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This is how the Chicago Daily Tribune described the event in her August 30, 1929 edition: Millions of Chicagoans take to the streets as the Graf Zeppelin cruises over the city to the accompaniment of the most tremendous roar of welcome that ever went up to the skies from this mid-continent metropolis. The great airship was first sighted in the Loop about 5:20 p.m., and it floated over the downtown area for about 18 minutes before it disappeared in the hazy eastern sky within three minutes after leaving the lakeshore....

The pilot’s name was Francis Mellersh and he was twice awarded Britain’s Distinguished Flying Cross and was recommended for the Victoria Cross. His daughter regarding this picture: “We have the original of the photo, and the book (he was crazy about John Buchan) and that bloody pipe killed him in the end at 72. I’m afraid those who have been to war and daily diced with death are rather cavalier with their health”....

The Uprising began on 1 August 1944 as part of a nationwide Operation Tempest, launched at the time of the Soviet Lublin–Brest Offensive. The main Polish objectives were to drive the Germans out of Warsaw while helping the Allies defeat Germany. An additional, political goal of the Polish Underground State was to liberate Poland’s capital and assert Polish sovereignty before the Soviet-backed Polish Committee of National Liberation could assume control....

This daring stunt not only captivated audiences but also turned the film into a massive hit, securing Lloyd’s place as one of the biggest stars of early Hollywood. Decades later, Safety Last! continues to shine at film revivals, celebrated as one of the greatest comedies of its era. The title is a playful twist on the popular saying “safety first,” a motto for workplace safety. Lloyd’s bravery behind the camera is just as impressive as on screen—despite losing two fingers in a film accident just four years earlier, he performed some of the heart-pounding stunts himself, cementing his status as a true daredevil of the silver screen....

These snapshots brought to life through the stunning hues of Kodachrome film, transport us to a time when the country was poised on the threshold of change, painting a vivid backdrop to the era’s challenges and triumphs. The streets of cities like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles pulsed with the energy of a nation at work, even as the war effort occupied the foreground. Industrial might was a hallmark of this era, as factories ramped up production to support the war, and the sight of women wearing coveralls and gloves became emblematic of their expanding roles in the workforce....

The result of the Civil War was the decisive defeat of the Confederate States of America, and the eventual resumption of their status in the United States. The time period directly after the Civil War was known as the Reconstruction, a time marked by turmoil, violence, and a lot of conflict and controversy. The Reconstruction Era was not a peaceful time, there were a large number of people that tried to take advantage of the weakened South....

After his master’s death, he worked as a porter at a cinema in Nagyvárad (now Oradea) and spoke fluently Hungarian, reportedly very skillful at using colorful insults. While certainly a curiosity in early 20th century Hungary, he was apparently well-liked in the city for his good humor and he was also very patriotic and proud about Hungary. Ali Mahmud applied to join the Austro-Hungarian army but was rejected because he was a foreign national....

The child was the only person found alive among hundreds of corpses in one cave. The battle for the Pacific island of Saipan during World War II is one of those well-remembered battles between Japan and America, one made worse by the mass suicide of local Japanese civilians who jumped off cliffs, fearful of capture by the Americans. The Americans declared Saipan “secure” on July 9, 1944, after a battle that obliterated the 30,000-strong Japanese garrison and killed up to 12,000 of the local Chamorro and Carolinian islanders and Japanese civilian settlers on the island (Japanese settlers worked the island’s sugar cane fields)....

Manufacturers of these medical products often made misleading claims and kept their full ingredients list and formulas proprietary, though we now know they often contained cocaine, opium, morphine, alcohol and other intoxicants or toxins. Products like heroin cough drops and cocaine-laced toothache medicine were sold openly and freely over the counter, using colorful advertisements that can be downright shocking to modern eyes. Take the 1885 print ad for Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup for Teething Children, for instance, showing a mother and her two children looking suspiciously beatific....

Reflecting on cars from past decades might bring to mind their appearances, but often overlooked are the myriad features that accompanied these vehicles. In hindsight, many of these concepts were undeniably innovative, yet within that realm of innovation, some ideas appeared outright eccentric or unusual. Looking back, it’s fascinating to see the range of forward-thinking innovations and, in contrast, some rather unconventional or offbeat features that were a part of automotive history....

