Back In The Good Old Days

Contestants flex for a picture before a body building contest in Athens, Greece in 1980. These events were all over Europe at the time, as gyms and body building started to become huge.

2 children lay in a gutter somewhere in China in 1946. They are in fact exhausted from a walk, as they are starving, and have passed out. Sadly, they are part of millions of Chinese at the time who are slowing dying from starvation. It is very likely these 2 children did not survive another week. Between 1940 and 1960, during the immense power struggle in China and the wars and terrible weather for crops, an untold massive number of citizens starved to death. It is anywhere from 5 to 20 million.

A Moro warrior stands in battle armor during the Moro Rebellion in the Philippines in 1900. Moros were Muslims, and rose up against the US who had taken control of the Philippines from Spain following the Spanish defeat in the Spanish American War in 1898. The US refused to relinquish control, as they wanted a colony of their own in Asia to match what France, England, Germany and the rising Japanese and Russian empires already had in the area. The insurrection lasted 14 years, from 1899-1913. US troops routinely cornered and slaughtered Moros, including women and children, in total massacres. The Battle of Bud Dajo is a great example, with pictures of entire slaughtered families in large ditches and maimed children out there for the curious.

Jewish women who were forced to undress before being executed in pits by German forces and Latvian collaborators in Latvia in 1941. Virtually all the people killed that day were women and young girls. The pits are in the background and this picture was taken after the massacre had started. Each person posing knows already what is about to happen to them.

An unknown woman riding her horse, side saddle no less, somewhere in England in 1905.

A unnamed woman shows off her hunting skills in Michigan in 1927.

2 Men arrested after a bar fight pose for a picture in NYC, US in 1975.

Starving men and boys from the Herero tribe pose for a picture taken by a German officer in German South West Africa (modern-day Namibia) in 1906. During the Herero Wars (1904-1907), the German empire decided to annihilate the Herero, Namaqua, and San people. They would corner them in the Namibia desert, and let them die of starvation or dehydration. Those that surrendered (like the ones pictured) were rounded up and put in concentration camps to work pretty much up until death. Up to 100,000 tribesmen, women and children died. This is considered by many as the first true genocide of the 20th century.

Company H of the 48th New York Regiment of the Union Army pose for a picture at Fort Pulaski, in Savannah, GA, US in 1863. If you zoom in, you can see the men in the background are actually playing baseball, and this picture is arguably the earliest known picture of a baseball game being played.

A regiment of black soldiers, known as Buffalo Soldiers, guard captured Spanish soldiers after their victory at the Battle of Santiago in Cuba in 1898. The war made future US president Teddy Roosevelt a war hero, but people sometimes forget the huge role the Buffalo Soldiers played, being in major battles and achieving key victories.

2 Men in protective gear have a match in the Olympic Event of Pistol Dueling at the 1906 Olympics in Athens, Greece. They used wax bullets, and competed with speed and accuracy being the key, similar to old west shootouts that most of us have seen heavily exaggerated in films. No gun powder, just the primer, which was enough to propel the wax bullet. This Olympic event, as one might guess, did not take off.

A young girl shows off a unique hair style in Hong Kong in 1958.

Russians fill Red Square to celebrate the first flight into space in 1961. Thousands turned out, dancing and having fun as one of the most important moment in humanities history unfolded.

Victims of the My Lai Massacre shortly before being executed by US forces in Vietnam in 1968. First, the soldiers raped many of the women in Son My village. Notice the woman on the right buttoning up her shirt, probably a victim of a rape. Then the villagers, mostly women and children, were rounded up and shot. Anywhere between 347 and 504 unarmed civilians were slaughtered. Their bodies were then mutilated by the soldiers. This lasted for hours, until some men were able to get messages out to superiors to stop the slaughter. The US military tried to cover this up, as all whistleblowers were either ignored or even punished. Finally, when it came to light, 26 soldiers were brought up on charges. However, only 1 was convicted, and only served 3 years in prison. Many consider this event the worst thing American Soldiers have ever done during war time. There are plenty of pictures from during and after the massacre far too disturbing to show here.

Chinese women and young girls separated and teased by Japanese soldiers during the horrible event known as The Rape of Nanking or Nanking Massacre sometime during the month long carnage, December 13, 1937 – January 1938. During this time, up to 300,000 civilians were murdered, with countless woman and young girls raped by the Japanese once they captured the Republic of China's capital, Nanking (now known as Nanjing). There are far worse pictures out there for the curious.

Note: This picture is actually from the Chinese film "City of Life and Death".

Riders work in crowds during the Cuidadela festival on the Balearic Islands, Spain in 1980. The horses are always top all black and are a key part of the festival. The riders deliberately get them on their 2 feet to show off their strength and beauty and part of the tradition is to have the horses mix with the people.

Shepherd Rudolf Balogh and his dogs pose for a picture in Hungary in 1930.

Coroners prepare to remove the bodies of people killed in a terrorist attack known as the Oktoberfest Bombing in Munich, Germany in 1980. 13 people were killed and another 211 were wounded. The bomber was a German born right-wing radical student, and died himself in the blast. To this day there are still questions as to whether he acted lone or had assistance.

Police hold back a massive crowd trying to get tickets to a Manchester United game in Manchester, England in 1950. Limited tickets for a big game were available, so a "stampede" of fans came out to try and get some. A few injuries occurred before the police got things in order.

This is the Woolworth Lunch Counter Sit-in that occurred in Jackson, Mississippi in 1963 to protest a white-only diner. Notice 2 of the 3 people being harassed are in fact white.

A woman holds a sign to protest the influx of Vietnamese in Wellington, New Zealand in 1984.

Canadian troops play hockey on the frozen Imjin River in Korea during the Korean War in 1952. The photographer noted how you can hear artillery fire in the background during the entire game. Apparently Canadian soldiers never invade a foreign land without bringing Hockey sticks, pucks, skates, and pads...

This is the American Nazi Party rally that occurred at Madison Square Gardens in NYC, US in 1939. Notice how many average Americans are doing the Nazi solute. Apparently some 22,000 people showed up for this rally. Late that same year, Germany invaded Poland. 2 years later the US would be attacked by Japan, and Germany would declare war on the US (the only country they ever actually declared war on by the way) and such support for the Nazi's dwindled into nothing. They would rise again though in the 1960s

A super market hosts a Miss Lovely Legs contest in Boksburg, South Africa in 1980. As you can see, all the contestants are white and around a third of the crowd is children.

A window cleaner on the RCA Building, Rockefeller Center in NYC in 1961.