The Story Behind the Iconic Photograph "Raising a Flag over the Reichstag" in 1945

Raising a flag over the Reichstag is a historic World War II photograph, taken during the Battle of Berlin on 2 May 1945. It shows Meliton Kantaria and Mikhail Yegorov raising the flag of the Soviet Union atop the Reichstag building.

Soldiers raising the Soviet flag over the Reichstag, 1945.

The photograph was reprinted in thousands of publications and came to be regarded around the world as one of the most significant and recognizable images of World War II. Owing to the secrecy of Soviet media, the identities of the men in the picture were often disputed, as was that of the photographer, Yevgeny Khaldei, who was identified only after the fall of the Soviet Union. It became a symbol of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany.

When Khaldei arrived in Berlin, he considered a number of settings for the photo, including the Brandenburg Gate and Tempelhof Airport, but he decided on the Reichstag, even though Soviet soldiers had already succeeded in raising a flag over this building a few days earlier.

Khaldei took a Soviet flag with him in his luggage.

On 2 May 1945, Khaldei scaled the now pacified Reichstag to take his picture. He was carrying with him a large flag, sewn from three tablecloths for this very purpose, by his uncle. The official story would later be that two hand-picked soldiers, Meliton Kantaria (Georgian) and Mikhail Yegorov (Russian), raised the Soviet flag over the Reichstag, and the photograph would often be used as depicting the event. Some authors state that for political reasons the subjects of the photograph were changed and the actual man to hoist the flag was Alyosha Kovalyov, a Ukrainian, who was told by the NKVD to keep quiet about it.

“This is what I was waiting for for 1,400 days,” he said. “I was euphoric.”

However, according to Khaldei himself, when he arrived at the Reichstag, he simply asked the soldiers who happened to be passing by to help with the staging of the photoshoot; there were only four of them, including Khaldei, on the roof: the one who was attaching the flag was 18-year-old Private Alexei Kovalyov from Kiev, the two others were Abdulkhakim Ismailov from Dagestan and Leonid Gorychev (also mentioned as Aleksei Goryachev) from Minsk.

Soviet censors who examined the photo noticed that one of the soldiers had a wristwatch on each arm, indicating he had been looting.

Back in Moscow, Soviet censors who examined the photo noticed that one of the soldiers had a wristwatch on each arm, indicating he had been looting. They did not want to impose that image on their country. They asked Khaldei to remove one of the watches. Khaldei not only did so, but also darkened the smoke in the background. The resulting picture was published soon after in the magazine Ogonjok. It became the version that achieved worldwide fame.

Khaldei's edited picture on the Ogonjok magazine.

Later some Soviet sources claimed that the extra wrist watches were actually Adrianov compasses and that the Soviet Army touched out of the picture because they knew that this would be mistaken as a watch acquired by looting corpse rather than a piece of standard equipment. The Adrianov compass was a military compass designed by Russian Imperial Army topographist Vladimir Adrianov in 1907. Wrist-worn versions of the compass were then adopted and widely used by the Red and Soviet Army.

The original photo (left) was altered (right) by editing the watch on the soldier’s right wrist.

Subsequently, the photo continued to be altered. The flag was made to appear to be billowing more dramatically in the wind. The photo was also colorized. Throughout his life, Khaldei remained unrepentant about having manipulated his most famous photograph. Whenever asked about it, he responded: “It is a good photograph and historically significant. Next question please”.

Colorized version of the iconic photograph.

German magazine Der Spiegel wrote: “Khaldei saw himself as a propagandist for a just cause, the war against Hitler and the German invaders of his homeland. In the years before his death in October 1997 he liked to say: ‘I forgive the Germans, but I cannot forget’. His father and three of his four sisters were murdered by the Germans”.

(via Wikipedia and Rare Historical Photos)

20 Black and White Portrait Photos of British Skinheads From the 1970s and 1980s

If you are old enough to remember London in the late 1970s and early 1980s, this collection of photographs is a reminder of the latent aggression that defined youth culture in the capital.

On the street, skinheads, who always seemed to travel in packs, were a threatening presence. At gigs, especially during the 2-Tone era, they were disruptive going on violent, often making the dancefloor at shows by the Specials, Madness and the Selecter a place where you had to watch your step even as the music urged you to do otherwise.

Then there was the racism and the fascism, the storming of shows by the Redskins, and the attempted disruption of anti-fascist marches or anti-racist festivals. It was a different country back then: harder, more tribally and politically polarised.

More intriguing, though, are the prettier boys whose soft gazes seem to contradict the very ethos of skinhead culture. An angelic-looking lad has the words "We are the flowers in your dustbin" – a Sex Pistols' lyric – tattooed across his forehead.