Sheep are like a lawn care multi-tool. As they cut your grass, they also aerate the lawn with their hooves and spread fertilizer in the form of urine and manure. Sheep don’t require gasoline and oil changes, and although they are certainly not maintenance-free, grass-fed sheep are a sustainable alternative to lawnmower. George Donald once brought his flock all the way down from Aberdeen, Scotland. Considering the difficulty involved in transporting hundreds of sheep over 500 miles, this caused a bit of consternation in Parliament....

Little is known about Yang’s life prior to his service in WW2 other than that he was a native Korean who happened to be living in Japanese-controlled Manchuria at the start of WW2. Due to this, Yang found himself conscripted against his will in 1938 and forced to serve in the Kwantung Army at just 18 years old. During the Battles of Khalkhin Gol, he was captured by the Soviet Red Army and sent to a labor camp....

SS recruiters for the division accepted boys as young as 14 into the ranks. Also by judging from the helmet cover he has on, it looks to be the “pea” pattern cameo type which did not show up until late ’44/early ’45. Most likely the location is in France. Some interesting stories about for 12th SS Panzer Division “Hitlerjugend”. The young recruits were given rations of chocolate and cocoa (if available, or just chocolate milk) instead of cigarettes and alcohol....

In the picture, you can see Adolf Hilter during the service for Piłsudski and a symbolic coffin with a Polish flag and eagle. This was the only time that Fuhrer attended a holy mass as a leader of the Third Reich and probably one of the last times when he was in a church. Even though Hitler had a special sympathy for Pilsudski, he didn’t go to his funeral and sent Ribbentrop in his place....

These incredible black and white photographs document everyday life in New York City in the 1940s and offer a glimpse into a long-gone era. From street peddlers selling fish or fresh ears of corn, to cars stalled under mounds of snow, scenes are both familiar and nostalgic. The New York City that emerged from World War II was a dramatically different place than the city that had entered it four years before....

These men worried about their homecoming — how would strangers react, but more importantly how they would be treated by friends and family. Surgery and skin grafting were an option for some, but many sustained injuries that went beyond the ability of surgery to repair. These unfortunate soldiers turned to portrait-masks. Pioneered by English sculptor Captain Derwent Wood, and improved upon by American sculptor Anna Coleman Ladd, portrait masks were modeled from photographs taken before the injury and were painted in oils to resemble the former features of the patient....

These sessions featured soft lighting, feathered accessories, and dramatic, over-the-top hairstyles. However, the results were often far from glamorous, with many portraits showcasing awkward poses, exaggerated makeup, and a heavy reliance on satin gloves. While the idea was to make everyday people look like movie stars, the execution was sometimes questionable. Many photographers working in these studios were far from professionals, and their inexperience often led to stiff, unnatural poses that felt more awkward than elegant....

In August 1939, these two powerful nations struck a shocking nonaggression pact, agreeing to a ten-year period without conflict. This pact, known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, was not just a simple agreement but a strategic move that reshaped the map of Europe. Under the terms, the Soviet Union was granted control over Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, and the eastern half of Poland This allowed Nazi Germany to invade the western half of Poland without Soviet interference, which Adolf Hitler did on September 1, 1939, just nine days after the pact was signed, marking the beginning of World War II in Europe....

In 1838, the Grand Caledonian Curling Club established standardized rules, laying the groundwork for the modern game we know today. The word curling first appears in print in 1620 in Perth, Scotland, in the preface and the verses of a poem by Henry Adamson. The sport was (and still is, in Scotland and Scottish-settled regions like southern New Zealand) also known as “the roaring game” because of the sound the stones make while traveling over the pebble (droplets of water applied to the playing surface)....

These photos? They freeze those moments, showing us what life was like back then. The first railway in Ireland was built in 1834, when a 7-mile (11.3-km) link connected Dublin with the port of Kingstown (now Dún Laoghaire). As a result, suburbs began to grow along the coast to the south. Suburban development around the city continued and intensified over the next 70 years. Although Dublin remained moderately prosperous on the surface, it was festering underneath....