Ringo Starr’s 1969 Mercedes 280SE After It Crashed in Fog in Surrey on May 19, 1980

May 19, 1980 saw Ringo Starr involved in a horrific car crash which nearly took the drummer and his wife Barbara Bach’s life. In eerie circumstances, the accident took place just half a mile away from the site of Marc Bolan’s fatal car crash just three years prior.

Bolan, who was also a close friend of Ringo Starr, made the coincidence even more bizarre. The former Beatle, so closely affiliated with the Bolan family, is even the godfather to his son, Rolan. Thankfully, however, Starr would not suffer the same fate but it could quite easily have been a completely different story.

The couple, who were were driving to a party in Surrey, attempted to navigate their way through the fog when the catastrophic incident would occur. As they approached a black-spot at the Robin Hood Roundabout on the A3, a terrifying collision which would completely write off Starr’s white Mercedes, Starr had to swerve, at 60 mph, to avoid hitting an oncoming lorry. His evasive action sent the couple on a fifty-yard somersaulting skid in the process which resulted in his supercar colliding head-on into two lampposts.

However, despite the leg injury that Ringo suffered, he heroically pulled Barbara safety. Removing her from the car, Starr then comically headed back into his wrecked car to retrieve a pack of cigarettes like a true rockstar. Both walked away from the crash, luckily, with only minor injuries.

The Mercedes was a total loss and written off. Following the accident, the couple had the wrecked car crushed into an artistic cube and converted it into a unique coffee table for their home, serving as a reminder of their lucky escape.

The near-fatal experience reportedly brought Starr and Bach closer together, and they married the following year.

Deborah Kerr: The Epitome of British Elegance

Deborah Kerr (1921–2007) was a celebrated Scottish actress whose career spanned several decades, making her one of the most recognizable stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Known for her refined beauty, graceful demeanor, and the ability to portray characters with immense dignity and emotional depth, she became the screen’s quintessential British lady.

While often typecast in roles as sophisticated, repressed, or prim women, Kerr proved her remarkable versatility by taking on daring roles, most famously the passionate adulteress Karen Holmes in From Here to Eternity (1953), which earned her the first of six Academy Award nominations for Best Actress, a record she holds with two other actresses. She is also beloved for her iconic performance as Anna Leonowens in the musical The King and I (1956) and the dramatic role in An Affair to Remember (1957).

In 1994, Kerr received an Honorary Academy Award for her lifetime achievements, recognizing a career that defined cinematic elegance. Take a look at these vintage photos to see portraits of a young Deborah Kerr in the 1940s and 1950s.

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The Fashion and Posing of ’90s Family Photos

Studio family portraits from the 1990s evoke a strong sense of nostalgia, characterized by distinct aesthetic choices that defined the era. These sessions typically featured families posed formally against neutral or subtly textured backdrops, like muted gray muslins or faux marble columns.

The fashion was decidedly nineties: matching outfits were highly popular, with many families opting for a coordinated ‘uniform’ of denim jeans paired with white turtlenecks or button-down shirts. The lighting was often soft and diffused, designed to cast an even, flattering glow that minimized shadows. Posing was precise, with parents seated and children carefully arranged around them, often leaning in towards one another with gentle, reserved smiles.

These portraits, often displayed prominently in homes, served as a glossy, meticulously planned record of the family unit, reflecting a desire for polished, aspirational imagery.

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46 Nostalgic Photos From the Set of “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946)

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) is one of the most beloved American films ever made, an emotional blend of fantasy, drama, and small-town Americana that grew from a modest release into a timeless Christmas classic.

Directed by Frank Capra and starring James Stewart (George Bailey) and Donna Reed (Mary Hatch Bailey), the film tells the story of a man who’s spent his whole life helping others at the expense of his own dreams.

On Christmas Eve, overwhelmed by debt, guilt, and a sense of failure, George contemplates suicide. At that moment, a guardian angel named Clarence is sent from heaven to intervene. Clarence shows George what the world would’ve been like if he had never been born, a dark alternate reality where his small acts of kindness were the very things keeping the town of Bedford Falls alive. Realizing how profoundly he’s touched others, George chooses life, returns home, and finds that the community he once helped has come together to save him.

Although it was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, It’s a Wonderful Life initially received mixed reviews and was unsuccessful at the box office. Theatrically, the film’s break-even point was $6.3 million, about twice the production cost, a figure it did not come close to achieving on its initial release. Because of the film’s disappointing sales, Capra was seen by some studios as having lost his ability to produce popular, financially successful films. Its copyright in the U.S. expired in 1974 following a lack of renewal and it entered the public domain, allowing it to be broadcast without licensing or royalty fees, at which point it became a Christmas classic.

