Incredible Photos That Remind Us Of History’s Forgotten Moments

Did you know that Elvis invited himself to the White House while Nixon resided there? Or how about 15 years later, when in the same house, John Travolta would share a dance with Princess Diana? Lots of unexpected moments like these have occurred and history has almost forgotten them, but we're here to remind you. Take a look at history's forgotten moments! You'll never guess how Freddie Mercury returned on stage for encores in 1980.

A Republican President Invites The King Into His Oval Office

National Archive/Newsmakers
National Archive/Newsmakers

When Elvis wants a badge from the federal Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, he invites himself over to the White House to get one. That's exactly what is going on in this surprising photo from 1970.

Elvis flew into Washington and wrote to Nixon, "I can and will be of any service that I can to help the country out," in return for the badge. Within hours, Presley managed to gain access to the President, who surprisingly was happy to oblige.

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Albert Einstein Gave A Lecture At An HBCU In The '40s

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In 1946, Albert Einstein visited Pennsylvania's Lincoln University, the first historically black university to grant college degrees. The undisputed genius was ahead of America's own Civil Rights Movement and deplored racism as a "disease of white people."

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During his visit, Einstein received an honorary degree and treated students to a lecture on relativity. Unfortunately, this historic moment was widely ignored by the mainstream press, who turned a blind eye to the physicist's fraternizing with people of color.

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Freddie Mercury's Grand Re-entrance Was Enough To Distract From His Mustache

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"You may be cool, but you will never be Freddie Mercury riding Darth Vader cool," said the person who shared this legendary photo on Reddit. A statement that rings true for many.

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Freddie Mercury was always known for being over-the-top, so for The Game Tour of 1980, he would come out for the encore on the shoulders of Darth Vader. At the time, Mercury's newly grown mustache was the ire of many loyal fans, who were so perturbed they threw razors onstage.

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Carrie Fisher Related To Princess Leia On A Personal Level

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Looks like Carrie Fisher made a splash as Princess Leia for her 1983 Rolling Stone cover shoot. The actress was promoting the recently finished Return of the Jedi, the third Star Wars installment.

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In her interview, Fisher made parallels between her real life and the life of her character. Princess Leia's dad was lured to the Dark Side, so her mother married the rich King Organa. In real life, Eddie Fisher was lured away by Liz Taylor, leaving Debbie Reynolds as a woman scorned.

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Princess Diana And John Travolta Had Saturday Night Fever

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John Travolta had the pleasure of dancing with none other than Princess Diana at the 1985 White House Gala Dinner. Their dance was one of the most memorable moments of the night, as they glided across the Entrance Hall to the music of 1977s Saturday Night Fever, in which Travolta starred.

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Princess Diana and Prince Charles stayed at the White House during this visit and Diana wore this dress designed by Victor Edelstein. It thusly became known as the "Travolta Dress."

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Jamie Lee Curtis Starred In Perfect

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Most millennials known Jamie Lee Curtis for her role in Freaky Friday and, of course, those Activia commercials. But back in the ‘70s and ‘80s, Curtis starred in a slew of roles — both successful and not.

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In 1985, she and John Travolta teamed up to lead the film Perfect, which was based on a series of Rolling Stone articles that chronicled the popularity of L.A. fitness clubs amongst singles. Curtis played Jessie Wilson a workout instructor known for dawning era-appropriate leotards like this one. The film was a flop, receiving just a 19 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and earning itself a handful of Golden Raspberry Awards.

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Ready to Fly?

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Here’s something you don’t see every day. This photo, snapped in 1959, shows a Swedish stewardess named Birgitta Lindman and a showgirl. Lindman was called to inspect the showgirl costume following the new that the stewardesses would soon be getting shorter uniforms.

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Just a year prior, Lindman had shot to fame after appearing on the cover of Life magazine. She had competed to be the covergirl for the issue, beating out 53 others. This gives a whole new meaning to the term in-flight entertainment!

