Article created by: Gabija Palšytė
The history of the world is far deeper, broader, and stranger than just political backstabbing, epic battles, and dusty treaties. Every day, people around the globe find themselves in weird, amusing, and interesting situations. And our ancestors were no different.
The ‘Got Weird’ Instagram page, managed by the curator of the ‘Vintage Everyday’ project, offers a fascinating collection of bizarre and unusual snapshots from history. We’ve collected some of the coolest photos and stories they’ve featured to show you just how vivid history can be. And just how much all of this contrasts with life now, aesthetically. Scroll down for a big dose of education and entertainment.
More info: Instagram | Vintag.es
#1
A Shoe Doll That Belonged To A Child In The Slums Of London, Ca. 1905
The fact that it was found in an Edwardian London slum, and is made from the heel of a man’s shoe, a black sock and some scraps of household fabric, makes it at once the most heartbreaking and marvelous of toys.
#4
An Early Ambulance Operated By St John, In The U.k., 1920. The Patient Was Placed In A Coffin-Like Sidecar And The Lid Was Closed For Transport
#6
The Woman Was Photographed On The Background Of Painted Canvas Covering The Destroyed Buildings, Warsaw, 1946
#7
French Knife Grinders In Thiers From The Early 20th Century. They Would Work On Their Stomachs To Save Their Backs From Being Hunched All Day And Had Dogs Sit On Their Legs For Warmth
#8
This Isn’t Just A Superb Example Of Dorothea Lange’s Documentary Photography Of Hand-Painted Signs (A Frequent Subject Of Hers), But An Example Of How She So Poignantly Captured Snapshots Of America’s Sociopolitical Landscape
#9
Close-Up Portrait Of Canadian Actor Donald Sutherland As He Poses, Half Clean-Shaven And Half With Chin-Length Hair, New York, 1970
#10
A Few Seconds After This Photo The Pair Were Struck By Lightning. They Both Survived
This is the picture of two brothers named Michael and Sean McQuilken. The photo was taken by their sister, using an old Kodak Instamatic camera, on August 20, 1975 in Sequoia National Park in California.
#11
A Man Checks His E-Mail Over A Public Pay Telephone Using A Panasonic Rl-P4001 Acoustic Coupler Dial-Up Modem Attached To A Panasonic Rl-H1400 Hhc (Hand-Held Computer) In The Early 1980s
#13
Flashback To 1988 When A 25-Foot Shark From “Jaws” Rode Through Boston En Route To The Museum Of Science To Be Part Of A Science Of Movie And Television Magic Exhibit
#14
An Original Car Wash Designed To Mainly Clean The Undercarriages Since Most Roads Were Still Dirt Roads In Chicago, Us In 1924
#15
In 1965, A Group Of Six Tongan Teenage Boys Who Shipwrecked On The Uninhabited Island Of ʻata And Lived There For 15 Months Until Their Rescue
The boys ran away from their boarding school on the island of Tongatapu, stealing a boat in their escape. After a storm wrecked the boat, they drifted to the abandoned, remote island of ʻAta and managed to keep themselves in good order during the duration under the circumstances. Long thought dead, they were discovered and rescued in September 1966 by Australian lobster fisher Peter Warner.
#16
A Sailor In Drag, 1906
The man in drag is apparently Able Seaman Arthur Roach, a crew member of the H.M.S. Prince of Wales. He poses as a milkmaid behind a wooden fence and in front of a painted background. He is wearing a rather odd hybrid fancy-dress outfit, part showgirl/courtesan (ruffles and jewelry), part little girl at the seaside (very short skirt, bucket and spade). (Photographic postcard by H.J. Bond, 1906)
#17
A Champagne Inspector Wearing A Special Mask To Protect Against Accidental Discharges, Ca. 1933
#19
A Steam Locomotive Is Transported Across The Rio Grande River Via A Cable In New Mexico, USA, 1915
#25
In The 1930s, If You Wanted To Travel In Air-Conditioned Comfort, You Needed A “Swamp Cooler” Attached To Your Car Window
#26
Typical ‘Aussie’ Humor Is Reflected In This Sign Erected On The El Alamein Road By Australian Troops, 1942
The Australians are famous for all their well-developed sense of humor. At the wire along the El Alamein road, they have erected a number of signs which are calculated to take all the desire from anyone with ideas of proceeding further west at the present time.
#30
Boo-Koo Hamburger Stand In Harlingen, Texas. Burgers 5 Cents, Chili A Dime, Breakfast Two Bits, The 7up Is Real. (Photo By Russell Lee. February 1939)
#32
Before The Invention Of Radar During World War II, Incoming Enemy Warplanes Were Detected By Listening With The Aid Of “Sound Locators” That Looked More Like Musical Instruments Than Tools Of War
#34
The “Michelin Band” Performs At The Inauguration Of The Michelin Hour Radio Show, April 17, 1928
#35
The Winner Of The Neatest Figure Competition At The Lido In Margate, England Wears A Hood So That The Judges Could Not Be Influenced By Her Face And Instead Only Judge Her Body, 1946
#36
Giant Inflatable ‘Pinocchio’ From The 13th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade In New York City, 1937
#37
Photojournalist Marjory Collins Snapped These Two Women At O’Reilly’s Bar On Third Avenue, New York City In 1942
The sign reads, “Positively no gentlemen served in booths unless accompanied by a lady. – The Management.” It’s possible the women are covering their faces to avoid being seen out in public at a bar –– or, perhaps, in the day before selfies and cellphones, they simply didn’t want their picture taken. Marjory didn’t identify them, but then she only captioned the photo as “O’Reilly’s bar on Third Avenue in the ‘Fifties,’” not giving the exact name or cross street. Marjory Collins (1912–1985) covered the home front extensively in World War II, having studied at Sweet Briar College and the University of Munich. She started her documentary photographic career after selling her wedding silver to buy a camera. From 1942-1943, Collins traveled the United States, completing 50 assignments that captured American life.
#38
A Young Woman Holds Her Arms And Legs In Four Water Bathes With Electric Current, To Improve Blood Circulation, Circa 1938
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