Pictures illuminate the shadows of history, revealing the forgotten people and places that otherwise may have faded into oblivion. They help us make sense of the past and, in turn, allow us to understand the present. 6park.com
So we decided it would be a nice idea to explore the subreddit 'Rare Historical Photos' — it has 40,000 members constantly digging through the archives and sharing their best finds. Prepare to be transported through time!

#1 Renowned Photographer Walter Chandoha Created One Of His Most Famous Photographs Of His Daughter Paula And A Small Kitten Smiling At The Camera At The Same Time, 1955     
  

#2 A Seaman's Request For An Extraordinary Leave Of Absence, 1967. Reason: “My Wife Is Planning To Get Pregnant This Weekend And I Would Like To Be Present.”   
  

#3 A Police Officer Playing Duck Duck Goose With Children In New York, 1970   
  

#4 Girls Sent Home From Mckinley High School For Wearing Slacks And Blue Jeans, Chicago, 1946   
  

#5 A Baby Lamb Snuggles Up To A Sleeping Boy, 1940   
  

#6 Ojibwe Woman, Ponemah, Minnesota, Photograph Taken By Roland W. Reed C.1908   
  

#7 A GI Shares His Rations With Two Italian Children, 1944   
  

#8 A Former Prisoner Points Out The Most Brutal Guard. Germany. 1945   
  

#9 Shy Young Woman Smiling For The Camera 143 Years Ago   
  

#10 A Dog Says Goodbye To His Fallen US Soldier Friend. Afghan War, 2004   
  

#11 The Oldest Indian, John Smith, Managed To Live In Three Centuries At Once, Being Born In The 18th Century, Living Throughout The 19th Century And Dying In The 20th Century. It Is Alleged That He Lived For About 137 Years   
  

#12 Vancouver's First Official Lifeguard, Joe Fortes, 1905. Fortes, Who Was Born In Trinidad And Tobago, Was Credited With Saving Dozens Of Lives And Was Known As "Old Black Joe"   
  

#13 A Young Woman Photographed In The 1910s   
  

#14 Portrait Of A Family. Georgia, USA, Circa 1900   
  

#15 The Ship "Queen Elizabeth" Arrives At The Port Of New York. On Board Are Soldiers Returning From World War II, 1945   
  

#16 Five-Year-Old Albert Einstein, 1884   
  

#17 This Is What The Empire State Building Looked Like Against The Background Of Other Buildings, 1941   
  

#18 New York, 1958. Dancers In A Nightclub Play Chess. Smartphones Haven't Been Invented Yet   
  

#19 An Old Fisherman Photographed In Bergen, Norway In 1902 By Anders Beer Wilse   
  

#20 Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau Carries The Country's Future Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Under His Arm. Ottawa, 1973   
  

#21 Abraham Lincoln In 1861 And 1865. A Noticeable Four-Year Contrast Against The Backdrop Of War   
  

#22 A Lady From High Society. Ottoman Empire, 1900s   
  

#23 Man With Down’s Syndrome, 1890s   
  

#24 With Her Husband At War, Mom Works On The Car, 1944   
  

#25 Republican Party Supporters And Democratic Party Supporters Fight With Snowballs In Front Of The Capitol. January, 1921, Washington, USA   
  

#26 Young Couple Standing At A Speed Limit Sign. Oklahoma, 1920s   
  

#27 Queue For The Premiere Of The Star Wars Film. Vancouver, 1977   
  

#28 American Soldier Returning Home From The Great War, Ca 1918-19   
  

#29 Early Use Of A Selfie Stick In The 1940s   
  

#30 Pictured Is Paul Overby, One Of Two Drivers Trapped In The Cab Of The Truck. He Is Pulled By A Rope In The Pit River Bridge Over Lake Shasta Near Redding, California, May 3, 1953. Both Overby And His Partner Hank Baum Were Rescued Before The Car Plunged And Caught Fire   
  

#31 A Cowboy, 1890s   
  

#32 A Youthful Marine, Da Nang, Vietnam, August 3, 1965   
  

#33 Goodyear Illuminated Tires, 1961   
  

#34 A Typical American Family In 1950s, Detroit, Michigan   
  

#35 A Lady Walks Around Renting Out Books As A “Walking Library.”   
  

#36 A Mexican Baker, 1880-90s   
  

#37 Airmail Pilot, William “Wild Bill” Hopson Of The U.S. Mail Service In Omaha, Nebraska, 1926   
  

#38 Service At The Track Restaurant In Los Angeles, 1950s. Food Was Delivered Via Conveyor Belt Directly To Cars   
  

#39 A Victorian Home Being Moved Via Horse Power. San Francisco, California, USA. 1908   
  

#40 Cab Drivers In Madison Square Garden, New York, 1900   
  

#41 Drexel Institute Girls’ Rifle Team. Philadelphia, USA   
  

#42 Crossing Over The Thames. Photo By René Groebli, 1949   
  

#43 People Sit On A Curb Amid Confetti And Papers After Celebrating The End Of World War II In New York City On August 14, 1945   
  

#44 Downtown Boston, 1910   
  

#45 A Gentleman Tips His Hat To A Group Of Ladies, 1920s   
  

#46 A Fashionable Young Woman Exiting A NYC Streetcar In 1912   
  

#47 Photo Of Marilyn Monroe First Wedding, She Was 16 Years Old, 1942   
  

#48 John D. Rockefeller Gifting A 5-Cent Coin To A Child, 1929   
  

#49 Passengers Onboard The Staten Island Ferry. New York, USA. 1895   
  

#50 Little Leonardo Dicaprio And His Parents George And Irmelin, 1976