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Jungle Pam Was A Fixture On The Drag Racing Scene

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This woman is Pam Hardy, also known as Jungle Pam. Jungle Pam arose on the drag racing scene in the '70s as the bodacious sidekick to drag racing legend, Jim Liberman.

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Hardy met Liberman in 1973 when she was still in high school and working at a convenience store in Pennsylvania. Hardy traveled the country with Liberman and helped him back out his cars after he performed burnouts. Hardy left the drag race scene in 1977 after Liberman passed away in a non-racing accident.

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Would You Have a Picnic In the Middle of the Freeway?

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This image was taken on November 4, 1973 in the Netherlands. The photographer captured a large group of people having a picnic on a deserted highway. The highway was deserted thanks to “car-free Sunday” — a product of the great oil crisis.

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During this time, the price of oil had risen from $3 to over $12 in most countries. The embargo caused a crisis, which had numerous short and long-term effect on both the global economy and politics.

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Raquel Welch’s Controversial Talk On The Dick Cavett Show

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Comedy writer and author Dick Cavett led The Dick Cavett Show from 1968 through 1974. The memorable late-night talk show featured Cavett as he interviewed a laundry list of eclectic guests from Katharine Hepburn and Lucille Ball to David Bowie and Orson Welles.

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In the summer of 1970, Cavett had one of the most interesting episodes ever, featuring Raquel Welsh and Janis Joplin. Welsh was talking about a controversial sex-change comedy she worked on when Joplin chimed in that she couldn’t follow the film because it “kept changing.” Welch, remaining cool, responded, “Well the whole movie is about change!” Although these topics were still very much taboo, the audience erupted in laughter.

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Johnny Cash Performed A Song Written By An Inmate For At Folsom Prison

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Johnny Cash began touring American prisons after inmates wrote to him following the success of his song, "Folsom Prison Blues." Cash finally visited Folsom State Prison in 1968. His performance was recorded live and released at his 27th album, At Folsom Prison.

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Cash performed two sessions that day, planning the second in case the first wasn't good enough. At the end of each session, he performed "Greystone Chapel," a song written by Folsom inmate Glen Sherley, whose hand Cash is shaking in this photo.

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These Beefy Men Had Beef With Each Other Back Then

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At some point in the 1980s, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone met up for a workout session in Venice Beach. This was odd because you might recall that the two actors appeared to be fierce rivals at the time.

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In 1985, Schwarzenegger even said, "I'd be angry at hearing my name mentioned in the same breath as Stallone's." But in the present day, they seem to have buried the hatchet. They even co-headline movies together.

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Louis Armstrong Fought Communism With The Power Of Jazz

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In this photo from 1961, Louis Armstrong performs for his wife in front of the Sphinx. Armstrong and his wife were in Egypt at the time as "jazz ambassadors" in part of what was known as "jazz diplomacy."

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The U.S. believed that jazz could be used as a weapon against the Cold War. They sent popular jazz musicians to tour all over the world with hopes of spreading democracy and freedom to countries threatened by communist dictatorships.

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Heather Locklear Stunned In This 1981 Photoshoot

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Heather Locklear scored her first major television role in the Dynasty soap opera. With her beauty and talent, Locklear captivated viewers as Sammy Jo Carrington from 1981 to 1989. She went on to star in Melrose Place and earned four consecutive Golden Globe noms for Best Actress in a Television Series Drama.

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While Locklear was a stunning staple of the ‘80s and ‘90s Hollywood scene, she starred in a series of unsuccessful projects in the early ‘00s and beyond. In 2018, the star was hospitalized for psychiatric evaluation after threatening suicide.

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The Battle of the Network Stars Pinned Celebs Against Each Other

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In this photograph, Three’s Company actress Joyce DeWitt smiles alongside two other women who were competing on behalf of ABC in the Battle of the Network Stars in 1978. The series, which aired on ABC, also featured stars from competing networks CBS and NBC.

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From bowling and cycling to kayaking and volleyball, viewers got to watch the stars compete against each other in a variety of sports events. Along with DeWitt, other notable faces included Robin Williams and Billy Crystal. The gorgeous Lynda Carter was there too!

