History in Pictures

History in Pictures Rare historical photos and the stories behind them.

Riding the subway in New York City in 1986.
08/08/2025

Riding the subway in New York City in 1986.

In 2011, a 29-year-old Australian man called Dan Saunders discovered an ATM glitch enabling him to withdraw cash far bey...
08/06/2025

In 2011, a 29-year-old Australian man called Dan Saunders discovered an ATM glitch enabling him to withdraw cash far beyond his account balance. Over a span of 5 months, he splurged $1.6 million of the bank's funds on lavish parties, private jets, international vacations, and even covered his friends' university fees.

The eyes of an electrician after being zapped by 14,000 volts of electricity.His shoulder touched a live wire and the cu...
08/06/2025

The eyes of an electrician after being zapped by 14,000 volts of electricity.

His shoulder touched a live wire and the current passed through his entire body, including the optic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain.

The effect was two bizarre star-shaped electrical burns in his eyes, according to The New England Journal of Medicine.

A German soldier returns home to Frankfurt in 1946, only to find his family is no longer there.
08/06/2025

A German soldier returns home to Frankfurt in 1946, only to find his family is no longer there.

On this month in 1997, the highly-advanced computer system Skynet went online, removing human decisions from strategic d...
08/05/2025

On this month in 1997, the highly-advanced computer system Skynet went online, removing human decisions from strategic defense.

In 1986, 20-year-old Christopher Knight disappeared into the Maine forest, surviving alone for 27 years by committing ov...
08/05/2025

In 1986, 20-year-old Christopher Knight disappeared into the Maine forest, surviving alone for 27 years by committing over 1,000 burglaries, all while remaining unseen.

In 1986, Christopher Knight parked his car on a remote road in Maine, left the keys inside, and vanished into the woods, without saying goodbye to a single soul. He was just 20 years old.

For the next 27 years, Knight lived in near-total isolation, surviving brutal winters and mosquito-plagued summers in a hidden campsite deep in the forest. He became known as the “North Pond Hermit.”

To stay alive, Knight committed over 1,000 burglaries, stealing food, propane, batteries, and books from nearby cabins, but he never took anything of sentimental value. Remarkably, no one ever saw him. Locals spoke of a ghost-like figure who seemed to appear and vanish without a trace.

He was finally arrested in 2013 while stealing from a summer camp. When asked how long he’d been out there, he simply replied, “Since the 80s.”

Archaeologists discovered 3,000-year-old honey in an ancient Egyptian tomb—and it was still perfectly edible. Thanks to ...
08/03/2025

Archaeologists discovered 3,000-year-old honey in an ancient Egyptian tomb—and it was still perfectly edible. Thanks to its low moisture, high sugar content, and natural acidity, honey creates an environment hostile to bacteria. Added enzymes from bees, like glucose oxidase, further enhance its antimicrobial properties, making honey one of the only foods that never spoils.

A list of the causes of death in London in 1632.
08/03/2025

A list of the causes of death in London in 1632.

Mice with two fathers have officially had babies.This marks the first time male-only genetic material has produced ferti...
08/02/2025

Mice with two fathers have officially had babies.

This marks the first time male-only genetic material has produced fertile animals that can reproduce.

In a new study from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, scientists used s***m from two male mice to create embryos, removing the female DNA from eggs and editing specific DNA control regions to fix issues that normally prevent embryo development.

These regions are called imprinting control regions, and they usually need a balance of male and female gene activity to work properly. Out of 259 embryos implanted into female mice, three mice were born and two survived to adulthood. Both of those later had healthy pups of their own. The success rate is still very low, but it proves that with precise gene editing, it’s possible to produce fertile offspring from two male parents only. This process is more complex than creating offspring from two females, which has been done before with fewer edits.

To create mice with two fathers, researchers used a multi-step process combining gene editing and stem cell techniques. They started by collecting s***m from two male mice. One s***m cell was used to create lab-grown stem cells, which were then edited using CRISPR to disable around 20 genes that normally need input from both a mother and a father. These edited cells were combined with a second s***m cell and inserted into an egg that had its original DNA removed. The embryo, now carrying only male genetic material, was placed into a surrogate female mouse. Out of 164 embryos implanted, seven live pups were born. And now, some of them have their own babies, showing that these mice are capable of further reproduction.

Amputation of the fingers and thumb, c.1841. This illustration is from a medical book by J. M. Bourgery, which is curren...
08/02/2025

Amputation of the fingers and thumb, c.1841. This illustration is from a medical book by J. M. Bourgery, which is currently housed at the Wellcome Collection in London. This procedure would have been done without anesthetic in the first half of the 19th century. Not only that, but the operating theaters were filthy. Surgeons rarely washed their hands or their instruments before cutting into patients, as they had no concept of germs. These types of horrific scenes will be detailed in my book, THE BUTCHERING ART, which follows the 19th-century surgeon Joseph Lister on his journey to revolutionize surgery through antisepsis.

Photo of a patient with tuberous leprosy (now commonly called Hansen's Disease). This picture dates to 1895.Leprosy has ...
08/02/2025

Photo of a patient with tuberous leprosy (now commonly called Hansen's Disease). This picture dates to 1895.

Leprosy has a long history. It takes its name from the Latin word lepra, meaning scaly. It is a bacterial infection which can leave a person asymptomatic for as long as 20 years. Eventually the infection begins to affect the skin, nerves, eyes, and respiratory tract. Severe nerve damage often means people with leprosy can't feel their extremities and suffer frequent injury to the hands and feet as a consequence. It was once believed leprosy was highly contagious which gave rise to "l***r colonies" in earlier periods.

The infected were forced to carry clappers announcing their presence in towns, where they visited to beg for food. They were often forced to wear stripes as well so non-infected people could identify them easily (even today, striped clothing carries negative connotations as in the case of prisoners.) Although Hansen's Disease is spread between people in close contact, it is not highly contagious and can now be cured. About 200 new cases are reported in the US each year. It is more prevalent in developing countries, where people have less access to medical care. Photo: Wellcome Collection, London.

Elvis Presley leaves the Nassau Coliseum with his girlfriend, Diana Goodman, in July 1975.
08/01/2025

Elvis Presley leaves the Nassau Coliseum with his girlfriend, Diana Goodman, in July 1975.

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