Everyone has probably dreamed at least once of being able to go to the past and see what life was like back then. But, unfortunately, there is no such thing just yet as a time machine, so all we can do is enjoy the photographs from the past.
In my case many of them, like the 1966 World Cup Winners photo of Bobby Moore lifting the trophy, are simply me reminiscing but some of the others tell us a lot of really remarkable events.
So in no particular order I thought I would feature some of my favourite photographs from history.
This photo was captured when NASA’s manned spacecraft for the Gemini 9A space mission landed in 1966 after orbiting the earth. Here we see the astronauts, Thomas P. Stafford and Eugene Cernan, leaving the capsule safe and sound, happy to have completed their mission that lasted 3 days.
It is hard to believe that in 1956 a PanAm aircraft was needed to transport a 5MB hard drive. Since those days 64 years ago technology has advanced and allowed us to take our portable devices wherever we want in our jacket pockets.
Every time we see a mega construction, we have to take some time to think about the hard work undertaken by the builders. New York, for example, was not built overnight. It took a lot of effort and the dedication and bravery of men like those portrayed in this 1925 photo.
It is hard to believe that these young English boys would grow up to become the greatest gods of rock. The Rolling Stones have more than 50 years entertaining us with their music. In this photograph from 1963 we see 5 nervous young boys, just prior to appearing on TV for the first time for their great debut.
We’ve all seen a postcard of the famous Elizabeth Tower, AKA Big Ben. The legendary clock has decorated the city of London for many years, only ceasing to function on occasions of utmost importance. Something you may not have seen is Big Ben from the inside; this is what it looked like in a 1920 photo.
If you think about it for a moment, everything Coca Cola has achieved in its more than 100 years of their existence has been impressive. They currently distribute their products in large trucks, but in 1909, not everything was done on such a large scale.
If you thought that ‘selfies’ have only recently arrived on the scene, think again. It is probably because you had not encountered this photograph of a young and funny Frank Sinatra before. This image of him taking a ‘selfie’ dates from 1938, and shows us a less serious attitude of one of the best singers of all time.
Dagen H, or Day H, was the day on which Sweden changed from driving on the left hand side of the road to the right hand side. The exact date and time was September 3, 1967 at 5 a.m. When the city woke up, nobody knew exactly what was happening and there was absolute chaos as can be seen in the photo.
Before the radars existed, the Russians detected enemy planes thanks to this curious artefact. These are headphones with speakers on the top. We don’t know if they really worked, but they why else would you walk around looking such a fool?
This photo, besides being unique, has marked a milestone in history. In it we see the famous archaeologist Howard Carter examining the sarcophagus of probably the most powerful Pharaoh of ancient Egypt, even though he was only 18 or 19 years of age when he died. The photo dates from 1922.
Surrounded by his team mates, Bobby Moore with the World Cup in 1966. It was a glorious, sunny afternoon I seem to remember when, in the days before wall to wall coverage by Sky and others we watched football on the BBC, with our families, in the comfort of our living rooms. Fortunately I had just finished my Army basic training at Arborfield so I was enjoying a spot of leave prior to my first posting.
