In 1973, David Bowie traveled to the Soviet Union after finishing the Japan leg of his Ziggy Stardust tour. Whether it was the Starman’s fear of flying that prompted the adventure, or his desire to see Russia, the always unconventional Bowie took the Trans-Siberian railway from Vladivostok to Moscow with his childhood friend and backupContinue reading “David Bowie Traveling the Trans-Siberian Railway From Vladivostok to Moscow, April 1973”
Tag Archives: Russia & Soviet Union
30 Incredible Vintage Photographs Showing the Inside of the Romanovs’ Imperial Train
The Domestic Imperial Train of Nicholas II (there was also an Imperial train exclusively for international travel) was built between 1894-96 in the main Car Workshops of the Nikolaevsky Railway Company. The train was adapted and expanded throughout his reign as the family grew and needs increased. By 1902, the train consisted of ten carriages:Continue reading “30 Incredible Vintage Photographs Showing the Inside of the Romanovs’ Imperial Train”
28 Rare Photographs of the Romanov Family Years Before Their Execution
At about 1 a.m. on July 17, 1918, in a fortified mansion in the town of Ekaterinburg, in the Ural Mountains, the Romanovs—ex-tsar Nicholas II, ex-tsarina Alexandra, their five children, and their four remaining servants, including the loyal family doctor, Eugene Botkin—were awoken by their Bolshevik captors and told they must dress and gather theirContinue reading “28 Rare Photographs of the Romanov Family Years Before Their Execution”
Why did Nazis Shoot Female Russian Soldiers on Sight
Stories about military history often focus on battlefield tactics and strategy. When they do focus on people, it is usually on a male soldier. However, during WWII, the Germans often executed female soldiers on sight. This is doubly amazing because it suggests women were a significant part of the fighting forces and that they provokedContinue reading “Why did Nazis Shoot Female Russian Soldiers on Sight”
The Soviet Dog Spacesuit From the 1960s
Made out of cotton, nylon, rubber and aluminium, this suit is believed to have been worn by Belka and Strelka, the first two dogs to return from space back in 1960. It was used for the USSR’s Korabl-Sputnik 2 mission during the training phase, where the dogs strapped into capsules wearing the suits and launchedContinue reading “The Soviet Dog Spacesuit From the 1960s”
The Katyn Massacre: When The Soviets Murdered 22,000 Polish Men — Then Blamed The Nazis
The Katyn massacre[a] was a series of mass executions of nearly 22,000 Polish military officers and intelligentsia carried out by the Soviet Union, specifically the NKVD (“People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs”, the Soviet secret police) in April and May 1940. Though the killings also occurred in the Kalinin and Kharkiv prisons and elsewhere, the massacreContinue reading “The Katyn Massacre: When The Soviets Murdered 22,000 Polish Men — Then Blamed The Nazis”
Hitler’s Nightmare – The Battle of Stalingrad
24,000,000 rifle and machine gun rounds were fired by the Soviets in the last month of the battle alone. 1942 was a tumultuous year for all the parties involved in the fierce fighting that was World War II. The Germans had invaded most of mainland Europe and Northern Africa by this point of the war.Continue reading “Hitler’s Nightmare – The Battle of Stalingrad”
Lady Assassin Lyudmila Pavlichenko Deadliest Female Sniper of All Time
It was June 22nd, 1941 when Hitler cut ties with Stalin and began the ill-fated Operation Barbarossa. As the German Wehrmacht began pouring across the border, a rather fashionable young woman, Lyudmila Pavlichenko, was studying history at Kiev University, Ukraine. Pavlichenko was determined to put her enthusiasm for rifle shooting into play against the enemy.Continue reading “Lady Assassin Lyudmila Pavlichenko Deadliest Female Sniper of All Time”
22 Funny Vintage Russian Beer Advertisements From the Late 19th and Early 20th Century
People in the Soviet Union loved beer, almost as much as vodka. They would drink it in the morning, while fishing, at the banya, and after a hard day’s work. It was always beer o’clock. Before the revolution, the Russian Empire produced different varieties of beers brewed according to Western standards: Venskoe (Viennese), Munchenskoe (Munich),Continue reading “22 Funny Vintage Russian Beer Advertisements From the Late 19th and Early 20th Century”
50 Amazing Portraits of Young Soviet People in the 1960s
Some might have considered these images, made by LIFE photographer Bill Eppridge, an unrepresentative sample of life behind the Iron Curtain. But he was onto something: by 1967, nearly half of the 235 million people living in the Soviet Union were under the age of 27, most of them born in the years immediately followingContinue reading “50 Amazing Portraits of Young Soviet People in the 1960s”
Yesterday Today 