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Lynda Carter Turned Heads In The Battle of the Network Stars

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This photo on the set of The Battle of the Network Stars shows Lynda Carter with her fellow teammates following a swimming event. The show premiered in 1976 and ran through 1988 and was revived by ABC in 2017.

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Carter, who is best known for playing Wonder Woman, was on ABC's team alongside Farrah Fawcett, Hal Linden, Richard Hatch, and more. ABC competed against CBS and NBC in a series of events. After the regular events concluded, the lowest-scoring team was eliminated and the remaining teams battled it out at the Tug-Of-War. ABC was victorious in 1976.

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Jungle Pam Was Just as Over-The-Top as Jim

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Jungle Pam knew how to have fun on the track, but this didn’t mean she wasn’t an effective assistant to Jungle Jim. When Jim would frequently do over-the-top burnouts and other stunts, she was always there to help prep his car and guide him back to the path.

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Old videos of Jungle Pam show her signature audacious moves. When she would guild Jim back onto the track, she would use outrageous contortions and gyrations...all while looking beautiful!

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Tina Louise Has Said That Gilligan's Island Ruined Her Career

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Born in New York City, Tina Louise got her first acting role at just two years old. While she studied acting, dancing, and singing as a teen and appeared in numerous small roles in musicals, she got her big break when she made her film debut in God's Little Acre.

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This was just the beginning for Louise who went on to star in a slew of successful movies as well as the hit television series Gilligan's Island. Although she maintained a successful career after the show, Louise has said that Gilligan's Island ruined her career. She's refused to appear in any of the reunions.

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Robyn Hilton Inspired the Term 'Blonde Bombshell'

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Before she was a famous model and actress, Robyn Hilton started her career as a weather girl in her hometown of Twin Falls. The Idaho native left home to pursue bigger things, eventually landing gigs in show business. She even appeared in Playboy and the Mel Brooks classic, Blazing Saddles.

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It was this role that undoubtedly made her a household name. People were captivated by her looks — so much so that many believe the term 'blonde bombshell' was coined during her appear on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.

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Raquel Welch's Controversial Talk On The Dick Cavett Show

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Comedy writer and author Dick Cavett led The Dick Cavett Show from 1968 through 1974. The memorable late-night talk show featured Cavett as he interviewed a laundry list of eclectic guests from Katharine Hepburn and Lucille Ball to David Bowie and Orson Welles.

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In the summer of 1970, Cavett had one of the most interesting episodes ever, featuring Raquel Welch and Janis Joplin. Welch was talking about a controversial sex-change comedy she worked on, when Joplin chimed in that she couldn't follow the film because it "kept changing." Welch, remaining cool, responded, "Well the whole movie is about change!" Although these topics were still very much taboo, the audience erupted in laughter.

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Lynda Carter Made a Special Appearance In Starsky & Hutch

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Starsky & Hutch premiered in April 1975 and became an immediate hit. The action television series follows Starsky and Hutch, two Southern California police detectives, as they roam about the streets in Bay City.

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Lynda Carter was at the height of her career during this time when she appeared in a two-episode special for the series called "The Las Vegas Strangler." Carter played a woman named Vicky in the episode who helps the men as they search for a serial killer who has strangled a string of chorus girls.

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Linda Ronstadt Became Known As the "Queen of Rock" In the '80s

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With 11 Grammy Awards under her belt, Linda Ronstadt is one of the greatest musicians of the last century. She started her music career in the 1960s but it wasn't until the next decade that she became known as the "First Lady of Rock."

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Ronstadt has released 30 albums throughout her career, including Hasten Down the Wind, featured above. The album, which was released in 1976, became Ronstadt's third straight million-selling hit — making her the first female in history to do so.

