A selection of photos from the past that make you wonder (21 photos)

Photographers have always tried to preserve important moments of life for posterity. Thanks to such people, we have the opportunity to see events that happened relatively recently or a century ago.





Halloween costumes of the 1930s.

The tradition of dressing up in Halloween costumes began in the mid-19th century, but it was only in the 1930s that costumes based on characters from media such as cinema, literature, and radio became popular. In this photo, we see something similar to a Mickey Mouse mask.



A chandelier at a slaughterhouse. Germany, Darmstadt, November 29, 1962.

In 1962, a lighting fixture factory received an unusual order. A sheikh from an Arab country ordered a fantastic chandelier, which consisted of 220 thousand elements.

The factory did not have enough space to assemble a giant chandelier. Therefore, they decided to assemble it nearby, at a slaughterhouse.

This may be the most beautiful thing a cow has ever seen in her life.





Clearing railway tracks of ice and snow using a jet engine from a MiG-15. Czechoslovakia, 1970.

In aviation, these devil-machines are called "Snake-Gorynych". It cleans runways to dry concrete in any weather.



Testing a kite, 1903.

Scottish-born American and Canadian scientist, inventor, and entrepreneur Alexander Graham Bell and his assistants test a kite with tetrahedron-shaped panels.



Azorean women's hoods.

The Azorean hood, known in Portuguese as ‘Capote e Capelo’, is a traditional garment of the Azores Islands that was worn until the 1930s. The origins of this distinctive hood are debated, with some historians suggesting that it was introduced by Flemish settlers.

The Azorean hood is a long dark cloak combined with a large hooded cape, creating a striking silhouette. Its primary purpose was to protect the wearer from the harsh and unpredictable weather of the islands. The cloak is made of thick, durable materials and effectively protects against rain and wind.



Student engineers pose next to a motor they helped design at the General Electric plant, 1928.

General Electric supplied generators for the Dnieper Hydroelectric Power Station to the USSR in the 1930s. They supplied them for the second time in 1946, after the Dnieper Hydroelectric Power Station was blown up twice during the war, first by our people, then by the Germans.



Messerschmitt BF.109 fighter testing in the Great Wind Tunnel in Berlin.

Aerodynamic air flow tests were conducted in this giant wind tunnel. The diameter of the tube was 8.5-12 m.



Australasian Antarctic Expedition scientist Harold Hamilton poses with a sea lion skeleton, 1913.



Goodyear Aircraft Corp technicians work on the Toroid inflatable space habitat concept. NASA, 1961.

The inflatable habitat is something similar to a sealed tent. Toroid was the first formal design and production of an inflatable space habitat with a space station design (though the design never flew).



A salt mine in Romania, 1940.

The scale is amazing. Understanding that it is all underground, and the technology of that time was not as developed as it is now. In some mines you have to go underground by bus (now they have a health and entertainment character).



A camera with flashes, 1931.

The flash is most likely with magnesium foil, on the same principle later there were disposable cube flashes (there is actually no foil, but thin wire), which were attached to the camera.



Australian Antarctic Expedition (1911 - 1914).

A cave on the shore of the Commonwealth Sea in an ice wall.



Halloween party in Los Angeles, USA, 1957.

Soviet policeman and Sputnik costumes.



Test pilot George Aird ejected from an English Electric Lightning F1 at low altitude at Hatfield, Hertfordshire, on 13 September 1962.

The pilot survived because he landed in local greenhouses. He suffered minor bone fractures, but soon recovered and resumed his flying career.



Moroccan women, Morocco, 1971.



The wrecked fishing vessel "Gratitude" on the beach of Macquarie Island. 1911.



A special cage for children. Great Britain, 1930s.

Being in such devices had a very good effect on the health of the child. In view of this, the London Borough Council of East Poplar offered to equip some of its houses with cages so that children could breathe fresh air and be in the sun.



Meeting of the American organization "Friends of the New Germany", New York, Madison Square Garden, 1939.



Joint rest in the shade. Sahara, 1955.



Hands-free pie eating contest. USA, 1937.