Retro Photos that Will Transport You Back in Time
By | February 20, 2023
Rod Stewart in his 1970's kitchen
Celebrities are just ordinary people....except they are rich, famous, beautiful, and incredibly talented. Celebrities also take amazing photos, and we have photos of celebrities captured in their natural habitat. Not only that, but we also have photos of old timey wonders that you've never seen before.
Young Madonna had all the goods back before she was famous back in 1974
Madonna Louise Ciccone has been the Queen of Pop - since her arrival on the scene back in the '80s. Surprisingly (or not), Madonna was raised by Catholic parents in the suburbs of Detroit. A pure product of Motor City, her dad worked as an engineer designer for Chrysler and General Motors. Early on, Madonna's dad inspired her to get into the arts, putting her in classical piano lessons and ballet classes. She was a straight-A student in high school and was even a member of the cheerleading squad. Madonna received a dance scholarship to the University of Michigan - but ended up dropping out in order to move to New York City to pursue her dream. And the rest is Madonna history!
1930's weight gain ad recommends beer
Oh how times have greatly changed. Back in the 1930s, society's perception of beauty was for women to have a few extra pounds on them. Thin women were looked as scrawny, weak, and nervous. Think of Olive Oil from Popeye. See what I mean? And the best way recommended to women for adding extra pounds was to drink lots of beer. According to this ad, that's what doctors prescribed for putting on an extra 5-15 lbs in just a few weeks. But then again, this was the same era where they also had ads with doctors recommending smoking. Though prescribing beer seems insane, hops, which are are found in beer, has been used in herbal medicine since before the 1500s.
Almost 1.5 million balloons were released simultaneously at The Cleveland Balloonfest in 1986
Sure this looks fun, but it didn't end well. On September 27th, 1986, 1.5 million helium-filled balloons were release in Cleveland as part of Balloonfest '86; a fundraising effort organized by the United Way. The purpose was to break the world record for the biggest simultaneous balloon launch. It was meant to be whimsical and fun, but ended up being a environmental disaster. The balloons got caught in a storm and drifted back down to earth. The airborne balloons also clouded the sky and caused a local airport to shut down a runway. I'm pretty darn sure someone got fired for coming up with this stunt - because with 1.5 million balloons, what possible could've gone wrong?
Air conditioned lawn mower from the 1950's
Why did this never catch on? The 1950s was a time for an optimistic view of a better tomorrow. And what could make suburban life better than a futuristic air conditioned lawn mower. On Oct. 14, 1957, the future of lawn mowing took a new turn with the addition of a beautiful air conditioned bubble; the rider could cut the lawn while looking like a creature in some sort of futuristic zoo while riding in a clear five foot sphere. Not only was this appliance air conditioned, but it also had an electrical generator that powered such life necessities as a radio telephone and a chilled drink dispenser.
Robin Williams, with his first wife, Valerie Velardi, on their wedding day (1978)
It must of been insane to be married to Robin Williams during the moment when he skyrocketed to fame back in the 70s. Valerie Velardi would know - and you should hear the stories she has to tell in the recently released documentary, Come Inside My Mind. The couple first met in 1976 when Williams was an unknown actor and comedian in San Francisco. The couple got married in 1978 and stayed together for 10 years before Velardi filed for divorce. The Mork and Mindy star wasn't really the most faithful of husbands.
"He loved women. Absolutely loved women. And I got it," Velardi said.
"The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog" -Mark Twain (1904) Twain had three dogs which he named "I Know", "You Know" and "Don't Know"
Twain, aka Samuel Clemens, had a great fondness for canines. In fact, dogs inspired his work. One of Twain’s rare attempts at poetry took on the subject of his recently deceased dog named Burns: “She lived a quiet harmless life in Hartford far from madding strife.”
Twain used dogs as his muse up until the end. Weeks before he died, Twain wrote about approaching heaven’s gate: “Leave your dog outside. Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in.”
This is not to say that Twain didn't like cats. He once wrote about felines: “The only creature in heaven or earth or anywhere that don’t have to obey somebody or other, including the angels.”
A party pooper picketing Spring break at Daytona Beach in the 1980s.
Spring break in Daytona Beach, during the 1980s, was a wild time. That's why it was almost essential to have someone inform college students of the day that they were sinners and heading to hell. Spring Break has always been know as a debauch right of passage. And Daytona Beach has always been Ground Zero for this seasonal hedonism. This annual event began back in the 1930s when schools and universities became to take an academic vacation period. The first documented excursion was in 1935, when a swimming coach at Colgate University brought his team to Ft. Lauderdale during spring break to train. And what is the natural thing students like to do when they are on break from school? The answer: PARTY!
Beautiful photo taken of The Twin Towers during construction in the 1970s.
On August 5, 1966, marks the groundbreaking for the construction of the World Trade Center. When the WTC twin towers were completed, the total costs to the Port Authority was $900 million. The first tenants started moving into the North Tower on December 15, 1970. The South Tower started accepting occupants on January 1972. It wasn't until 1979, when the World Trade Center was completely sold out. The Twin Towers were built on a site in Manhattan called, Radio Row. It was a warehouse district that consisted of several blocks of electronics stores - and was said to be the origin of the electronic component distribution business. Controversy erupted when this area was torn down to make way for the World Trade Center. And you know the rest about bad karma..