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Charles Bronson and Jill Ireland Starred In 15 Movies Together

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Mondadori Portfolio/Charakter Gesichter /Pinterest
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This photo of American actor Charles Bronson and his wife, English actress Jill Ireland, was snapped in 1971 as the stylish duo walked the streets of Santa Monica, Calfornia. They say you shouldn't mix business with pleasure, but this famous couple didn't seem to care. They starred in a whopping 15 films together. Ireland even joked, "I'm in so many Charles Bronson films because no other actress will work with him."

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The pair were married in 1968 and were together until Irland passed away from breast cancer in 1990.

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The Hindenburg Disaster

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This photo, taken on May 6, 1937, shows one of — if not the most — well-known aerial disasters of the century. Thirty-six passengers and 61 crew members were aboard the LZ 129 Hindenburg when it crashed in Manchester Township, New Jersey, as it was ending a trans-Atlantic trip from Germany. Thirty-five of them perished when the aircraft caught on fire.

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The Hindenburg was ultimately destroyed during its attempt to land. The disaster also claimed the life of one crew worker on the ground who was trying to assist in the ordeal.

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Cher Was Ahead Of Her Time In 1974

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Cher wore this iconic number at the 1974 Met Gala, where that year's theme was "Romantic and Glamorous Hollywood Design." By then, Cher's solo career was on the rise, while she and first husband Sonny Bono were on the brink of divorce.

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Because celebrities today often wear outfits that leave little to the imagination, Cher's gown in this photo might seem like nothing new. But not for 1974. Back then, Cher's revolutionary style shocked people to the core, but that only made her the red carpet legend that she is.

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Skateboarder Ellen O'Neal Hangs Ten In Style

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Ellen O'Neal is known in the skateboarding community as one of the greatest freestylers in the game. She became a World Skateboarding Champion, holding the World Freestyle title as she competed throughout the late '70s.

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O'Neal was born and raised in San Diego, where skateboard culture was at its height during the '70s, as evidenced by her short shorts. As a teen, she had only been skating for about a year before she started picking up sponsors.

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Doves Flew At Led Zeppelin's 1973 North American Tour

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A dove flew into Robert Plant's hand during a Led Zeppelin concert in 1973. It must have been a magical moment for folks in the audience, but many people on the Internet claim that the moment was staged.

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Either way, Led Zeppelin was at one of the high points of their career and their 1973 North American Tour broke attendance records. They played three sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden and they performed for over 56,000 fans in Tampa, Florida, breaking a record previously set by The Beatles.

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Clarice Davis Is Crowned The First African-American Homecoming Queen In 1951

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Clarice Davis was a senior at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Illinois when she was elected as Homecoming Queen in 1951. Davis was the first African-American woman to be elected Homecoming Queen at a major university.

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This is a photo of her passing by in front of a packed stadium, where the University of Illinois defeated Iowa at their Homecoming game. Ms. Davis graduated the following year in 1952.

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Portraying A Sadistic Shapeshifting Clown Can Be Pretty Taxing At Times...

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...as evidenced by this photo of Tim Curry taking a smoke break in the cold rain on the set of the 1990 version of It. Though he was playing a character, Curry was so good he would scare the child actors.

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"I have a lot of sympathy for child actors," Curry once said, recalling a moment when he grabs a child's hand to join him in the gutter. "He stopped and said, 'Tim, you're scaring me.' I said, 'Gee, I'm so sorry, but that's what I'm supposed to be doing.'"

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The Kennedys Took Mirror Selfies Before Myspace Was Even A Concept

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Kids these days always get criticized for taking selfies, but as you can see, history only repeats itself because Jackie Kennedy was taking selfies before it was even a thing! Here she is, posing with a young JFK and her sister-in-law Ethel Kennedy.

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Historian Michael Beschloss shared this photo via Twitter in 2014, saying that it was taken 60 years prior. If this is the case, this was taken when JFK was still on the U.S. Senate and nearly ten years before his untimely assassination.

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The Last-Known Photo Of James Dean Before His Death

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James Dean is pictured here at a gas station north of Los Angeles on September 30, 1955. He was filling up his silver Porsche 550 Spyder in preparation for a road race he would never make it to.

