Curious Chicagoans Pack the Cook County Morgue to View the Body of Slain Fugitive John Dillinger on July 22, 1934

John Dillinger, one of the most notorious bank robbers in American history, was gunned down by FBI agents on July 22, 1934, outside the Biograph Theater in Chicago. Dillinger had become Public Enemy No. 1, the face of crime during the Great Depression, and a symbol of both rebellion and menace. His death sparked a frenzy among the public, turning the end of his life into a bizarre spectacle.

After news broke of his shooting, curious onlookers rushed to the crime scene. Some reportedly dipped their handkerchiefs in his blood, believing it held some sort of power or souvenir value. The fascination did not end there. Thousands descended upon the Cook County morgue to view his body. The morgue, overwhelmed by crowds, allowed people to file past Dillinger’s corpse for one final glimpse of the man who had eluded capture for months and embarrassed law enforcement with his bold prison escapes and daring heists.

People posed for photos, laughed, and treated the event like a social gathering. This scene of morbid tourism highlighted the strange celebrity status Dillinger had achieved. To some, he was a criminal menace. To others, he was a folk hero who robbed banks during an era of economic despair.

Dillinger’s death marked a turning point for the FBI. It gave the agency national credibility and helped solidify J. Edgar Hoover’s legacy. But the reaction of the public served as a chilling reminder of how infamy, even when born from violence, can captivate the American imagination.

A throng of people wait in line to view the body of slain gunman John Dillinger at the undertakers rooms in Mooresville, Indiana, in July 1934.

Betty and Rosella Nelson, along with a crowd of people, view the body of John Dillinger, 32, while in bathing suits at the Cook County morgue in Chicago. In the days after Dillinger was killed on July 22, 1934, massive crowds lined up outside the morgue to get a glimpse of the notorious public enemy.

Betty and Rosella Nelson, sisters and entertainers in Chicago, view the body of the notorious criminal John Dillinger in the morgue.

Coroner Frank J. Walsh stands next to the body of John Dillinger as a long line of people pass by on the other side of the glass panel to get a look at the famous criminal on July 23, 1934, at the Cook County Morgue.

Dillinger’s corpse at the morgue attracted crowds of onlookers in the days following his death. The photo, which shows sheet draped over Dillinger’s arm set in with rigor mortis, led to sensational interpretations by the public.

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50 Gorgeous Photos of a Young and Beautiful Dorothy Lamour in the 1930s

Born in New Orleans, Dorothy Lamour (December 10, 1914 – September 22, 1996) started her career by entering beauty pageants to support herself after leaving school in her teens. She was crowned “Miss New Orleans” in 1931. Lamour used her pageant prize money to move to Chicago and then New York, singing with the Herbie Kay Orchestra (whom she briefly married in 1935) in nightclubs and on popular NBC radio shows like the Rudy Vallée program.

Her radio work and sultry singing voice brought her to the attention of Hollywood studios, and she signed a contract with Paramount Pictures in 1936. Her breakthrough role came the same year in The Jungle Princess (1936), where she played a jungle native named Ulah and wore her signature sarong, designed by Edith Head. This role cemented her image as an exotic beauty and the “Sarong Queen,” a look that became iconic and a favorite pin-up for troops during World War II.

Throughout the rest of the decade, she starred in several more adventure films and musicals, including The Hurricane (1937) and Her Jungle Love (1938). By the end of the 1930s, she was a major star, ready for her next big phase.

Here, below is a gallery of 50 gorgeous photos of a young and beautiful Dorothy Lamour in the 1930s:

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The Smiling Star: 30 Vintage Portraits of Liselotte Pulver in the 1950s and ’60s

Liselotte Pulver is one of the most beloved and instantly recognizable Swiss-German actresses of the mid-20th century. Born in 1929, she became famous across Europe for her infectious laughter and radiant, often mischievous smile, which earned her the nickname “Lilo.”

Pulver rose to prominence in the 1950s and ’60s, starring in numerous German-language hits like Ich denke oft an Piroschka (1955), a classic that cemented her image as a charming, vivacious young woman. Her career was not limited to Europe, she also successfully crossed over into international cinema, starring opposite Hollywood giants such as James Cagney in the Billy Wilder comedy One, Two, Three (1961). In this film, her iconic, uninhibited dance on a desk remains one of her most memorable and definitive screen moments, perfectly embodying her spirited personality.

Pulver’s combination of talent, glamour, and distinctive cheerfulness made her a major cinematic figure whose influence spanned decades. Take a look at these vintage photos to see portraits of young Liselotte Pulver in the 1950s and 1960s.

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In 1914, an Engineer Had the Idea to Raise the Titanic Using Many Magnets and a Special Submarine...

Back in 1914, just two years after the Titanic sank, someone came up with a bold idea: why not raise the ship using giant magnets and a special submarine? This concept showed up in a Dutch newspaper on May 17th of that year.

