A hodgepodge of historical footage from years past. Issue 193

Here's another retro hodgepodge, featuring unique and interesting shots from around the world. Some photos may shock, others may surprise, and some will make you laugh! So, let's not waste any time with the introduction. Welcome, everyone, and enjoy!

1. Workers constructing the Forth Road Bridge in Scotland, 1961.





The Forth Road Bridge is an impressive engineering feat in Scotland, located northeast of Edinburgh. Opened in 1964, this suspension bridge has become a vital transport crossing across the Firth of Forth, connecting the Scottish capital with the regions of Fife and the north of the country.

2. Amazed onlookers watch in amazement as Miss Beth Pitt walks her beloved fawn, Star Message, in downtown New York City on November 16, 1942.



Earlier that day, Miss Pitt paid a $2 fine in court for allowing her pet to wander unattended in Central Park.

3. A Tu-124 passenger plane lands on water. Leningrad, 1963.



The plane, en route from Tallinn to Moscow, experienced an emergency situation—the landing gear failed to retract. The aircraft was diverted for an emergency landing in Leningrad. However, while dumping fuel over the city, both engines of the Tu-124 failed one after another. Faced with a desperate situation, captain Vasily Chechenev made the bold decision to land the plane on the Neva River. The landing was a success! Almost no one on board was injured, with the exception of a few passengers with minor injuries. The only high-quality photograph capturing this moment was taken by photographer Yuri Tuysk. Photos taken by other bystanders who attempted to capture the incredible event were confiscated by the police.

4. Dogs Mishka and Chizhik, 1951.



The first conquerors of space were mongrel dogs: Tsygan, Dezik, Lisa, Mishka, Chizhik, Smely, Ryzhik, Neputevy, and Zib. It was they who, in the summer of 1951, a decade before Yuri Gagarin's legendary flight, blazed the trail to the stars. This unique photograph by Dmitry Baltermants captures Mishka and Chizhik, participants in the first series of space experiments (there were three in total). Their debut flight on the R-1B geophysical rocket took place on August 15, 1951, and was successful: the dogs were unharmed and in good health during the 18-minute flight. However, a relaunch on August 28 of that same year, during which the experimental conditions were complicated to simulate human flight, ended tragically. Despite a normal launch and landing, Mishka and Chizhik died from oxygen deprivation.

5. Harley-Davidson ambulance motorcycle. Great Britain, 1920s.



The patient was placed in a coffin-like trolley, and the lid was closed for transport.

6. Towing a liquid hydrogen tank at Baikonur. The tank is being towed by a MAZ-7310.



A tank for cryogenic propellant components of the Energia launch vehicle and the Buran orbiter, designed for storing and refueling liquid hydrogen and oxygen.

7. Characters from Grant Wood's painting "American Gothic." The artist's subjects were his dentist and his sister Nan, 1930.



Grant Wood's "American Gothic" is more than just a famous painting. Its image has become a cultural phenomenon, becoming one of the most recognizable and endlessly parodied symbols of American art.

8. 82-year-old tightrope walker Ivy Baldwin crosses a dam. Colorado, 1948.



Crossing the canyon on a 200-meter rope was a familiar occurrence for Ivy Baldwin. By July 31, 1948, he had done it more than 80 times over 40 years. But that day was special, as the daredevil turned 82.

9. A fully functional miniature Cadillac, built for the children of the royal family of Siam, 1913.



10. Trampoline inventor George Nissen jumps on his creation with a kangaroo. USA, 1960.



The world's first modern trampoline appeared in 1936 thanks to the efforts of George Nissen, a champion diver and acrobatic athlete. Having built a prototype in his garage, he connected a piece of canvas to a metal frame with elastic cords. Although the device was initially intended for acrobatic training, it soon gained immense popularity far beyond the gym. George Nissen came up with an original advertising method: he rented Victoria the kangaroo and staged a trampoline show with her in Central Park. For a week, the inventor literally "choreographed" her jump, holding her by the paws so she would bounce in time with him. This photograph is the result of this training.

11. Underground nuclear explosion at the Semipalatinsk test site. Kazakh SSR, 1965.



On January 15, 1965, the first industrial thermonuclear explosion in Soviet history was conducted at the Semipalatinsk test site. The force of the explosion, produced in a narrow borehole, was such that it left behind a gigantic crater: half a kilometer in diameter and 100 meters deep, with a bank of ejected earth as tall as a 12-story building. This crater later filled with water, forming Lake Chagan.

12. A device allegedly increasing height by 5-15 cm, 1931.



13. An ostrich pulls a cart at the Cawston Ostrich Farm in South Pasadena, California, circa 1915.



In 1885, American businessman Edwin Cawston undertook a risky expedition to South Africa, from where he brought back 50 ostriches. Only 18 birds survived the long sea voyage. Despite this loss, in 1886, Cawston opened an ostrich farm in South Pasadena, near Los Angeles, which soon grew to 100. The farm quickly became a popular tourist attraction. Visitors were offered rides in a carriage pulled by ostriches or a photo opportunity atop an ostrich. The farm had a store selling not only meat and eggs, but also the season's top seller—fashionable ostrich feather accessories: boas, fans, and elegant hats.

14. A pneumatic car. France, 1913–1914.



15. Moving a 7,600-ton residential building to create a boulevard in Alba Iulia, Romania, 1987.



16. Rescue of a sailor from the French trawler "Jeanne Gougie", 1962.



17. A car takes children on a sled ride on a snowy road in Scheveningen, Netherlands. 1940s.



18. Looking for a Space. Omaha, Nebraska, 1970s.



19. Seattle Cedar Lumber Manufacturing Company Lumber Yard in Seattle, Washington, 1939.



On May 20, 1958, the largest fire since the Great Fire of 1889 occurred at the Seattle Cedar Manufacturing plant. The blaze destroyed extensive lumber yards, workshops, and drying kilns, causing over $1 million in damage. Burning debris flew up to two miles away, forcing residents to spray their roofs with garden hoses. The fire caused wood dust to accumulate near steam pipes, and the sprinkler system was accidentally turned off. Seven fire crews and a boat responded to the fire, which took three days to extinguish. Twelve people were injured.

20. A girl blow-dries her hair. Australia, 1930.