Historical photos you need to see

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

In this thread, we will explore history through old photos. These images offer an authentic and unvarnished view of life in the past, showing the human evolution in various aspects.

Post photos that made a dramatic change in the way we see history. Historical photos, like images in this post, bring a moment from the past closer. Books, paintings, drawings and other media document history much further back, but nothing beats a photo to give you that sense of reality.

 

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

Masabumi Hosono was subjected to what the Japanese refer to as "mura hachibu," or social ostracism, after jumping on a lifeboat.


Before the Titanic set sail, Hosono, a Japanese bureaucrat, was working in Russia as vice councilor of the Railway Board for the Japanese Ministry of Transportation, the Japan Times reported.

Finally headed home, 42-year-old Hosono opted to board the Titanic in Southampton, England, rather than make the trek across Russia. A second-class passenger, he was believed to be the only Japanese traveler to board the ship, the Japan Times reported.

Just a few days after the ship left port, it collided with an ice burg. As it was sinking, many passengers frantically ran for the few lifeboats to evacuate. During this time, Hosono was asleep. Fortunately for him, a stewardess came and instructed him to put on his life vest.

As he was a passenger in 2nd class, he had priority access to the lifeboats on the top deck. Unfortunately, when he tried to go up, crewmen assumed the Asian fellow was a 3rd class passenger and blocked his way. But eventually, in the panic, Hosono slipped past them.

Eventually, Hosono came across a free lifeboat when an officer shouted, “room for two more!” While hesitant at first, he saw a man run and dive for the free space. This triggered his desire to live and see his family once more, so Hosono did the same and survived.

The next morning, Hosono’s lifeboat and the passengers it was carrying were rescued by another ship. Hosono had in his coat pocket a sheaf of stationery with Titanic's letterhead on which he started writing a letter to his wife in English. During the ship’s voyage to New York, he used the same paper to write an account in Japanese of his experiences.

At first, Hosono’s story drew little attention. Hundreds had survived the sinking of the Titanic, and each one had, no doubt, a harrowing tale to tell. One New York newspaper, however, ran his story as the “Lucky Japanese Boy”. But back in Tokyo, Hosono found his native people hostile towards him.

Sacrifice, courage and selflessness run deep in Japanese culture. The country’s history is filled with stories of samurai sacrificing themselves through seppuku rather than fall into the hands of enemies. During World War two, hundreds of pilots rammed their airplanes against Allied targets in kamikaze attacks. The Japanese society did not expect Hosono to behave in anything less than an exemplary manner.

Hosono was condemned as a coward by the Japanese press, and in a knee-jerk reaction, the government fired him from his job, only to re-hire him on a contractual basis. Hosono weathered the attacks from his fellow Japanese and attempted to lead a life of low key. He died peacefully in his sleep in 1939 at the age of 68.

Hosono's story remained a source of shame for his family for decades. It wasn’t until James Cameron’s film was released in 1997 that Hosono’s story received a wider audience. Masabumi's grandson’s Haruomi Hosono, who is the leading member of the band Yellow Magic Orchestra, declared that he was "extremely relieved” that the true story became better known. “Honour has been restored to the Hosonos,” he said.

 

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

Sarah Baartmann, also known as Saartjie Baartman, was born circa 1789 in the vicinity of the Gamtoos River, in what is now South Africa's Eastern Cape province. She belonged to the Khoikhoi people. Orphaned at an early age, Baartman moved to Cape Town where she worked as a servant for a "free black man" and later moved with him to Europe. After touring Great Britain, she moved to Paris where she died famous, but poor, in 1815.

In Europe, she was exhibited as an exotic attraction. Her body features, not uncommon with South African Khoikhoi women, were considered a sensation in England and France: Baartman had a slender waistline with big buttocks and large sexual organs. She was nick-named the Hottentot Venus. Hottentot was a European name for the Khoikhoi people, while Venus alludes to the Roman goddess of love.



Because of her naturally curvaceous body, Hendrik Cesars began to show her at the city hospital in exchange for cash. One of the surgeons, Alexander Dunlop, who supplied showmen in Britain with animal specimens as a side business, took interest. Sarah had a condition called steatopygia, which leads to substantial collection of fat in the buttocks and thighs. She also had an elongated inner labia causing the skin of her genitalia to hang down below her vulva. Her appearance was typical for Khosian women but it was a rare and erotic projection for Europeans. Dunlop saw an opportunity to exploit her and began pressuring Sarah into traveling to Europe to make money as an exhibit herself.

At first Sarah refused but eventually succumbed to the pressure from Dunlop and agreed to go. Thus on 1810, Sarah, Cesars and Dunlop arrived in London and took up residence in Duke Street, St. James, one of the most expensive part of London.

Sarah was displayed in a building in Piccadilly, and thousands of Londoners came to gawk and ogle at her large buttocks. For two shillings, people could gaze upon her body. Those who were willing to pay a little more were permitted to touch her.

