Rare Snapshots from the Past That Reveal History In Stunning Detail

Pictured here is Here’s Katharine Ross in the role of Elaine, the daughter of the iconic Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate back in 1967. In it, Dustin Hoffman plays Benjamin Braddock a recent college grad without any real direction. He heads back to his parent’s house and ends up seduced by an older woman, Mrs. Robinson, played by Anne Bancroft. As if getting involved with a friend of your parents wasn’t complicated enough, Benjamin then falls for Mrs. Robinson’s daughter, Elaine (Ross).

Wow! Check out those groovy threads! No decade made your eyes work quite as hard at processing clashing prints than the 60's... but at least these two were easy on the ears. Pictured here is Sonny & Cher, the decade's favorite musical duo. 

After the release of their first album with their hit single, “I Got You, Babe,” back in 1965, Sonny and Cher’s popularity skyrocketed. The couple began making television appearances and even more performances. It didn’t take long for the couple to get their own show. The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour was a variety show starring the famous couple and ran from August of 1971 until May of 1974. It was canceled due to the couple's divorce, though the duo reunited in 1976 until 1977 for The Sonny & Cher Show, which had an identical format to their old show.

Benny Hill had a humble beginning as a milkman but soon landed a few gigs at social clubs, nightclubs and eventually theaters. From there he made appearances on British radio shows and ended up with a show of his own.

The iconic British comedy, The Benny Hill Show ran from 1955 to 1991. It aired in various forms in over 140 countries. The show’s focus was on slapstick, parody, and even mime sketches and was full of double-entendre. In later years the show also included a dance troupe, the Hill’s Angels.

Aside from Benny Hill himself, the main supporting cast included Henry McGee, Jon Jon Keefe, Nicholas Parsons, Bob Todd and Jackie Wright. After a decline in ratings, Thames Television canceled production of the show in 1989. Regular Angels were Sue Upton and Louise English, Jane Leeves also appeared as a Hill's Angel in a few episodes in the early 1980s.

Here is just one of many stunning photographs of model Jean Rosemary Shrimpton. English model and actress was an icon of Swinging London and is widely considered to be one of the world's first supermodels. She graced the covers of numerous high profile magazines including Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Vanity Fair, Glamour, Elle, Ladies' Home Journal, Newsweek, and Time. Shrimpton was reported to be the “most” of a lot of things: “The most famous model”, “The most photographed in the world”, she was credited with having “the most Beautiful face”, or simply referred to as “The Face” and “The It Girl”.

Get Smart starred Don Adams as Maxwell Smart, Agent 86, Barbara Feldon as Agent 99 and Edward Platt as the Chief. The hit television spy-spoof series Get Smart was created by Mel Brooks and ran for 5 seasons (1965-1970).

Barbara Feldon was nominated for two Primetime Emmys for the lovable role of sidekick, Agent 99 to Don Adams’ bumbling secret agent, Maxwell Smart. The series was a big hit throughout the 60s, everyone loved its absurdity and the kitsch “high tech” gadgets like the shoe phone and cone of silence. The show was also famous for Adams’ catchphrases: “Missed it by that much”, “sorry about that chief”, and “if you don’t mind 99”. 

Here is a stunning photo of Jane Seymour back in the 1970s. The model turned actress is well known for her performances in the James Bond film Live and Let Die (1973), Somewhere In Time (1980), the East of Eden TV miniseries, which was based on the John Steinbeck novel of the same name. Eventually, she would become Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1993–1998).

Over the course of her career, Jane Seymour has earned an Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She was also made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire back in 2000.

Pictured here is the Italian goddess of the 50’s and 60’s, Luigina "Gina" Lollobrigida. It’s easy to see why she became an international sex symbol but she was much more than just a pretty face with a perfect figure. The actress was also a talented photojournalist and sculptor, making her one of the highest profile European actresses of the era. In the 1970s, she achieved a scoop by gaining access to Fidel Castro for an exclusive interview. She also remained an active supporter of Italian and Italian American causes, particularly the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) all of her life. In 2008, she received the NIAF Lifetime Achievement Award at the Foundation's Anniversary Gala. Then in 2013, she sold her impressive jewelry collection, and donated nearly $5 million to stem cell therapy research.

