22 Amazing Color Photographs of Jordan in 1952

The 1950s were a period of tumultuous political upheaval throughout the Arab world. Much of this turbulence was attributed to popular dissatisfaction caused by the creation of the state of Israel and the loss of Palestine in 1948-49. Colonial powers also continued to exert their influence over the Arab nation, a condition which prompted seething resentment among the masses. Popular discontent led to a sharp growth in support for several radical pan-Arab ideologies.

With the Great Arab Revolt in 1916 and the consequent British invasion, the area came under Occupied Enemy Territory Administration in 1917 and with the British mandate of Transjordan in early 1920s, it became the Emirate of Transjordan under the Hashemite Emir.

In 1946, independent Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan was formed and shortly admitted to the United Nations and the Arab League. In 1948, Jordan fought with the newly born state of Israel over lands of former Mandatory Palestine, effectively gaining control of the West Bank and annexing it with its Palestinian population.

Jordan lost West Bank in the 1967 War with Israel, and since became the central base of the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) in its struggle against Israel. The alliance between the PLO and the Jordanians, active during the War of Attrition, came to an end in the bloody Black September in Jordan in 1970, when a civil war between Jordanians and Palestinians (with Syrian Ba'athist support) took thousands of lives. In the aftermath, defeated PLO was forced out of Jordan together with tens of thousands of its fighters and their Palestinian families, relocating to South Lebanon.

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Barbara Bates: A Sad and Tragic Ending to a Promising Hollywood Beauty

Born 1925 in Denver, Colorado, American actress and singer Barbara Bates studied ballet and worked as a teen fashion model. The shy teen was persuaded to enter a local beauty contes. Not only did she win but meeting Cecil Coan, a United Artists publicist, during that Hollywood trip altered the course of her life forever.

In 1944, Bates signed a contract with Universal Pictures after Cecil Coan introduced her to producer Walter Wanger. She fell in love with Coan, who was married with two sons and two daughters. In 1945, Coan divorced his wife and secretly married Bates days later.

In 1947, Warner Bros. signed her and highlighted her "girl-next-door" image and her acting career took off. She appeared with some of the biggest stars of the day including Bette Davis in June Bride and Danny Kaye in The Inspector General.

In 1949, Bates was fired by Warner Brothers, but quickly signed a contract with 20th Century-Fox later that year. Bates auditioned for the small role of Phoebe in Fox's upcoming All About Eve and impressed the producers and was given the part. She made a short but important appearance as the devious schemer, Phoebe, at the end of the film. This memorable final scene left critics and audiences intrigued by the young actress, who they thought would star in a sequel to All About Eve.

After her appearance in All About Eve, Bates co-starred in Cheaper by the Dozen, and its sequel Belles on Their Toes, with Jeanne Crain and Myrna Loy. In 1951, she landed a role opposite MacDonald Carey and Claudette Colbert in the comedy Let's Make It Legal. She co-starred with Donna Reed as the love interests of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis in the 1953 hit comedy The Caddy.

Barbara was not heard of again until her March 1969 death. It was learned that she had retreated to her hometown of Denver and worked in various minor job capacities, including stints as a secretary, dental assistant and hospital aide. Her much older husband and chief supporter, Cecil Coan, died of cancer in January of 1967, and Barbara fell apart.

Although she remarried in December of 1968 to a childhood friend, sportscaster William Reed, she remained increasingly despondent and committed suicide just four months later. She was found dead in her car by her mother in her mother's garage of carbon monoxide poisoning. Another sad and tragic ending to a promising Hollywood beauty who seemed destined to having it all.

Take a look at these beautiful photos to see the beauty of young Barbara Bates in the 1940s and 1950s.

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Beautiful Pictures That Show What Boston Looked Like in the Early 1960s

Founded on the Shawmut Peninsula in 1630 by Puritan settlers from England, Boston was one of the oldest cities in the United States. It is the capital city and most populous municipality of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city proper covers 48 square miles (124 km2, and is the most populous city in the New England region.

The Boston area's many colleges and universities make it an international center of higher education, including law, medicine, engineering, and business, and the city is considered to be a world leader in innovation and entrepreneurship.

Boston's economic base also includes finance, professional and business services, biotechnology, information technology, and government activities. The city has one of the highest costs of living in the United States.

Take a look at these color pics from Dick Leonhardt to see what Boston looked like from the early 1960s.

City Square Station, Charlestown, Boston, March 1960

Boston from City Square Station in Charlestown, March 1960

Causeway Street and Boston Garden, March 1960

Fish Pier, Boston, August 1960

 Fish Pier, Boston, July 1960

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24 Amazing Photographs of Burlesque Dancers in the 1950s

A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects. The word derives from the Italian burlesco, which, in turn, is derived from the Italian burla – a joke, ridicule or mockery.

