Look Through History

Look Through History To understand the present and future, Look Through History! Bringing you fresh history content and stories from peace and war.
(2)

Explore our store in the link for unique historical products and gear!

A mugshot of Fay Watson from New South Wales. Arrested and fined £10 for co***ne possession: March 1928. ...
04/03/2024

A mugshot of Fay Watson from New South Wales. Arrested and fined £10 for co***ne possession: March 1928.

A young Inuk girl stand to face the camera with her small Malamute puppy on her back; 1949.Photo by Richard Harrington ...
14/02/2024

A young Inuk girl stand to face the camera with her small Malamute puppy on her back; 1949.
Photo by Richard Harrington

It’s Friday! Hoping your weekend brings you as much joy as the bowl of rice does for this man in the early 1900s.      ...
09/02/2024

It’s Friday! Hoping your weekend brings you as much joy as the bowl of rice does for this man in the early 1900s.

                       

Steam locomotive No. 721 lies nose down in rubble following derailment through Montparnasse terminus in Paris, 1895.The ...
07/02/2024

Steam locomotive No. 721 lies nose down in rubble following derailment through Montparnasse terminus in Paris, 1895.

The Montparnasse derailment occurred at 16:00 on 22 October 1895 when the Granville–Paris Express overran the buffer stop at its Gare Montparnasse terminus. With the train several minutes late, the driver decided to try and make up for lost time. Entering the station much too fast the air brake failed to stop it. After running through the buffer stop, the train crossed the station concourse and crashed through the station wall; the locomotive fell onto the Place de Rennes below, where it stood on its nose.

Horrifically, a woman in the street below was killed by falling masonry. A terrifyingly unlucky way to check out, the locomotive driver was sentenced to two months in prison and fined 50 francs for approaching the station too fast. One of the guards was fined 25 francs as he had been preoccupied with paperwork and failed to apply the handbrake. The railway company settled with the family of the deceased woman, and arranged for the education of her two young children, as well as proposing future employment for them.

A man wearing traditional Kiribati Armour made from woven coconut fibres and the remains of aquatic animals; 1925. Kirib...
04/02/2024

A man wearing traditional Kiribati Armour made from woven coconut fibres and the remains of aquatic animals; 1925.

Kiribati Armour is a traditional type of armour found in the Independent Republic of Kiribati in the central Pacific Ocean. It is thought that the Gilbert Islands within Kiribati were settled sometime between 3000 BC and AD 1300, with the later emergence of the Kiribati culture, a sea-faring people that are renowned for building swift sailing canoes (did we mention our new podcast episode that covers this great adventure across the Pacific in these?😉).

It is suggested that the armour was used for ritualistic one-on-one combat over land and resources, where those involved took turns to inflict wounds on each other according to strict rules. The combatants used weapons that resembled medieval broadswords with a serrated edge made from shark teeth, whilst wearing protective headgear made from dried blowfish. Anthropologist Katharine Luomala, who worked in Kiribati during the 1940s, noted that “the intent was to wound and not to slay; a slayer was regarded as a murderer and had to pay compensation in land”.

For further info on this fascinating topic, this info on the armour was sourced from here: https://www.heritagedaily.com/2021/09/the-kiribati-armour/141535?amp

A trainer follows her horse on a snowy day in 1899. Félix Thiollier was a French industrialist, writer, art collector an...
29/01/2024

A trainer follows her horse on a snowy day in 1899.

Félix Thiollier was a French industrialist, writer, art collector and photographer. His father, Claude Auguste, was a ribbon maker. In 1857, he started a ribbon company in Saint Étienne. At age 37 he retired and pursued his interests in art, archeology and photography. 

Today is Holocaust Memorial Day, marking the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz in 1945. Today we remember the m...
27/01/2024

Today is Holocaust Memorial Day, marking the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz in 1945. Today we remember the millions of lives lost in one of the darkest chapters in human history.

In the lead up to its liberation, knowing the end was in sight, thousands of prisoners were killed each day whilst tens of thousands more were marched out in the freezing conditions. Out of 56,000 prisoners 15,000 died on this march. Around 6,000 starving prisoners were found in the camp by the Soviets.

Over 1.1 million people who entered this facility never left.

Every single number represents another abhorrent, unjust tragedy contributing to the unimaginable total of 6 million Jews and few million more other prisoners over the course of The Holocaust.

In a period of seemingly escalating conflict, loss, and division it feels an essential solemn but necessary duty to remember those who died and to remember this awful period so that we may remind ourselves of just how far we are capable of falling. Whilst the horrors of the holocaust are over 79 years past, the sad truth we must face is that as you read this, atrocities are still being committed across the globe.

