Watch This Strange Newsreel Footage of a Texas Mom Throw Knives at Her Daughters, ca. 1950s

Knife-throwing, known to connoisseurs as one of the “impalement arts,” has been a sideshow staple since the late 19th century. Usually, however, the thrower is a man, and the target a woman. (Often, the two are married.) This gender dynamic is so encoded that “target girl” is abbreviated as “TG” on the credits of YouTube clips of acts like the Great Throwdini. The Gallaghers’ act, with child TGs and a parent thrower, was highly unusual.

In this 1950 newsreel, the knife-thrower Louella Gallagher throws knives at her daughters Connie Ann, 5, and Colleena Sue, 2.5 yrs old, in Austin, Texas, backyard, as a crowd of children looks on. There’s a stark contrast between the suburban setting (mom in a dress, cropped grass, girls in playsuits) and the dangerous display.

21 Interesting Black and White Photographs Document Female Pilots Trained for Duty in Sweetwater, Texas during WWII

In 1943, LIFE Magazine devoted a cover story to the Women Airforce Service Pilots training in Sweetwater, Texas.

July 19, 1943 cover of LIFE magazine.

Looking at the images from this 1943 LIFE cover story about their training, it’s easy to see why the women of the WASP program fought for that recognition. Though the “girl pilots” seemed to be enjoying themselves during their training in Sweetwater, Texas7, they were devoted to their physical and classroom training, and able to meet the challenges the Army sent their way—including planes not designed for shorter pilots.

Hair streams in breeze as fledgling girl pilot solos her trainer in a primary practice flight.

Sunburned nose and forehead are daubed with protective cream by Rebecca Edwards of Yazoo City, Miss., 22-year-old widow whose husband was killed during duty with the Army Air Forces. Standing next to Rebecca and leaning against the corner of the primary hangar from which both of the girls fly is Lorena Daly of Bakersfield, Calif. They each have on the G.I. coveralls, called "zoot suits" in Avenger Field lingo, that are regulation uniform for all working hours. Though suits are not very glamorous, the girls like their comfort and freedom.

Marching around wishing well at Avenger Field, girls toss coins for luck if they're due for a flight with an Army pilot. Always the trainees march in formation to the "Hup, two, three, four!" of their section leader, going to mess, ground school or flight line.

Jacqueline Cochran, glamorous speed flier who developed Women's Flying Training Detachment, is center of this group of protogees in flight-line ready room. While girls wait their turn to fly, they question Miss Cochran on her trip to England and other experiences.

In ground school subjects the girls study more diligently than the aviation cadets who preceded them at Avenger Field, according to the instructors. If marks are low students have extra study halls in the evening to catch up. Trainees above are in meteorology class, learning to read symbols and weather maps of the sort that they will use as ferry pilots.

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This Photo Was Taken After a Woman Asked the City Council to Ban the Wearing of Shorts in Public, Texas, May 1952

Beverly Ann Ellis (left) and Shirley Beech draw an admiring whistle from Travis C. Ihrasher as Fort Worth became shorts concious after Mrs. F.H. Wilson asked the City Council to ban their wearing in public. Mrs. Wilson said she was tired of looking at women’s “ugly legs,” and that shorts were only “an advertisement to adultery.”

(Photo: Bettmann/Getty Images)

Intimate and Candid Photographs of Texas Teenagers Smoking Pot During an Outing in Cedar Woods, 1973

In the 1970s, the newly created Environmental Protection Agency commissioned nearly 100 photographers to document environmental issues around the country.

Marc St. Gil was assigned to record images related to the water and air pollution crisis in the area around Houston, Texas. While snapping photos in the Cedar Woods of Lankey, Texas, he happened upon several young people enjoying nature — and some marijuana. Instead of having them arrested, St. Gil captured some very candid shots of the pot smokers.

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30 Striking Color Photographs Capture Everyday Life of Latin American Teenagers in Texas and New York in the Early 1970s

While on assignment for DOCUMERICA, photographer Danny Lyon captured striking images of Latin American teenagers of El Paso, Texas and the boroughs of New York City in the early 1970s.

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Early Baylor University (Texas) Dorm Rooms From Between the 1890s and 1910s

This set of images shows early rooms in Baylor dormitories such as Georgia Burleson Hall (for women) and Ertha Lee Cowden Hall (for men). The photos show that students used a vivid combination of Victorian era decor, collegiate pennants, high school diplomas, and photos to decorate their walls.

This album gives good insight into how Baylor University students lived and personalized their accommodations, well over a hundred years ago.