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The car was said to be cursed because shortly after this photo was taken, Dean died in a near head-on collision on his way to the race. The actor was only 24 years old at the time and had just finished filming his last movie, Giant.

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These Guitar Heroes Met In 1966 And Their Lives Were Changed Forever

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In the '60s, many people believed that Eric Clapton was the guitar god until they heard Jimi Hendrix play. Even Clapton was impressed by Hendrix, who was brought to London after he failed to gain a following in the U.S.

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Of their first meeting in 1966, Clapton recalled, "[Hendrix] played just about every style you could think of, and not in a flashy way. I mean he did a few of his tricks... but it wasn't in an upstaging sense at all, and that was it ... He walked off, and my life was never the same again."

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Gwen Stefani Was Getting Autographs Before Doling Them Out Herself

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Back in 2014, Gwen Stefani shared this photo of her younger self getting an autograph from Sting. This photo dates back to 1983 when Gwen was 14 years old and according to her, "chunky."

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At the time, Sting had not yet gone solo and was still the frontman of The Police. By 1983, The Police had won six Grammy Awards and their final album, Synchronicity, was nominated for another five, including Album of the Year.

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Natalie Wood Went From Child Star To Leading Lady

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Natalie Wood must have spent many days by the pool as she is in this photo circa 1965. Wood successfully made the transition from child star to leading lady after starring alongside James Dean in 1955's Rebel Without a Cause.

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In 1961, she starred as Maria in the film adaptation of West Side Story. By the time this photo was taken, Wood had already earned three Academy Award nominations before the age of 26, which was a record she held for 50 years until Jennifer Lawrence broke it in 2014.

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Pubescent Metallica Performed Their First Show In 1982

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A teenaged-version of Metallica posed for this group picture back in 1982. That was the same year that the band performed their first show at Radio City in Anaheim, California where they played only two original songs, "Hit the Lights" and "Jump in the Fire."

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In late 1981, Lars Ulrich put an advertisement in his local newspaper, looking for fellow metal musicians he could jam with. James Hetfield was one of the first guitarists to answer the ad.

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Brigitte Bardot at 18 Years Old

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Does this face look familiar? That’s because this is none other than Brigitte Bardot. This photo was snapped when the stunning French actress was just 18 years old in 1953 at the Cannes Film Festival.

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This was the star's first time at the festival and she hadn’t yet made it big. Missing from this photo are her iconic blonde locks, which she wouldn’t adopt for another year or so taking her from brunette bombshell to blonde bombshell

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Her Majesty As You've Never Seen Her

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Life as a royal means following a strict set of rules and always looking prim and proper. So it's particularly startling to see Queen Elizabeth wielding a machine gun. This photo, which was taken in 1993, shows her majesty firing anL85, a large machine gun typically used by the British military.

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Although she's known for her ladylike behavior, the Queen is not stranger to the workings of the military. She even served in the Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service during World War II!

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A British Military Guard Passed Out

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We all know that British military protocol is strict, but did you know they even have rules on how not to faint? It’s true. If you’re a member of the British military, you must avoid fainting by keeping your knees just slightly bent. This helps avoid poor blood circulation, which can result in passing out.

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Unfortunately, this soldier didn't follow orders. In this image taken in 1970, the unidentified soldier is passed out, just as Queen Elizabeth was approaching.

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A Rare Photo of Adolf Hitler

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In this rare photo of Adolf Hitler, the maniacal ruler smiles as he sips tea with Gertrud Deetz. Deetz was the wife of Albert Forester, a Nazi politician.

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At the time, Hitler was in a secret relationship with a woman named Eva Braun. The pair's relationships was kept secret until it was discovered that the two committed suicide together in Hitler’s bunker at the end of World War II. The two were married for just 40 hours before they died.

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The North American XB-70 Valkyrie Prototype

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This rare photo shows the North American XB-70 Valkyrie prototype. The aircraft contained six engines and was intended to be used a strategic bomber, equipped with nuclear weapons. Capable of travelling at Mach 3+ speeds for far distance, the aircraft was truly a modern marvel during the ‘50s.