Sarah’s exhibition in London after the 1807 Slave Trade Act caused an outcry among abolitionists. The campaigners were appalled at Sarah's treatment and brought her employers to trial. But Sarah herself testified in their favor, recording in a statement that she had not been sexually abused and had come to London on her own free will and that she had no desire to return to her family.

After spending four years in England, Sarah was taken to France by an animal trainer named Jean Riaux, and exhibited at the Palais Royal in Paris. During this time Sarah was practically enslaved, with Riaux treating her like any other animal, ordering her to sit or stand in a similar way that a trainer orders circus animals. At times she was exhibited in a cage.

Sarah came under the attention of French naturalist Georges Cuvier, who began to study her as a specimen to further scientific racism. Sarah also agreed to be studied and painted by a group of scientists and artists but refused to appear fully naked before them, wearing a small apron-like garment to cover her genitalia.


In 1815, the city underwent swift transformations amidst a series of events. The failure of crops led to a surge in food prices, while Napoleon's brief return to power was followed by his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in June. As the nation plunged into a state of economic depression, people had less disposable income to spend on entertainment such as the showcasing of the Hottentot Venus. Sarah’s promoter was compelled to exhibit her at less prominent locations, including a brothel, where she may have also been subject to prostitution.

The same year, Sarah died, possibly due to pneumonia or syphilis aggravated by alcoholism. Georges Cuvier dissected her body and concluded that many of Sarah’s features were ape-like, in accordance with his theories on racial evolution. He thought her small ears were similar to those of an orangutan and also compared her vivacity, when alive, to the quickness of a monkey. Before Cuvier cut her up, he made a plaster cast of her body, preserved her skeleton and pickled her brain and genitals, placing them in jars. They were on display at Paris's Museum of Man until the 1970s when it elicited complaints for being a degrading representation of women.

In 2002, under pressure from President Nelson Mandela’s government, the French government agreed to return her remains, and she was reburied at Hankey, in Eastern Cape province.

Although Sarah’s life ended a long time ago, the public’s fascination for butts did not. Several books have been published about her treatment and cultural significance. Some black women have found Sarah's story to be empowering, as it challenges the ideals of white mainstream beauty, given that curvaceous bodies are increasingly celebrated in popular culture and mass media.

 

[mshamba_mkuu]

Sarah Baartmann, also known as Saartjie Baartman, was born circa 1789 in the vicinity of the Gamtoos River, in what is now South Africa's Eastern Cape province. She belonged to the Khoikhoi people. Orphaned at an early age, Baartman moved to Cape Town where she worked as a servant for a "free black man" and later moved with him to Europe. After touring Great Britain, she moved to Paris where she died famous, but poor, in 1815.
View attachment 1553
In Europe, she was exhibited as an exotic attraction. Her body features, not uncommon with South African Khoikhoi women, were considered a sensation in England and France: Baartman had a slender waistline with big buttocks and large sexual organs. She was nick-named the Hottentot Venus. Hottentot was a European name for the Khoikhoi people, while Venus alludes to the Roman goddess of love.

View attachment 1554

Because of her naturally curvaceous body, Hendrik Cesars began to show her at the city hospital in exchange for cash. One of the surgeons, Alexander Dunlop, who supplied showmen in Britain with animal specimens as a side business, took interest. Sarah had a condition called steatopygia, which leads to substantial collection of fat in the buttocks and thighs. She also had an elongated inner labia causing the skin of her genitalia to hang down below her vulva. Her appearance was typical for Khosian women but it was a rare and erotic projection for Europeans. Dunlop saw an opportunity to exploit her and began pressuring Sarah into traveling to Europe to make money as an exhibit herself.

At first Sarah refused but eventually succumbed to the pressure from Dunlop and agreed to go. Thus on 1810, Sarah, Cesars and Dunlop arrived in London and took up residence in Duke Street, St. James, one of the most expensive part of London.

Sarah was displayed in a building in Piccadilly, and thousands of Londoners came to gawk and ogle at her large buttocks. For two shillings, people could gaze upon her body. Those who were willing to pay a little more were permitted to touch her.

Sarah’s exhibition in London after the 1807 Slave Trade Act caused an outcry among abolitionists. The campaigners were appalled at Sarah's treatment and brought her employers to trial. But Sarah herself testified in their favor, recording in a statement that she had not been sexually abused and had come to London on her own free will and that she had no desire to return to her family.

After spending four years in England, Sarah was taken to France by an animal trainer named Jean Riaux, and exhibited at the Palais Royal in Paris. During this time Sarah was practically enslaved, with Riaux treating her like any other animal, ordering her to sit or stand in a similar way that a trainer orders circus animals. At times she was exhibited in a cage.

