13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol.DCXV)

1. This Fabulous Account of Colorised Historical Images

A member of the Women’s Royal Army Corps (WRAC) of the ‘London District’ shows off the new butterfly tattoo on her leg to her fellow enlistees. Photograph taken in c. 1950s. Credit: @colourisedpieceofjake

Flight attendant on the airline Lufthansa serving draft beer from a wooden barrel and ham on a flight in the 1960s. Credit: @jsk.colorization

Mary Wallace, the first female bus driver for the Chicago Transit Authority, photographed sitting in her bus in 1974. In 1974, at the age of 22, Mary Wallace became the first woman to drive a Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) bus. She was a popular driver who remained on the job for 33 years before retiring. Credit: @jsk.colorization

Romanian scientist, Antarctic explorer, and diver Emil Racoviță posing for the first ever underwater portrait, taken in 1899 at the Observatoire océanologique de Banyuls-sur-Mer in France by a pioneer of underwater photography, Louis Boutan. Racoviță is holding a sign upside that reads “Photographie Sous Marine” which translates to “Underwater Photography.” The portrait was taken at a depth of 50 meters, and the exposure lasted 30 minutes. Credit: @jdvcolours

A large crowd gathered to watch the first balloon ride at the start of a balloon race in Berlin, Germany in 1908. Credit: @laiz_kuczynski

Wooden Leg (Kâhamâxéveóhtáhe), photographed holding a rifle at Northern Cheyenne Reservation, Montana in 1927. Credit: @julius.colorization

All found on History Colored.

2. An Iridescent Pileus Cloud over China

NASA’s astronomy photo of the day, found via Present & Correct.

3. This Incredible Private Canadian Island Home For Sale

Table Rock Islands , Georgian Bay, Ontario listed for $2,650,000, found via this list of island homes for sale on The Spaces.

4. Living inside a tunnel underneath New York City

5. Le Passe-Muraille (‘passer through walls’) sculpture in the Paris Catacombs

It was inspired by a French fairy tale about a man who misuses his power to walk through walls to steal and seduce. He loses his power mid-transition and became trapped.

Found on Reddit.

6. An Entire Medieval Village in Italy turned into a Hotel

Borgo San Felice: The rooms are all in different buildings and the buildings are named after the old places and shops in the village. The hotel is really an entire, immaculately restored Italian hilltop village, complete with palazzo, church, winery and bell tower.

7. France’s anonymous street artist filling potholes with colourful mosaics

Follow the artist’s Instagram account here.

8. The Münster astronomical clock in Münster Cathedral, Germany

9. These excellent bookends

Found on Red Candy.

10. This Helicopter Bed for Kids

Made by Dragons of Walton Street – see their other beds here.

11. These Wondrous Lights

Shylight by @studio.drift at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam found via Old Magnet.

12. Queen Nanny

Queen Nanny was the leader of the Jamaican Maroons, a community of formerly enslaved Africans who fought the British for their freedom.

As a child, Nanny was kidnapped from Ghana and enslaved in Jamaica. She escaped, joining other formerly enslaved people who sought refuge in the island’s Blue Mountain region. By 1720, thanks to her exceptional leadership and military skills, she’d become head of the Maroon settlement. That year she began to train her people in guerilla warfare.

Queen Nanny led the Maroons into dozens of successful battles, freeing over 800 enslaved people. Her clever strategies allowed the Maroons to catch the heavily armed British by surprise and decimate their numbers.

By 1740, the British were forced to sign a peace treaty with the Maroons, guaranteeing their freedom. In 1975, the government of Jamaica declared Queen Nanny a National Heroine and awarded her the title of “Right Excellent” for her strength and courage. Her portrait appears on the $500 Jamaican dollar bill.

Found on Wikipedia.