- [Narrator] Photographs
play an important part in the preservation of human history, but how many historical
images would you recognize? Some reveal interesting
and significant truths about human development over the decades, which is why you should see
these upcoming historical images before you die. (lighthearted music) - Amazing! - [Narrator] This photo is
exactly what it looks like, a 60-foot-tall, 40-foot-wide
mountain of animal skulls and bones. Nowadays, the city of Regina,
capital of Saskatchewan, Canada, is lush and green, but when this photo was taken in 1882, it was literally a pile of
bones, its nickname today. This is because the nearby Wascana Creek was an incredibly popular
spot for bison hunters, who deposited remains on the banks. An estimated 30 to 60 million bison were slaughtered during this time after the first Canadian prime
minister, John A. Macdonald, ordered a bison extermination in a bid to starve the indigenous Indian population into depending on Canada for food. Although the skulls were
ground down into fertilizer, a haunting photo like this
is enough to remind us of the ugly side of history. This image might not even
strike you as historical after all, when was
the last time you heard that the army were flying around
on man-sized hover drones? Well, that'd be because this
early US military prototype known as the Huller VZ-1 Pawnee, designed to propel soldiers
through the air during combat never made it into production. Although the platform
was dynamically stable, the army judged the
aircraft to be impractical for combat due to its
small size and inability to fly very fast or any higher than 33 feet off ground level. If anything, this failed
invention does show how even war can lead to innovation. Here's another failed invention, which as bizarre as it looks, isn't far off the immersive VR headsets many have tested today. What looks kinda like a
submarine mask is actually a television helmet designed by concept artist, Walter Pichler, who created the mock-up in 1967. This bulky headpiece was
intended to completely isolate the user, focusing them entirely on the screen in front of them. Sounds more like a torture
device than a novelty gadget. In fact, this design raised questions about our relationship with the media long before the digital world and concerns over screen time existed, so maybe history doesn't
always seem so far away. The television helmet might
seem less than desirable, but this image of the comfort lawn mower actually looks pretty luxurious. Seen here during a demo in Port
Washington on October 14th, 1957, this marketed,
power mower of the future, featured a sphere which
was five feet in diameter complete with air-cushioned
seats, operating running lights, radio telephone, air-conditioning and even a cooling system for drinks. Although this nifty prototype
was fully functioning, it was considered far too
impractical for mass production. It might offer a taste
of what could've been, but a fully automated mower
seems a more likely solution for time saving purposes today. Ever wondered how people made
sure they didn't oversleep in an age before the
lifesaving alarm clock? People like the guy in
this photo are your answer. Known as knocker-uppers which would probably have a whole different meaning nowadays. These individuals were
hired to wake workers up every morning using long sticks, pebbles or even peashooters. It does beg the question, how did these so-called knocker-uppers ensure they weren't late for their own waking-up
duties each morning? We take even the smallest and
most convenient inventions for granted these days. Body snatching sounds
like something out of an 80's sci-fi novel,
but this was actually a pretty well-known term
during the 19th Century, and a big problem too. Men like the ones in this image would remove corpses
from their graves to sell to universities as medical cadavers, which were difficult to obtain legally. Preventative measures to
stop these resurrectionists included supervision of the
recently dead by relatives and strong iron coffins called mortsafes, but the problem only worsened
when the notorious Burke and Hare started murdering people instead to sell for the same purpose. Nowadays, we have
undisturbed eternal sleep thanks to the Anatomy Act of 1832 which allowed unclaimed
bodies to be used medically. This image might look
like a staged movie shoot, but it depicts real life French
wrestler, Maurice Tillet, known in the ring as The French Angel alongside supermodel Dorian Leigh in 1945. Tillet was diagnosed with
acromegaly at an early age which caused the rapid
growth of his adult bones, and it's widely believed
that he is the inspiration for Dreamworks' Shrek. Seriously, you can't unsee it now. You might be thinking, what
am I looking at in this photo, a tiny man inside a giant shell? In fact, this wacky-looking
invention known as the Nautilus after the
sea mollusc of the same name is a wind turbine built
in Germany in the 1930s. These spiral turbines were designed to increase wind output while
producing as little sound as possible by replicating the
mathematic Fibonacci sequence which happens to appear throughout nature. It may look incredibly bulky and nothing like the
sleek eco-saving turbines we're used to seeing today, but Fibonacci turbines are
still being designed today, proving that innovation never stops. This isn't a photo of Hitler lookalikes, nor is it an image which confirms Adolf as one in a set of sextuplets which doesn't really bear thinking about. Instead, this photo was
circulated in American newspapers in June 1944 after US Intelligence feared that the Führer would
flee Germany incognito. To combat this potential
threat, artist Eddie Senz was hired to produce a
series of mock-up images which showed what he might look like most of which seem more like
classic comedy sketches. Who knew someone so dangerous
could hide among us using just a pair of joke shop spectacles? Here's a charming image of some local elderly women in 1960, some surprisingly hairy,
stern featured women. Wait a second! These sweet old ladies are actually seasoned police officers in the LAPD who, on October 15, 1960, donned
their best pensioner drag to apprehend a notorious
purse snatcher in the area. It's truly commendable the