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Eventually, the USAF stopped production of the aircraft and the B-70 program was abandoned entirely in 1961. The XB-70A designation was given to two new prototypes, but one crashed after it flew into another aircraft mid-flight. The remaining aircraft is still stationed today at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

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Open Up!

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Does this image make you uneasy? It should! Although the information behind this photo is unknown, it appears to be a moving USS Queenfish Balao-class submarine. This ship was first laid down in Maine on July 27, 1943, and launched in November. Queenfish made her first kill the next year, taking out the 4,700-ton tanker Chiyoda Maru.

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The submarine was in commission for nearly two decades, until it was officially decommissioned on March 1, 1963. She was sunk by the nuclear-powered submarine Swordfish.

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Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh On Set

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Talk about legends! Here, American heartthrob Marlon Brando and British actress Vivien Leigh take a break on the set of A Streetcar Named Desire. The film, which was released in 1951, has become one of the most iconic films of the times and is especially renowned for the "Stella!" scene.

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At the time of filming, Brando was relatively new to the scene, while Leigh was an established actress and already had an Academy Award under her belt. Thanks to a standout performance, A Streetcar Named Desire put Brando on the map.

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MGM's Lion

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MGM's roaring lion at the beginning of their films is iconic. Every moviegoer gets a thrill when he or she hears the sound of the roar and gets goosebumps just knowing that the movie is finally about to start.

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Different lions have been used since 1917 and if you look at different images of the MGM lion, you can spot the subtle differences between them. The first lion they ever used was originally named Slats. To make him more popular, they renamed him Leo. Leo retired in 1928 and was replaced by Jackie. Both of these lions were made to work for a few years and both died just a few short years after their retirement.

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Redwood Deforestation

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The Redwood Forest is located in California and is the home to some of the largest trees on earth. During the mid-1800s, men traveled to California for the gold rush, but few made any gold. Some men saw the Redwood Forest and found a different kind of gold.

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Those who could not make it in gold mining found their fortune in cutting down the beautiful, immense trees of the Redwood Forest. When they first began, there were over two million acres of huge redwoods. By the time they stopped and the remaining forest was preserved, there were only a little over a hundred thousand acres left.

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Warsaw Ghetto

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Warsaw, Poland's capital, had a rich Jewish population and culture before World War II. It was the second-largest city in the world and had 1.3 million inhabitants.

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Nazi Germans invaded Poland in 1939 and soon after forced the Jewish population to wear the blue Star of David on their arms. By 1940, the Germans forced the Jewish population in Poland to move to Warsaw. A wall was built up around the city and it was topped with barbed wire to prevent anyone from escaping. Residents in the Warsaw ghetto were faced with starvation and infectious diseases. In this photo, we see some young residents.

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Mount Rushmore

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It took about 400 men and women to create Mount Rushmore in inhospitable conditions. It did not matter if it was too hot or bitter cold, these brave workers started off their mornings by climbing up 700 stairs to reach the worksite. Only then could they punch their cards and begin their work.

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Because the building was going on during the Great Depression, workers did not complain about the conditions. In fact, one worker boasted that he was earning $8 a day to work on the historical memorial. The men had to hang from great heights in "chairs" supported by 3/8 inch cables to carve the faces from the rock.

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Buying Rocks

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While Mount Rushmore was being built, visitors would come to see the progress. The view from the ground was amazing and most visitors wanted to come away with something to remember the occasion by.

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The hoist operator was pretty ingenious when it came to the visitors. While he was at the bottom, he would have a piece of the rock from the Mount Rushmore project with him. Visitors would ask to buy the rock from him. They might only offer $2 for the chunk of rock, but the hoist operator would tell them that he really couldn't sell it. He was holding onto it for someone else. The visitors would then offer up $6 and the hoist operator would sell it to them. After they left, he would call up for another chunk of rock to be sent down to sell to the next visitor.

