Back In The Good Old Days

Models pose as part of Mack Sennett Bathing Beauties he did to promote his films in Atlantic City, US in 1917. Most of these would appear in his films, beating out scores of other women who wanted to be in movies.

Russian civilians remove what they can from their burning homes somewhere near Leningrad in 1941. With the German Army approaching rapidly, the retreating Russian soldiers put forth a scorched earth tactic to deprive the enemy of food and shelter. They burned everything they could in many small towns during their retreats. This forced the Germans to bring supplies from hundreds of miles away without the use of anything local. It was one of the only successful ways of slowing the rapid advance in the first year of the German Invasion of the Soviet Union (that and incredibly bad winter weather). However, there was no plan for the civilians who would lose everything because of this tactic. It is estimated some 7 million Soviet civilians died due to famine and disease during WWII, with plenty being attributed to this tactic as it also prevented the Russians from constantly supplying their own locally affected towns and cities. This was also quite devastating in their ability to supply the heavily besieged cities of Leningrad and Stalingrad with food.

Rioter’s converge outside the Douglas County Courthouse in Nebraska, US in 1919. The mob entered the building during the trial of William Brown, a black man, after he was accused of mugging a white, handicapped man and raping the man’s fiancee. Brown was stripped, beaten unconscious and castrated before hundreds of bullets were fired into his body as he was dragged by an automobile and hanged from a downtown light pole. Hundreds of white people participated, bringing along their wives and children to watch the spectacle. They trashed much of the courthouse as initial officers tried to keep them from entering. Evidence against William Brown was circumstantial, and like many black man accused of crimes against whites during this time period, he never got a fair trial.

Children work on their lessons in a classroom at Jonestown, Guyana in 1978. The parents of these kids were all followers of Jim Jones and his religious sect The Peoples Temple of the Disciples of Christ. Known as a fanatic cult, they left the US for Guyana to practice freely, however human rights concerns as well as not allowing anyone to leave were key reasons US Congressman Leo Ryan led a group including reporters to observe the group later that year. Jones and his militia attacked Ryan, killing him and 4 others at the airport as they were prepared to leave with 15 defectors. Afterwards that same day, Jones convinced 909 of his followers to participate in a mass suicide by drinking tainted cool-aid, which killed them all. A 45 minute audio tape exists of the discussion and subsequent suicide. 304 children were among them. The parents gave the poisoned cool-aid to their children first, then drank themselves. Everyone then lied down together and died. The term "don't drink the cool-aid" comes from this event. Jim Jones would shoot himself instead of drinking like his followers. Sadly, every person and child in this picture partook in the mass suicide.

Children work on their lessons in a classroom at Jonestown, Guyana in 1978. The parents of these kids were all followers of Jim Jones and his religious sect The Peoples Temple of the Disciples of Christ. Known as a fanatic cult, they left the US for Guyana to practice freely, however human rights concerns as well as not allowing anyone to leave were key reasons US Congressman Leo Ryan led a group including reporters to observe the group later that year. Jones and his militia attacked Ryan, killing him and 4 others at the airport as they were prepared to leave with 15 defectors. Afterwards that same day, Jones convinced 909 of his followers to participate in a mass suicide by drinking tainted cool-aid, which killed them all. A 45 minute audio tape exists of the discussion and subsequent suicide. 304 children were among them. The parents gave the poisoned cool-aid to their children first, then drank themselves. Everyone then lied down together and died. The term "don't drink the cool-aid" comes from this event. Jim Jones would shoot himself instead of drinking like his followers. Sadly, every person and child in this picture partook in the mass suicide.

A prostitute models for a picture to be used on postcards in the French Quarter of New Orleans, US in 1894. The booming industry in the US was suddenly put to a halt in the early half of the 20th century, when prostitution in the US was eventually outlawed in 49/50 states, with only Nevada keeping it legal.

This picture, sadly, is a modern picture using old techniques. It was mislabeled on numerous sites as a prostitute from New Orleans, US in 1894. Sorry for any confusion.