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007, The Ronettes were the first “bad girls of rock” and one of the most popular groups in the 1960s. With nine songs on the Billboard Hot 100 and five Top 40 hits, the trio was Phil Spector’s most successful act for a time, and the lead singer Veronica Bennett became his wife. The other Ronettes were Veronica’s older sister Estelle Bennett and their cousin Nedra Talley.

Among their most famous songs are titles such as "Baby, I Love You", "(The Best Part of) Breakin' Up", Grammy Award-winning song "Walking in the Rain", and "Be My Baby" which was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.

It’s everybody’s favorite stoners, Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong! The Grammy Award–winning comedy duo gained notoriety throughout the 1970s and 1980s for their standup and films. Their first feature film came out in 1978 and became a cult classic. It grossed over $44 million which warranted two sequels: Cheech and Chong's Next Movie in 1980, and Nice Dreams in 1981. Some of their other films include Things Are Tough All Over (1982), Cheech & Chong's The Corsican Brothers (1984), and Get Out of My Room (1985). They also have a ton of notable side projects to their names.

The Everly Brothers were a country-influenced rock and roll duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. They had an impressive 35 Billboard Top-100 singles, 26 in the top 40. 

They did well in the UK also, boasting 30 chart singles, 29 in the top 40, 13 top 10, and 4 at No. 1 between 1957 and 1984. They still hold the record for the most Top-100 singles by any duo and trail Hall & Oates for the most Top 40 singles by a duo. 

Members Isaac Donald "Don" Everly and Phillip "Phil" Everly each pursued solo careers as well, from 1973 to 1983. They were elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001.

James Joseph Brown was one of the most influential artists in the music industry. The singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader is considered a progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music and dance, In fact, he is known as the "Godfather of Soul". While this nickname is accurate, he influenced more than just Soul music, his career spanned over 50 years and in that time he made his mark on many different music genres and his music continues to inspire many great artists today. 

Pictured here is Jaclyn Smith rocking 70's street style fashion much like her character Kelly Garrett in the television series Charlie's Angels. This is probably her best known role, the show ran from 1976 until 1981 and she was the only original female lead to stay on the series for its full run. She even came back to make a cameo appearance in the 2003 film Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle.

Smith had numerous film roles and miniseries over the years. She was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV Film for the title role in the TV film Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy (1981). She developed and launched her own brands of clothing and perfumes. 

To Kill a Mockingbird is an American drama directed by Robert Mulligan and based on Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Set in Alabama during the 1930s, the film’s protagonists are the widowed Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck) and children Jean Louise "Scout" Finch (Mary Badham), and her brother Jeremy "Jem" Finch (Phillip Alford). It’s through their father’s law career that the children learn what racism is. Atticus strongly believes people should be treated fairly, so when asked to represent a black man accused of raping a white woman, he accepts the case. Because of this, young Scout and Jem are quickly exposed to the evil people in their small town are capable of. The film was very well received by critics and made ten times its budget in the box office. It was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won three. 

Juliet Anne Prowse was a dancer, whose four-decade career included stage, television, and film. It was in 1959, during the filming of Can-Can that she captured the international spotlight. Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev actually paid a visit to the set of the film and after seeing her perform a rather racy can-can, he proclaimed her dance "immoral." Naturally, this brought Prowse a significant amount of publicity, especially in the United States. From there her fame and her career in general just skyrocketed. Her love life was rather attention-grabbing as well, she dated high profile men such as Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley. She eventually ended up marrying soap opera actor John McCook.

