Rare and Adorable Photos of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson With His Father Rocky Johnson During the 1980s

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was born into a family of wrestlers, with his grandfather, “High Chief” Peter Maivia a well known wrestler, as well as his dad, Rocky Johnson, who created history by becoming the first black to win the WWF Tag Team Championship, along with partner Tony Atlas. Johnson briefly lived in New Zealand with his mother’s family, before returning to the Untied States to finish his schooling, which he did at the President William McKinley High School in Honolulu, Hawaii.

“The relationship I had with my dad was incredibly complicated and fueled by tough love. My dad was kicked out of his house when he was 13 and was homeless, so that then shaped the man who then raised me. And in that complication came an extraordinary life that was full of travel. I lived in 13 different states by the time I was 13 years old. I also lived in New Zealand. There was so much breadth to this life I had,” Johnson said in an interview.

He added: “There’s a lot of things in between those years that took place… But it was complicated and the relationship that I had with my dad was incredibly complicated – that was fuelled by tough love.”

A multitalented athlete, Johnson was also a part of his school’s track, football and wrestling teams. A young Johnson was an exceptionally talented footballer in particular and even won a full scholarship from the University of Miami, where he was a part of the national championship team of 1991. However, his future lay in wrestling and the youngster eventually made his WWF bow in 1996, under the name Rocky Maivia. His original character proved unpopular due to his colorful choice of clothing and ridiculously clean cut image, which caused the top brass at WWF to transform Johnson into the funky, incredibly charming, highly talented, crowd-pleasing and loudmouthed wonder – The Rock!

Photographs of a Family of Nine Living in Field on U.S. Route 70 Near the Tennessee River During the Depression, 1936

A native of Boston, Carl Mydans (1907–2004) was born into a family of second-generation Russian immigrants. He studied journalism at Boston University, where he first learned how to take and develop photographs. After he graduated in 1930, he found work as a reporter for American Banker, but eventually bought a 35-millimeter Contax camera. The Contax was small, and enabled its carrier to easily roam about and take photos with a minimum of advance preparation. He quickly mastered the camera, and began to sell his work to Time and other magazines.

In 1935, Mydans was hired as a photographer with a U.S. federal agency called the Resettlement Administration, which later became the Farm Security Administration. He traveled throughout New England and the South, documenting the failed end of a rural-based economy, and gained a reputation for his images of bedraggled Arkansas farmers and their families. It was the Great Depression, and the poorest of America’s poor were devastated by the economic downturn.

These pictures, of a Tennessee family of nine living in a hut built on an abandoned truck chassis, portray the misery of the times as starkly as any photographs by his more celebrated contemporaries in the FSA.

Resettlement Administration official investigating the case of nine living in field on U.S. Route 70 between Camden and Bruceton, Tennessee, near the Tennessee River. March 1936.

Family of nine living in open field in rough board covering built on old Ford truck chassis on U.S. Route 70, between Bruceton and Camden, Tennessee. Their water supply was an open creek running near highway.

Mother and father of a family of nine living in open field in rough board covering built on old Ford chassis on U.S. Route 70, between Bruceton and Camden, Tennessee.

Mother and baby of family of nine living in field on U.S. Route 70 in Tennessee, near Tennessee River.

Mother and baby of family of nine living in field on U.S. Route 70 in Tennessee, near Tennessee River.

Twelve-year old girl of family of nine living in one-room hut built over the chassis of abandoned Ford truck in open field on U.S. Route 70 between Camden and Bruceton, Tennessee. View also shows one of the small boys in family; the girl is dressed in a meal sack.

Oldest boy of family of nine, seventeen years old, claims two years schooling; living with his family in open field, on U.S. Route 70 between Camden and Bruceton, Tennessee.

Three of the family of nine living in field in rough board covering built on old Ford truck chassis on U.S. Route 70, between Camden and Bruceton, Tennessee.

Twelve-year old girl of family of nine, cooking meal in rude, open lean-to near hut, Tennessee.

Interior of wood shack built upon Ford truck chassis housing father, mother and seven children. This view shows the mother and two of her children.

One-room hut housing family of nine built over chassis of abandoned Ford in open field between Camden and Bruceton, Tennessee, near Tennessee River.

This one-room hut built of rough lumber over the chassis of an abandoned Ford truck was the housing provided by a landlord for an illiterate wood-cutter, with a wife and seven children. Found on U.S. Route 70 between Camden and Bruceton, Tennessee, near Tennessee River. Family of nine lived and slept in this shack.

(Photos by Carl Mydans)

Strange Ads Featuring Images of Giant Babies Taking Over and Their Mini Mothers for Johnson’s Baby Products, ca. 1940s

These slightly terrifying ads featuring giant babies and tiny mothers are for Johnson’s Baby Oil & Baby Powder. They date from 1944-48.

In the ads, a giant baby exacts a vicious turnabout-is-fair-play revenge on his mother, who failed as a parent an a human being by using the wrong skin-care products on him.

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The Tragic Story of the Berberovs, a Soviet Family Who Raised Lions as Their Pets at Home in the 1970s

The story of the Berberovs – a family from Baku, Azerbaijan, in the 1970s, kept a lion in an ordinary Soviet apartment – is capable of both moving and horrifying at the time. Because they had two lions. And if the first – King – was grateful to Lev and Nina Berberov for their salvation and had an agreeable character, then the other – King II – turned out to be a killer. He sent the mistress to the hospital and killed her first child, a 14-year-old boy.

