Annie Edson Taylor: The First Person to Survive Trip Over Niagara Falls in a Barrel in 1901

Annie Edson Taylor (1838-1921) was an American adventurer who, on her 63rd birthday, October 24, 1901, became the first person to survive a trip over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Desiring to secure her later years financially, and avoid the poorhouse, she decided she would be the first person to ride over Niagara Falls inContinue reading “Annie Edson Taylor: The First Person to Survive Trip Over Niagara Falls in a Barrel in 1901”

Meet Ann Hodges, the Only Woman Who Ever Got Hit By a Meteorite Survived

Very few people in recorded history have the distinction of being on the receiving end of a meteorite. In fact, there’s only one person with proof: Anne Hodges, an Alabama woman struck by a football-sized rock from outer space.. and lived to tell the tale. You’d think only someone awfully fortunate could survive an ordealContinue reading “Meet Ann Hodges, the Only Woman Who Ever Got Hit By a Meteorite Survived”

Amazing Photos of the Seven Sutherland Sisters And Their 37 Feet of Hair From the 19th Century

Sarah, Victoria, Isabella, Grace, Naomi, Dora and Mary: the seven Sutherland sisters were born in quick succession between 1846 and 1865. They were raised in a small log cabin in Niagara County, New York State. Education was a luxury, shoes were worn only on Sundays, the girls’ dresses were sewn from burlap and their motherContinue reading “Amazing Photos of the Seven Sutherland Sisters And Their 37 Feet of Hair From the 19th Century”

Viola Smith, a Pioneering Woman Drummer Who Was Still Actively Drumming at Age 107

Early in her music career, Viola Smith became known as “America’s fastest girl drummer.” She spent decades challenging the barriers facing female musicians — and the centenarian she still plays today. She is the drummer for a band in her home community. Smith was born on November 29, 1912 in Mount Calvary, Wisconsin, the eighthContinue reading “Viola Smith, a Pioneering Woman Drummer Who Was Still Actively Drumming at Age 107”

Method of Women’s Self Defense: Vintage Photos From 1906 Illustrate Modes for Warding Off a Street Bully or Foul

In 1906, the famed New York City photographer Percy C. Byron was commissioned to take a series of studio photographs depicting “Dr. Latson’s Method of Self Defense”. The pictures show an athletic young woman demonstrating an unarmed combat stance, several techniques of self defence with an umbrella and a stamping side kick to the attacker’sContinue reading “Method of Women’s Self Defense: Vintage Photos From 1906 Illustrate Modes for Warding Off a Street Bully or Foul”

Behind the Scenes at the Cabaret: Intimate and Candid Vintage Photographs of Burlesque Dancers From the 1930s

Margaret Bourke-White’s extensive and diverse career captured many historic moments. In the male-dominated world of early twentieth century photojournalism, Bourke-White undeniably stands as a pioneer. She was the first female war correspondent, the first woman permitted to work in combat zones, the first woman to fly on a bombing mission during the Second World WarContinue reading “Behind the Scenes at the Cabaret: Intimate and Candid Vintage Photographs of Burlesque Dancers From the 1930s”

Amazing Vintage Photos of Burmese Women Visiting London in 1935

The Kayan Lahwi people, also known as Padaung, are a minority ethnic group with populations in Burma and Thailand. Padaung women are famous for their distinctive custom of wearing brass coils around their necks. As the women grow, the coils are lengthened, compressing the rib cage and displacing the collarbone, creating the illusion of anContinue reading “Amazing Vintage Photos of Burmese Women Visiting London in 1935”

In 1992, a 28-Year-Old Jenny Joseph Modeling for What Would Become Today’s Columbia Pictures Logo

Founded in 1918 by siblings Harry and Jack Cohn and friend Joel Brandt as CBC Film Sales Corporation, Columbia Pictures is one of the oldest studios in Hollywood. In its early years, the studio mostly churned out low-budget fare, leading the Cohns and Brandt to re-brand themselves in 1924 as the more sophisticated-sounding Columbia Pictures.Continue reading “In 1992, a 28-Year-Old Jenny Joseph Modeling for What Would Become Today’s Columbia Pictures Logo”

Incredible Colorized Images of Australia’s Most Notorious Female Criminals of the Early 20th Century

Mesmerizing colorized photos show the most notorious female criminals in 1920s Australia, including the fearsome London born razor-gang leader Matilda Devine. These pictures are from a series of around 2,500 “special photographs” taken by the New South Wales Police Department photographers between 1910 and 1930. They were mostly taken in the cells at the CentralContinue reading “Incredible Colorized Images of Australia’s Most Notorious Female Criminals of the Early 20th Century”