18 shots that change the perspective of history (19 photos)

History often seems distant, abstract, and impersonal. But just look at it through real faces, gestures, and everyday details, and the past comes alive.





This collection is like a time capsule, assembled from moments that easily escape textbooks. Here, the fates of monarchs and workers, avant-garde experiments and everyday life, triumphs and curiosities are intertwined. You'll see Nicholas II and George V, almost indistinguishable in appearance, standing next to their heirs. You'll see the Soviet genius Eisenstein posing next to a Mexican cactus. How dangerous asbestos was used in a Hollywood fairy tale to create a beautiful moment and a realistic shot, and how Princess Diana, just weeks before the tragedy, smiles among graceful ballerinas. Each photo is not just a testimony to an era, but a living dialogue with our present. Want to peek behind the scenes of the past?

1. Emperor Nicholas II with his cousin, Prince George (the future King George V of Great Britain), and their heirs



Prince Edward would later become King Edward VIII of Great Britain. Photo taken in England on August 4, 1909.

2. John Lennon and Yoko Ono wait for the maid to make their bed so they can begin their two-week "bed action" for peace.





Amsterdam, Room 902, Hilton Hotel, 1969.

3. A miner enjoys a break with his family after a long shift.



Lancashire, England, 1947.

4. Arnold Schwarzenegger with his older brother Meinhard, 1967



5. Leather phone cases from the 2000s



6. Elizabeth Taylor as the Queen of Egypt Cleopatra



Photograph for the promotional campaign for the film "Cleopatra," 1962.

7. Man riding a unicycle, 1931



Created by Charles F. Taylor, the device could reach speeds of 150 km/h.

8. Abby "Pudgy" Stockton poses at Muscle Beach



She was the first woman to open a gym in the United States and was recognized as the strongest woman in the world in the 1940s.

9. Sergei Eisenstein poses with a giant cactus in Mexico, 1930s



At the time, the director was in Mexico at the invitation of American writer and producer Upton Sinclair to film "Viva Mexico!"—a large-scale film about the life and culture of that country.

10. A gentleman reads a newspaper while getting his hair done at a barber shop, circa 1950s



11. In The Wizard of Oz, asbestos was used to create the snow effect in the scene where Dorothy and her friends fall asleep in the poppy field, 1939



12. Pablo Picasso in his home, circa 1960 year



13. A worker and a shop foreman at the ZiS automobile plant, Moscow, 1954



14. Women from the Achilles Serres Women's Fire Brigade in London pose with inventory



Photo taken at the company's factory, 1935.

15. Niagara Falls empty in 1969



16. Hirohito, Emperor of Japan, visits Disneyland during his visit to the United States, June 1975



Hirohito was a big fan of Disney films and insisted on visiting Disneyland. There, he was given a simple plastic watch with Mickey Mouse on the face as a gift.

17. Brigitte Bardot with Gigi Rizzi in Saint-Tropez, 1968



18. Princess Diana poses with the full English National Ballet company in Swan Lake, June 3, 1997