The architect Lev Lvovich Berberov (Lev Lvovich literally means ‘lion. son of lion’) and his family had many pets. In their 100 sq. meters (1000 sq. feet) apartment there was enough room for cats, dogs, parrots, hedgehogs, snakes, raccoons… So when his wife brought home a dying lion cub from the zoo, he was not much surprised.

While walking at the zoo, Nina Berberova and her daughter, Eva saw a sick lion cub abandoned by his mother. With the permission of the Zoo’s director, the family brought the lion to their apartment and named him the King. Soon, King the lion became a domestic animal and was loved by family members.

In a short time, not only Soviet, but also foreign press was interested in the King. Many articles were written, and many TV programs were prepared about him. Even the King starred several movies such as Lion Left House, A Boy, a Girl, and a Lion, The Unbelievable Adventures of Italians in Russia. After that, Lev Berberov left his architectural job and began to negotiate with film studios as King’s producer. Nina Berberova said that their neighbors were not satisfied being adjacent to a lion. They were living in constant fear and anxiety.

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Family Ride on a Five Seat Bike in England, 1950

Who needs a van when you can ride as a family! How cool is this family circa 1950.

Mr. Eric Jewell, of Dukes Avenue, Finchley, London, finds the solution to go with his whole family to the countryside: a five seat bike.

Here, Jewell with his wife and children on a “quinticycle” – adapted from a tandem with a sidecar.

Lovely Photos of Elvis Presley With His Wife Priscilla and Their Daughter Lisa-Marie, 1973

For years Elvis Presley and Priscilla seemed content not to marry. Then, in what seemed a totally overnight decision, they were married on May 1, 1967, in a double ring ceremony at the Las Vegas Aladdin Hotel. Priscilla wore a gown of white organza trimmed in seed pearls with lace sleeves and a full train. A three-quarter length tulle veil was held by a crown of rhinestones. Her wedding-engagement ring was a three-carat diamond surrounded by 20 smaller diamonds.

The love shared between the King and his Queen is unquestionable. The ex-wife and only marriage partner Elvis ever had was with her husband for many years. She celebrated his ups and stuck by him through his downs even after the marriage collapsed.

The birth of Lisa Marie Presley on February 1, 1968, in Memphis, was a blessing. Not only did it provide the Presleys with a much wanted child, but the baby gave Priscilla a new outlet for her energies, a love with whom she could spend her days. “Elvis and I were ecstatic over the birth of our daughter. If the baby had been a boy, we were going to name him John Barron. I liked the name Barron. It has a very strong feeling to it. But when it was a girl, we decided on Lisa Marie – for no special reason, only because it is a very feminine name.”

Lisa is a combination of both her parents. “She definitely has her father's eyes,” said Priscilla, “but she has my features and petiteness.”

The two share their child, Lisa Marie Presley, which kept their communication open and friendly relationship alive until Elvis’ untimely death. However, following the birth of their daughter, the legendary couple divorced.

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Adorable Childhood Photos of Kurt Cobain With His Younger Sister Kimberly in the 1970s

Kurt Cobain was born at Grays Harbor Hospital in Aberdeen, Washington on February 20, 1967, the son of waitress Wendy Elizabeth and automotive mechanic Donald Leland Cobain. His parents were married on July 31, 1965, in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. His ancestry included Dutch, English, French, German, Irish, and Scottish. His Irish ancestors emigrated from Carrickmore, County Tyrone in 1875. Researchers found that they were shoemakers, originally named “Cobane,” who came from Inishatieve, a townland within Carrickmore. They first settled in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada, and then in Washington. Cobain himself believed his family came from County Cork.

Kurt was three when his younger sister, Kimberly Dawn Cobain, was born on April 24, 1970. She looked, even as an infant, remarkably like her brother, with the same mesmerizing blue eyes and light blond hair. When Kimberly was brought home from the hospital, Kurt insisted on carrying her into the house. “He loved her so much,” remembered his father. “And at first they were darling together.” Their three-year age difference was ideal because her care became one of his main topics of conversation. This marked the beginning of a personality trait that would stick with Kurt for the rest of his life—he was sensitive to the needs and pains of others, at times overly so.

Kurt and Kim lived happily in Aberdeen, Washington until her parents divorced in 1976. After the divorce Kim was separated from her brother, who went to live with relatives and Kim stayed with her mother.  Already hating her real dad at this point, Kim changed her last name to O’Connor, the last name of her mother’s new husband, Pat.

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20 Vintage Photos of Big Immigration Families in the U.S From the Early 20th Century

Between 1900 and 1915, more than 15 million immigrants arrived in the United States. That was about equal to the number of immigrants who had arrived in the previous 40 years combined. In 1910, three-fourths of New York City’s population were either immigrants or first generation Americans (i.e. the sons and daughters of immigrants).

Not only were the numbers of immigrants swelling, the countries from which they came had changed dramatically as well. Unlike earlier immigrants, the majority of the newcomers after 1900 came from non-English speaking European countries. The principal source of immigrants was now southern and eastern Europe, especially Italy, Poland, and Russia, countries quite different in culture and language from the United States, and many immigrants had difficulty adjusting to life here.

At the same time, the United States had difficulty absorbing the immigrants. Most of the immigrants chose to settle in American cities, where jobs were located. As a result, the cities became ever more crowded. In addition, city services often failed to keep up with the flow of newcomers. Most of the immigrants did find jobs, although they often worked in jobs that most native-born Americans would not take. Over time, however, many immigrants succeeded in improving their condition.

Here, below is a selection of 20 vintage portrait photos of big immigration families in the U.S from the early 20th century:

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King of Billiards With His Sons, 1886

This Russian family portrait was taken back in 1886. The father dressed as the king of billiards and his two sons dressed as the cue ball and 8 ball.