Sarah came under the attention of French naturalist Georges Cuvier, who began to study her as a specimen to further scientific racism. Sarah also agreed to be studied and painted by a group of scientists and artists but refused to appear fully naked before them, wearing a small apron-like garment to cover her genitalia.
View attachment 1555

In 1815, the city underwent swift transformations amidst a series of events. The failure of crops led to a surge in food prices, while Napoleon's brief return to power was followed by his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in June. As the nation plunged into a state of economic depression, people had less disposable income to spend on entertainment such as the showcasing of the Hottentot Venus. Sarah’s promoter was compelled to exhibit her at less prominent locations, including a brothel, where she may have also been subject to prostitution.

The same year, Sarah died, possibly due to pneumonia or syphilis aggravated by alcoholism. Georges Cuvier dissected her body and concluded that many of Sarah’s features were ape-like, in accordance with his theories on racial evolution. He thought her small ears were similar to those of an orangutan and also compared her vivacity, when alive, to the quickness of a monkey. Before Cuvier cut her up, he made a plaster cast of her body, preserved her skeleton and pickled her brain and genitals, placing them in jars. They were on display at Paris's Museum of Man until the 1970s when it elicited complaints for being a degrading representation of women.

In 2002, under pressure from President Nelson Mandela’s government, the French government agreed to return her remains, and she was reburied at Hankey, in Eastern Cape province.

Although Sarah’s life ended a long time ago, the public’s fascination for butts did not. Several books have been published about her treatment and cultural significance. Some black women have found Sarah's story to be empowering, as it challenges the ideals of white mainstream beauty, given that curvaceous bodies are increasingly celebrated in popular culture and mass media.

dah, what they dud to Sarah makes me sad and angry, very angry

Starving Child And Vulture, 1993

Kevin Carter knew the stench of death. As a member of the Bang-Bang Club, a quartet of brave photographers who chronicled apartheid-era South Africa, he had seen more than his share of heartbreak. In 1993 he flew to Sudan to photograph the famine racking that land.

Exhausted after a day of taking pictures in the village of Ayod, he headed out into the open bush. There he heard whimpering and came across an emaciated toddler who had collapsed on the way to a feeding center. As he took the child’s picture, a plump vulture landed nearby.

Carter had reportedly been advised not to touch the victims because of disease, so instead of helping, he spent 20 minutes waiting in the hope that the stalking bird would open its wings. It did not. Carter scared the creature away and watched as the child continued toward the center. He then lit a cigarette, talked to God, and wept.

The New York Times ran the photo, and readers were eager to find out what happened to the child—and to criticize Carter for not coming to his subject’s aid. His image quickly became a wrenching case study in the debate over when photographers should intervene. Subsequent research seemed to reveal that the child did survive yet died 14 years later from malarial fever.

Carter won a Pulitzer for his image, but the darkness of that bright day never lifted from him. In July 1994 he took his own life, writing, “I am haunted by the vivid memories of killings, corpses, anger, and pain.”

 

[Kondeni0112]

Sarah Baartmann, also known as Saartjie Baartman, was born circa 1789 in the vicinity of the Gamtoos River, in what is now South Africa's Eastern Cape province. She belonged to the Khoikhoi people. Orphaned at an early age, Baartman moved to Cape Town where she worked as a servant for a "free black man" and later moved with him to Europe. After touring Great Britain, she moved to Paris where she died famous, but poor, in 1815.
View attachment 1553
In Europe, she was exhibited as an exotic attraction. Her body features, not uncommon with South African Khoikhoi women, were considered a sensation in England and France: Baartman had a slender waistline with big buttocks and large sexual organs. She was nick-named the Hottentot Venus. Hottentot was a European name for the Khoikhoi people, while Venus alludes to the Roman goddess of love.

View attachment 1554

Because of her naturally curvaceous body, Hendrik Cesars began to show her at the city hospital in exchange for cash. One of the surgeons, Alexander Dunlop, who supplied showmen in Britain with animal specimens as a side business, took interest. Sarah had a condition called steatopygia, which leads to substantial collection of fat in the buttocks and thighs. She also had an elongated inner labia causing the skin of her genitalia to hang down below her vulva. Her appearance was typical for Khosian women but it was a rare and erotic projection for Europeans. Dunlop saw an opportunity to exploit her and began pressuring Sarah into traveling to Europe to make money as an exhibit herself.

At first Sarah refused but eventually succumbed to the pressure from Dunlop and agreed to go. Thus on 1810, Sarah, Cesars and Dunlop arrived in London and took up residence in Duke Street, St. James, one of the most expensive part of London.

Sarah was displayed in a building in Piccadilly, and thousands of Londoners came to gawk and ogle at her large buttocks. For two shillings, people could gaze upon her body. Those who were willing to pay a little more were permitted to touch her.

Sarah’s exhibition in London after the 1807 Slave Trade Act caused an outcry among abolitionists. The campaigners were appalled at Sarah's treatment and brought her employers to trial. But Sarah herself testified in their favor, recording in a statement that she had not been sexually abused and had come to London on her own free will and that she had no desire to return to her family.

