Historical thing is fascinating, to say the least, a rarely seen one, especially rare historical photos.
If you take a look back in time you’ll find all sorts of heart-tugging stories, exciting adventures, epic battles, swooning romances, and head-scratching oddities.
Come along on a little journey with us while we shake the dust off of some truly amazing photographs that highlight everything from the Red Hot Chili Peppers at their inception to Amy Winehouse in a Minnie Mouse costume. Have a laugh with us over the ridiculous car the Monkees drove around in thinking they were big-shots back in the 60s and smile at an adorable picture of little Bill Gates when he was in the 8th grade.
Facts Verse Presents: Rarely Seen Historical Photos
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Rare Historical Photos #1 Andre The Giant And His Friends
That’s certainly a big boy right there, weighing in at 520 lbs and towering at 7 feet 4 inches tall – although some sources list him as much taller. His massive size was a result of having an excess of human growth hormones which led to his gigantism.
Some endearingly called him “The Eighth Wonder Of The World.
He had some memorable moments in his life including taking on Hulk Hogan in the ring during WrestleMania III in 1987 and playing the gentle giant Fezzik in The Princess Bride.
Theirs an old urban legend – which might very well be true – that Andre once drank 119 bottles of beer in a six-hour stint. Makes you wonder how many times he had to take a giant leak.
Rare Historical Photos #2 Jamie Lee Curtis Before Halloween
Curtis starred in the first Halloween film way back in 1978. That film made history and contributed significantly to her career. While she was terrifyingly being chased by Mike Meyers the world was falling in love.
Her Mother Janet Leigh was also famous for being in a groundbreaking horror film. She was the one that got stabbed to death in that iconic shower scene in Psycho.
Rare Historical Photos #3 Christie Brinkley Looking Hot In The 80s
The 80s were well-known for popularizing many fashion do’s and don’ts. In this photo, however, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition supermodel Christie Brinkley is making the 80’s style look pretty amazing.
In her career, she appeared on over 500 magazine covers and became one of the most recognizable faces in the world.
You probably also remember her in National Lampoon’s Vacation as the ‘girl in the red Ferrari’.
Rare Historical Photos #4 A Very Young Demi Moore
Here she is, years before her breakthrough appearance in Ghost.
Moore was actually born in Roswell, New Mexico – wonder if she ever saw any flying saucers.
She moved to LA when she was 15 and scored a contract with Elite Modeling Agency. She then worked in Europe for a few years as a pin-up girl.
Nastassja Kinski, a German Actress and her neighbor inspired her to start taking acting classes. The rest is obviously all history.
Rare Historical Photos #4 Ivanka And Donald In The Back Of A Limo
Love him or hate him, there’s no question that the Donald loves his little girl.
When she was younger, she actually attended the same all-girls Boarding school as Jackie O. She often spoke disparagingly of her school and compared it to prison when she was a kid.
She wished she could be out partying like the rest of her friends when she was stuck inside studying.
But all of that paid off. Not only is her dad the leader of the free world, but she has also become quite a successful businesswoman herself.
Rare Historical Photos #5 The Crew Of The Challenger Before Boarding in 86
One of the greatest tragedies in NASA history happened on January 28, 1986, when the Space Shuttle Challenger was torn apart only 73 seconds into its flight.
Everyone on board was killed in a matter of seconds.
One of the crew members was Christa McAuliffe, who was a part of the Teacher in Space program. She was a civilian public school teacher who had been selected to be a part of the mission. Schools across the country were watching when this fateful moment in time exploded into the history books.
Rare Historical Photos #6 Charles Manson’s Cult
These ladies may have been the OG Charlie’s Angels, but unlike their TV counterparts who solved crimes and took down bad guys, these young women were a part of a delusional psychedelic-fueled cult run by the notorious madman Charles Manson.
When they weren’t eating sheets of acid and partaking in group orgies, they were doing things like murdering Sharon Tate and four other innocent people on August 9, 1969.
Rare Historical Photos #7 David Bowie 1975
There is no denying that the shirt Bowie is wearing here was pretty amazing.
This was from the mid-70s and Bowie was doing way too much cocaine at the time. He had just released his Young Americans album which would go on to win a Grammy.
Also around this time, Bowie was living in Berlin with his buddy Iggy Pop.
This particular shot came from a 12-hour photo sesh with photographer Steve Schapiro.
Sharon Tate and Her Hair Stylist
This photo was taken the day before the two were killed by The Manson Family.
Sharon Tate was Married to controversial director Roman Polanski, and of course, they were swingers because they were caught up in the whole 1960s free love thing.
The Man on the right is Jay Sebring, one of Tate’s suiters and also a prominent hairstylist for Hollywood elites.