However, the theme of the picture was what I wanted to share. Showing the ugly side of being in such a profession, as the women had no ability to defend themselves from aggressive customers and if they do so, could face reprimand. In fact, for much of American history of the profession, rarely would a customer be punished for beating a prostitute, and would only have issues with the establishments owner. For example, if a customer beat a prostitute and she is unable to work for a week, the owner of the brothel, who had a legal contract with the prostitute for expected earnings, could claim lost wages from the patron. The prostitute herself couldn't claim anything, and of course suffered the most from the transgression.

Mounted armed guards of Emir of Katsina wearing traditional attire during the festival of Sallah in Katsina, Nigeria in 1970. The armed guards have had long standing purposes in the area, and would guard royalty or important functions of the Katsina state and surrounding areas. This area was founded in around 1100 AD, and has had functioning versions of these guards throughout most if its history. A cool thing about the government these men protected was before it became more Islamic, if the ruler had been found to be incompetent, the people could have him executed and a new ruler declared with simple votes instead of any kind of armed revolt.

Aid workers help a women who can barely stand in Ethiopia in 1985. At this point, up to 1 million Ethiopians had died from starvation during a severe drought that began 2 years earlier. Normal weather conditions caused the worst drought in Ethiopia in a century. However, the government handling of the situation proved to cause the famine to be far worse and strike harder. To combat insurgency efforts against the ruling party in affected parts of Somalia, the government withheld necessary supplies and support for crops and animals, which reduced food for the people. The death toll rapidly climbed because of this and other measures by the government, causing far more deaths.

Workers building the locks and tops of the wall of the Panama Canal in 1913. This was near the finishing stages of the Canal, as it would open the following year. Originally a French production which began in 1881, the US took over in 1904 after the French companies operating the Canal went bankrupt. Before they sold the rights to the US, the French spent $275 million US (over $5 Billion today) and only received $40 million to the rights. They also lost 22,000 workers dead from disease and accidents, as well as losing over 800,000 investors their funds in the project. The US finished it in the next 10 years with key modifications, and lost around 5,200 people to disease and accidents. The new country of Panama was created during this time, seceding from Colombia. In fact, the US supported and ensure Panamanian independence away from Colombia by blocking Colombian troops from engaging rebels so the US could barter a more favorable deal with the fledgling nation over building and operating the Canal in 1903.

A Khmer Rouge soldier waves his pistol and orders store owners to abandon their shops in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in 1975. The capital fell to the communist forces, and immediately all property and ownership ceased for its citizens. This was as the Khmer Rouge won the 8 year long Cambodia Civil War, but that did not stop the fighting or the killing. Under their leader Pol Pot, The Khmer Rouge were ruthless, and began a campaign of genocide against the people. While in full control of the country, the Khmer Rouge killed up to 3 million people in just 4 years. Over 23,000 mass graves have been discovered. Men, women, children, the Khmer Rouge killed them all. It got so bad that even Vietnam invaded Cambodia, despite both being communist, and eventually the Khmer Rouge lost control of the country. However they would continue to fight a guerilla war even holding key areas of the country until finally being defeated 20 years later in 1999.

4 Korean prisoners lay at the edge of a mass grave before being executed in South Korea in 1950. Apparently, the US backed south immediately executed up to 2000 prisoners at the beginning of the war without trial or cause. Most of these men were just suspected of communist ties, and the killings were observed by US personnel. It took nearly 50 years before evidence of these killing surfaced.

A small child maybe no older than 5 works in an industrial textile factory in New York City, US in 1902. During the industrial revolution, plant owners recruited cheap labor from poor families, often employing children of all ages. The work was long and for small wages, and injuries at the factories had no insurance. If you were hurt bad enough where you could not work, you were just fired. Workers, especially children, often had injuries, even losing limbs or dying during this time period. Eventually, labor unions arose to combat these terrible working conditions, and child labor laws would eventually be enacted as well to prevent such exploitation in the US.