After spending four years in England, Sarah was taken to France by an animal trainer named Jean Riaux, and exhibited at the Palais Royal in Paris. During this time Sarah was practically enslaved, with Riaux treating her like any other animal, ordering her to sit or stand in a similar way that a trainer orders circus animals. At times she was exhibited in a cage.

Sarah came under the attention of French naturalist Georges Cuvier, who began to study her as a specimen to further scientific racism. Sarah also agreed to be studied and painted by a group of scientists and artists but refused to appear fully naked before them, wearing a small apron-like garment to cover her genitalia.
View attachment 1555

In 1815, the city underwent swift transformations amidst a series of events. The failure of crops led to a surge in food prices, while Napoleon's brief return to power was followed by his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in June. As the nation plunged into a state of economic depression, people had less disposable income to spend on entertainment such as the showcasing of the Hottentot Venus. Sarah’s promoter was compelled to exhibit her at less prominent locations, including a brothel, where she may have also been subject to prostitution.

The same year, Sarah died, possibly due to pneumonia or syphilis aggravated by alcoholism. Georges Cuvier dissected her body and concluded that many of Sarah’s features were ape-like, in accordance with his theories on racial evolution. He thought her small ears were similar to those of an orangutan and also compared her vivacity, when alive, to the quickness of a monkey. Before Cuvier cut her up, he made a plaster cast of her body, preserved her skeleton and pickled her brain and genitals, placing them in jars. They were on display at Paris's Museum of Man until the 1970s when it elicited complaints for being a degrading representation of women.

In 2002, under pressure from President Nelson Mandela’s government, the French government agreed to return her remains, and she was reburied at Hankey, in Eastern Cape province.

Although Sarah’s life ended a long time ago, the public’s fascination for butts did not. Several books have been published about her treatment and cultural significance. Some black women have found Sarah's story to be empowering, as it challenges the ideals of white mainstream beauty, given that curvaceous bodies are increasingly celebrated in popular culture and mass media.

The Burning Monk, 1963
In June of 1963, Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhist monk Thích Quang Duc burned himself to death at a busy intersection in Saigon. He was attempting to show that to fight all forms of oppression on equal terms, Buddhism too, needed to have its martyrs.

The self-immolation was done in protest to the South Vietnamese Diem regime’s pro-catholic policies and discriminatory Buddhist laws. In particular this was a response to the banning of the Buddhist flag, just 2 days after Diem had held a very public ceremony displaying crosses; earlier in his rule he had dedicated Vietnam to Jesus and the Catholic Church. The growing resentment of Buddhists under Diem was one of the underlying issues of South Vietnam, and eventually led to a coup to put in place a leader who would not alienate Buddhists, who made up 70-90% of Vietnam’s population.

John F. Kennedy said in reference to a photograph of Duc on fire, “No news picture in history has generated so much emotion around the world as that one”. Photographer Malcolm Browne captured the scene in Saigon for the Associated Press, and the stark black and white image quickly became an iconic visual of the turbulent 1960s.

Buddhist discontent erupted following a ban in early May on flying the Buddhist flag in Huế on Vesak, the birthday of Gautama Buddha. A large crowd of Buddhists protested the ban, defying the government by flying Buddhist flags on Vesak and marching on the government broadcasting station. Government forces fired into the crowd of protesters, killing nine people.

On 10 June 1963, U.S. correspondents were informed that “something important” would happen the following morning on the road outside the Cambodian embassy in Saigon. Most of the reporters disregarded the message, since the Buddhist crisis had at that point been going on for more than a month and the next day only a few journalists turned up, including David Halberstam of The New York Times and Malcolm Browne, the Saigon bureau chief for the Associated Press. Duc arrived as part of a procession that had begun at a nearby pagoda. Around 350 monks and nuns marched carrying denouncing the Diem government and its policy towards Buddhists.

The act occurred at the intersection of Phan Đình Phùng Boulevard and Lê Văn Duyệt Street a few blocks Southwest of the Presidential Palace (now the Reunification Palace). Duc emerged from the car along with two other monks. One placed a cushion on the road while the second opened the trunk and took out a five-gallon petrol can. As the marchers formed a circle around him, Duc calmly sat down in the traditional Buddhist meditative lotus position on the cushion. A colleague emptied the contents of the petrol container over Duc head. Duc rotated a string of wooden prayer beads and recited the words Nam mô A di đà Phật (“homage to Amitābha Buddha“) before striking a match and dropping it on himself. Flames consumed his robes and flesh, and black oily smoke emanated from his burning body.

Quang Duc’s last words before his self-immolation were documented in a letter he had left:

Before closing my eyes and moving towards the vision of the Buddha, I respectfully plead to President Ngo Dinh Diem to take a mind of compassion towards the people of the nation and implement religious equality to maintain the strength of the homeland eternally. I call the venerables, reverends, members of the sangha and the lay Buddhists to organize in solidarity to make sacrifices to protect Buddhism.