“So let us be alert; alert in a two fold sense. Since Auschwitz we know what man is capable of. And since Hiroshima we know what is at stake” - Viktor E. Frankl.

                 
           

Introducing the ‘half suit’ by Pippa Garner: 1982
26/01/2024

Introducing the ‘half suit’ by Pippa Garner: 1982

Workers of Hingley and Sons stand next to a section of chain destined for the anchor of the Titanic; 1910.At the time th...
23/01/2024

Workers of Hingley and Sons stand next to a section of chain destined for the anchor of the Titanic; 1910.

At the time the anchor was the biggest ever constructed at 18 foot in length and 10 foot wide. It weighed a massive 16 tonnes and is currently still sat idle 12,500 feet below the surface of the Atlantic, where it has been for the last 108 years since leaving the port of Southampton.

RAF Pilot Gets a Haircut in between Missions at Fairlop Airfield in Ess*x; 1942. During WW2’s Battle of Britain pilots h...
15/01/2024

RAF Pilot Gets a Haircut in between Missions at Fairlop Airfield in Ess*x; 1942.

During WW2’s Battle of Britain pilots had to be ready at a moment’s notice to jump into their cockpits and defend the country against German attack across the channel. Detection and monitoring of enemy aircraft by radar stations would feed into the RAF Fighter Command and from here, air crews would be scrambled. The scramble order was communicated to alert pilots waiting by their aircraft by the loud ringing of a bell. Every minute lost before takeoff would be advantageous to the enemy, as it could allow a pilot to gain extra height above the advancing plane formations.

No time to finish the trim, time to fly.

If happiness was a 1920s photograph.A young child cheerfully plays their banjo to a seemingly equally cheerful crowd. ...
13/01/2024

If happiness was a 1920s photograph.

A young child cheerfully plays their banjo to a seemingly equally cheerful crowd.

A collection of photographs taken by Kees Scherer during a visit to Egypt; 1968.The first photo is taken at the entrance...
03/01/2024

A collection of photographs taken by Kees Scherer during a visit to Egypt; 1968.

The first photo is taken at the entrance of the Temple of Nefertari at Abu Simbel, Egypt. All of these photographs are incredible but a personal favourite is this first image. Whilst taken in the 60s the combination of this ancient temple with the sailing boat in the background can’t help but transport you 3,000 years to the height Egyptian Empire.

The following photos, with the exception of the camel in from of the pyramids of course, are taken from within the temple of Ramses.

A photo illustrating the immense scale of the ensign flown by the Spanish ship San Ildefonso during the Battle of Trafal...
11/12/2023

A photo illustrating the immense scale of the ensign flown by the Spanish ship San Ildefonso during the Battle of Trafalgar against Admiral Lord Nelson’s fleet of the Royal Navy; 1805.

Captured by the Royal Navy following their victory, the ensign was hung in the crossing of St Paul’s Cathedral during Nelson’s funeral service on 9 January 1806 and was presented to the Royal Naval Museum by the Dean and Chapter of St Paul’s in 1907.

Made of wool, it’s dimensions measure 10m x 14.5m. San Ildefonso was captured by the British third-rate HMS Defence at the Battle of Trafalgar and successfully weathered the storm afterwards to be taken into Royal Navy service as HMS Ildefonso.

A US Marine attempts to communicate with two captured Japanese child soldiers on the Island of Okinawa; 1945. This battl...
22/11/2023

A US Marine attempts to communicate with two captured Japanese child soldiers on the Island of Okinawa; 1945.

This battle was fierce for not only the Japanese and US militaries that fought over the spec in the Pacific. It also brought the deaths of countless civilians. Pictured here are 2 of the roughly 1,700 middle school boys, known as "Tekketsu Kinnōtai" who were used by the Imperial Japanese Army of active duty.

One of the many tragedies of this example is how six months later the war would be over, but for the over 100,000 people who came so close to the end, their souls would remain lost on Okinawa.

     

Maud Wagner, America’s first recorded female tattoo artist poses for a photograph; 1907.Born in 1877 Maud worked with tr...
21/11/2023

Maud Wagner, America’s first recorded female tattoo artist poses for a photograph; 1907.

Born in 1877 Maud worked with travelling circuses until, performing as an aerialist and contortionist, meeting a tattoo artist she would become romantically engaged with. Her future husband taught her the art of tattooing in return for a single date. From here she never looked back picking pick the art form and becoming an icon. She went on to travel the US practicing her skills and also having a daughter who picked up the family trade at age 9. Maud went on to live to the age of 83, passing away in 1961.