Pictured here is the lovely actress Linda Harrison, best known for her role as 'Nova' on 'Planet of the Apes' in 1968. The basic storyline is about a world in which humans and intelligent apes clash for control. The massive science fiction franchise now consists of various films, books, television series, and comics among other media. It all started with French author Pierre Boulle's 1963 novel La Planète des Singes, (loosely translated as Monkey Planet). Next came the 1968 film adaptation, titled Planet of the Apes, and the rest is history. That initial film was a critical and commercial hit, and four sequels followed between 1970 and 1973: Beneath the Planet of the Apes, Escape from the Planet of the Apes, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, and Battle for the Planet of the Apes. It also spawned two television series in 1974 and 1975. 

Here’s an old photo of former couple Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis. Curtis had an acting career that spanned over six decades and consisted of over 100 films in addition to television roles. Leigh was also in numerous major films but achieved her most lasting recognition as Marion Crane in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960). This performance earned her a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

The two Hollywood talents found each other, fell in love, and got married on June 4, 1951, in a private ceremony in Greenwich, Connecticut. The couple went on to have two children, Kelly and Jamie Lee, (both became actresses) but sadly, they divorced in 1962. Apparently, Curtis saw nothing wrong with having divorce papers served to Leigh on the set of The Manchurian Candidate. 

Anne Kathleen Maloney, known professionally as Anne Lockhart, is best known for her role as Lieutenant Sheba in the original Battlestar Galactica series. 

Lockhart began her career when she was just 4-years old and starred as Annie in the short film T is for Tumbleweed. The short ended up being nominated for an Academy Award in the category Best Live Action Short Film. 

She also accompanied her mother, actress June Lockhart, to the set of Lassie on numerous occasions and made five uncredited appearances in the show herself, between 1959 and 1962.

Ah yes, Clark Gable, very few ooze “old Hollywood” like Gable. The actor and military officer was often referred to as "The King of Hollywood". Gable began his career as an extra in silent films between 1924 and 1926. Then he progressed to supporting roles in a few Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer pictures back in 1930. The following year he scored his first big role and over the next three and a half decades he became the legendary leading man we know and love from over 60 motion pictures.

Gable won an Academy Award for Best Actor for It Happened One Night (1934), and was nominated for leading roles in Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) and for his best-known role as Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind(1939).

It all began in 1968 when John Michael “Ozzy” Osbourne teamed up with guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler, and drummer Bill Ward and Black Sabbath was born. The band which is credited with pioneering metal released their self-titled album in 1970 and went on to release classic platinum records such as Paranoid and Master of Reality throughout the rest of the decade. Ozzy was fired from the band in 1979 after long stints of not showing up to rehearsals and being under the influence of drugs and alcohol. But that didn’t slow Ozzy down, he just went solo and did a mighty fine job of it. He released Blizzard of Ozz– it was one of the few best selling albums of the 1980s that achieved multi-platinum status (without having a Top 40 single to help it along). Ozzy is still rocking, making television appearances, and is widely known as the "Godfather of Heavy Metal.” 

Joni Mitchell went from singing in small nightclubs in her hometown of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, to becoming one of the most important and influential female recording artists of the late 20th century. She drew influences from various sources: folk, pop, rock and even jazz. Her lyrics often reflected social and environmental ideas as well as giving voice to a wide range of complex inner emotions. It’s no wonder she received so many accolades throughout her career, including 9 Grammy Awards.

Here's a photo of Grace Kelly in her tennis whites back in 1969. The actress had no trouble transitioning from Hollywood royalty to actual royalty when she married Prince Rainier III and became the Princess of Monaco. This charming, stylish, stunning, and brilliant actress, actually got to turn into a real-life Princess. Her life sounded more like the plot of a movie than an actual real-life story. Although, she was widely adored long before her marriage to Prince Rainier III, her royal love story certainly reinforced her iconic status. 

On January 14, 1967 the Human Be-In event was held in Golden State Park in San Francisco, where 30,000 hippies gathered in the state park’s polo fields to celebrate what else but the hippie culture.