Seeing a man on fire in a lotus position makes me think that this man had extreme control over pain which is a common practice with Buddhist monks. That fact doesn’t diminish the shock factor, on the contrary is enhances it. And the monk knew this which was why he was willing to make this sacrifice of martyrdom because it would have a great impact on the targeted audience, the Vietnamese government. I believe it did make an impact although I’m not too sure about the method used. I can’t help feeling that there could have been a less destructive way to get their attention instead of the loss of life. Surely this monk could have been more useful had he remained alive?

As far as capturing the moment is concerned, Browne was very astute in taking the U.S. correspondent’s message seriously. If he hadn’t taken advantage of that message he would have missed the incident and the iconic image would not have been recorded.

 

[Gily]

Idi Amin Dada, the third president of Uganda ruled from 1971 to 1979. His rule was characterised by political repression, ethnic persecution, extrajudicial killings, nepotism, corruption, and gross economic mismanagement.

Amin was known to have egotistical behaviours and even bestowed on himself the title, “His Excellency, President for Life, Field Marshal Al Hadji Doctor Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Seas and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular.”

Besides all that, he was also the only black ruler who came close to making a white man a slave. As evidenced by the photo below, he made them carry him for show off.


British officials who knelt before Uganda's then President Idi Amin Dada in 1975, claimed that he tricked them into kneeling before him. They were pledging alliance while receiving citizenship papers

 

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

Falling Man, 2001

The most widely seen images from 9/11 are of planes and towers, not people. Falling Man is different. The photo, taken by Richard Drew in the moments after the September 11, 2001, attacks, is one man’s distinct escape from the collapsing buildings, a symbol of individuality against the backdrop of faceless skyscrapers.

On a day of mass tragedy, Falling Man is one of the only widely seen pictures that shows someone dying. The photo was published in newspapers around the U.S. in the days after the attacks, but backlash from readers forced it into temporary obscurity. It can be a difficult image to process, the man perfectly bisecting the iconic towers as he darts toward the earth like an arrow.

Falling Man’s identity is still unknown, but he is believed to have been an employee at the Windows on the World restaurant, which sat atop the north tower. The true power of Falling Man, however, is less about who its subject was and more about what he became: a makeshift Unknown Soldier in an often unknown and uncertain war, suspended forever in history.

 

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

Albino boy clutching an empty corned beef tin, Biafra, Nigeria, 1969.

In 1960, Nigeria got independence from the United Kingdom and was divided along the ethnic lines among Hausa, Faluni, Yoruba and Igbo people. The Igbos were located in the southern part of the land and were mostly Christianize by the missionaries. The southern part was also oil-rich part of Nigeria. In 1966, a civil war erupted in Nigeria. On 30 May 1967 the Igbo people declared secession from Nigeria and announced the independence of the Republic of Biafra. Creation of Biafra created conflict because most of the oil resources were located in the land claimed by Biafra and oil was a major source of income for Nigeria. As a result, in 1967, the army of the remainder of Nigeria attacked Biafra and blockaded the Biafran food supply and medical aid.

What followed this blockade was horrible. Neither side blinked. Biafra refused to take food supply from Western governments suspecting that it could be poisoned because these governments were supporting Nigeria. Consequently, a terrible famine enveloped the infant nation of Biafra. More than one million people died due to starvation. The outside world did not get much information from insides of Biafra because neither side allowed press to enter the region.

The photograph presented above was taken in 1969 by British photojournalist Don McCullin. It shows an emaciated albino boy. He is leaning over on his skeletal legs with an abnormally large head, holding an empty tin of corned beef. McCullin had found this boy in a makeshift camp for orphaned children in Biafra.

Finally in 1970 Biafra collapsed under the blockade. On 9 January 1970, Biafran President General C. Odumegwu Ojukwu left for Ivory Coast where he had got political asylum. Ojukwu boarded plane with just $100 in his pocket. It was all that was left of the £7 million fortune he had inherited from his father. The remainder he had spent on purchasing food supplies and arms to protect Biafra.

On 15 January 1970 Biafra again become part of Nigeria.


The Albino Boy’s Background:
Little is known about the Albino Boy’s identity or his family background. It is believed that he was a young child during the war, and his albinism made him an outcast even within the already marginalized Biafran society.

Due to his albinism, the boy faced unique challenges, beyond the ravages of war, which further isolated him from his community. Albino individuals in certain African societies have often been subjected to stigmatization and superstitions, leading to discrimination and exclusion.

 

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

Emmett Till, 1955
In August 1955, Emmett Till, a black teenager from Chicago, was visiting relatives in Mississippi when he stopped at Bryant’s Grocery and Meat Market. There he encountered Carolyn Bryant, a white woman. Whether Till really flirted with Bryant or whistled at her isn’t known.

