This baby has no idea what racism is, and yet it is being forced upon him by his parents. Credit: Reddit
No One is Born Racist, 1992
On Reddit, someone titled this photograph, “No One is Born a Racist”. We see a tiny baby wearing a KKK uniform that was clearly picked out by their parents. They approach a black State Trooper, curious to touch his riot shield. This photo went viral on the Internet, with few people knowing the context. Turns out this photo was taken by Todd Robertson in Gainesville, Georgia. The police officer in the picture is State Trooper Allen Campbell. He recalled that day in an interview, saying, “I didn’t even see the kid. I was just looking down to see what was bumping on my shield. And when I looked down, there was this little kid in a Klan uniform. He saw his reflection in the riot shield. He was tracing his outline.”
A woman leaving her bombed house to get married in 1940. Credit: Reddit
Bride leaving her recently bombed home to get married, London, Nov 4 1940
During World War II, citizens of London were bombed by the Germans during “The Blitz” that lasted from 1940 to 1941. During this time, the Ministry of Defense created propaganda posters that read, “Keep Calm and Carry On”. As in- People should continue to live their lives as normal, and not to let the fear of the bombs ruin their lives. While researching photos of this list, I came across several photographs of British people keeping calm. There was a woman drinking tea on top of a pile of rubble. Several gentlemen wearing suits as they browsed through a bombed library, and a couple saying their marriage vows in what was left of a bombed church. This photograph ultimately made its way to the list, with the happy bride leaving her bombed house on her wedding day.
It used to be considered a good idea to let your kids take naps outside in the cold. Credit: Reddit
Soviet Children in Sleeping Bags on the Way to Their Dorm Room, 1930
This headline seems like it should be a joke. But it’s just a very true story of how in Soviet Russia, they believed that it was good for children’s health to have them take naps outside in the freezing cold. There are numerous photos of kids laying on cots out in the snow wearing these little sleeping bags to make sure they don’t get frostbite. Russian studies proved that fresh air was good for children, so they made sure to let kids play outside as much as possible, as well as take their naps outdoors. It was also believed that the fresh air could prevent the spread of epidemics, so classrooms were aired out twice a day too, even in the winter months. In this photograph, you can see kids walking back to their classroom in their full-body sleeping bags.
This young woman was crowned Miss American Vampire. Credit: Reddit
The Winner of Miss American Vampire, 1970
We have all heard of Miss America. But what about Miss American Vampire? The text on the image says, “Christina Domenecki, part-time model from Belleview, NJ, has been selected for the first regional winner in MGM’s nationwide search for Miss American Vampire to reign in The House of Dark Shadows film based on the daytime serial.” So basically, this contest only ran for one year, in 1970, because it was a marketing stunt to promote the movie. After winning the contest, she was able to earn a cameo on the Dark Shadows TV series. This win is often contested, saying that actress Sacheen Littlefeather actually won Miss American Vampire when the finals took place in Los Angeles. Obviously, Christina Domenecki was on the east coast when she was crowned in New York, and she was the one who ended up on TV.
Two recently divorced women enjoying their time on a Divorce Ranch in Nevada. Credit: Reddit
Two “Dudes” on a Divorce Ranch in Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada is a well known wedding destination for couples who are eager to elope. But the state is also a popular place for ending a marriage too. Many people aren’t aware of the existence of “Divorce Ranches“. For years, many states banned divorce. Even in progressive states like New York, the only way to get a divorce was to prove adultery, and that wasn’t changed until the 1960’s. But Nevada was very lenient when it came to granting a divorce, and you needed just 6 weeks to be considered a resident. So married couples would go to a “Divorce Ranch” on vacation and come back single people. These ranches were like resorts where you could live like ranch hands, but also enjoy time by a lake or poolside. Everyone was called a “dude”, and wore outfits that made them ready to work on the ranch.
A woman in Paris who loves to grow cannabis with her cat. Credit: Reddit
A Woman and Her Cat in Their Cannabis Garden, Paris 1915
Our next photo has become rather famous, because I’ve seen it circulating around the Internet a number of times in the past. All we really know about the woman in the photograph is that she lived in Paris in 1915, and that she enjoyed relaxing with her cat in her cannabis garden. The photo is so engaging, that a group of writers over at Messy Nessy Chic used it as a writing prompt for fictional stories. France banned cannabis in 1953, and it is now illegal to grow in their country. But at the time this photo was taken, what this woman was doing was perfectly legal.