efforts these men would take to protect their citizens, but I have to wonder why LAPD's
Drag Race didn't catch on? This impressive image
shows what's believed to be a 25-foot-wide, 5,000 pound giant manta ray known locally as the devil
fish, caught by A.L. Kahn off the coast of New Jersey
on August 26th, 1933. But how much of this
photograph is entirely true? Obviously Photoshop wasn't around back then to alter the scale, but although Kahn did
ensnare such a beast that day the one pictured here is a
taxidermist's preservation of the creature. This is because Kahn turned his catch into a local attraction, charging 10 cents for each visitor and
ultimately raised enough money to buy the local fire service
a new $3000 fire truck. The lovely lady in this photo looks like something straight out
of the closet in Monsters Inc, but her full-face
swimming mask was actually a reasonable choice of swimwear
in the US during the 1920s. With minimal eye, nose and mouth cut-outs, its purpose was to
protect women from the sun and not just because sunscreen
hadn't been invented yet. In those days, a dark tan was associated with having lack of wealth, and
being part of lower classes, because it was agricultural workers who spent long days out in the sun. What seems like an outdated class-marker is a value held even today in East Asia, where a pale complexion is still
associated with prosperity. So much so that the facekini has recently come back into fashion. It just goes to show
history repeats itself. The Hundred Acre Wood is home
to childhood favorites Tigger, Piglet and Winnie-the-Pooh himself, but what's the inspiration
behind these beloved tales? Pictured here are the
real Christopher Robin, the son of author, A.A. Milne,
and his treasured Pooh Bear a first birthday gift
photographed in 1926. What might look like a
treasured memory is more likely a painful one, because
young Christopher came to resent his father for
essentially exploiting his childhood, which he
expressed in his own series of memoirs about growing
up in a fictional shadow. Sometimes the sweetest
images hold the darkest past. What looks like your average,
grainy image of an old lady is actually a historical artifact which has been the source of great debate. Born in 1746, Hannah Stilley
pictured here is widely thought of as the earliest
born person ever documented on a photo, and the
oldest known woman alive when she was captured on film in 1840. Some reports have doubted the legitimacy of this claim though, because there's little
evidence proving Hannah is actually the woman pictured. She doesn't appear on
the 1840 federal census, so possibly died before
the age of photography made this image possible. Sometimes a photo poses
more questions than answers. This creepy-looking baby
isn't just dressed in robes for a costume party, you're looking at the Dalai Lama himself, well, the current version
when he was four years old, who's religious name is Tenzin Gyatso. In fact, he was selected to
become the 14th Dalai Lama in 1937, three years before
this photo was taken. The Dalai Lama is the spiritual
leader of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism, and he's
believed to have the power to choose the body into
which he is reincarnated. So once he dies, the High
Lamas have the responsibility to search for the body he's
been reincarnated into. They find the new one through
visions they may have, and test possible boys. For example, presenting the
boy with a number of items to see if he can select those which belonged to the previous Dalai Lama. This probably looks like a horror scene, maimed bodies lying on the sidewalk after some vicious attack
but the people pictured here are actually waxwork figures
fire damaged by a blaze in Madame Tussaud's, London, in 1925. The huge fire wiped out a whole
host of celebrity waxworks and put the attraction out of business until its reopening in 1928, and the only survivor was a caged parrot which was thought to be
wax until it began moving. Without images like this, such quirky historical
moments might be forgotten. There's been some pretty
bizarre images in this video, but this one surely takes the cake after all, what practical purpose could this human porcupine
suit of armor serve? An email from 1998
estimates the suit to be from the 1800s and describes
its use as bear hunting and close-range defense,
as the leather suit and iron helmet was studded all over with one-inch iron nails. However, others have speculated that this viral image actually originates from a surrealist art exhibition, where the only known suit still exists. Although its true origins
cannot be pinpointed exactly this historical image is a reminder to not believe everything you see online. Most will be familiar with
this image of beauty icon and Hollywood actress,
Marilyn Monroe, in the movie, The Seven Year Itch, but
what about this action shot of the moment it being filmed? As you can see, the
scene was filmed in front of a large crowd in New
York City to drum up hype around the movie. Just imagine being there in that moment even the grate itself is a
well sought-after reminder of this iconic Hollywood image. From glam to gore, this historical image shows the public beheading
of German serial killer, Eugen Weidmann, in France in June 1939. Around 600 people flocked
to witness this event and some even reportedly
turned up around four hours before it was due to begin, causing such a scandalous spectacle that the French government finally concluded public executions
should be banned altogether, making this one of the
last captured on camera. Pictured here is former school
teacher, Annie Edson Taylor, alongside her self-designed
barrel which she used to become the first person to survive a trip over Niagara Falls. This daredevil successfully
completed the attempt on her 63rd birthday in 1901 after lying about being in
her '40s and made history, breaking the strict female
stereotypes of her day. The whole thing took around 20 minutes and was an attempt to market
herself as the famous, heroine of the Niagara Falls. Her popularity fizzled out fast, but her legacy lives on in this image. How many of these historical photos made you think twice about
what you know about our past? Let me know in the
comments, and as always, thanks for watching! (soft music)