But what happened four days later is. Bryant’s husband Roy and his half brother, J.W. Milam, seized the 14-year-old from his great-uncle’s house. The pair then beat Till, shot him, and strung barbed wire and a 75-pound metal fan around his neck and dumped the lifeless body in the Tallahatchie River.

A white jury quickly acquitted the men, with one juror saying it had taken so long only because they had to break to drink some pop. When Till’s mother Mamie came to identify her son, she told the funeral director, “Let the people see what I’ve seen.” She brought him home to Chicago and insisted on an open casket.

Tens of thousands filed past Till’s remains, but it was the publication of the searing funeral image in Jet, with a stoic Mamie gazing at her murdered child’s ravaged body, that forced the world to reckon with the brutality of American racism. For almost a century, African Americans were lynched with regularity and impunity.

Now, thanks to a mother’s determination to expose the barbarousness of the crime, the public could no longer pretend to ignore what they couldn’t see.

 

[Hakimu]

The Burning Monk, 1963
In June of 1963, Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhist monk Thích Quang Duc burned himself to death at a busy intersection in Saigon. He was attempting to show that to fight all forms of oppression on equal terms, Buddhism too, needed to have its martyrs.

The self-immolation was done in protest to the South Vietnamese Diem regime’s pro-catholic policies and discriminatory Buddhist laws. In particular this was a response to the banning of the Buddhist flag, just 2 days after Diem had held a very public ceremony displaying crosses; earlier in his rule he had dedicated Vietnam to Jesus and the Catholic Church. The growing resentment of Buddhists under Diem was one of the underlying issues of South Vietnam, and eventually led to a coup to put in place a leader who would not alienate Buddhists, who made up 70-90% of Vietnam’s population.

John F. Kennedy said in reference to a photograph of Duc on fire, “No news picture in history has generated so much emotion around the world as that one”. Photographer Malcolm Browne captured the scene in Saigon for the Associated Press, and the stark black and white image quickly became an iconic visual of the turbulent 1960s.

Buddhist discontent erupted following a ban in early May on flying the Buddhist flag in Huế on Vesak, the birthday of Gautama Buddha. A large crowd of Buddhists protested the ban, defying the government by flying Buddhist flags on Vesak and marching on the government broadcasting station. Government forces fired into the crowd of protesters, killing nine people.

On 10 June 1963, U.S. correspondents were informed that “something important” would happen the following morning on the road outside the Cambodian embassy in Saigon. Most of the reporters disregarded the message, since the Buddhist crisis had at that point been going on for more than a month and the next day only a few journalists turned up, including David Halberstam of The New York Times and Malcolm Browne, the Saigon bureau chief for the Associated Press. Duc arrived as part of a procession that had begun at a nearby pagoda. Around 350 monks and nuns marched carrying denouncing the Diem government and its policy towards Buddhists.

The act occurred at the intersection of Phan Đình Phùng Boulevard and Lê Văn Duyệt Street a few blocks Southwest of the Presidential Palace (now the Reunification Palace). Duc emerged from the car along with two other monks. One placed a cushion on the road while the second opened the trunk and took out a five-gallon petrol can. As the marchers formed a circle around him, Duc calmly sat down in the traditional Buddhist meditative lotus position on the cushion. A colleague emptied the contents of the petrol container over Duc head. Duc rotated a string of wooden prayer beads and recited the words Nam mô A di đà Phật (“homage to Amitābha Buddha“) before striking a match and dropping it on himself. Flames consumed his robes and flesh, and black oily smoke emanated from his burning body.

Quang Duc’s last words before his self-immolation were documented in a letter he had left:

Before closing my eyes and moving towards the vision of the Buddha, I respectfully plead to President Ngo Dinh Diem to take a mind of compassion towards the people of the nation and implement religious equality to maintain the strength of the homeland eternally. I call the venerables, reverends, members of the sangha and the lay Buddhists to organize in solidarity to make sacrifices to protect Buddhism.

Seeing a man on fire in a lotus position makes me think that this man had extreme control over pain which is a common practice with Buddhist monks. That fact doesn’t diminish the shock factor, on the contrary is enhances it. And the monk knew this which was why he was willing to make this sacrifice of martyrdom because it would have a great impact on the targeted audience, the Vietnamese government. I believe it did make an impact although I’m not too sure about the method used. I can’t help feeling that there could have been a less destructive way to get their attention instead of the loss of life. Surely this monk could have been more useful had he remained alive?

As far as capturing the moment is concerned, Browne was very astute in taking the U.S. correspondent’s message seriously. If he hadn’t taken advantage of that message he would have missed the incident and the iconic image would not have been recorded.View attachment 1561View attachment 1562View attachment 1563View attachment 1564View attachment 1565View attachment 1560

Pictured above is Hans Langseth, a Norwegian-American man who once held the title of the world's longest beard.

Langseth traveled around the United States as part of a "freak show," showing off his impressive beard to onlookers along the way.