A group of young girls protesting the ban on wearing pants to school. Credit: Reddit
Protesting the High School Dress Code that Banned Slacks for Girls, Brooklyn 1942
This photograph was originally published in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle in March of 1942. These girls were students at Abraham Lincoln High School on Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn, New York. This all started because one student, Beverly Bernstein, was suspended from school when she showed up wearing slacks, and it was considered “inappropriate” for girls. The girls responded with a protest by having every single girl show up to school wearing pants. Remember, that this was during World War II. So the girls got together to sign a petition, saying that this was a safety issue, since pants make it easier to run away during an air raid. It also helped the war effort by preventing the need to wear silk stockings. Most of the boys signed the petition, too. The next day, the principal said that girls could wear pants to school.
College tuition used to be affordable for the average person. Credit: Reddit
The Total Cost For a Semester of College Back in 1970
This photo from The Way We Were subReddit is both fascinating and infuriating, especially if you’re one of the millions of people who are shackled with student loan debt. The original poster scanned a receipt from his father’s tuition bill back in 1970. He took 3 courses, which is the average amount per semester of college. Those three classes were just $36. After modern-day inflation, that’s still only $250 today. With prices like that, your average college kid could pay for his own tuition out-of-pocket by having a part-time job outside of school. It’s easy to see how college was once possible to accomplish and be debt-free. Now, in 2022, the average federal student loan debt was $37,358. Today, that $250 may not even be enough for one semester of textbooks, let alone tuition and fees.
This photo of Stephen King comes from Life Magazine in 1982. Credit: Reddit
Stephen King With His $12,000 “Wang” Word Processor, 1982
Known as the “King of Horror”, Stephen King is one of the wealthiest authors in the world with a net worth of $500 million. From 1973 to 1981, Wang Laboratories was a company that produced computers, fax machines, and word processors. The brand was very short-lived, and ultimately couldn’t keep up with the likes of Apple. At $12,000, you had to be as successful as Stephen King to afford a Wang Word Processor to begin with! This image was published in a 1982 issue of Life Magazine. At the time, many people were still using typewriters, because computers were too expensive for the average person. It wasn’t until the 1990’s when personal computers would become more affordable, and programs like Microsoft Word made word processing machines obsolete.
In the 2010’s, there was a huge “Tiny House” movement that spread throughout the world as people began to downsize their homes after the Great Recession of 2008. At the same time, there was an uptick of people getting into “van life”, which is the process of converting a van into a tiny home on wheels. But this photo from 1926 proves that people had this idea long before the current tiny house movement. Unfortunately, there is not a lot of information on the photo. I would love to see the inside of this mobile home. But we are left with the exterior, showing a cute little house built around a car.
This Greyhound bus station came with state-of-the-art coin operated TV’s. Credit: Reddit
Ashtrays and Coin-Operated Televisions in the LA Greyhound Bus Terminal, 1969
It’s funny how something that once seemed like modern luxury is now old-fashioned and dated in so many ways. As a kid in the 1990’s, I would have loved to see these coin-operated TV’s at a bus station. When you’re waiting for your bus to arrive, there is not much you could do back then besides read a book, newspaper, or magazine. But nowadays, almost everyone owns a smartphone or an iPad, so you can watch media for free on your personal devices. Smoking indoors didn’t become illegal in all enclosed spaces until 2011. So it’s still a fairly new law, but it makes these indoor ashtrays obsolete.
Famous photograph from 1899, taken by Félix Thiollier. Credit: Reddit, Félix Thiollier
Lady and Her Horse on a Snowy Day, 1899
This photo by Félix Thiollier is absolutely beautiful. So beautiful, in fact, that a lot of people like to hang it on the wall in their home. It captures movement so perfectly. And with the snow surrounding the woman and the horse, it almost feels like a magical place to be. Unfortunately, there is not a lot of information about this photo available online. I wish we knew the story behind this stunning picture, but it may actually be a good picture to use for writing prompts, if you’re the creative type.
Two of the girls in the picture weren’t lucky enough to get a Cabbage Patch Kid. Credit: Reddit
The Cabbage Patch Craze, 1983-84
On Reddit, the title of this photo says, “Only some of us were lucky enough to get a Cabbage Patch Kid during the craze in 1983/84.” In 1983, Cabbage Patch dolls were so scarce, that it caused literal riots to break out in stores as parents frantically tried to buy them. During Christmas time, some parents even drove hundreds of miles to get their hands on one. At the time, Cabbage Patch dolls cost $21, which is closer to $62 after inflation. To make matters worse, people would resell the dolls for $50, which is more like $147 today. As time went on, the cost of the doll increased. After a quick check online, I saw that they go for around $40 to $60 each, depending on the style.
