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These stark images reveal North America’s iconic – and most powerful – waterfall to be almost as dry as a desert. Niagara Falls is the collective name for three waterfalls that straddle the international border between Canada and the United States. From largest to smallest, the three waterfalls are the Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls. The Horseshoe Falls lie mostly on the Canadian side and the American Falls entirely on the American side, separated by Goat Island....

Despite sometimes appearing stern or sitting apart, it’s clear that they still adore each other as shown by their sweetly shy smiles, flirting, tender touches, giggles, and happiness. In the 19th century, love and courtship were often subject to strict societal expectations and customs. Marriage was typically viewed as a necessary and desirable institution, and courtship was a means to find a suitable partner for life. During this time period, courtship was generally a formal process....

Drinking may make some girls seem clever, but most get silly” and “Careless women never appeal to gentlemen, Don’t talk while dancing, for when a man dances he wants to dance.” Originally this article was published on Click Photo-Parade magazine in 1938 and that’s how they thought single women should act back then. The key to getting a fella to put a ring on it in decades past was all about keeping your emotions, lady secrets, and basically any indication of a personality or individual humanity at bay (and also sitting properly)....

In the early-to-mid-20th century, trains were steadily a popular way to get around. Through these vintage photos, we can see what train travel looked like in the good old days with the lavish furnishings and fine dining that holds a special place in the railroad’s rich history. The 1920s and 1930s were a kind of golden age for rail travel in the U.S. and Europe, a period when railroads were portrayed as modern amenities that carried passengers to romantic getaways in luxury and comfort....

Godefoy invented it for use in his hair salon in France, and it was not portable or handheld. It could only be used by having the person sit underneath it. Around 1915, hairdryers began to go on the market in handheld form. This was due to innovations by National Stamping and Electricworks under the white cross-brand, and later U.S. Racine Universal Motor Company and the Hamilton Beach Co., which allowed the dryer to be small enough to be held by hand....

During the late 1950s and early 1960s, Wilkinson captivated audiences with her exquisite looks and undeniable charm. She emerged as one of the era’s most-photographed women, earning the title of “the most photographed nude in America.” Born on March 27, 1940, in the picturesque town of Eastbourne, England, Wilkinson’s path to stardom began at an early age. Her striking features and captivating presence soon caught the attention of photographers, propelling her into the spotlight....

However, there were a few black soldiers enlisted in the German Imperial Army (Continental Army). Most were involved in non-combat duties, like musicians. There is almost nothing written about them and the likely total is less than 15. Comparatively, millions of Germans served in combat and non-combat roles. Much of this was due to conscription which was not applied to the Kaiser’s African subjects. Since the 17th century, it was popular for European armies to have African bandsmen in their elite regiments....

The movie is widely regarded as the definitive “spaghetti western.” The film is known for Leone’s use of long shots and close-up cinematography, as well as his distinctive use of violence, tension, and highly stylized gunfights. The plot revolves around three gunslingers competing to find a fortune in a buried cache of Confederate gold amid the violent chaos of the American Civil War (specifically the Battle of Glorieta Pass of the New Mexico Campaign in 1862), while participating in many battles, confrontations, and duels along the way....

From masterful makeup and prosthetics to awe-inspiring animatronics and meticulously crafted miniatures, these photos capture the remarkable craftsmanship and dedication that brought fantastical worlds to life. In the 1960s marked, miniatures and models became indispensable tools, allowing directors to create awe-inspiring worlds and breathtaking action sequences. From the intricately detailed spaceships of “2001: A Space Odyssey” to the colossal destruction in “The Towering Inferno,” practical effects demonstrated an extraordinary level of craftsmanship....

On 29 August 1945, MacArthur was ordered to exercise authority through the Japanese government machinery, including Emperor Hirohito. Unlike in Germany, where the Allies had in May 1945 abolished the German state, the Americans chose to allow the Japanese state to continue to exist, albeit under their ultimate control. Unlike Germany, there was a certain partnership between the occupiers and occupied as MacArthur decided to rule Japan via the Emperor and most of the rest of the Japanese elite....