At the time, the Titanic’s story was still fresh, and people were fascinated by the tragedy. The illustration in the paper imagined an enormous recovery effort: ships hovering above the wreck, dropping long cables attached to huge magnets. At the center of it all was a submarine, labeled “ONDERZEEËR,” that would dive down, hook magnets onto the Titanic’s hull, and connect them to the surface ships.

The plan? All the ships would lift at once, hauling the massive liner back to the surface in one synchronized pull. Totally unrealistic by today’s standards, especially since the Titanic lies over 12,000 feet down in the North Atlantic, but back then, this kind of idea wasn’t as far-fetched as it sounds now.

In 1914, submarines were still cutting-edge, and magnetic tech was just getting started in industry. So while the plan was more sci-fi than science, it reflects the era’s belief that technology could solve anything, even pulling a sunken ship from the bottom of the ocean.

This newspaper image was probably meant to stir curiosity as much as it was to inform. But it captures something bigger: a moment in time when imagination, grief, and innovation collided in the shadow of one of history’s most famous disasters, decades before the Titanic was actually found in 1985.

Heartwarming Mid-20th Century Snaps Capture Families Preparing for Christmas

The mid-20th century was an era rich with holiday sentiment that these photos beautifully capture. These scenes of families and friends decorating for Christmas are genuinely heartwarming, showcasing a simpler time before mass commercialization dominated the season.

We see parents lifting beaming children to place shimmering tinsel and brightly colored glass ornaments on real fir trees. The mood is one of cozy domesticity, living rooms are filled with handmade decorations, often illuminated by the warm, soft glow of incandescent bulbs.

These snapshots offer a nostalgic glimpse into the traditions of an era, reminding us that the true spirit of Christmas lies in the shared joy and anticipation of the season, meticulously created within the family home.

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30 Portraits of a Young Kirk Douglas in the 1940s

Kirk Douglas (December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. Born Issur Danielovitch, he graduated from St. Lawrence University in 1939 and attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) in New York. He legally changed his name to Kirk Douglas in 1941 before enlisting in the military.

Douglas volunteered for the U.S. Navy shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor and served as a communications officer aboard an anti-submarine warfare vessel. He was medically discharged in June 1944 due to injuries. After his discharge, Douglas returned to New York, working in radio soap operas and theater. His friend and fellow AADA graduate, Lauren Bacall, recommended him to producer Hal B. Wallis, which led to an audition for his first film.

He made his screen debut in the film noir The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946), playing a “weak, insecure man” opposite Barbara Stanwyck. He later resolved never to play such a character again, opting for tougher roles. He quickly appeared in other notable film noirs, including Out of the Past (1947) with Robert Mitchum and his first collaboration with Burt Lancaster in I Walk Alone (1947).

Douglas’s image as a tough, intense actor was cemented in his eighth film, Champion (1949), where he portrayed a selfish boxer named Midge Kelly. The role earned him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and established him as a major star. Following the success of Champion, Douglas founded his own production company, Bryna Productions (named after his mother), in September 1949 to gain more control over his projects and career trajectory.

Here’s a collection of 30 amazing portraits of a young and handsome Kirk Douglas in the 1940s:

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Yoko Ono Leaving Roosevelt Hospital in New York Late Monday Night, on December 8, 1980 After the Death of John Lennon

A distraught Yoko Ono leaving Roosevelt Hospital in New York City on the night of December 8, 1980. She is being supported by record executive David Geffen. Police officers transported John Lennon to Roosevelt Hospital in a patrol car after being shot by Mark Chapman, but he was pronounced dead on arrival.

“Even though it’s been more than 40 years, it’s a scene I’ll never forget. There was blood everywhere and one of the doctors had his hands inside Lennon’s chest and he could see him moving them to pump his heart. From there I went behind the ambulance to the hospital where the song ‘All My Loving’ just happened to be playing. The song ends and by the minute you hear a woman’s screams. I open the doors of a room and I see Yoko Ono leave crying inconsolably in the arms of music producer David Geffen. Then I knew it was all over.” – Alan Weiss, the reporter responsible for informing the world that John Lennon had been murdered.

On December 8, 1980, Alan Weiss, a producer for WABC-TV, was at Roosevelt Hospital for treatment after a motorcycle accident. While on a gurney, he overheard police officers mentioning John Lennon’s name as the shooting victim was brought into the emergency room. He managed to get a look at the scene and confirm the information. Weiss found a phone and called the news into his station’s assignment desk. This information was then relayed to the ABC network, who famously had Howard Cosell announce the tragedy during a Monday Night Football broadcast to a national audience. Weiss went on to win an Emmy Award for his coverage of the story. The events of that night, including Weiss’s role, were later depicted in the 2016 feature film The Lennon Report.