Left to Right actresses and burlesque entertainers Margie Hart, Lili St. Cyr, and Gypsy Rose Lee were all were showcased at Boston’s Old Howard Theater on November 25, 1953. (AP Photo)

Burlesque has historic roots in America’s minstrel culture, dating as far back as the 1840s. However, the version we know today — a marriage of vaudevillian humor and striptease — became popular in the early 1900s, when (mostly women) performers took to clubs and Broadway venues with their own brand of music, dance and provocative nudity.

The era of Prohibition took a toll on the burlesque industry, as teetotaling politicians and authority figures took issue with both the performers and club owners that made burlesque possible. Thankfully, the genre bit back in the 1950s, as women like Sally Rand, Gypsy Rose Lee, Tempest Storm, Lili St. Cyr, and Blaze Starr emerged as boundary-pushing icons.

We dove into the photographic archives to showcase a visual taste of burlesque in the 1950s.

Bikini-clad burlesque dancer Brenda Conde shows some moves backstage at the Tivoli Theatre, Mexico City circa 1950. (Photo by Three Lions/Getty Images)

Burlesque dancer Gloria Knight in a two-piece stage outfit, circa 1950. (Photo by Diaz & Rogers/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Burlesque dancer Lonnie Young in a bikini decorated with flowers, circa 1950. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Burlesque dancer Mary Mack reclining on a chaise longue, circa 1950. (Photo by Bruno/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

American actress and burlesque entertainer Gypsy Rose Lee (1914-1970), circa 1950. (Photo by Pictorial Parade/Archive Photos/Getty Images)

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15 Rare and Adorable Childhood Photos of Björk From the 1960s and 1970s

Soon after Björk was born her parents realized they weren't meant to be together and so they divorced. Björk lived with her mother but she also spent time with her father and her grandparents. Björk's mom has told Björk could sing before she learnt to speak.

At the age of five Björk went to a music school where she learnt to play the flute (her parents couldn't afford to buy the oboe). Björk has said her childhood home was a hippie commune but her mother says Björk exaggerates as she exaggerates many other things. Because Björk spent her childhood in several homes she was able to listen to all kinds of music, for example she heard Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin at her home and jazz at her grandparent's house and classical music in the music school and pop music from NATO's radio station.

At the age of eleven Björk made her first album with her mom's musician friends. The album included mostly popular Icelandic songs but also some cover songs such as the Beatles' Fool On The Hill and Stevie Wonder's Your Kiss Is Sweet. Björk wrote one song for the album. Björk's first album sold gold in Iceland and after that all Icelanders knew Björk but Björk didn't like it at all and so she refused to do another album.

Björk when she was a baby.

Björk wearing her christening gown.

Björk when she was a little girl.

Björk and her father Guðmundur Gunnarsson.

Björk when she was a little girl.

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30 Vintage Photographs of Fisher People Around the Small North Yorkshire Town of Whitby in the Late 19th Century

Frank Meadow Sutcliffe was born in Leeds in 1853, just 14 years after the birth of photography. He was the son of Thomas Sutcliffe, an artist, lecturer and art critic.

In 1870 the family moved to Whitby, where they had often spent their summer holidays. His father died the following year and Frank, now the head of the family at eighteen, decided to make his living with a camera.

Whitby in Victorian times was a thriving tourist resort and Frank Sutcliffe became very successful taking studio portraits of the wealthy holiday makers.

Taking portraits in a studio paid the bills, but Sutcliffe really wanted to photograph the everyday working people in Whitby and the beautiful surrounding countryside.

He developed an affection and respect for the town and its people which shines through his work, producing photographs which were not only of the highest technical merit, but also displayed great artistry.

Between 1880 and 1894, Sutcliffe was awarded over sixty gold, silver and bronze medals at exhibitions as far a field as New York, Tokyo, Berlin, Paris, Chicago and Vienna, as well as at major exhibitions in this country.

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Everyday Life of Italy in the Late 1950s Through the Lens of a New Zealander

Italy in the early 1950s was a very poor country. During World War Two, Italy - ruled by the Fascist Mussolini - had initially fought alongside Nazi Germany. Yet the Italians became increasingly anxious about their role in the war and about Fascism, and in 1943, Mussolini was deposed by Victor Emmanuel III, the king of Italy.

Italy then switched sides in the war and supported the British allies, but suffered huge loses in northern towns and villages as the Nazis tried to take revenge. After the war, following a referendum, the monarchy was abolished and a republic was established.

Italians of the 1950s saw an economic explosion that resulted in the rise of living standards. Despite this rise, many southern Italians remained in poverty necessitating moves to the more prosperous north.

A selection of color slides belonging to Fraser Pettigrew's grandfather James Halley, from one or more his trips to Italy, that show everyday life of Italy in the late 1950s.

Vicenza

Vicenza. Giuseppe Garibaldi statue

Acquapendente. Oxen on the street

Aquileia. Basilica di Aquileia

Assisi. Santa Maria degli Angeli

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