When he died in 1927, his beard measured 17.5 feet in length. Eventually, his beard was donated to the Smithsonian's Department of Anthropology.

 

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

In 1941, The Photo On The Left Was Taken Of Soviet Soldier Eugen Stepanovich Kobytev On The Day He Left To Go To War. The Photo On The Right Was Taken In 1945 After The End Of The War, Just 4 Years Apart

 

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

The year 1921 was an extremely important year for Gandhi and his civil rights work. This was the year he became leader of the Indian National Congress, leading national campaigns against poverty and untouchability, and fighting for women’s rights and an end to British colonial rule. This historical photo shows 51-year-old Gandhi looking youthful in a colonial suit and tie, but in September of 1921, he switched to the loincloth and shawl worn by the poorest citizens of India in symbolic identification.

 

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

On July 21st, 1921, Adolf Hitler became the leader of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, otherwise known as the Nazi Party. He had been a member since 1919 but soon rose to prominence with his speeches blaming Jews and Marxists for Germany’s problems in the years post World War I. This was the beginning of his rise to power which eventually culminated in World War II and the genocide of more than 570,000 people, including around 6 million Jewish men, women, and children.

 

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

Albert Einstein at home in Berlin In 1921, Albert Einstein visited the United States for the first time, delivering lectures at Columbia and Princeton and visiting the White House. On his return to Germany (as shown in this historical photo), he published an essay titled “My First Impression of the U.S.A.,” describing Americans as “friendly, self-confident, optimistic, and without envy.” How flattering! Einstein received the Nobel Prize for Physics in December of that year.

 

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

February 1, 1968 – Associated Press photographer Eddie Adams takes one of the most disturbing yet iconic photographs of the Vietnam War. On the left is General Nguyen Ngoc Loan, commander of South Vietnam’s National Police Force, charged with re-taking the city of Saigon from Communist invaders during the Tet Offensive. On the right is Nguyen Van Lem, who has just been captured after his guerilla unit killed 34 civilians, all of whom were bound at the wrist and shot in the head. His own hands bound, Lem is brought before the General. Without hesitation, Loan pulls out a revolver and executes Lem on the spot. Adams aims his camera and captures the precise moment. Americans back home look don’t see politics or military retribution. All they see is cold-blooded murder. What remains of public support for the war is all but shattered.

 

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

27-Year-Old Soviet Doctor, Leonid Rogozov, Performing Surgery On Himself To Remove An Infected Appendix During A 1961 Expedition To The Antarctic, Where He Was The Only Doctor On The Team

During an expedition to the Antarctic, Russian surgeon Leonid Rogozov became seriously ill. He needed an operation - and as the only doctor on the team, he realised he would have to do it himself. As the polar winter rolled in, 27-year-old Leonid Rogozov started to feel tired, weak and nauseous. Later, a strong pain developed down the right side of his abdomen.

Leonid knew his appendix could burst and if that happened, it would almost certainly kill him - and while he considered his options, his symptoms got worse. Rogozov made his decision - he would perform an auto-appendectomy rather than die not doing anything.

Rogozov worked out a detailed plan for how the operation would unfold and assigned his colleagues specific roles and tasks. He nominated two main assistants to hand him instruments, position the lamp, and hold a mirror - he planned to use the reflection to see what he was doing. The station director was also in the room, in case one of the others became faint.

A general anaesthetic was out of the question. He was able to administer a local anaesthetic to his abdominal wall but once he had cut through, removing the appendix would have to be done without further pain relief, in order to keep his head as clear as possible.

Rogozov had intended to use a mirror to help him operate but he found its inverted view too much of a hindrance so he ended up working by touch, without gloves. As he reached the final and hardest part of the operation, he almost lost consciousness. He began to fear he would fail at the final hurdle.

"The bleeding is quite heavy, but I take my time... Opening the peritoneum, I injured the blind gut and had to sew it up," Rogozov wrote. "I grow weaker and weaker, my head starts to spin. Every four to five minutes I rest for 20 - 25 seconds.

"Finally here it is, the cursed appendage! With horror I notice the dark stain at its base. That means just a day longer and it would have burst… My heart seized up and noticeably slowed, my hands felt like rubber. Well, I thought, it's going to end badly and all that was left was removing the appendix."

But he didn't fail. After nearly two hours he had completed the operation, down to the final stitch. Then, before allowing himself to rest, he instructed his assistants how to wash the surgical instruments and only when the room was clean and tidy did Rogozov take some antibiotics and sleeping tablets. It was a staggering achievement. "Most importantly he was relieved because he had another chance to live," says Vladislav. Rogozov returned to his normal duties just two weeks later.

 

[Gily]

1996 in Tanzania, ugliest contents

In competition 1996, on who is the mostly ugly man the judges agreed almost unanimously that Mr.Masoud (in the picture above) was the ugliest man among all the contestant.

