Amazing Photographs of People Posing With Giant Sponges in the Early 20th Century

In the early 20th century, “giant sponges” were primarily a focus of the lucrative commercial sponge industry, particularly in the Mediterranean and Caribbean. Species considered giant by fishermen of that era were prized specimens for the bath sponge market, though modern science has since identified even larger sponges in deep, remote waters.

The natural sponge trade flourished in the early 1900s before collapsing due to disease and competition from synthetics. Greek divers migrated to the U.S., establishing major sponge harvesting operations in Florida, especially in Tarpon Springs.

Divers initially used surface-supplied air hoses to reach sponges at greater depths, which was more efficient than harvesting from shallow water. This allowed them to access larger specimens growing in deeper waters.

The Neptune’s Cup sponge (Cliona patera or a similar species) was a large, unique sponge known in the Indo-Pacific region. Overfishing in the late 19th and early 20th centuries led to its near-extinction, and it was considered lost for almost a century.

By the 1930s, the industry was already in decline due to overharvesting. This was made worse by a sponge blight and the introduction of synthetic sponges in the 1950s, which ended the golden age of natural sponge harvesting.

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Photos of Billy Idol of Generation X in New York City, 1978

In May 1978, Billy Idol was in New York City on a promotional tour for the debut Generation X album, though he came without the entire band. He was brought stateside by Chrysalis Records to promote the debut album Generation X, which had been released in March 1978 in the UK.

Idol made appearances at notable New York punk venues, including a stop at Max’s Kansas City on May 18, 1978. During this visit, these photos of Idol around New York City were taken by photographer Roberta Bayley. He was photographed with other figures in the punk and rock scene, such as Howie Pyro and possibly Debbie Harry, highlighting the cross-pollination of the London and NYC punk scenes at the time.

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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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