Pittsburgh’s residents, as well as on the environment....

During his Vienna years (1908–1913), he produced hundreds of artworks, hoping to support himself by selling paintings and postcards. Despite his efforts, he found little commercial success. After World War II, some of his paintings surfaced and fetched tens of thousands of dollars at auctions. Others were seized by the United States Army and remain in U.S. government custody. This article digs into these rare artworks, offering a glimpse into the mind of one of history’s most notorious figures....

After covering the U.S. Civil War, O’Sullivan was the official photographer on the United States Geological Exploration of the Fortieth Parallel under Clarence King, an expedition organized by the federal government to help document the new frontiers in the American West. The expedition began at Virginia City, Nevada, where he photographed the mines and worked eastward. His job was to photograph the West to attract settlers. In so doing, he became one of the pioneers in the field of geophotography....

Sherman was an untrained, yet highly gifted photographer who created hundreds of images documenting the new arrivals to America. Fascinated by the diverse origins and cultural backgrounds of his subjects, Sherman created a riveting series of portraits, offering viewers a compelling perspective on this dynamic period in American history. According to the New York Public Library, his subjects were most likely asked to wear their best holiday finery or national dress....

3,881 people were recorded as committing suicide during April in the Battle of Berlin, although the figure is probably an underestimate. Although the motives were widely explained as the “fear of the Russian invasion”, the suicides also happened in the areas liberated by the British and American troops. On the 18th of April 1945, a number of officials of Leipzig committed suicide in the New Town Hall (Neues Rathaus). The Deputy Mayor of Leipzig Ernst Lisso decided to end his life but also that of his wife and daughter as the Americans pressed towards the city hall....

In January 1941, Adolf Hitler established the Afrika Korps for the explicit purpose of helping his Italian Axis partner maintain territorial gains in North Africa. “For strategic, political, and psychological reasons, Germany must assist Italy in Africa”, the Fuhrer declared. The British had been delivering devastating blows to the Italians; in three months they pushed the Italians out of Egypt while wounding or killing 20,000 Italian soldiers and taking another 130,000 prisoners....

The snowstorm was caused by a weather pattern that brought cold air from Canada and Alaska down to Southern California, where it met with a low-pressure system moving in from the Pacific Ocean The result was a snowstorm that dropped up to 4 inches of snow in some areas of Los Angeles, and even more in some of the surrounding mountains. The snow caused widespread disruption and excitement, with schools closing, highways becoming blocked, and people flocking to parks and hillsides to play in the snow....

Back then the recruits had full body naked inspections called hygiene inspections to make sure they didn’t have ingrown hairs, staph, etc. It was really weird, 200 guys all standing naked at attention, and then the company commander would come through to take a look at everyone, all the recruits had to spin around like a ballerina so the commander could inspect the whole body, and all of this is done in front of everyone....

Take a trip back in time to the 1950s and 1960s with a look at some of America’s most iconic restaurants and diners. From the bold colors and streamlined shapes of their architecture to the neon signs that lit up the night sky, these establishments were a true reflection of the post-war era. In this article, we’ll showcase a collection of exterior photos that capture the spirit and style of American restaurants in the 1950s and 1960s....

But the Queen Mother refused. She rode out the war in Buckingham Palace, though it was bombed repeatedly, and shuffled the princesses around several palaces before settling them into Windsor Castle. By February 1945, the war was still raging, and Elizabeth had turned 18. At her own insistence, according to the Royal Collection Trust, she requested to personally contribute to the war effort. Princess Elizabeth, heiress presumptive to the throne, was commissioned as an honorary second subaltern in the Auxiliary Territorial Service — basically the equivalent of a second lieutenant — and began training in March of 1945....

The author of the photo – Soviet war reporter and photographer Max Alpert – who did not know the name of the soldier, initially named (erroneously) this photograph as “Kom-bat”, which is a Soviet military acronym for “commander of battalion”. The identity of the person on the photo was uncovered 23 years later, when in May, 1965, the wife and children of A. Yeremenko saw the picture on the front page of the “Pravda” 20-year jubilee issue dedicated to the victory over Nazi Germany (the 9th of May or “Victory Day” is an official holiday in former USSR and now Russia)....

The Seneca Falls meeting was not the first in support of women’s rights, but suffragists later viewed it as the meeting that launched the suffrage movement. In the aftermath of the Civil War, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton found themselves increasingly at odds with many of their former reform allies. Many reformers wanted to focus on winning rights — including the right to vote — for newly emancipated African-American men....

With its hemline daringly rising above the knee, the miniskirt became a symbol of liberation, individuality, and feminine rebellion. This iconic fashion statement not only reshaped the wardrobes of women across the globe but also played a pivotal role in sparking a cultural revolution. The birth of the miniskirt is often attributed to the innovative British fashion designer Mary Quant. In the mid-1960s, Quant introduced a daringly short skirt that revolutionized the fashion industry....

It was an era that left a significant impact on home design, with bathrooms becoming a focal point for innovation and style. Let’s take a closer look at the design principles through these vintage bathroom photos. Color played a pivotal role in shaping the ambiance of 1950s bathrooms, reflecting the overall mood of the time. Soft pastel hues dominated the color palettes, mirroring the optimism and exuberance that permeated society....

Scholars had determined that there was a very long process of construction and use of Stonehenge (approximately 3000-1500 BCE), with many additions and alterations made to the site during three distinct phases of building and renovation. The monument consists of a number of large upright standing stones (menhirs), enclosed within a circular ditch (or henge) with a series of 56 burial pits on the interior of the ditch. Many archaeologists believe that the stones replaced an earlier timber structure on the site, which served as a type of mortuary chapel for corpses awaiting burial....

The schools were built on the concept that fresh air, good ventilation, and exposure to the outside contributed to improved health. The new institution was established by doctors researching new prophylactic methods, and educators interested in an open air educational experience. In 1904, Dr. Bernhard Bendix and pedagogue Hermann Neufert founded the first school of this kind: the Waldeschule of Charlottenburg, near Berlin, Germany. Classes were conducted in the woods to offer open-air therapy to young city dwellers with pre-tuberculosis....

The gift was meant as a gesture of friendship to the USSR’s World War II ally and was hung in the ambassador’s official residence at Spaso House in Moscow. For seven years, it adorned the study wall until a discovery was made by the State Department: the seal was more than a mere decoration; it was a bug. The Soviets had cleverly built a listening device, nicknamed “The Thing” by the U....

One of the vessels involved in the collision was the SS Imo, a Norwegian war-relief ship. The other was SS Mont-Blanc, a rusting French tramp steamer that was loaded with gunwales with high explosives, almost 3,000 tons of picric acid, TNT, and gun cotton, while piled high on her deck were hundreds of barrels of high-octane benzol fuel. The Mont-Blanc was a floating bomb. As one veteran Royal Navy officer would later marvel, “I’m surprised that people on the ship didn’t leave in a body when they saw the nature of the cargo she had been ordered to carry”....