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Iconic Image Of The Great Depression

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There is no single photo that describes how the Great Depression affected mothers and children than the photo of Florence Owens Thompson. Florence and her family were migrant farmworkers during the Depression. After beets, she and her family traveled on U.S. Highway 101 to find work picking in the lettuce fields.

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Their car broke down and they coasted onto a pea farm. There were around three thousand other people camping there, hoping to work. Unfortunately, the crops were destroyed by freezing rain and there was no work or money. The photo is from the pea camp. She had just cooked a meager meal for her own children when other children, starving, came up and asked her for a bite of food.

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Boston Marathon

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Paul Connell/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Paul Connell/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
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History is full of images of women trying to accomplish something that men say they should not be able to do. Sometimes these women succeeded and other times they were beaten down, verbally or physically, and told to mind their place in society.

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The 1967 Boston Marathon was a major event in women's history. It was the first time a woman ran in the Boston Marathon. Kathrine Switzer was a numbered entry even though women were not allowed to officially compete in the run. She registered her name under her initials, disguising her identity until the day of the marathon. When she started to run, men tried to physically remove her from the race.

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RMS Titanic Iceberg

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cesiinha1971/Twitter
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The Titanic was supposed to be unsinkable. The wealthy rushed to get a spot on the massive ship for its maiden voyage while below decks were stacked with poor people immigrating to the United States. Over two thousand people boarded the ship on April 10, 1912, not knowing that the ship was doomed.

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On the morning of April 15, 1912, the Titanic struck the iceberg in the photo. There were not enough lifeboats to get everyone off the ship and the poor people below were locked in. Over 1,500 people died from the sinking of the Titanic, including the captain of the ship, Edward John Smith.

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Little NAP

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Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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Little NAP was the "Napoleon of the Chimpanzee World." This little chimpanzee, a female, was dressed and posed to make fun of Napoleon Bonaparte in the early 1900s.

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Napoleon was a French military leader who conquered most of Europe in the 1800s. He was described as shrewd and extremely ambitious. He was also hated in many parts of the world, which is why the chimpanzee was dressed up to make fun of him. Unfortunately, Napoleon Bonaparte did not live long enough to see his chimp twin. He died in 1821 at the age of 51.

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Iron Lungs

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Kirn Vintage Stock/Corbis via Getty Images
Kirn Vintage Stock/Corbis via Getty Images
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In the early 1900s, polio was called the baby plague because it affected so many infants and young children. At that time, they did not know what caused polio or how it was spread. Families were terrified whenever an outbreak hit their area and they would quarantine themselves and their children in the hopes that no one would get the dread disease.

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Doctors tried just about everything they could think of to cure those with polio, including placing victims of polio in steel tanks. Iron lungs were widely used and patients might be stacked in the tanks, one above the other.

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Gas Masks During WWI

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Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty images
Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty images
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Of the one million British horses enlisted in the war effort, only 62,000 returned home. Poisonous gases such as phosgene hurt the eyes and lungs of people and animals during the war, so soldiers did their best to protect the mules, horses, pigeons, dogs, and other animals that were used.

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Although the use of poisonous gases was banned, 124,000 tons of gas were produced by the end of World War I. The French were the first to use chemical weapons during the Great War, using the tear gases, ethyl bromoacetate, and chloroacetone. The Germans fired back with army shells filled with a chemical irritant which caused uncontrolled sneezing. They also attacked the Russians with mustard gas, which was barely recognized by the human nose, but caused serious blisters both internally and externally.

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Escobar And Son In Front Of The White House

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goldiraplan/Pinterest
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In this rare photo, taken in 1981, narcotics kingpin Pablo Escobar and his son stand in front of the White House. The narcotics lord's illegal efforts scored himself $21.9 billion annually! Can you imagine?

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He is still named the wealthiest criminal in history, with a known net worth of $30 billion by the early 1990s. He didn't get to enjoy it for long, however. In 1993 Escobar was shot and killed by Colombian National Police in his hometown, just before his 44th birthday. His son has since changed his name to Sebastian Marroquin.

