History Thru The Lens

Welcome to my blog site!

My interests in history and photography come together in this photoblog. Featured in this blog are historical pictures such as the above photo of the RMS Olympic and her sister ship the RMS Titanic, which would prove to be the last one of them together side by side. Hopefully all who visit will enjoy it and recommend the site to their friends.

NOTE:
You may click any picture in this blog to view it on its' own screen.

Friday, December 25, 2009

The World War I Christmas Truce

On December 25, 1914 in what was referred to as no man's land, British and German troops fighting WWI held an impromptu truce and celebrated the holiday between their trenches. They sang carols, exchanged gifts, and even had Christmas dinner together.

A Different Style Snowman

At Muir Glacier Glacier Bay, up in Alaska in 1902, while the majority were skiing, those who didn't built this gigantic snowman. Not your typical snowman, even looking rather real from the distance.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Old Fashioned Thanksgiving

This 1940 picture shows the reflection of a family eating Thanksgiving dinner in the mirror, while deserts await close by.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Fill'er Up!

This photo shows the first drive-in filling station, which opened in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1913.

State Game Lodge

The State Game Lodge, located in Custer State Park, South Dakota in the Black Hills, was built between 1919 - 1922. It served as the summer White House for President Calvin Coolidge in 1927. The entrance to the lodge is shown in this undated photo.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Elftreth's Alley

Built in 1702, Philadelphia's Elfreth's Alley, pictured above, is America's oldest street. As the first capital of the United States, Philadelphia is the site of the most historic square mile in all America. Between 1713 and 1811, homes were built along the street, and remain privately owned and occupied today, with one of the structures housing the Elfreth's Alley Museum.
Elfreth's Alley pictured in 1910

The School Bus

The first school bus was horse drawn and was introduced in 1827 by George Shillibeer in London, England. A 1912 Studebaker School Bus is shown in the above commercial photo published circa 1912.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Together Forever

In 79 AD the Italian city of Pompeii was buried in a flow of ash from Mt Vesuvius, which is located five miles away. With no possible means of escape, thousands of people were killed instantly, and the city remained lost for 17oo years. In 1748, Pompeii was rediscovered and, to this day, continues to be unearthed by archaeologists. Hundreds of skeletons have been discovered in the actual positions they were in the moment they died. The picture above shows what archaeologists have referred to as the 'embracing skeletons'.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Gettysburg Address

Page 1 of the Gettysburg Address is pictured in Lincoln's own handwriting. He delivered the famous speech on November 19, 1863 at the dedication of the Battlefield as a National Cemetery.

Old San Francisco

Gas lights line Montgomery Street in San Francisco in this 1895 photo.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

'Tank Man'


On June 5, 1989, students staged a peaceful demonstration for democracy in Beijing's Tienanmen Square. The army, in an effort to break up the gathering, brought in troops and tanks. Teri Jones of the Associated Press, photographed the top picture of a lone individual who stood in the way of the approaching tanks in an effort to stop them. This picture, which was distributed to news outlets worldwide, became the identifying symbol of the Tienamen Massacre.
Recently, the individual known to the world as 'Tank Man' can be seen in the lower picture between two trees on the left side just above the pedestrian's left shoulder. Taken from street level, the picture shows him poised in the middle of the street as he awaits to confront the approaching tanks from the distance. This street level shot was taken by AP's Jeff Widener, and was only recently published.