Filming took place during a heatwave, and Capra famously created one of Hollywood’s first realistic artificial snow systems. This was Stewart’s first major film after returning from WWII combat; many believe his emotional intensity came from that real-life experience. The movie’s “failure” at first was partly due to tough competition in 1946 and the expensive production budget.

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45 Snapshots of People Having Fun at the Beach From Between the 1920s and 1940s

In the early 20th century, people at the beach adhered to strict social norms of modesty and decorum, with activities focused more on leisurely wading and socializing than on swimming or sunbathing. Attire was cumbersome, often made of heavy wool, and covered most of the body, a stark contrast to modern beach culture.

Beachwear was heavily dictated by the era's focus on modesty, with fashion evolving from full-coverage garments in the 1900s to slightly more streamlined, though still substantial, suits by the 1920s.

Despite the restrictive clothing, the beach was a popular social destination. Once on the sand or by the water, people would gather for picnics, gossip, flirt, and stroll along the promenade. Below is a collection of 45 candid snaps of people at the beach from between the 1920s and 1940s:

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Willem Steelink Jr.: Painter of the Dutch Rural Life

Willem Steelink Jr. (1856–1928) was a Dutch painter and graphic artist, widely recognized for his evocative landscapes that often featured shepherds and flocks of sheep.

Born into an artistic family, he trained with his father before studying at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Amsterdam and Antwerp. Initially focusing on historical and genre scenes, Steelink Jr. later shifted his artistic focus after discovering the natural beauty of the Gooi region’s heathlands. His mature style was heavily influenced by both the Hague School, known for its soft, silvery tones, and the Laren School, which captured rural life with atmospheric light.

In addition to his popular paintings, he was an accomplished engraver and lithographer, illustrating books and creating etchings of works by contemporary Dutch masters. His art was popular with international collectors and can be found in several museums today, including the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague.

A Shepherdess With Her Flock

A Shepherd and Flock on a Shady Track

A Shepherd and His Flock by a Fen

A Shepherd With His Flock of Sheep on His Way Home

A Cheerful Welcome

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The Story of Roque José Florêncio, the Slave Turned Into a “Human-Breeding Machine” in the 19th Century

Roque José Florêncio was allegedly born around 1827 in Sorocaba. He was purchased around 1849 by the powerful landowner and coffee grower Francisco da Cunha Bueno, who later became the Viscount of Cunha Bueno, and was taken to the Fazenda Santa Eudóxia. He was nicknamed “Pata Seca” (Dry Paw), reportedly due to his long, thin hands.

Oral accounts describe him as an extraordinarily tall and strong man, possibly reaching 2.18 meters (over 7 feet). These physical characteristics, combined with a contemporary belief that tall men with thin shins were more likely to produce male offspring, sealed his fate.

Roque was systematically exploited by his enslaver as a “slave-breeder” (escravo reprodutor). This horrific practice was aimed at increasing the plantation's enslaved labor force, particularly after the slave trade was banned in 1850 (Lei Eusébio de Queirós). He was allegedly forced to impregnate enslaved women regularly and is said to have fathered more than 200 children (some accounts suggest over 250).

Due to his role as a “breeding slave,” Roque was often granted a relatively different life than most other enslaved people. He reportedly did not work in the coffee fields and lived outside the senzala (slave quarters). He was entrusted with the care of the farm’s transport animals and tasked with riding a long distance daily to fetch his master's correspondence.

With the abolition of slavery in 1888 (Lei Áurea), Roque was freed. While performing his duties as a courier, he had met and later married a woman named Palmira. The Viscount of Cunha Bueno allegedly granted the couple 20 alqueires (a measure of land), where they built a home and raised nine children together.

Tragically, much of the land Roque was given was gradually appropriated by influential, wealthy farmers through irregular demarcation, a common occurrence that left newly freed Black Brazilians marginalized and impoverished. He was reportedly left with only a small fraction of the promised land.

One of the most remarkable parts of the Pata Seca legend is his alleged extreme longevity. He is widely believed to have lived to be 130 years old, with his death recorded on February 17, 1958. While this claim places him as a supercentenarian and is a key part of his myth, it lacks rigorous historical confirmation.

Due to the forced reproduction and his later marriage, Roque José Florêncio is considered the direct ancestor of a significant portion of the population in the district of Santa Eudóxia, some estimates suggest up to 30%.

Today, Pata Seca is remembered as a legendary figure whose story highlights the brutal realities of Brazilian slavery, particularly the institutionalized sexual violence and the efforts to create a domestic supply of enslaved labor. His history is preserved through oral reports and the memory of his countless descendants in the region.