"A Navajo smile" photographed by Edward Curtis; 1904.
12/11/2023

"A Navajo smile" photographed by Edward Curtis; 1904.

A shot down Messerschmit BF110 comes to rest outside Finsbury Town Hall, London.
09/11/2023

A shot down Messerschmit BF110 comes to rest outside Finsbury Town Hall, London.

Former Soviet water polo player Petre Kako Mshvenieradze sits with his grandson: 1990. Peter competed in the 1952, 1956 ...
06/11/2023

Former Soviet water polo player Petre Kako Mshvenieradze sits with his grandson: 1990.

Peter competed in the 1952, 1956 and 1960 Olympics, winning bronze in 1956 and silver in 1960 for the Soviet Union.

                   

I see you!East Berlin policemen watching a photographer in West Berlin across the Berlin Wall 1961.
05/10/2023

I see you!

East Berlin policemen watching a photographer in West Berlin across the Berlin Wall 1961.

Archaeologists chip away from the surrounding dirt and rock to uncover what remains of what was once the bodies of two a...
26/09/2023

Archaeologists chip away from the surrounding dirt and rock to uncover what remains of what was once the bodies of two adults and three children caught in the apocalyptic fate of Pompeii and the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Looking at these people, who would have remained in these spots for almost 2,000 years it’s terrifying to wonder what their last moments must have been like.

The bodies of the victims have long since decomposed but due to the calcified layers of ash which has hardened over time, they remain in the same position as when the pyroclastic flow hit them.

                     

Prisoner 4100; a 10 year old boy named George Davey sits for his mugshot to be taken having been sentenced to one month’...
22/09/2023

Prisoner 4100; a 10 year old boy named George Davey sits for his mugshot to be taken having been sentenced to one month’s hard labour in Wandsworth Prison, London, for stealing two rabbits; 1872.

Unsurprisingly, Victorian Britain was more focussed on punishment than rehabilitation. Until 1865 forms of hard labour included the crank 'which was a wheel with a counting device fitted into a box of gravel'. The prisoner turned the handle for a given number of rotations and this moved the gravel around in the box. A useless activity and one that in some circumstances had to be completed a certain number of times before any food or drink was made available. 

Child crime shocked the Victorians. Dickens’ account of Fagin’s gang of young pickpockets led by the Artful Dodger, in ‘Oliver Twist’ published in 1837, played to this popular concern. In 1816, Parliament even set up a ‘Committee for Investigating the Alarming Increase in Juvenile Crime in the Metropolis’ (London).

                     

A makeshift hospital in the Vietnam war, or is it?This striking scene feel almost to perfectly framed, and that's becau...
21/08/2023

A makeshift hospital in the Vietnam war, or is it?

This striking scene feel almost to perfectly framed, and that's because it is. This was a staged photo to use to garner extra support from local populationsin the Vietman war.

I'm no doctor, but I can probably think of a better spot to perform surgery!
-and-white

One of only four known photos of a living Eskimo Curlew. This shot was taken by Don Bleitz on Galverston Island in 1962....
20/08/2023

One of only four known photos of a living Eskimo Curlew.

This shot was taken by Don Bleitz on Galverston Island in 1962.

The last living specimen was observed in 1987 having been hunted to extinction.

It feels so eery to see a modern photo of a now lost forever creature.

Stalin's purged pictureJosef Stalin is famous for removing former friends and allies from pictures after they had lost f...
17/08/2023

Stalin's purged picture

Josef Stalin is famous for removing former friends and allies from pictures after they had lost favour with him.

This image shows Stalin with Nikolai Yezhov, his water commisar.

After Yezhov fell from power during the purges he was arrested and killed, and almost removed from history by Stalin's censors.

A terrifying example of the power of dictators to edit history.

Dead and never know. When people really displeased Stalin they were sometimes 'disolved'. Not only killed, but erased f...
17/08/2023

Dead and never know.

When people really displeased Stalin they were sometimes 'disolved'. Not only killed, but erased from history with all records expunged and even edited out of photos like the example above.

An example of the terrifying power of a total dictatorship.

Circus performers George Moore (The Living Skeleton) and Fred Howe (The Fat Man) square up for boxing; 1897. Their comed...
09/07/2023

Circus performers George Moore (The Living Skeleton) and Fred Howe (The Fat Man) square up for boxing; 1897.

Their comedy show came from their response to being recommended by a doctor that they each increase their exercise, with one needing to gain weight and the needing to lose it.

What it would look like if TIME magazine had existed through history.. Personal favourite has to be Charles Darwin. What...
07/07/2023

What it would look like if TIME magazine had existed through history..