This event was a prelude to San Francisco's Summer of Love, which made the Haight-Ashbury district a symbol of American counterculture and introduced the word "psychedelic" to suburbia. Naturally, it focused all of the central ideas of the whole 1960s counterculture, including personal empowerment, communal living, cultural and political decentralization, ecological awareness, and a higher consciousness (thanks to psychedelic drugs, of course).

Check out this photo of the distinguished Sir Sean Connery at a black tie event with Shakira and Michael Caine and his wife Shakira back in 1975. 

Connery will always be best known for his most iconic role, James Bond. It's so strange to think he almost had nothing to do with the spy franchise. Bond author Ian Fleming was initially against the idea of Connery playing Bod at first, he wanted Cary Grant! But he was charmed by Connery just as everyone else was, so he went on to adapt his future novels to give Bond a Scots background like Connery.

Check out these Go-Go Dancers of the 60’s! Go-go dancers are basically nightclub entertainment employees (yes, this is still a thing). These dancers get all decked out in their miniskirts and knee-high boots (which eventually became known as Go-Go boots) and dance the night away. This usually entails getting up on tables to dance the twist.

Nightclub promoters in the mid‑1960s were the first to conceive the idea of hiring women dressed in these specific outfits to entertain their patrons and the trend still exists in clubs today.

Check out Pete Townshend of The Who, catching some air back in the 1970s. The Who formed in 1964 and consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. Since their formation, they've gone on to become considered one of the most influential rock bands of the 20th century, selling over 100 million records worldwide. Not only are they noted for their impeccable studio works, they also hold quite the reputation for their live shows.

Born in Brooklyn, New York in the 1940’s, Barbara Streisand became an amazing singer, songwriter, actress, and filmmaker. Her accolades would include Academy Awards, Grammy Awards, Emmys, Tonys and just about any award you could think of.

At the age of sixteen, and living on her own, Barbara worked extremely hard to make a name for herself. At the time, it was said that she wasn’t taken very seriously because of her lack of mature feminine features, a setback which did not stop her.

She continued to work hard and had a heavily successful career during the 70’s and made headlines for her chart toppers and many soundtracks which graced the entertainment scene alongside the most popular shows and movies.

Herbert Buckingham Khaury, or as he is professionally known, Tiny Tim, was a singer, ukulele player, and musical archivist; he could also play the violin and the mandolin.

Tiny Tim gained prominence in the late 60s, and he's probably most famous for his hit cover songs, Tiptoe through the tulips and "Livin' in the Sunlight, Lovin' in the Moonlight". His first album God Bless Tiny Tim was released in 1968. It contained an orchestrated version of "Tiptoe Through the Tulips", which became a hit after being released as a single. His children’s song album For All My Little Friends (1969) was nominated for a Grammy Award.

Check out this vintage keepsake box from the 60’s. These were really popular because evidently the 60’s were full of secrets. Sure they were great for jewelry but since they locked and were so small and easy to slip out of sight, they became ideal “stash” boxes in the late 60’s and 70’s. Love letters, money, photos, and various drug-related paraphernalia could be found in these little boxes.

Here is a sexy Brigitte Bardot, in Women, or Les Femmes, back in 1969. In it, she plays Clara, who becomes a secretary who has to cater to all the desires of the womanizing writer Jérôme, while he tries to write his memoirs. The film was pretty much a flop, but Bardot's unapologetic sex appeal was a redeeming quality. This film, as well as much of Bardot's earlier films, are credited with propelling the global myth about French sexuality that endures to this day.

What you’re seeing in this rather bizarre photo here is the result of shock-rocker Alice Cooper and surrealist Salvador Dali, being allowed to hang out together for too long.

It all began in early April of 1973, when these two discovered they enjoyed each other’s weirdness and Dali decided he needed to turn Cooper into a work of art. 

So, he sculpted what he imagined Cooper’s brain to be, out of plaster, with a chocolate eclair running down its middle, and ants crawling all over it. That’s right, the surrealist handed Cooper a sculpture of his brain. “This is Dali`s version of Alice Cooper`s brain,” he proudly stated, to which Cooper replied, “Wow, I never thought I`d ever get this.”

