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27 Shocking Historical Images You've Never Seen Before

Abby Zinman 14-18 minutes 1/20/2026

I love history, but I definitely didn't get enough chances to "ooh" and "aah" over historical photos when I was actually in school. So that's why we're gonna check some out today! I've scoured the internet for the most mind-blowing, fascinating historical images I could find, and let me tell you, each one is a head-scratcher in its own right. Here we go!

Man stands in front of a school gate holding books. Text on image: "Back to school, back to school. To prove to Dad I'm not a fool."

1. We all know what a lobotomy is, but I'm certain you've never seen one about to begin. This image displays a guard in a California prison in 1961, prepping a prisoner for a lobotomy. This was considered "routine" at the time. We can consider this on the tail end of the popularity of lobotomies, as most doctors had moved on from them by the early '60s.

A doctor adjusts electrodes on a patient's head, who lies on a bed with eyes closed, during a medical procedure in a clinical setting

2. This is the very first bikini ever, made by designer Louis Réard in 1946. People wore two-piece bathing suits before this, but never bikinis — and this historic moment from a pool in Paris made this new, scandalous style absolutely take off in popularity. Following this invention, it was even banned from countries around the world.

A woman in a patterned bikini poses confidently for a photographer with a large camera near a swimming pool

3. Warning: this one is graphic, so proceed with caution. This haunting picture is of a smallpox patient in 1896, with the pox covering his entire face. The vaccine came out in the early 19th century, but the person in this photo was unvaccinated, and the disease hadn't been declared fully eliminated until 1980.

A person lies in bed with a severely pockmarked face, possibly affected by a skin condition, and covered by a patterned blanket

4. This collection of things belonged to Lee Harvey Oswald, the man who assassinated President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. Following the assassination, these were his possessions, collected by the police; we can even see the search warrant note in the middle of the image. The more you look at this one, the wilder it gets.

Clothing, shoes, toiletries, and personal items are laid out neatly on the floor, along with a note reading "Search 1/64, 1026 North Beckley, Dallas, Texas."

5. When the Titanic sank in 1912, people around the world went into a frenzy. Many Americans — including none other than the Boy Scouts — worked on fundraising to support the survivors and families of the victims. In this photo, Boy Scouts are raising money for their "Titanic Disaster Fund."

Children collecting donations for the Titanic disaster fund, standing with donation boxes and a sign outside a building

6. I can't help but cringe at this photo from 1922 in the Washington, D.C. area. At the time, there was a law that bathing suits at the Washington bathing beach had to be less than six inches above the knee. A beach cop is measuring a woman's bathing suit in this picture, to see if it complies with this "modesty" law.

A man measures a woman's swimsuit length with a tape measure on a beach as other beachgoers look on

7. If you didn't think smoking was out of hand 100 years ago, you're sadly mistaken. In this image from a hospital in France in 1918, a woman working for the American Red Cross is about to light a cigarette for an injured American soldier. Yes, you read that right: IN A HOSPITAL. And the creepiest part? All the other patients are just sitting there watching (waiting for their turn, I assume).

A nurse in a hospital tending to a soldier lying in bed, with other patients and medical staff in the background

8. We all know Alfred Hitchcock as one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. If you're a real film buff, you've seen the 1966 crime/drama Torn Curtain, directed by Hitchcock and starring Julie Andrews. Here's a behind-the-scenes photo of the two of them on set that year, working on the film (yes, that's the Julie Andrews!).

A director and an actress on a set; the actress appears to be lying on a bed, suggesting a film scene. Nearby crew members observe

9. Another semi-graphic one here. In this 1947 photo, a man's back is covered in massive flash burn scars, caused by the Hiroshima atomic bomb 2 years before. If you're having trouble wrapping your brain around this, essentially, the bomb was so strong that the heat and light literally burned people's skin, and left severe lasting scars like these ones — and they're often permanent.

A person showing large keloid scars on their back and shoulder, facing away from the camera

10. The little boy in this photo is none other than legendary physicist Albert Einstein. He's only 3 years old in this image, and it was taken in 1882. This photo gets even better once you pay closer attention to his outfit, which is just too adorable for words.

Young child in formal early 20th-century attire, sitting on ornately carved chair, looking at camera

11. This medieval-looking metal contraption is definitely not what you'd expect: it's a diving suit. Yep, this is what people wore to protect themselves when going on diving expeditions (this particular photo is from 1934). Seems a bit excessive to me, but who am I to judge?

Vintage deep-sea diving suit with metal exterior and round helmet, resembling a robot. Standing indoors near a window

12. Can you guess who this historical figure is? OK, I'll just tell you: It's Lady Diana Spencer, AKA the future Princess Diana. In this image, she's 9 years old, on a summer trip to Itchenor, West Sussex. And she's holding a croquet mallet, which means she was focused on a game when this was taken.

Child playing croquet barefoot on grass, holding a mallet. They have long hair and are wearing a t-shirt and jeans. Background shows a garden fence

13. Back before chivalry died, men planned surprises like THIS for their girlfriends: A freakin' parachute wedding. Yes, this couple from 1940 is literally getting married in a parachute, suspended in mid-air over New York. If that isn't romance, I don't know what is. "No man on earth is good enough for her," the groom said in reference to his wild idea.