A Baylor student at desk in dorm room, ca. 1910

Georgia Burleson Hall, Baylor University, ca. 1910

Cowden Hall, Baylor University, ca. 1910

A decorated dorm room at Cowden Hall, Baylor University, ca. 1910

A decorated dorm room at Cowden Hall, Baylor University, ca. 1910

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20 Wonderful Color Photographs Capture Everyday Life in Texas in the Early 1940s

On the eve of the Great Depression, most Texans lived on farms or ranches or in small towns. Though the previous decade saw successes in oil, the economy was still dominated by agriculture – cotton in the north, livestock in the west and a growing citrus industry in the south.

When the stock market crashed in 1929, many Texans believed the state’s rural nature would insulate the region from the worst of the financial crisis. As the nation’s economy collapsed, it became clear that Texas would suffer, too. Across the state, agriculture and the new industries of oil and lumber fell victim to the growing economic depression.

These vintage photographs are filled with pathos, but they also make the Great Depression seem otherworldly--wholely dissimilar from the vivid color of the struggling economy we now find ourselves in.

A big house on a Houston street, Texas, May 1943

A doctor giving a typhoid inoculation at a rural school, San Augustine County, Texas, April 1943

A general view of Amarillo, Texas, March 1943

Boy building a model airplane as girl watches, Texas, 1942

Boys flying a kite in front of the community center at the FSA camp, Robstown, 1942

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Businessmen, Cowboys and Immigrants: Rare Vintage Photos of Texan Portraits From the Early 20th Century

Photographer Julius Born (1879-1962) took thousands of photographs of the people, land and community in Hemphill county located in the Texas panhandle. In thousands of portrait photographs taken during the first half of the twentieth century, Born forever documented Texas' past, heritage, and humanity. In his images of cowboys and businessmen, well-composed ladies, and fidgety children, Born shows us the pioneers and early residents who made Canadian what it is today.

For decades, Born operated his photography studio from the back of his variety store. It was here where all types of people stepped into his curious world of cameras and backdrops, costumes and mood lighting.

Over the years, thousands sought out this self-taught photographer and curiosity shop owner to record their most important moments. The portraits are so compelling that it's hard to stop looking!

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20 Behind-the-Scenes Photos From the Making Film 'Giant' in Marfa, Texas in 1955

Giant is a 1956 American drama film, directed by George Stevens from a screenplay adapted by Fred Guiol and Ivan Moffat from the novel by Edna Ferber. The film stars Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson and James Dean...

Giant was the last of James Dean's three films as a leading actor, and earned him his second and last Academy Award nomination – he was killed in a car accident before the film was released. Here's a collection of 20 interesting photos of James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor, and Rock Hudson filming Giant in Marfa, Texas in 1955.

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Teenagers at Galveston Beach, Texas in the 1980s

Fascinating candid photographs capture everyday life of teenagers at Galveston Beach, Texas during the 1980s.

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Photos of Girl Pilots Training Flights at Avenger Field in 1943

Here are some vintage photos show the female pilots in flight training at Avenger Field, a Texas airport in 1943.

Rebecca Edwards, 22, w. cream on her sunburned face & Lorena Daly, both pilot trainees in the Women's Flying Training Detachment, sporting goggled leather helmets & G.I. coveralls as they lean against primary hangar fr. which they fly, at Avenger Field.

Jean Pearson, pilot trainee in Women's Flying Training Detachment to later join the all-civilian Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron, using a beret & a ribbon-tied hair knot to keep hair fr. flying, in cockpit of trainer before takeoff at Avenger Field.

Flying instructor Helen Duffy (R) going over cockpit procedure w. one of her advance pilot trainees in the Women's Flying Training Detachment, as she trains them to qualify for the all-civilian Women's Auxilary Ferrying Squadron, at Avenger Field.

Two pilot trainees in the Women's Flying Training Detachment, climbing aboard basic trainer plane as short-legged one w. parachute places cushions in rear seat before starting instrument flight which is done in pairs, at Avenger Field.

Two pilot trainees in the Women's Flying Training Detachment, policing area around barracks by picking up cigarette butts strewn around as part of their duties as "Ready Room Lieutenants," at Avenger Field.

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Beautiful Promotional Photo Shoot of Lockheed Electra Aircrafts for Delta Air Lines in 1940

A small collection of beautiful color photos from a promotional photo shoot of Lockheed Electra aircrafts for Delta Air Lines in Dallas, Texas, March 1940. The photographs were taken by Robert Yarnall Richie.

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