Australian troops wait to be airlifted back to Nui Dat after Operation Ulmarra in Vietnam in 1967. Australia had troops in Vietnam as early as 1956 supporting the French and eventually the US and finally had their last troops leave in 1972. The Australians would have 521 soldiers killed and over 3100 wounded during their time in Vietnam.

Models pose as part of Mack Sennett Bathing Beauties collection in Atlantic City, US in 1917.

This picture shows bloody and beaten protesters being forcibly moved by riot police during the Hong Kong Riots in 1967. The riots were against the British Colonial rule, and were pro-communist, hoping to integrate with the rest of China. The police force, which were made up mostly of local Chinese, were sent in to disband the protestors when instead it turned violent. In the hard crackdown that followed, 52 people were killed, with another 800 wounded. The police also arrested some 2000 people including all suspected leaders of the protests. To combat this, small terrorist actions such as bombing occurred against the police and British Colonial rule. Eventually, all order was restored and Britain retained full control of Hong Kong.

This picture shows bloody and beaten protesters being forcibly moved by riot police during the Hong Kong Riots in 1967. The riots were against the British Colonial rule, and were pro-communist, hoping to integrate with the rest of China. The police force, which were made up mostly of local Chinese, were sent in to disband the protestors when instead it turned violent. In the hard crackdown that followed, 52 people were killed, with another 800 wounded. The police also arrested some 2000 people including all suspected leaders of the protests. To combat this, small terrorist actions such as bombing occurred against the police and British Colonial rule. Eventually, all order was restored and Britain retained full control of Hong Kong.

People get ready to head inside the Coliseum in Chicago, US for the Republican National Convention in 1912. The thing you may notice from this picture is there is virtually no women in it. Women were not allowed to vote in the US for another 7 years, and thus were barred from taking up valuable seats from this event.

A young woman working as a fisherman in Whitby, England in 1891. Even working a hard job with long hours involving fish all day, I just thought this woman has a natural beauty and strength very evident in her work.

A German soldier applies a field dressing to a wounded Russian woman during Operation Barbarossa (the German invasion of Russia) in 1941. Unlike many other pictures of Germans helping civilians that appear far more likely to be propaganda, this is not a professionally done picture with a unique setting. The Nazi's did terrible things, but many Germans were just men fighting for their country or because they had to, and luckily, despite all the ugliness and racism in the Reich, some clearly kept their humanity.

British and German soldiers relax during the a truce in 1917. The most prime example was during that first winter of WWI, when the 2 sides put aside their weapons and came together to celebrate Christmas at certain areas of the front. Known as the Christmas Truce, they exchanged gifts, buried the dead in no mans land, and even played a football match (soccer). Some of this continued at numerous points throughout the horrific war, where at certain sections, soldiers would ignore their uniforms and parlay for small exchanges.

Pro-separation civilians gather to support the Quebec Referendum heading to a public vote in Quebec, Canada in 1980. They all hold up signs saying "yes" in French, and despite the growing support, the Quebec Referendum would not pass with nearly 60% voted no. Another vote would also not pass in 1995. The people of Quebec, who speak French primarily, have had desires for years to be their own country, but have yet to have enough public support and votes to push such a measure forward.

Young Maiko and Geiko girls in traditional garments in Kyoto, Japan in 1922. During this time, Japan had drastically modernized, and the western culture was overtaking daily traditional culture, reducing the amount of traditional looks such as these to a minimum.

An Eskimo medicine man from the Yup'ik tribe preparing to perform a ritual to exorcise evil spirits from a sick boy in Alaska territory, US in 1897.

This is a picture of Bosniaks (Muslim Bosnians) at the Omarska concentration camp run by the Serbians during the Bosnian War in Bosnia in 1992. It was basically a concentration camp being disguised as a prisoner camp. The Bosnian War had ugly and brutal acts against ethnic groups. Official death toll from such acts was only 10,000 or so, but many believe the number killed was higher.