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Muhammad Ali, Lifesaver

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When the world lost Muhammad Ali in 2016, it lost a true hero. Not only was Ali (born Cassius Clay) one of the most gifted and talented boxers out there, but he was also a truly compassionate person who was not afraid to stand up for what was right.

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One prime example of Ali's compassionate nature took place on the ninth floor of a downtown Los Angeles building in 1981. A suicidal man was threatening to jump and end it all. Ever the hero, Ali managed to talk the despondent man out of killing himself. He repeated, "You're my brother. I love you and I wouldn't lie to you. You got to listen. I want you to come home with me, meet some friends of mine."

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Opening Tut's Tomb, 1923

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Apic/Getty Images
Apic/Getty Images
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Archaeologist Howard Carter got the thrill of his life in 1923 when he discovered and entered, a tomb in Egypt that was believed to be the burial place of the ancient Pharaoh Tutankhamen. Tut, who had lived around 1400 B.C. and had died while still young (in his teenage years) and his tomb had been sought-after prizes for the archaeological community.

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In this photo, we see Carter gingerly caresses the fine details carved into Tut's open sarcophagus in 1923. The sarcophagus consisted of three nested coffins. The interior one, solid gold, contained King Tut’s mummified remains.

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Marlon Brando With Martin Luther King, 1968

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This isn't necessarily a pairing one might immediately expect to see together in a historical photo. One man a civil rights leader and one a movie star. But luckily we do have this photo of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. speaking with Marlon Brando.

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It turns out the two were close allies in one of the most pressing social issues of their time. Brando actively supported, with finances and money, the Civil Rights Movement and was present during King’s "I Have A Dream" speech. After King’s 1968 assassination, Brando even took a break from acting to continue King’s important work.

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Madonna, Sting, and Tupac

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losthistorylove/Twitter
losthistorylove/Twitter
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It's now become common pop culture knowledge that Madonna and the late Tupac Shakur once dated. This fact came to light in 2014, when actress Rosie Perez revealed details on The Wendy Williams Show, of all places. Tupac and Madonna met in 1993, at the Soul Train Music Awards.

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Here, the pair is seen hanging out with another musical icon, Sting. This rare photo is from a New York City dinner hosted by Vogue magazine in 1994. Tupac was tragically murdered in Las Vegas, in a still-unsolved drive-by shooting, just two years after this picture was taken.

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1930s Baby Cages

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Fox Photos/Getty Images
Fox Photos/Getty Images
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In the 1930s, these baby cages were considered to be a good idea. This is so because it allowed the children to get fresh air and sunlight. Although today this image may be horrifying, one must remember that those living in the 1930s did not have most of the luxuries that we have today to ensure the health, comfort, and safety of their children.

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It must have been an interesting sight to see baby after baby, dangling from out of an apartment building's windows. They sure seemed to have put a lot of trust in the structural integrity of that product back when it was in use.

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Beach Patrol Making Sure Bathing Suits Are The Appropriate Length

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GraphicaArtis/Getty Images
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In the 1920s, if you were a woman going to enjoy a nice day at the beach, it wouldn't be unusual to be approached by a beach patrol or the police who would then measure your bathing suit to make sure it was within the legal limits. If it was not, the woman would then be fined.

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This picture shows that not even 100 years ago, it was okay to tell women what and what they were not allowed to wear, even at the beach. It's also ironic that the woman is only allowed to show so much skin, whereas the man can willingly touch the parts of her body that aren't supposed to be exposed apparently.

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Football Helmets

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At the start of American football, the players did not wear helmets. Not only were head injuries common, but they were also expected. It was all part of the rough and tumble game. The only method used to protect the players from head injuries was to have the players grow long hair. They believed the long hair helped cushion the blows.

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The first football helmet was invented in 1896. It was basically a big cushion for the head, as seen in the picture of a player testing it out. Still, helmets did not become mandatory for college football players until 1939. The National Football League did not make helmets mandatory until 1943.