Ben Bowden shows off his prototype bicycle called the 'Bowden Spacelander' in 1946.
How many hipsters in Williamsburg would trade their curly mustaches for a bike like this? Benjamin Bowden created the prototype of the 'Bowden Spacelander' back in 1946. But strangely, it didn't go into production until 1960. Only 522 of these two-wheeled-beauties were manufactured. It sold for a retail price of $89.50 - in 1960 dollars. Today, a Bowden Spacelander in mint condition would cost you somewhere around the range of $15,000.
According to the Brooklyn Museum website:
"The Spacelander is a marvel of postwar biomorphic design. Its curving lines and amoeba-like voids represent the mutation of the prewar streamlined style into a new expression based on organic, rather than machine-made, forms."
Buffalo Bill looking stylish back in 1909
The name Buffalo Bill Cody goes hand-in-hand with myths about the old West. But did you know that this all-American hero was actually part Canadian? Yes, his father was born and raised near the city of Mississauga in Ontario - and Cody spent some time living there as a youth. Buffalo Bill became a Pony Express rider by the age of 14 and served on the Union side of the Civil War from 1863 to 1865. He also served as a civilian scout for the US Army during the Indian Wars and receive the Medal of Honor in 1872. As Buffalo Bill's legend began to spread he started performing in Buffalo Bill's Wild West. In 1883, the Wild West show began to tour not only in the U.S., but also in Britain and around Europe. I can easily see Jeff Bridges playing Buffalo Bill in the film adaptation.
Dalai Lama as a toddler (age 2 or 3)
His Holiness the Dalai Lama, or better yet, the 14th Dalai Lama, was born on 6 July 1935 to a farming and horse trading family in the small village of Taktser. In his autobiography, His Holiness writes: “During my early childhood, my family was one of twenty or so making a precarious living from the land there.” That's why he became self-described as a simple Buddhist monk. By the age of 6, His Holiness began his monastic education. His curriculum included logic, fine arts, Sanskrit grammar, and medicine; with the greatest emphasis on Buddhist philosophy. During the 1959 Tibetan uprising, he fled to India, where he currently lives as a refugee. In 1989, The 14th Dalai Lama received the Nobel Peace Prize.
Instructions on "How to Kiss a Girl" from 1911.
Apparently in 1911, men didn't know how to kiss women - so instructions such as these were very helpful. Yes, long before the days of the #MeToo movement, men were being taught such nuggets of wisdom as "Do not tell her your intentions," and "Do not ask permission to kiss her." This all seems odd, but the intent really was to sell gum - sold by the Common Sense Gum company. These tips for girl- kissing came along with a stick of gum. The main takeaway from the kissing tips was to take the girl by surprise. Yikes! Creepy!
John Cleese playing on the set of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" film. (1975)
Ha! What a great shot. Monty Python and the Holy Grail is almost everyone's pick for top ten comedy films of all-time. Though it turned out to be a hilarious film, nearly all the members of the Monty Python comedy troupe have said that they had a miserable time while filming the project. It was shot in cold, rainy Scotland. Funny enough, Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon album was partly responsible for the 1975 movie getting made. The band was such fans of Monty Python that they used royalties from the album to fund the movie. In fact, Pink Floyd was such fans of their TV show, Monty Python's Flying Circus, they would halt recording sessions just to watch. Thank you Pink Floyd for helping a great comedy cause.
John F. Kennedy playing peek-a-boo with his baby Caroline, 1957.
Here's Caroline Kennedy. She went from growing up in the White House to serving as the United States Ambassador to Japan until 2017. When Caroline was three-years old, her dad, John F. Kennedy, was sworn in as President of the United States - thus the family moved into the White House. She was five days away from her sixth birthday when her father was assassinated in Dallas on November 22, 1963. The following year, Caroline moved with her mother and little brother to a penthouse on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. She went on to receive a J.D. degree from Columbia Law School.
Mackinac Bridge, which connects Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsula, under construction in 1957
Talk about one hell of a long bridge. Yes, we're talking 26,372 feet long. The Mackinac Bridge spans the Straits of Mackinac to connect Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas. The bridge, also referred to as "Big Mac" and "Mighty Mac" - was open in 1957 and designed by engineer David B. Steinman. At the time, the bridge was known as the "world's longest suspension bridge between anchorages", which brought comparisons to San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. Japan surpassed the Mackinac Bridge when, in 1998, they completed the Akashi Kaikyō Bridge - which is 6,532 ft. Still the Mackinac Bridge is a mighty darn long bridge.
Menu from the Titanic, 1912.
This is creepy. Not only is this the menu from the Titanic, but it's the menu for the Titanic - on the day it started sinking. (It went down on April 14th-April 15th, 1912.) As the unsinkable ship sunk, passengers were not only in a panic, but they also had a belly full of stewed figs and rice, smoked herring and jacket potatoes, and plum pudding.
