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

I am sharing with you exclusive photos from the 20th century that immerse you in the atmosphere of the era, but in some places they look so unusual that they seem like shots from a parallel reality. These photos are a mixture of absurdity, humor and indignation.





A couple sits on the roof of a futuristic seaplane, 1930.



A little girl having breakfast with a lion, year of shooting unknown.

A very cute, but on the other hand disturbing photo. After all, we all remember the tragic story of the famous Berberov family.

The Berberov family from Baku became famous thanks to their unusual neighbor - a lion named King. This powerful beast not only lived in their house, but also participated in the filming of films, becoming a real screen star. The connection between people and animals aroused great interest in the press: stories about the friendship between the lion and the family repeatedly appeared in newspapers and magazines.

However, King's fate turned out to be tragic. During his stay in the capital, for unknown reasons, the lion died. Having restored the lost "family warmth", the parents got a new lion cub, which they also named King II. However, with age, the animal's character changed: aggression, which at first manifested itself in small manifestations, grew into a dangerous threat. As a result, King II attacked family members, resulting in the death of the eldest son. The police, having no choice, were forced to shoot the lion, thus repeating the tragic fate of his predecessor.





Props from the Italian film "Yeti: Giant of the 20th Century". Italy, 1977.

Visitors to the Rome set look at the film's titular character, a giant yeti.



Nuns' Vacation, 1960.

Three nuns play in the ocean surf near Grayland. They were part of a group of seven nuns who were able to spend a week at the seaside as part of a new vacation program.



A worker sits down to rest on top of a steel beam. Empire State Building, New York, 1930.

The Empire State Building held the title of the tallest building in the world from 1931 to 1970. Today, you can find many photos on the Internet showing risky moments of construction - workers without safety equipment, balancing on steel beams. However, official statistics are astonishing: out of 3,400 people involved in the construction of the legendary skyscraper, only five died. This figure is considered surprisingly low for the scale and conditions of the project in the 1930s.



Two women stand on giant tortoises during a tortoise race. Miami, USA, 1920s.

Giant tortoises should not be used as a seat or support - their bodies are not designed to withstand the stress. Trying to sit or stand on the shell causes stress to the animal and forces it to strain to stand up. This can lead to serious consequences: damage to the spine, internal injuries or muscle tears. Even with the apparent strength of the shell, the pressure from above disrupts the natural anatomy of the turtle, putting its health at risk. But in the United States, they have always loved to make a show out of everything.



The French turbo-electric ship Normandie, which burned and capsized at a pier in New York, 1942.

After the outbreak of World War II on August 31, 1939, the liner was moored at Pier 88 of the Cunard Line in New York due to the threat of war in Europe. On February 9, 1942, while dismantling bulkheads with gas burners, sparks ignited a stack of life jackets. The resulting fire quickly spread, and the water used to extinguish it compromised the stability of the ship. As a result, the Normandie capsized on her port side, remaining on her bottom in the harbor.

The liner's designer, Vladimir Yurkevich, suggested releasing the water through the kingstones to gently lower the ship to the bottom of the Hudson River, preserving the structure. However, his advice was ignored, which worsened the situation.

In 1943, the liner was righted, and on November 3, she was towed down the Hudson with a list of 2°. Plans were considered to restore the Normandie or convert it into an aircraft carrier, but due to the high cost of repairs and a feasibility study, the ship was dismantled for scrap in 1946.



Farmer Mrs. Maude Lee and her daughter Pat enjoy breakfast with their pet sheep named Betty. England, Bristol, 1949.



Under the heel of the Statue of Liberty. USA, 1937.



Miss National Catfish Queen, 1945.

Winner and recognized catfish queen Gail Hooper of Tennessee holds a 55-pound catfish at the New Yorker Hotel in 1945.

In the 20th century, traditional beauty contests were enriched with unusual formats: thematic, regional, and even funny analogues appeared. For example, in Idaho, there was a "Miss Potato" contest, and in Los Angeles, there was an "Orange Queen".



Project 941 "Akula", NATO class "Typhoon" - Soviet sailors at the stern, 1986.

The Project 941 Akula submarine is the world's largest strategic nuclear submarine, created in the USSR. Its unique characteristics and gigantic size made it a symbol of the Soviet submarine fleet during the Cold War.

The development of the project began in the 1970s by order of the Soviet Navy. The main task was to create a platform capable of carrying intercontinental ballistic missiles. The boat had to withstand an enemy strike and maintain combat capability even in the extreme conditions of the Arctic.

The first Akula was laid down at the Sevmash enterprise in June 1976, and was launched on September 29, 1980. Only six submarines of this class were built, although 12 were planned.

The construction of "9-story" submarines provided orders for more than 1,000 enterprises of the Soviet Union.



American strongman Ben Darwin demonstrates the strength of his hair by moving a car weighing about 2.5 tons. New York, 1925.



NASA scientist Ellyn Hupp Hazard poses in his Mark 1 lunar exploration suit, or "marshmallow suit," in California, USA, 1960.

Hazard was a senior development engineer in the rocket science section at JPL and created the suit for his own amusement.



Bubble dancer Sally Rand, circa 1930s.

Bubble dancing was an erotic dance made popular by Sally Rand in the 1930s. The dancer, often completely naked, danced with a large bubble in the shape of a balloon or ball.



Girl and eagle, 1939.



A distorting mirror at the Rockaways amusement park. New York, USA. 1951.



Participants in a musical at Radio City Music Hall in New York, 1937.



A forest of oil derricks in the Signal Hill oil field, Long Beach, California, 1937.

California, today associated with Hollywood, red carpets and the glitter of the Oscars, was once a very different state - a state whose wealth was built not on cinema, but on black gold. This photo turns the familiar image of California upside down, revealing its industrial past, full of shadows and contrasts.

Imagine: instead of palm trees and ocean beaches - endless fields of oil derricks towering over downtown Los Angeles, the shores of Venice Beach, Huntington Beach and Santa Fe. Metal giants, smoking towers, gray skies - the landscapes seemed to have come straight from Blade Runner or a dark dystopian novel. It was a world of noise, oily smells and a ruthless race for resources, where nature gave way to steel structures.



Georgians from the "Buffalo Bills" performing as "Cossacks". USA, 1901.

In 1893, the Gurians went to the United States, where for more than 30 years they performed under the name of Cossacks in Buffalo Bill's Wild West and other circuses and shows.



A lineman working on an electric pole, 1920s.