Masoud went on to win but fellow contestants including Dr. Remmy Ongala (in the middle) and Mzee Jangala(famous actor in those days in the right) and Masoud (in the left)

Dr Remmy ongala (a well known musician) in the picture below appealed to court that he was actually more ugly than Masoud.

Masoud looked way uglier because he was suffering from leprosy.The appeal never went through and Masoud remains “The Ugliest Man in Tanzania” since that competition never took place again. However, Ongala still called himself "sura mbaya" (ugly face) for years.

What is interesting is what followed afterwards. Masoud became a celebrity overnight. The offers (from ladies) to marry him started flowing.”Masoud,will you marry me”? Lots of folks started asking him for autograph and photos whenever he appeared at any event or street to talk about fame, love and money.

 

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu before He was hanged was hanged on 6 April 1979

Before he was hanged on 6 April 1979 In South Africa’s Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu said: “My blood will nourish the tree that will bear the fruits of freedom. Tell my people that I love them. They must continue the fight, Aluta Continua”

Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu
Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu, born on 10 July 1956 in Doornkop, Middelburg in what was then known a Eastern Transvaal, was barely 20 years old when Soweto school pupils protested against the introduction of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction. .

By the end of 1976 many hundreds of youths had been killed, including a 12-year-old schoolboy named Hector Petersen, and more than 2 000 wounded. Thousands more had been prosecuted or detained, and banning orders had been imposed. A large number of South Africans went abroad, often clandestinely, many of them vowing to pursue the struggle. One was Solomon Mahlangu, who left his home one night in great secrecy.

Mahlangu underwent military training as a soldier of Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), and was then immediately tasked to return to South Africa to assist with student protests being planned to commemorate the 1976 uprising. In early 1977, he and two other MK soldiers, Monty Motloung and George Mahlangu, travelled from Angola to Mozambique , from where they infiltrated South Africa .

Successfully evading the government's comprehensive security network, they managed to reach Johannesburg unscathed. There, however, they were intercepted by police. An exchange of fire followed in which two civilians were killed. In the confusion George Mahlangu managed to escape, but Solomon Mahlangu and Monty Motloung were taken prisoner.

Motloung was so severely assaulted in the process that he was unfit to stand trial, but Mahlangu, although he had not fired a shot during the clash with the police, was charged with murder as an accessory. He was duly found guilty, and on 22 March 1977 was sentenced to death. His response was a defiant shout of “Amandla!”

Mahlangu's sentence was not carried out immediately, however. His case had aroused widespread international concern, and he spent two years awaiting execution while heavy pressure was exerted on the South African government to commute his sentence and recognise freedom fighters as political prisoners.

The government would not give way, however, and on 6 April 1979, aged 23, Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu was executed, his spirit unbroken by the long time he had spent in the shadow of the gallows. His last words were: “My blood will nourish the tree that will bear the fruits of freedom. Tell my people that I love them. They must continue the fight.”

 

[Gily]

A young Japanese couple take a selfie together using thier mirror; 1920.

Check out this incredible mirror selfie from Japan, taken ca. 1920, over a hundred years ago! The photo was taken by https://www.facebook.com/OldJapan — negative or positive, 35mm or medium/large format and glass dry plates. This specific image was scanned from a negative glass dry plate with an Epson v800

 

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

Tollund Man" a 2400-year-old marsh body and human sacrifice victim from Iron Age, found at Bjældskovdal in Denmark. His body was so well preserved that even after 2400 years, scientists could still take his fingerprints and determine what he had last eaten.

 

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

A man holding a donkey in his lap. At the bottom of the photo, it reads "Rock-a-bye Baby". Unknown date, possibly 1910s.

 

[Gily]

This is actually a photo of a statue

No One Knows Why These Medieval Statues Are Pulling Their Vaginas Open

 

[Gily]

Taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt in New York on August 14, 1945, The Kiss (otherwise knowns as V-J Day in Times Square) captures the iconic moment a U.S. Navy sailor kissed a stranger on the streets of Times Square. Popularized by its publication in Life magazine, the photograph is a great example of the power of street photography in action.

Eisenstaedt had been present at Time Square for what is colloquially known as “Victory over Japan Day,” the day on which World War II ended with Imperial Japan’s surrender. The closing of the war incited nationwide celebrations, including a frenzy of festivities in Times Square where Eisenstaedt spotted the sailor kissing a stranger – a nurse, identified by her stark white uniform.

 

[Gily]

The First Photograph Ever Taken, 1826 or 1827


The oldest surviving photograph to exist. It was taken by pioneer photographer, Joseph Nicéphore Niépce. The scene depicts a view from a window in Nicéphore Niépce’s estate known as Le Gras in Saint-Loup-de-Varennes, Bourgogne, France in 1826 or 1827.

 

[Gily]

The First Photograph featuring a person, 1838



A photograph of the Boulevard du Temple in Paris, France in 1838. It was taken by Louis Daguerre and shows a person having his boots polished near the bottom left of the photograph. It is believed to be the earliest image to show a living person.