Then came the 3-D hologram! It features Cooper wearing $2 million in diamonds and his ant-infested eclair brain while biting the head off of the Venus De Milo! This is why drugs are bad folks!

Once upon a time restaurants served pretty much everything through vending machines — These machines were established in Germany at the end of the 19th century, and they quickly spread across Europe and the U.S.

The first automat in American opened up in Philadelphia in 1902 by the Horn & Hardart food services company. People would go in, get coins or tokens of some kind and take a stroll along the walls of glass cases full of all kinds of things, hot and cold items.

You could get soups, coffee, sandwiches, pies, and in some places, even beer. The customers would pop in their coins and depending on the set up, the machine would dispense, or a case would unlock and they’d have to grab their food, which would be restocked by a staff member.

Here's Loretta Swit, who was cast as Hot Lips in the hit television series, M*A*S*H. The show brilliantly wove humor into serious situations in efforts to escape the horrors of war. Often described as a “Dark Comedy,” episodes were both plot and character driven with tones that could seamlessly shift from goofy to sobering. It was well written, well acted, and well received. It’s no wonder that M*A*S*H was one of the highest rated shows of all time. Ranked at 5th best series ever written by the Writers Guild of America and eighth greatest show of all time according to TV Guide ranked it as the eighth-greatest show of all time.

Check it out, It's guest stars Jack Benny and Bob Hope as plumbers on The Lucy Show back in 1964. In this episode, titled, Lucy & the Plumber,  "The plumber Lucy calls to fix her kitchen sink is a dead ringer for Jack Benny. Just like Benny, he's a violinist, but his classical music career was ruined by his resemblance to the comedian. Lucy decides to help him out by introducing him on a local TV talent show--the same show she was kicked off of a week earlier because of the lousy dog act she presented."

It was on May 18, 1980, that a major volcanic eruption occurred at Mount St.Helens, which is a volcano located in Skamania County, in the State of Washington. This particular eruption was a VEI 5 event, and was the most significant volcanic eruption to have occurred in the U>S> in the eruption of Lassen Peak in California, back in 1915. In fact, it's often been referred to as the most disastrous volcanic eruption in U.S. history. The eruption was preceded by a two-month series of earthquakes and steam-venting episodes... very doomsday-ish. 

Peace, love, and crazy pants... Goldie Hawn, a true hippie spirit even today. With a golden-haired daughter following in her footsteps.  

Goldie began her acting career in the short-lived CBS situation comedy Good Morning, World but it was her following role, as a regular cast member on the sketch comedy show, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, which garnered her international attention. The show ran from 1968–1973 but she had already established herself as something of an “It Girl” in the 1960s so at the show’s conclusion she had no problems landing roles. 

Her first major film role was in Cactus Flower (1969), for which she won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. From there the beauty kept churning out roles and earning awards!

Pictured here are the Beach Boys performing live on the first episode of the 17th season of the Ed Sullivan Show. It aired on September 27, 1964. The Beach Boys took the stage and performed favorites like "I Get Around," "Wendy," “Do It Again,” and “Good Vibrations.”

The Beach Boys became wildly popular because their California surf-inspired sound was so unique. Surf-rock had yet to emerge and the Beach boys quickly became the most influential American band of the sixties. With over eighty songs topping charts worldwide, they remain one of the most critically acclaimed, commercially successful, and widely influential bands of all time.

Check out a little behind the scenes peek of SNL with Jane Curtain in hair rollers, Gilda Radner, a yawning Bill Murray and a Rolling Stone (drummer Charlie Watts) back in 1978. 

Saturday Night Live remains one of the best comedic shows to date, and the most iconic sketch comedy show of all time (yes, there's a difference).

Saturday Night Live became a huge hit with audiences through the combination of introducing young and budding talent as well as having well-written material that not only captures the audience’s attention but it sure to keep it while stirring up controversy at every turn.

