When Freddie Mercury “Married” Actress Jane Seymour at Fashion Aid, 1985

On November 5, 1985, the fashion world and the music world collided at the Fashion Aid benefit, held at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Fashion Aid was a spin-off of Live Aid, organized to raise additional funds for Ethiopian famine relief.

The charity event brought together the greatest names in fashion, with designers like David and Elizabeth Emanuel, Bruce Oldfield and Joseph Tricot taking part in the catwalk display. There were also guests in attendance from the celebrity world and beyond, with The Beatles’ former drummer Ringo Starr, actress Anjelica Huston, and even Margaret Thatcher in the audience. A handful of the stars that performed at Live Aid also lent their support to Fashion Aid, with George Michael, Madonna, Grace Jones, Mick Jagger, Jerry Hall, and Boy George turning up for the event.

One of the most memorable segments of the night was a humorous mini-ceremony in which Freddie Mercury “married” actress Jane Seymour. This wasn’t a real marriage, it was a tongue-in-cheek fashion-performance sketch staged as part of the show’s theatrical runway presentations. Seymour was the bride, modeling a bridal collection by designers David and Elizabeth Emanuel, and Mercury was the groom. The memorable finale of their “wedding” involved Mercury grabbing and kissing Seymour, and she considers it one of the highlights of her career.

“They said ‘we’d like you to be the bride and your groom with be Freddie Mercury,’” Seymour later recalled in a 2023 interview. “I went ’yes okay!,’ I mean I’m a huge fan. When they asked me to be involved with Fashion Aid, I said absolutely.”

Talking about the wedding dress she wore on the night, Seymour said: “It was perfect. It couldn’t have been any better. It fit me like a glove. I wonder where it went!”

She then described what Freddie was like in person, revealing: “He was very shy before we went out, then he suddenly became the mercurial Freddie Mercury.”

“I couldn’t manage the dress and the flowers that weighed too much, but I didn’t want to let anyone down,” the actress said. “Then there’s Freddie and he’s gone ahead [down the catwalk]. He’s doing his thing and I’m like the bride trying to catch up. Eventually I do catch up, then he just grabbed me and kissed me, which I was not expecting. But I was very happy to be kissed by Freddie Mercury.

“Then of course he grabbed my big floral arrangement and threw it out! To this day, as far as my children and a lot of people are concerned, it was the highest, most important moments of my career being Freddie Mercury’s bride. He kind of made it, and I was just so thrilled that I was there by his side and was a part of it.”

At the end of the evening, Mercury and Seymour made their way to the hotel where the reception was being held, still dressed as the bride and groom. Astonished hotel guests recognized the couple and photographed them, believing they were witnessing a celebrity wedding. Freddie, finding it very amusing, did nothing to dissuade them. He did suggest they should change their clothes.

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40 Photochrom Prints of Constantinople From the 1890s

The late 19th century introduced the mesmerizing technique of Photochrom, a photolithographic process that transformed black-and-white negatives into richly detailed, colorized images. This innovation offered the Victorian public a vivid, almost fantastical, view of distant lands previously unseen in natural color.

The Photochrom prints of Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) from the 1890s are particularly striking, showcasing the majesty of the Ottoman capital just before the 20th century. These images meticulously captured iconic landmarks like the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, and the bustling shores of the Golden Horn, depicting the city’s complex mix of Byzantine and Ottoman architecture, often populated by elegantly dressed figures.

Serving as early forms of picture postcards and travel documentation, these prints preserved a romanticized, colorful record of a culturally rich city at the crossroads of East and West.

A street at Stamboul with fountain, Constantinople, Turkey, circa 1890s

A part of the Eyoub (i.e., Uyüp) cemetery, Constantinople, Turkey, circa 1890s

Alman (German) Fountain, Constantinople, Turkey, circa 1890s

Barbers near Seraskierrat, Constantinople, Turkey, circa 1890s

Bosphorus (i.e., Bosporus), Rumeli and Anadali-Hissar, (i.e., Anadolu Hissarı), Constantinople, Turkey, circa 1890s

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Moe Howard of the Three Stooges Show How They Performed Slapstick Without Hurting Each Other in the 1960s

In the 1960s, Moe Howard of the Three Stooges publicly demonstrated how they performed their slapstick routines safely using carefully choreographed movements, precise timing, and visual tricks.

During interviews and television appearances in the 1960s, when reruns of their shorts introduced them to a new generation, Moe would explain that their actions were illusions more about coordination than actual contact. He took pride in teaching how to achieve the comedic effect without harm, largely in response to concerns that children might try to imitate their behavior.

The routines were meticulously rehearsed, similar to stage combat, so each actor knew exactly when and where a “blow” would land and how to react. Many gags, such as the signature eye poke, were designed as near-misses. Moe explained his fingers would go “way up here” near the forehead, but the speed of the action and the “victim’s” reaction made it look like a direct hit to the eyes. The impact of the gags was sold using exaggerated sound effects (slaps, thuds, etc.), which were often added in post-production or created live with props off-camera.