Marilyn Monroe In Pink
This snapshot was taken in Monroe’s own home back in 1952.
Fun fact: Marilyn’s IQ was 168. Anyone scoring over 160 is considered to be a genius. When she wasn’t posing for the camera, she spent her time reading literature, listening to classical compositions, and enjoying the musical stylings of Louis Armstrong.
Cyndi Lauper and Hulk Hogan 1985
Back in the day, Lauper was the veritable queen of the WWE.
She even helped get the ball rolling with WrestleMania. At the very first event, she climbed into the wrestling ring at New York’s iconic venue Madison Square Garden.
Vince McMahon had high hopes of spreading the WWE franchise to the four corners of the globe.
Lauper was a fireball and full of vibrant colorful energy. She fit in with the off-kilter ragtag team of wrestling miscreants.
That same year, Lauper won a Grammy award for Best New Artist. In her acceptance speech, she said she thought she’d never amount to anything.
Alice Cooper and his Snake
Cooper’s stage presence was wild back in the day. Going to one of his shows felt more like a Halloween trip to a haunted house, than an outing to see a concert.
Fake blood, guillotines, and the occasional decapitation were mainstays for his off the walls performances, but audiences ate it all up.
It’s rumored that the snake pictured here once started to strangle the rocker and had to be cut off to save his life.
Shirtless Susan Sarandon On A Ledge
This shot was taken around the same time as filming for her film Bull Durham.
Someone probably should have informed Ms. Sarandon that she forget to wear a shirt for this shot before she stepped outside.
Maybe it was just a really warm day.
Muhammad Ali and Bob Dylan, 1971
Can you imagine what those two had to talk about?
This was the night of the benefit concert for the wrongfully jailed boxer Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter whom Dylan wrote the song ‘Hurricane’ about.
Ali came with a gift in tow – presenting Dylan with a large boxing glove as a token of his appreciation.
Michael J. Fox On The Set Of Back to the Future II
This shot from 1989 shows Fox looking at a pair fo Nike Mag self-lacing shoes from the future year of 2015.
In 2011, Nike produced 1500 pairs of self-lacing replicas that they sold on eBay to raise funds for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s disease research.
Ric Flair Grabbing Some Beers
legendary WWE wrestler Ric Flair aka “Nature Boy” is seen here at the grocery store picking up some Coors.
In his life, he has made some audacious claims to fame. He had claimed to have slept with over 10,000 women and slammed back 10 beers and 5 cocktails a day for over 20 years.
That would catch up with him later when he would develop kidney and heart problems related to his excessive drinking.
Cheryl Tiegs On The Beach
What a gorgeous model! Those eyes peer straight into your soul.
This shot is from the 1983 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.
Many consider Tiegs to be America’s first supermodel.
Bridgette Bardot Striking a Pose
She’s best known for her work in the 50s and 60s in French New Wave films.
Throughout her career, she appeared in 47 films and recorded 60 songs.
She retired from show business in 1973 and went on to become an animal rights activist.
Jimi Hendrix Feeling Groovy On Stage, 1968
There was no other guitarist like Jimi.
When he was 19, he was given the choice of either going to prison or joining the army after being caught riding in a stolen car.
Jimi chose the army and ended up serving in the 101st Airborne Division.
In 67, his band The Jimi Hendrix Experience got its first big break when they were invited to open for The Monkees on their US tour. But Monkees fans weren’t prepared for the mind-blowing music that Jimi and company had to offer and the band left the tour after 6 weeks.
Bill Gates Riding His Bike
The little tyke was only 8 years old at the time.
Who knew this dorky little kid in Chuck Taylors would go on to become one of the richest people in the world.
Amy Winehouse as Minnie Mouse 1989
They tried to make her go to Disneyland and she said no, no, no.
Even though Winehouse passed away in 2011 from complications of drug and alcohol use, she still played some shows in 2019 by means of hologram projection.
Michael Jackson and Tupac have also performed posthumously via digital projection.
The Monkee-Mobile 1966
This heavily modified Pontiac GTO was the creation of designer Dean Jeffries.
The car featured a two-piece split windshield, a set of bucket seats, a third-row bench, and a rear-mounted parachute.
The whimsical car would tour with the band and became one of the most recognizable vehicles of the 1960s.
Well, that wraps up this little peek back in time.
There is something so alluring at photos from the past. They grab a hold of you and take you back to time period devoid of all of the present-day struggles.
We’d love to hear from you. Do you think in 20 years, people will be looking back at today with the same kind of nostalgia, or do you think this generation lacks the iconic cultural touchstones that previous decades had? Let us know what you think in the comments section.
This is the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1984, the year they released their very first self-titled album.
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