25 Interesting Photos That Shed More Light On American History
American history is famously brief when compared with the long historical records of many other nations. Yet, ever since the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the United States has been the stage for some of the world’s most consequential events.
On one particularly interesting subreddit, a dedicated community of history enthusiasts gathers to explore the nuances of U.S. history. We’ve delved into the r/USHistory community and selected a series of photos that illuminate a past rich in heartbreak, complexity, and inspiration.
#1 This Is A Human Zoo In Coney Island, New York, 1905. White Americans Bought Tickets To See A Filipino Girl Tied To A Pole And Had Peanuts Thrown At Her

Image source: elnovorealista2000
#2 January 12, 1888 – The “Schoolchildren’s Blizzard” Brings Tragedy To The Northwest Plains

Image source: CrystalEise
#3 In 1969, When Black Americans Were Still Prevented From Swimming Alongside White People

Image source: elnovorealista2000
Mr. Rogers decided to invite Officer Clemmons to join him and cool off his feet in a pool, breaking a well-known color barrier.
#4 First African American To Serve In The US Senate

Image source: Exotic_Bid3749
Hiram Revels of Mississippi became the first African American to serve in the U.S. Senate—just five years after slavery was abolished.
#5 First Social Security Recipient 1940

Image source: SuchDogeHodler
LUDLOW, Vt. – Seventy-five years ago, the government cut 65-year-old Ida May Fuller a check. It was numbered 00-000-001 – the first Social Security payout.
#6 The Mississippi River, Frozen Solid In St Louis, Missouri, 1905

Image source: waffen123
#7 In November 1945, Frederick C. Branch Became The First Black American Officer In The Marine Corps

Image source: elnovorealista2000
#8 George McLaurin, The First Black Man Admitted To The University Of Oklahoma In 1948, Was Forced To Sit In A Corner Away From His White Classmates

Image source: elnovorealista2000
But his name remains on the honor roll as one of the university’s top three students.
These are his words:
“Some colleagues looked at me as if I were an animal, no one gave me a word, the teachers seemed like they weren’t even there for me, nor did they always take my questions. But I dedicated myself so much that later, they started looking for me to give them explanations and clarify their questions.”
#9 The Shape Of The Statue Of Liberty Formed By 18,000 Soldiers Standing In Formation At Camp Dodge, Des Moines, Iowa, 1918. (Photo By Mole And Thomas, Chicago, Illinois)

Image source: UrbanAchievers6371
#10 Theodore Roosevelt’s Diary Entry On The Day His Wife And Mother [Passed Away]

Image source: GlitteringHotel8383
#11 This Is Something I Would Fight For

Image source: ChronicMeasures
#12 Man Looking For A Job During The Great Depression. 1934

Image source: waffen123
#13 President John F. Kennedy’s Flag-Draped Coffin In Washington, DC, 1963

Image source: Jillenjoyable
#14 A Delegation Of Sixteen Arapaho Indians LED By Chief Old Eagle Arrives In Paris, Capital Of France, To Beg The League Of Nations To Ask The United States Government To Recognize Indians As U.S. Citizens

Image source: elnovorealista2000
#15 Helmet Graffiti

Image source: anon
#16 A Young Jimmy Carter, In His Naval Uniform, With Wife Rosalynn. They Were Married For 77 Years

Image source: MarlynMonroee
#17 Frederick Douglass

Image source: reddit.com
“I therefore hate the corrupt, […], women-whipping, cradle-plundering, partial and hypocritical Christianity of this land…I look upon it as the climax of all misnomers, the boldest of all frauds, and the grossest of all libels.”
#18 The State Of Massachusetts Passed The First School Vaccination Law In 1855, Followed By New York (1862) And Connecticut (1872).

Image source: CrystalEise
December 15, 1827 – The city of Boston, Massachusetts, the School Committee voted to require, effective 1 Mar 1828, that public school students show that they had been vaccinated against smallpox prior to the school entrance
#19 Teddy Reasoning

Image source: CutSenior4977
#20 Former Enemies, One Nation — Gettysburg, 1913

Image source: GlitteringHotel8383
#21 A Civil War Veteran With His Grandchildren

Image source: waffen123
#22 During The Civil War, Frances Quinn Disguised Herself As A Man And Enlisted 5 Different Times

Image source: UrbanAchievers6371
Each time she was discovered to be a woman and was dismissed. She served in both infantry and cavalry. She was wounded at the Battle of Stones River in 1862.
#23 One Of The Only Known Photos Of Presidents Theodore And Franklin Roosevelt Together In Person, 1915

Image source: waffen123
#24 Construction Of Boulder Dam, Boulder City, Nevada -Rigger On Cableway Headtower During Construction- 1934

Image source: Senior_Stock492
#25 The Real Iwo Jima Flag Raising

Image source: Quirky_Chicken_1840
Got wisdom to pour?