Their deaths were a culmination of sorts of a nation ravaged by war, bitter conflict, and the death of the nation’s commander-in-chief, Abraham Lincoln. Scottish photographer Alexander Gardner captured the macabre scene, including pictures of the condemned seen moments before they walked to the 12-foot gallows, specially constructed for the executions. It was hot that day, reportedly a hundred degrees (38 degrees Celsius). Sweat surely dripped down the accused’s faces as they passed by the cheap pine coffins and shallow graves that had been dug for them....

Notice everybody in the room is staring at Castro’s cigar, and that everybody sitting is smiling with their hands folded in front of them on the table, and the three guys standing below the portrait of Marx, have their arms behind their backs. At that time these sorts of pictures were censored, but after the fall of the Soviet Union, many photos and other documents stored away were released, including this one too....

It then evolved to become comparatively luxurious and ridiculously expensive, even extending to sleeper suites – thought of as a modern introduction but actually dating back to the flying boats of the late 1930s. But then, in the early 1960s, first class was dialed back in terms of the luxury features offered, although more recently, it is being selectively enhanced once more. Today’s business class is functionally equivalent to yesterday’s first class, and that today’s better types of premium economy are equivalent to earlier business class products....

Pen marks indicate things Army censors redacted after the film was captured. The censorship shown on the photo was just an initial note that publishers would more thoroughly take out. They didn’t want people to be able to identify where the picture was taken. That’s why they were crossing out only the things that would identify the spot, even religious markings (the crucifix in the corner of the image). It was likely the result of routine censorship....

The motto on the eagle behind the plane says: “Das deutsche Volk wird sich durch die Eroberung der Luft seinen ihm gebührenden Platz in der Welt erzwingen”. Translated, it would be: “The German people will, though conquest of the sky, force its duly place in the world“. The Messerschmitt Bf 109 E3 was designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Walter Rethel and had its first test flight in 1935. The all-metal aircraft had a closed cockpit and a retractable under-carriage....

When the television series “Wonder Woman” premiered in 1975, Lynda Carter instantly became a household name. Carter’s stunning beauty, combined with her commanding presence, brought an unparalleled sense of strength and grace to the character. One of the defining aspects of Lynda Carter’s portrayal was her ability to embody both the power and compassion of Wonder Woman. With her piercing blue eyes and lustrous dark hair, Carter exuded an air of confidence and determination....

The Bedouin people (“desert dwellers” in Arabic) are animal herders who migrate into the desert during the rainy winter season and move back toward the cultivated land in the dry summer months. Bedouin tribes have traditionally been classified according to the animal species that are the basis of their livelihood. Camel nomads occupy huge territories and are organized into large tribes in the Sahara, Syrian, and Arabian deserts. Bedouin society is tribal and patriarchal, typically composed of extended families that are patrilineal, endogamous, and polygynous....

Ireland’s population had plummeted by more than three and a half million since the Famine and was still in decline. There were some 250,000 fewer people on the island in 1901 than there had been in 1891. Late-nineteenth century Ireland was a country of tiny farmsteads and nasty urban tenements. It was an era when some Irish people still lived in mud cabins. Partial failure of the potato crop, which happened a number of times during the 1890s, was still capable of generating what late-Victorian administrators coyly called ‘distress’....

The 1980 Summer Olympic Games were already mired by controversy even before they opened. The United States led the boycott of 64 other countries in protest of the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The crowd supporting Soviet jumper Konstantin Volkov booed, hissed, jeered, and whistled during Kozakiewicz’s performance. After he had cleared the bar with a new world record of 5.78 meters, Kozakiewicz leapt to his feet in joy, turned to the spectators, placed his left hand on his right arm, and made a fist as he raised his arm in defiance to the Soviet crowd....

This photo was taken during Soviet-German Military Parade in Brześć-nad-Bugiem, Sep. 22, 1939. Soviets and Germans met to celebrate the victory over Poland. That September, in violation of their own treaties with Poland, both of these allies invaded and partitioned the Second Polish Republic. Thus began World War II. The Soviet and German troops met on numerous occasions. The most remarkable event of this kind occurred at Brest-Litovsk on 22 September....