Personal favourite has to be Charles Darwin. What would the reaction be to On the Origin of Species if social media existed in 1859 I wonder..

These incredible front covers were made by Reddit user u/marehori

Which is your favourite?

A colourisation of a photo of the "Hasanlu lovers"; discovered together in a bin of plaster covered mudbrick during exca...
06/07/2023

A colourisation of a photo of the "Hasanlu lovers"; discovered together in a bin of plaster covered mudbrick during excavations in 1972 by a team from the University of Pennsylvania. These intertwined skeletons date to the destruction of Hasanlu (ca. 800 BCE) at an archaeological site, located in the Solduz Valley in the West Azerbaijan Province of Iran. Approximately 246 skeletons were found at this site altogether.

They died in what seems to be an embrace or kiss, and remained that way for 2800 years. This archaeological discovery captures a snapshot of a tender and very human moment between these two people. Both skeletons have evidence of trauma on their bodies sustained at or around the time of their death.

The skeleton on the right (referred to as SK 335) lying on its back was identified through dental evidence to be a young adult, possibly 19–22 years of age. It was also identified as male largely based on the pelvis. The skeleton on the left (SK 336) lying on its left side facing SK 335 was aged to about 30–35 years. At the time of excavation, this skeleton was originally identified as female. Interestingly however, the s*x determination is less definitive for this skeleton and evidence suggests this person was also male.

How the two came to be in the bin is unknown, but perhaps they were hiding there as a place of refuge during the final sacking of Hasanlu. They represent a poignant tale of humanity untold surrounded by the darker side of human behavior: destruction, warfare, and interpersonal violence.

A series of photos showing the national uprising against Soviet rule in Budapest; 1956In October 1956, thousands of prot...
28/06/2023

A series of photos showing the national uprising against Soviet rule in Budapest; 1956

In October 1956, thousands of protesters took to the streets demanding a more democratic political system and freedom from Soviet oppression. This rising tide of unrest broke out into active fighting. Communist Party officials appointed Imre Nagy as the new premier. Nagy tried to restore peace and asked the Soviets to withdraw their troops. The Soviets did so, but Nagy then tried to push the Hungarian revolt forward by abolishing one-party rule. He also announced that Hungary was withdrawing from the Warsaw Pact, declaring Hungarian neutrality and appealed to the United Nations for support. Western powers however were reluctant to risk a global confrontation.

On November 4 the Soviet Union invaded Hungary with tanks rolling into Budapest to stop the revolution, and Nagy was arrested (and later executed for treason in 1958). An estimated 2,500 Hungarians died and 200,000 more fled as refugees. Sporadic armed resistance, strikes and mass arrests continued for months thereafter, causing substantial economic disruption.

Nagy was replaced by János Kádár; A former Interior Minister, who, loyal to Moscow, welcomed the return of Soviet forces to crush the ‘counter-revolutionary threat’: ‘We must put an end to the excesses of the counter-revolutionary elements. The hour for action has sounded. We are going to defend the interest of the workers and peasants and the achievements of the people’s democracy’.

With brutal efficiency, the uprising was crushed...Hungarian ‘patriots’, to use the Soviet phrase, with Soviet ‘assistance’, defeated the ‘fascist, counter-revolutionary hooligans’ who, financed and encouraged by the ‘imperialist west’ had tried to seize power from the ‘honest, socialist’ Hungarians.

Archaeologists discovered a bronze sword more than 3,000 years old during excavations in the town of Nördlingen in Bavar...
20/06/2023

Archaeologists discovered a bronze sword more than 3,000 years old during excavations in the town of Nördlingen in Bavaria, Germany that is thought to be from the late 14th Century BC. The discovery was announced in a press release by the Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments (Blfd) on Wednesday.

The sword was found among a deposit of grave goods and weaponry, alongside the remains of a man, woman, and child but it is unclear whether the three were related, and the rarity of the find raises questions about the sword's origin.

The BLfD says manufacturing such a sword was complicated, as the hilt was cast on to the blade. It is an octagonal sword with an octagonal hilt made entirely of bronze. Despite the manufacturing effort and the lack of signs of the weapon having been used, it is thought that it was a real weapon. The centre of gravity in the front part of the blade indicates a predominantly slashing balance.

