Pictures In History That Tell Remarkable Stories

By Jack Ripley | March 20, 2023

This photograph from the Vietnam War shows an American soldier risking his life to save two Vietnamese children during a gun battle.

Looking through the long arc of time it’s easy to see the big moments, the major wins and losses, but it’s the small stories and characters who slip through the cracks of the history books that are the most interesting. Theirs are the stories that feel the most human, and provide context for grand historical moments that feel more like stories in a book than something that actually happened.

These photos tell the history of people who rose to the occasion to make a change for the better, and who stood up for themselves when faced with impending doom. Whether you’re interesting in clandestine coverage of D-Day, or what presidents were like when they were growing up there’s something here to interest you. Get comfy, there’s a lot to learn. Keep reading.

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Source: Reddit

When soldiers move into a hostile area there are no assurances as to what their job will really be. Will they be peacekeepers? Will they be asked to take the lives of soldiers who are just like them and doing their jobs? Or will they be asked to be saviors, moving through gunfire in order to save the lives of the innocent?

American soldiers do whatever they’re called upon to do to keep the world safe. This man is a hero, but to him it’s just another day on the job. Is it a normal job? Not to most people, but for him it’s just what he does when he puts on the uniform. 

These brothers from West Virginia fought on different sides of the Civil War. Both survived and posed for this photograph in 1910.

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Source: Pinterest

During the bloodies conflict on American soil some 600,000 soldiers took their last breath while fighting for the Union or the Confederacy, and in some cases the battles would see brother fighting brother. Family members who lived in states that bordered the Mason-Dixon Line were often split on which army to fight for, which lead to more than disagreements around the dinner table.

A complex and multi-layered conflict, it’s not easy to understand why two people who were so close could feel so differently about the tensions between the north and south that boiled over into an all consuming battle. Still, it’s heartwarming to see that these two brothers survived and were able to put aside their differences for a photo.