On 9 September 1942, though, something happened that had never happened before: an enemy plane bombed the contiguous United States. There had been rumors of bombers over Los Angeles the previous December, but those were ultimately proven false. And, of cour…
On September 2, 1945, Japanese representatives signed the official Instrument of Surrender, prepared by the War Department and approved by President Harry S. Truman. It set out in eight short paragraphs the complete capitulation of Japan. The opening words,…
Littlefeather represented Marlon Brando at the 45th Academy Awards in 1973, where she—on Brando's behalf—declined the Best Actor award that he won for his performance in The Godfather. The favorite to win, Brando boycotted the ceremony as a protest against …
The American presidency has put 45 men in power who have been described as everything from noble to despicable. They are known for the wars they fought, the legislation they signed into law, and the scandals they brought to the Oval Office. These interesting…
A boom in New York’s population in the mid-to-late 1800s led to the rise of tenement housing in lower Manhattan. Tenements were low-rise buildings with multiple apartments, which were narrow and typically made up of three rooms. Because rents were low, te…
These vintage photographs of Snow King chairlifts taken between the 1950s and 1970s show people riding in a very unsafe way without deploying any safety bars or other protections. While these chairlifts were actually dangerous, there's also a forced persp…
These pictures taken by John Frank Keith depict working-class Philadelphians, individually, and as groups standing on sidewalks, in front of streetscape, and sitting on stoops. Most of his photographs did not identify the subjects. Despite his day job as …
These incredible black and white photographs document everyday life in New York City in the 1940s and offer a glimpse into a long-gone era. From street peddlers selling fish or fresh ears of corn, to cars stalled under mounds of snow, scenes are both fa…
These photos taken by photographer Gordon Parks capture the Fulton Fish Market in lower Manhattan and document the path of a fresh catch from the boats of New England fishermen to the vendors’ stands. The fish market was originally a wing of the Fulton Mark…
These pictures of Las Vegas strip in the 1950s were taken by LIFE photographer Loomis Dean and capture the nightlife and the long-gone sights of Sin City. The 1950s were a defining era for Las Vegas. It was the decade that saw the rise of the Riviera, the S…
These photos, taken by Farm Security Administration photographer Arthur Rothstein, show cowboys and dudes from the Quarter Circle U Ranch in Big Horn County, Montana as they gather their herds for the seasonal roundup. Roundups were held within a specific r…
In 1945, Todd Webb was discharged from the U.S. Navy following World War II, and landed in New York. With a keen fascination for the bustling humanity of Manhattan, he took his large-format camera out to the streets, capturing its people and places in all w…
The Kennedys had many pets during their time at the White House including several dogs, a cat, one canary, two parakeets, hamsters, a rabbit named Zsa Zsa, and a pony named Macaroni. Macaroni, a 10-year-old part-Shetland gelding, was given to young Caroline…
Mississippi’s Tatum Salt Dome in rural Lamar County near Hattiesburg was the site of two nuclear test explosions in the mid-1960s. The Salmon test on Oct. 22, 1964 and the Sterling test on Dec. 3, 1966, were conducted to help determine whether and how nuc…
The term Dust Bowl was coined in 1935 when an AP reporter, Robert Geiger, used it to describe the drought-affected south-central United States in the aftermath of horrific dust storms. Historically, the Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms that …
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, farms started to use new machinery and fertilizers that transformed them from small-scale enterprises into food factories. Entrepreneurs selling products designed to increase a farmer’s production were anxious …
Early automobile manufacturers used a wide range of tests to prove a car's strength, endurance, capability, and worthiness. These tests were often adopted as selling points and to highlight the car’s performance and prowess in advertising brochures. In …
These photographs show Chicago's African-American community, primarily the South Side, and are taken by photographer John H. White, who went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for Photojournalism in 1982. His portraits of everyday life stand the test of time,…
These vintage photos show one of the unique features of Detroit in winter: the famous ice fountain on Washington Boulevard. Several jets of water are allowed to play all winter, resulting in tons of crystal and massive berg of ice that at times reached heig…
The Antarctic Snow Cruiser was developed under the direction of famed explorer Admiral Richard Byrd and it was intended to facilitate transport in Antarctica during the United States Antarctic Service Expedition (1939–41). His second-in-command, Dr. Thoma…