Images by: ARCHÄOLOGIE BÜRO DR. WOIDICH

Address

Southwark

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Look Through History posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Videos

A clip from the trippy, visually striking 7 minute Snow White (aka Betty Boop in Snow-White) from 1933. An animated short in the Betty Boop series, directed by Dave Fleischer and animated by Roland Crandall. The song, Saint James Infirmary, is performed by legendary Jazz musician Cab Calloway who’s iconic vocal expressions were matched in the expressions of ‘Koko The Clown’ shown here. Betty Boop also makes an appearance in this clip as Snow White. Koko the Clown, after being knocked out, is inhabited by the spirit of Calloway, who then turns into a ghost, all legs and head, no torso, whilst the Queen, whose talking mirror changes his mind over “the fairest in the land” once seeing Betty Boop, sentences Betty to death. #history #historical #historian #historia #historyfacts #historyphoto #historicalphotos #historypics #historicalpix #oldfashioned #oldschool #animation #1930s

Elizabeth II through bank notes
Elizabeth II through bank notes

2022 marks Queen Lizzie's 70th year as the head of state of the UK and Commonwealth, becoming the first British monarch to do so. To mark the occasion the UK celebrates an extended public holiday this weekend. Public opinion regarding The Royal Family is as divisive as ever (although no English Civil War pt2 just yet thankfully) with scandals and questions to their value continuing to make headlines. Regardless of this it is hard to doubt how remarkable the 96 year old's life has been as she continues on. From doing her part as a teenager in World War 2 through to today the things she has experienced and done is quite incredible. She would certainly make her a fascinating dinner guest. What are your thoughts on the Queen Elizabeth II? I for one currently am at the very least grateful for the guilt free Thursday & Friday midday beers 🍻

What is the legacy of the moon landings?
What is the legacy of the moon landings?

What is the legacy of the moon landings? Both an individual and collective question to consider when looking back at the inspiring stories of the past. #Podcast clip from episode 2. Do you agree? What does it mean to you? Link for the full episode 🎧 https://open.spotify.com/episode/5VLCYSHjtmyupmUNv2c03G?si=suVM_R14SgaB_EZG671LoA&utm_source=copy-link

Incredible Polynesian Sailing ⛵
Incredible Polynesian Sailing ⛵

#Podcast clip from Eisode 2 covering one of humanity's great adventures, the Polynesian expansion into the Pacific and the discovery of New Zealand. The distances covered by these peoples with the technology available is simply breathtaking. Link for full episode: https://www.lookthroughhistory.com/ig 🎧

Film v History: D-day & Saving Private Ryan
Film v History: D-day & Saving Private Ryan

Film v History: A comparison of footage and images from World War 2’s D-day with Steven Speilberg’s opening scene of Saving Private Ryan. Whilst some historical accuracies in film are somewhat an inevitability, whether due to budget constraints or other filmmaking requirements, however the (very) minor issues of this scene can be overlooked for what is one of the most gripping and horrifying moments in film making history. In making this film, Speilberg commented that “(the film) was never meant to be an adventure” but rather “a documentation of the closest I could get to the experiences of those who fought there”. Whilst never of course able to directly compare to true life as Steven hints to, the film’s honesty on its approach to the subject of war can be evidenced by the reactions of veterans who watched it where it was said the scene triggered PTSD for some. Richard White, who served as an army sergeant leading a mortar crew during the Vietnam War noted “I was a whimpering, sobbing pile of blubber. I was very embarrassed and didn’t want to be in that state of mind, but I couldn’t help it. You feel that terror. I was in Vietnam, and [the movie] was WWII, but it was familiar”. Some of the most comparable images of that day in 1944 come from LIFE Magazine photographer Robert Capa. In the early morning hours of June 6, 1944, Capa waterproofed his essential equipment: four cameras and a single telephoto lens. At 6:30 a.m., the first wave of troop landings commenced, and as soldiers from E Company, 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, slammed their bodies into Hitler’s “Atlantic Wall,” Capa waded ashore on the heavily defended “Easy Red” sector of Omaha Beach, capturing and preserving the historic events. Rather than perfectly in focus, they are all slightly blurred but this at least for me adds to these images rather than subtract. Such is the gruesome nature of what is portrayed on film it will be inter

What Defines an Underdog?
What Defines an Underdog?

Podcast clip: From individuals to civilisations, what characteristics define history's underdog? https://www.lookthroughhistory.com/ig

And we are LIVE! 🎥 How did Germany go all in and try to win World War 1? The very first Look Through History @youtube video 'Germany's Last Gamble' answers this question. The video is here now https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8NqSb5obwo . It has been such an experience to make this video and can't wait to hear from you what you thought. See you in the YouTube comments (Or as ever, drop us a DM here)!

Shortcuts

Share

Category

What we do

We look to create and share the most amazing historical stories from the past so that we can all better understand what forces shape our world. We want to do this by engaging with the communities interested in history and become part of the conversation.