The skinhead girls, so often portrayed as simply an addendum to this most ultra-male of all youth cults, also come into their own: the feather cuts, chunky cardigans, polished brogues, bleached denims and braces. Often, for all their posturing, they look cute. One of them could pass for a model in a style shoot about retro youth cults, her elfin beauty only emphasised by her closely cropped hair and utilitarian clothes.

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33 Cool Photos of '80s Teenagers in Their Rooms

That's what teenagers' rooms in the 1980s looked like...

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Old Michigan Wedding – 32 Gorgeous Portrait Photos of Brides in the 1930s

These photographs from profkaren were bought at a Detroit estate sale. They consist mostly of images of gorgeous bride portraits in the 1930s from the Hoffman and Smart Set studios somewhere in Detroit or Hamtramck, Michigan.

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Rare and Amazing Jerry Garcia's Prom Pics Surface, Include the Earliest Picture of Garcia Playing His First Electric Guitar

A series of rare photographs date from 1959 or 1960 that show a teenaged Jerry Garcia surfaced on the internet. The images include Jerry’s prom photos and what is thought to be the earliest photo of Garcia playing an electric guitar.

According to Dangerous Minds, Garcia never graduated from high school—as he told Jann Wenner and Charles Reich of Rolling Stone in 1972, “I went to a high school for about a year, did really badly, finally quit and joined the Army.”

Garcia also told of his first electric guitar in the interview, which object Garcia is pictured playing in one of the pictures:

“I go down to the pawn shops on Market Street and Third Street and wander around the record stores, the music stores and look at the electric guitars and my mouth’s watering. God, I want that so bad! And on my 15th birthday my mother gave me an accordion. I looked at this accordion and I said, “God, I don’t want this accordion, I want an electric guitar.”

So we took it down to a pawn shop and I got this little Danelectro, an electric guitar with a tiny little amplifier and man, I was just in heaven. Everything! I stopped everything I was doing at the time.”

On May 27 ‎John Simpson‎ posted the interesting pictures on the I Love The Grateful Dead! Facebook group. He wrote: “A friend whose father was close childhood friends with Jerry had these personal pics. They’ve never been shared publically to my knowledge. But I received a copy and a ‘feel free to share.’ Enjoy!”

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Portraits of Bedlam: Haunting Photos of Patients Treated at Britain’s Most Notorious Psychiatric Hospital in the 19th Century

Haunting photographs show people who attended the infamous Bethlem Royal Hospital where patients were 'treated' by being spun round in chairs in front of paying punters. Most of the patients at the London asylum, better known as Bedlam, were diagnosed with acute mania and some arrived after killing people.

Bethlem Royal Hospital was the first mental health institution to be set up in Europe. And since its founding in 1247, it has been the topic of numerous horror books and films.

One of the distressing treatments invented by Erasmus Darwin - grandfather to Charles - was called rotational therapy and involved putting a patient in a chair suspended in the air who was then spun round for hours.

Photographer Henry Heiring took these portraits of patients in the 19th century to see if their faces could show evidence of their illnesses.

This unidentified female patient was admitted to the hospital in the mid 19th century after she was diagnosed with acute mania.

William Thomas Green, admitted in 1857, was diagnosed with acute mania.

Esther Hannah Still, admitted in 1858 and diagnosed with chronic mania and delusions.

Eliza Josolyne, admitted in 1856, was diagnosed with acute melancholia.

Captain George Johnston was charged with homicide and served his time in Bedlam in 1846 after being diagnosed with mania.

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From Punks to New Romantics, a Photographer Spent the Decade Snapping Each of the 80s Music Gangs

From Punks to New Romantics to MODs, it seemed everybody in the 80s belonged to their own tribe. And one photographer’s work has revealed just how different the music, lifestyle and even the clothes of each gang was.

Photographer Caroline Greville-Morris spent the decade snapping pictures and working in the then ground-breaking music video industry. And there, she met with the huge numbers of different tribes that made up the vibrant 80s music scene. Among Caroline’s subjects were leather-clad punks with brightly colored mohican haircuts who were seen as anarchists.

These were in direct contrast with the New Romantics, who all wore outlandish make-up and elaborate period costumes. The other tribes included MODs who were never seen without wearing smart suits and Union Jack inspired accessories.

A group of leather clad punk wearing revealing outfits pose for photographer Caroline Greville-Morris in the 1980s.

The punks were known for their love of leather, studded belts, bright hair and mohican styles.

As well as the bright hair, punks were also known to pin numerous badges to their jackets and wear make up on their faces.

Another gang that Caroline came close to was the New Romantics, known for their love of make-up.

