These black and white or faded shots were collecting dust in someone’s attic or basement, until luckily they were dug out, to reveal some amazing scenes. What might have looked ordinary in its own day is now rare and fascinating history. Here are some seldom seen photos from decades gone by that show you how far mankind has progressed.
Selfies, 1920s style
1960s Venice: Coca-Cola advertisement, using pigeons
American Gothic real life models next to their claim to fame
1970s Russia: a man feeds polar bears milk
John Lennon’s last photo
1950s segregation: Memphis Zoo
Albert Einstein meets Charlie Chaplin
Ruth Malcomson, Miss America 1924
Salvador Dali, pre-mustache, gives Coco Chanel a light
1974: Police officer on duty during the Ontario floods
An elephant in London tries to flag down a tram
Ronald Reagan cuts in Frank Sinatra to dance with his wife, Nancy
1935: Ad for first drive-in theater in Los Angeles
Marlon Brando becomes Don Vito Corleone
1969: Hitchhikers to Woodstock
A glamorous Barbara Streisand in 1966
1903: New York City's Flatiron building, surrounded by snow
England 1930: a Gypsies' beach camp near Epsom
Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney wash dishes
1912: The Titanic, before her maiden voyage
Workers maintaining the Brooklyn Bridge 100 feet in the air