The way scenes were filmed was crucial. Specific camera angles were used to enhance the illusion of actual impact. The person being hit, usually Larry or Curly/Shemp/Joe, sold the gag with an over-the-top, perfectly timed reaction, often more so than the person delivering the blow.

Edmond Bille: Master of Swiss Stained Glass and Alpine Art

Edmond Bille (1878–1959) was a highly prolific and versatile Swiss artist whose influence spanned painting, engraving, journalism, and politics, though he is best remembered today as a master of stained glass.

After studying in Geneva and Paris, Bille settled in the Valais region, dedicating much of his work from the 1920s onwards to monumental glass commissions. His significant works include the impressive stained glass windows in the ambulatory of the Lausanne Cathedral and the vast, secular window in the Martigny Town Hall—which is noted as the largest non-religious stained glass piece in Switzerland.

Bille’s ability to handle large-scale compositions with historical and religious narratives, such as the impressive series at the Abbey of Saint-Maurice d’Agaune, cemented his reputation as one of the most important Swiss artists in the peintre-verrier (painter-glazier) tradition of the 20th century.

These illustrations are part of his work Une danse macabre: 20 gravures en couleurs by Edmond Bille (Lausanne, 1919).

Drawing for 'L'autre veilleur', plate 15 in Danse Macabre, circa 1917

"Civilisation" in his 'Une danse macabre: 20 gravures en couleurs', Lausanne, 1919

"Etreintes", in his 'Une danse macabre: 20 gravures en couleurs', Lausanne, 1919

"Evacuation" in his 'Une danse macabre: 20 gravures en couleurs', Lausanne, 1919

"Heureux Ceux Qui Sont Morts" in his 'Une danse macabre: 20 gravures en couleurs', Lausanne, 1919

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Yvonne Craig in a Photoshoot for Christmas in 1967

Yvonne Craig participated in a Christmas-themed publicity photoshoot on October 7, 1967, for the third season of the Batman television series. These photos, often referred to as the “Yvonne Craig Christmas Gallery,” feature her in various festive poses.

The photoshoot was a standard publicity effort by ABC and the studio to promote the show during the holiday season. Craig had joined the cast as Batgirl/Barbara Gordon for the third and final season, which premiered in September 1967, making this her first Christmas as part of the production.

During the shoot, she posed in different holiday-themed outfits, including a Santa hat and other festive attire, often alongside Christmas decorations like a tree. The resulting images were distributed to media outlets for use in newspaper columns, magazines, and other promotional materials around December 1967 to generate holiday buzz for the series.

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30 Amazing Photos of Hole (Band) in the 1990s

Hole was a highly influential and commercially successful American alternative rock band in the 1990s, known for their raw, aggressive sound, feminist themes, and the provocative persona of frontwoman Courtney Love. They released two major studio albums during this period that defined their legacy.

Formed in Los Angeles in 1989 by singer/guitarist Courtney Love and guitarist Eric Erlandson, Hole released their debut album, Pretty on the Inside, in 1991. Produced by Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth, the album had a raw, abrasive punk/grunge sound that garnered critical attention in the alternative press, particularly in the UK.

The band achieved widespread critical and commercial success with their second album, Live Through This, released in April 1994 on DGC Records. The album, which featured a blend of punk and pop-rock, went platinum within a year and included popular singles like “Doll Parts,” “Violet,” and “Miss World.” Its release was overshadowed by tragedy, including the death of Love’s husband, Kurt Cobain, and the drug overdose death of bassist Kristen Pfaff shortly after. Melissa Auf der Maur joined as the new bassist, and the band toured extensively throughout 1994 and 1995, appearing on MTV and at major festivals.

After a hiatus, Hole returned in 1998 with their third album, Celebrity Skin, which marked a shift to a more polished, power-pop sound. The album was highly successful, debuting at number 9 on the Billboard 200 and selling around 2 million copies worldwide. The title track became their only number-one single on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, and the album earned the band several Grammy nominations.

Auf der Maur left the band in October 1999, followed by drummer Samantha Maloney. Love and Erlandson disbanded Hole in May 2002.

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In 1948, Mr. Cig, the Mascot, Handed Out Free Cigarettes to Patients at Hospitals in England

In the 1940s, a promotional campaign featured a human-sized cigarette mascot known as “Mr. Cig” or “Mr. Cigarette” who visited hospital patients. During this era, tobacco companies, including Philip Morris and Camel, distributed free cigarettes and promotional materials to patients in an effort to normalize smoking and associate it with positive concepts like glamour and recovery. These visits occurred when smoking was widely accepted and even seen as a way to calm nerves or help with stress, long before the link between smoking and health issues was fully understood and publicized.

This practice declined after the 1960s as scientific evidence mounted, showing the harmful effects of smoking, leading to major public health campaigns against smoking and its ban in many places.