Check it out, it's Chaka Khan performing on Soul Train, back in the 1970s! Born Yvette Marie Stevens, Chaka Khan, is a recording artist whose career has spanned five decades since it first began in the 1970s. She was the lead vocalist of the funk band Rufus, and she soon became known as the Queen of Funk. Khan was also the first R&B artist to have a crossover hit featuring a rapper, with the song "I Feel for You" back in 1984. Khan has gone on to win ten Grammys and has sold an estimated 70 million records worldwide! She has been nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice; first as a member of Rufus and then as a solo artist.

Pictured here is Italian actress Daniela Bianchi on location for the Bond film 'From Russia with Love' in Istanbul, back in 1963. Bianchi still remains best known for her role in this film, which was that of a Bond girl named Tatiana Romanova (a Soviet cipher clerk sent to entrap James Bond).

Bianchi starred in a number of French and Italian movies after her Bond girl days, the last being Scacco Internazionale in 1968. One of her later films was Operation Kid Brother (also known as OK Connery and Operation Double 007), which was a James Bond spoof starring Sean Connery's brother, Neil Connery. Bianchi retired from acting in 1970, to marry Alberto Cameli, with whom she has one son.

Despite her seemingly seductive and outgoing nature as a woman, Marilyn Monroe was very shy as a child and her insecurities followed her into adulthood. She struggled with depression and substance abuse throughout her entire career. 

According to Marilyn, her Aunt Ana was the first person she ever truly felt loved by, in fact, Ana was the first person to encourage Marilyn to become an actress in the first place. Aunt Ana died in 1948, and Marilyn’s husband at the time, Joe DiMaggio, made arrangements to ensure Marilyn would be buried in the same cemetery when she passed away.

Pictured here are the stars of the show That Girl (1966-1971) Marlo Thomas and Ted Bessell! This was actually the role Margaret Julia "Marlo" Thomas,  is best known for. As a television actress, Marlo has been awarded four Emmys, a Golden Globe, the George Foster Peabody Award, and has been inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame. She is also now very well known for her award-winning feminist children's franchise, Free to Be... You and Me. Marlo Thomas also serves as National Outreach Director for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and she was the creator of the hospital’s the Thanks & Giving campaign.

Lucy in London came out in 1966 as a prime-time TV special. Naturally, it starred Lucille Ball and was filmed in London. The film also stars Anthony Newley, Dave Clark Five and Wilfrid Hyde-White.

In it, Lucy goes to hip London to experience all the current fads and as you can see in this photo, she goes mod. She is taken to the heart of London's shopping district, where she models the latest mod fashions in a musical number based on the Phil Spector tune "Lucy in London". The Dave Clark Five show up to sing London Bridge is Falling Down, because… how could they not. 

The Seekers are an Australian folk-influenced pop quartet from Melbourne. Having formed back in 1962, they were the first Australian pop music group to achieve major chart and sales success in the United Kingdom and the United States.

Their best-known lineup is Judith Durham on vocals, piano, and tambourine; Athol Guy on double bass and vocals; Keith Potger on twelve-string guitar, banjo, and vocals; and Bruce Woodley on guitar, mandolin, banjo, and vocals.

Their Top 10 hits of the 1960s include: "I'll Never Find Another You", "A World of Our Own", "Morningtown Ride", "Someday, One Day" (written by Paul Simon), "Georgy Girl", and "The Carnival Is Over" by Tom Springfield. They also had a hit with an adaptation of the Russian folk song "Stenka Razin". 

Zsa Zsa Gabor started off on stage in Vienna in 1936, the same year she was crowned Miss Hungary. She emigrated to the United States in 1941 and soon became known for her "European flair and style". She became a highly sought-after actress and was considered to have a personality that "exuded charm and grace".

Her first film role was a supporting role in Lovely to Look At, she went on to have roles in We're Not Married! and Moulin Rouge (1952). She became just as famous for her love life as for her acting career. She’s married 9 men and divorced/annulled all but one of her marriage. Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt remained by her side until her death in December of 2016.