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Continuing: Photos of Historical Events That Will Give you a New Perspective
Photos and text from:
Additional comments by moi.
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Unbreakable Seal
The discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb sparked a renewed public interest in ancient Egypt, after every major news outlet in the world covered the event in 1922. British archaeologist Howard Carter spent decades cataloguing all the objects his crew found inside, but eventually came to the conclusion he might be missing a few.
He realized that ancient seal at the door wasn’t untouched for 3,245 years, as everyone first thought. As a matter of fact, it was robbed at least twice before Carter and his team stumbled upon it.
Comment:
How did the rope last 3,200 years without deteriorating?
Rope is one of the fundamental human technologies. Archaeologists have found two-ply ropes going back 28,000 years. Egypt was the first documented civilization to use specialized tools to make rope. One key to its longevity isn’t the rope itself, but the aridity of the air in the desert. It dries out and preserves things. Another key is oxygen deprivation. Tombs are sealed to the outside. Bacteria can break things down as long as they have oxygen, but then they effectively suffocate. It’s not uncommon to find rope, wooden carvings, cloth, organic dyes, etc. in Egyptian pyramids and tombs that wouldn’t have survived elsewhere in the world. Egypt’s desert conditions made possible the preservation of far more organic material than would have otherwise been the case. This in contrast to, say, Maya sites in Central America which are far younger, but from which almost no organic material has been recovered. The main difference is jungle versus desert conditions.
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Epic Trio
Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill were three of the biggest political figures of their generation, but getting them in the same room wasn’t an easy task. The meeting captured in the photo took place back in 1943, during the Tehran Conference.
The leaders of the “big three” allied countries met at the Soviet Union’s embassy in Tehran, where they discussed war strategy and eventually decided to open a second front against Nazi Germany, because they felt it would be impossible to win WWII without it.
Comment:
The Tehran Conference (codenamed Eureka) (which is also the name of our Trivia team, after the 1854 Eureka Stockade rebellion in Ballarat, Victoria) was a strategy meeting of Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill from 28 November to 1 December 1943, after the Anglo-Soviet Invasion of Iran. It was held in the Soviet Union's embassy in Tehran, Iran.
It was the first of the World War II conferences of the "Big Three" Allied leaders (the Soviet Union, the United States, and the United Kingdom). It closely followed the Cairo Conference which had taken place on 22–26 November 1943, and preceded the 1945 Yalta and Potsdam conferences.
Although the three leaders arrived with differing objectives, the main outcome of the Tehran Conference was the Western Allies' commitment to open a second front against Nazi Germany. The conference also addressed the 'Big Three' Allies' relations with Turkey and Iran, operations in Yugoslavia and against Japan, and the envisaged post-war settlement. A separate protocol signed at the conference pledged the Big Three to recognize Iran's independence.
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Pollution Crises
This photo was taken in 1966. New York City was one of America’s most polluted cities at the time, and after seeing this photo, the public could no longer deny that human activity led to a pollution crisis of epic proportions.
Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring, published in 1962, was a tipping point. It informed us of the destructive effects of pesticides on the environment, and led to the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1970.
Comment:
“It is not my contention that chemical insecticides must never be used. I do contend that we have put poisonous and biologically potent chemicals indiscriminately into the hands of persons largely or wholly ignorant of their potentials for harm. We have subjected enormous numbers of people to contact with these poisons, without their consent and often without their knowledge.”
― Rachel Carson, Silent Spring
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War Animals
Facing the horrors of war becomes a little bit easier when you have something to remind you of happier times. This Red Army soldier found the encouragement he needed in this tiny kitten that he spotted in the trenches during the Second World War.
US Forces also employed thousands of animals during this time. Some of the units fighting in World War II even had animal mascots. All the soldiers did their best to take care of them, because they were considered to be bearers of good luck.
Comment:
That’s a wire wheel for a field radio on the soldier’s back.. Since there was no wireless communications, guys would crawl dragging a wire behind them. Snipers took out a lot.
A touching moment on the battlefield.
Here is a colourised version
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