When Titanic began to sink, over a thousand passengers and crew were on board. The disaster shocked the world - partly due to the lack of lifeboats available. Almost all the passengers who jumped from the Titanic either drowned or died within minutes due to the temperature of the icy cold water. We've seen it happen to Leonardo DiCaprio in the James Cameron movie, Titanic.
Need to concentrate? Don't worry, here's the solution!
On first glance, my thoughts are: what the hell is this!? Why did this never catch on? The Isolator is a helmet that was created in 1925 to help workers concentrate and keep focused. I'm not exactly sure how that would work, being having a large helmet on your head would be...very distracting. It was invented by Hugo Gernsback, who was an editor of Science and Invention magazine, member of The American Physical Society, and one of the early pioneers of science fiction. How The Isolator works is, when you wear the helmet, oxygen is piped in and the wearer's vision is limited to a tiny horizontal slit. Again, it's hard to believe that this never caught on...
Passing through a giant sequoia tree at Yosemite Park, 1879.
Some of the largest living things on the planet are found in California's Yosemite National Park. Yes, we're talking the giant sequoias in Yosemite Park. The giant trees were on this earth long before we got here - and will be here (hopefully) long after we're gone. The sequoias can live to be 3,000 years old and can grow to be 300 feet high and 100 feet in circumference. Seeing them in person makes you feel like you're in a Lord of the Rings movie. These trees need to say thanks to President Abraham Lincoln. He signed the Yosemite Land Grant bill on June 30, 1864. This bill set a precedent for the preservation of the our country's wilderness.
Popular Atari games from the 1980's
Atari had its heyday between 1972 and 1984. It's the company that brought the world the first video game hit: Pong. This was back in 1972. Atari released Home Pong in 1977, which was the first of several Pong-based video game consoles. (Yes, you needed more than one.) What really put them on the map was introducing their first home computer back in 1979 - with the the Atari 400 and 800. This brought video games from the arcade into the home. (Did that catch on at all?)
Space Invaders was released in 1980 for the Atari 2600. The game, now, might seem as fun now as watching a screen saver. But back in the day, Space Invaders was on the forefront of video game mania. And it had a great soundtrack.
Queen Elizabeth served in the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service during World War II
It's hard to think of Queen Elizabeth as young. But at one time she was. And that time was during World War II. In 1944, the then Princess Elizabeth was 18-years old. Other Royals have served in the military, such as Prince Harry and William. Princess Elizabeth advocated for herself to serve in the British military in the same way that other young Brits would have to during the time of war. Once the Princess joined up, she learned such rigors as passing a military driving test, learning to read maps, and working on repairing engines. Might sound like the future Queen was roughing it, but at night she would sleep at Windsor Castle, rather than in the camp with her fellow female ATS members.
Students taking part in a nuclear attack drill in the 1950's
At the height of the Cold War, with the threat of a nuclear war looming, American schoolkids were being taught to "duck and cover" - as part of drill in case the bomb was dropped on the United States. This photo was taken in 1951 - and is very amusing/naive/scary to think that this exercise would somehow save lives if Russia dropped a nuclear bomb on their city. The sad truth is, a nuclear firebomb would rip through their classroom. Fun little films, with catchy songs and animated turtles were produced to show kids how to properly duck and cover during a surprise nuclear attack. This was life during the Atomic Age.
Teens talking on the corner in NYC, 1948.
Believe it or not, "teenager" wasn't even a word until the late 1940s. Before then, these youngsters were simply referred to as "young humans." The 40s ushered in the youth movement with the advent of the Zoot suit, bobby socks, soda shops, and the music of Frank Sinatra. During this era - the world jumped on board to cater to this newly termed "teenager." Fashion designers, authors, filmmakers and manufacturers started catering to the needs of teenagers. In 1944, "Seventeen Magazine" hit the stands and gave teen girls advice about makeup, fashion and tips for dealing with parents. The result was that teen culture became its own thing - which still stand to this day.
The enchanting doorway at St Edward's Parish Church in the Cotswold, flanked by yew trees. (Stow on the Wold, Gloucestershire)
This photo looks very J.R.R, Tolkien-ish. St Edward's Parish Church stands on the site of the original Saxon church, which was made of wood. The location here is Cotswold - which is in a rural area in south central England. St Edward's Parish Church has a mixture of architectural styles because of the numerous additions and renovations over the centuries. One style, apparently, involved a large tree. Parts of the church date back as far as the 11th to the 14th century. The towers and clerestory were built in the 15th century. In more modern times, the 2002 funeral of the Who's bass player, John Entwistle, took place at this church.
William Harley and Arthur Davidson on their bikes, 1914.
If these old-timey hipsters only knew the impact their motorbikes would have on our modern culture. Arthur Davidson and William Harley were childhood friends in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1903, they designed their first motorbike. Their efforts would change the face of motorized history - in the same way the Wright Brothers would change air travel. With a stroke of inspiration, they started working on the idea of a motorized bike without pedals. Davidson was credited with the slogan, "Take the Work out of Bicycling." Along with his buddy, Harley the two worked tirelessly in a 10 x 15 foot shed to build their beloved motorized Frankenstein. Needless to say, they kept tinkering with the idea. And apparently, it caught on big time...