People riding chair swings suspended high in the air at an amusement park, with a cityscape in the background

14. Don't be fooled by the intimidating, scary vibe of this photo; it's actually a whole lot lighter than it looks. This man is casual sitting at a beauty parlour, reading a magazine while a beautician gives him a hair and scalp treatment. Unfortunately, we're not sure exactly what treatment he's getting, but um, it involves attaching pads and tubes to his scalp. Shudder.

Person seated, reading a newspaper under a vintage hair perm machine, attended by a stylist in a white uniform

15. It's truly horrifying to look back on now, but in the late 19th century, asylums existed specifically for people with learning disabilities. These people were dubbed as "idiots" and sent to these asylums, where they'd spend their time learning to work in the trades. This photo is from the Earlswood Asylum in Reigate, England, circa 1904.

Workers in aprons craft shoes in a vintage cobbler workshop. Shelves filled with materials line the walls

16. It's hard to believe, but most houses didn't have a bathroom in the mid-1910s in London, so kids had to go to wash houses, where workers would clean them. That's exactly what's happening in this photo: two young boys are being cleaned in a wash house by two women working there, while another boy waits.

Two children are being bathed in separate bathtubs by women in uniforms, while another child sits in the background

17. We can learn a ton about someone from their bedside, and this picture of a soldier in his bunk is no exception. This Canadian soldier was fighting in Korea in 1952. Around him, we can obviously see his gear, but the photos of Elizabeth Taylor on the wall are perhaps the most interesting part.

A soldier sleeps in a cabin decorated with celebrity posters and a uniform jacket hangs nearby

18. This super upsetting picture is from a poor town in Washington, D.C. during the Great Depression. These villages full of unemployed people were so widespread, they got a nickname specific to the early '30s: Hooverville. The kids here are raising money for a "tobacco fund," sitting outside their tent in one of many Hoovervilles.

Two children sit with a sign about poor farm conditions during the Great Depression, highlighting economic struggles and referencing Hoover's policies

19. In this image from 1944, a shift of coal miners in West Virginia are leaving after a day of work. This is another photo that gets more interesting the more you look at it. First of all, notice the sign on the wall, which was put up specifically to "step up greater coal production" and beat the previous year's execution (589,000,000 tons). And secondly, I encourage you to look at the tired and dirty faces of the workers, no doubt overworked.

Miners exit a coal mine in 1943, wearing helmets and work clothes. A sign above the entrance promotes coal for the war effort against the Axis

20. On Sept. 3, 1939, when Britain declared war on Germany, the paper boys were one of the major sources in charge of delivering that news to the public. The boy in this picture is announcing the declaration of war and holding newspapers for the News Of The World, a former publication in the UK.

Man on a sidewalk holding "News of the World: War Declared Official" sign, talking on a telephone, wearing a suit

21. Before grocery stores were massive buildings packed to the brim with a million kinds of products, they looked like this: simple and empty (at least by today's standards). This one is from the 1890s. I don't know about you, but I've never seen a grocery store with that much poultry in my life.

A vintage grocery store with two men at the counter, surrounded by hanging meats and baskets of produce

22. I bet you haven't heard of the Food Trades Vocational High School before, but it was a New York-based school that ran in the mid-20th century, intended on training high schoolers to work in the food industry. This is what a class looked like at this school in 1942, at the height of World War II, with a teacher training young men to become army chefs.

Bakers in uniform learn to shape dough into twisted rolls in a bakery class, guided by an instructor

23. I know what you're thinking: What the heck are these guys doing?! I'll tell ya: they're riding penny-farthings. Penny-farthings were a form of early bicycles, super popular in the late 19th century. This picture from 1885 is an average day outside Trinity Church in New York, where a group of men are riding theirs.

People riding penny-farthing bicycles in a historical setting, with an ornate building in the background

24. In 1945, chocolate-making was a lot more manual than it is today. And we can see that perfectly here: two women working at a Lindt factory that year (100 years after the company was founded), manually arranging chocolates. If you look closely, you'll also spot someone behind them, presumably a supervisor, checking their work.

Two women are working at a chocolate factory, wearing aprons and hairnets, focusing on arranging chocolates on trays

25. If you're curious what an average party with kids looked like in 1918, this photo will show you. The party here was a Christmas event with lots of kids at a hotel in London. And there's a lot to unpack here; from the way they're dancing to the parents watching in the back...it all feels very formal. Honestly, it's hard to believe those are even children.

Children in formal attire attend a social gathering, engaging in conversation and activities in a crowded space

26. Maybe it's just because I'm a writer, but I'm truly fascinated by this photo of an old magazine company in the UK, putting together an issue. The typesetters here are hard at work putting together a weekly issue in 1938. The area we're looking at is the "composing room," where the workers' job is to set up the text for the issue before the magazines are stitched together.

Historic printing press room with workers operating machines and arranging type, beneath large arched windows and high ceiling

27. Finally, I thought I'd end off with something rather light, yet still just as interesting. This photo from around World War I is as wholesome as it gets: two sailors on dates with women, enjoying themselves at a Coca Cola soda fountain. What happened to these couples? We don't know. But given how smitten they already look, I'd like to imagine they lived happily ever after.

People in early 20th-century attire enjoy drinks at a soda fountain counter, with a Coca-Cola sign in the background

Which photo shocked you the most? Any historical fun facts to add? Let's chat in the comments below!

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