As well as brightly colored make-up, New Romantics also had fun with bright fashion and period dress.

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73 Fantastic Screencaps Document Street Scenes of London in the 1960s

Here is collection of fantastic screencaps from wasleso that capture street scenes of London in the 1960s.

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Orphaned on the Ocean: The Unbelievable Story of 11-Year-Old Girl Found Adrift Nearly a Week at Sea in 1961

A young girl alone on a raft. A mysterious yacht accident. A missing family. It's a strange and tragic tale.

Brian, Jean, René, and Arthur Duperrault (from left)

Arthur Duperrault had long dreamed of taking his family sailing on the azure seas of the tropics. Looking out on the chilly blue waters of Lake Michigan, the optometrist from Green Bay, Wisconsin, recalled the warmer waters 
to the far south that he had sailed during World War II. He spoke often of wanting to live for a year on a sailboat, cruising around the world from island to island.

By 1961, Duperrault had become successful enough to fulfill that dream, at least in part. That year, instead of facing a hard Wisconsin winter, he, his wife Jean, son Brian, 14, daughters Terry Jo 11, and René, 7, would head to the Bahamas.

They planned to spend a week trying out life at sea on a chartered yacht and to extend the sabbatical if all went well. They arrived in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where they had rented the Bluebelle, a two-masted sailboat, and hired Julian Harvey, a former Air Force fighter pilot and an experienced sailor, to captain the ship. Harvey's wife, Dene, would be joining the group on the cruise.

The Bluebelle

On the morning of Wednesday, November 8, 1961, the Duperraults went aboard the Bluebelle to begin their eagerly awaited voyage. The ship's 115-horsepower Chrysler engine rumbled softly as Captain Harvey steered the boat away from the dock, wisps of exhaust sputtering from the stern.

As her sails filled, the Bluebelle appeared to fly as she sailed gracefully from the dark waters of the harbor into the green of the open sea and finally the deep blue of the Gulf Stream, the mighty river in the sea that passes between Florida and the Bahamas. Above the horizon ahead, the 700 islands of the Bahamas archipelago basked in the 100,000 square miles of sun-washed seas, holding the promise of fulfillment of Duperrault's dream of family adventure.

Over the next four days, Harvey piloted the Bluebelle east, toward the tiny island chain of Bimini, then farther east to Sandy Point, a village on the southwestern tip of Great Abaco Island. The group spent the week snorkeling and collecting shells on the white and pink beaches.

Julian Harvey

Early Sunday, Duperrault and the Harveys stopped by the office of Sandy Point village commissioner Roderick W. Pinder to fill out forms for leaving the Bahamas and returning to the United States. “This has been a once-in-a-lifetime vacation,” Duperrault told Pinder. “We’ll be back before Christmas.” That night, Dene prepared a dinner of chicken cacciatore and salad. It was to be the last meal ever served on the Bluebelle.

Around 9 p.m., Terry Jo headed below deck to her sleeping quarters in a small cabin at the back of the boat. Ordinarily, René slept there, too, but on this night, her younger sister remained with her parents and brother on deck in the cockpit. In the middle of the night, Terry Jo was startled awake by her brother yelling, “Help, Daddy! Help!” She also heard brief running and stamping noises. Then silence. She lay in her bed shivering, disoriented and terrified. After about five minutes, Terry Jo crept out of her cabin. She saw her mother and brother lying crumpled in a pool of blood in the main cabin, which functioned as a kitchen and dining room during the day and was converted into a bedroom at night. She knew instantly they were dead.

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18 Candid Photographs of Freddie Mercury With His Boyfriend Jim Hutton in the Late 1980s

Freddie Mercury met Jim Hutton at a club in 1984 when he offered to buy Jim a drink, and he politely turned him down. Jim didn’t recognize Freddie but a few months later while at a restaurant his friend told him: “Hey, Freddie Mercury is behind you.” Jim this time accepted Mercury’s drink and the two talked for a while, but nothing happened for another year.

About eighteen months later, the two happened to meet again at the same club. Freddie once again bought Jim a drink and this time they got together. Jim ended up moving in the Garden Lodge with Freddie about two years later.

When Freddie was diagnosed with AIDS in 1987, he offered Jim an exit on their relationship. He told Jim he would understand if he left. In a Freddie Mercury documentary, Jim recalls telling him, “I love you, Freddie - I’m not going anywhere.” And he didn’t; Jim stayed with Freddie until he died. He nursed him, cared for him, and was there when he took his last breath.

Upon his death, Freddie left Jim £500,000 as well as a plot of land at Rutland Terrace, Carlow where he built a house.

Jim Hutton died in 2010 from a form of lung cancer. He had then been living with HIV for over 20 years.

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