50 photos from 50 years ago.

Big Mike · Oct 21, 2011

50 Years Ago: The World in 1961 - Alan Taylor - In Focus - The Atlantic

KmH · Oct 21, 2011

#2. Dig that whip, and the pedestrian thigh breaking front end and lower leg shattering attachments.

#4. What! No gloves?

#7. "Mike The Bike" went on to also race F1.

#14. Seat belts weren't required in 1961.

#24. It sure took them a while.

I was 10 years old in September of 1961. Things sure have changed.

The Moon gets about 200 cm (6.5 ft) farther from Earth every 50 years.

dots · Oct 21, 2011

Excellent pictures!

#22 :sexywink:

Derrel · Oct 21, 2011

One thing that is strikingly apparent in photo 38 of President-elect John F. Kennedy seen surrounded by a huge group of mobbing Harvard students: in the photo, there are only TWO cameras clearly visible. One is a twin-lens reflex, and the other is an 8mm movie camera. AMong this huge group of students, and there are TWO visible cameras...and the same goes for the huge mass of British protestors at an anti-nuclear protest shown in photo #3, in which we see what appear to be two working press photos, one with a three-lens turret equipped cine camera, and the other with a 35mm camera, both stationed in the lower left corner of the frame...I also see a guy carrying a trumpet...

In today's world, at both of those types of events, we would expect to see literally HUNDREDS of cameras and or cell phones with cameras. The lack of cameras in the hands of the general population 50 years ago might explain why "iconic photographs" exist from so many mass events. Fewer photographers, fewer photos, and the photos that do exist were often shot by those working for official outlets, with the capability to distribute the images world-wide (UPI, AP, etc).

dots · Oct 21, 2011

Hardly anyone carries trumpets these days either.

Big Mike · Oct 21, 2011

Very astute observation.
Mix in the many forms of instantaneous mass communication, combine that with globalization and events like those would be known about all over the world, basically as they are happening. That certainly changes the game...but yes, it's all that much less likely that we will have 'iconic' images from modern events.

That being said, fewer things are escaping the 'public eye'. Photos (and apparently video) of Muammar Gaddafi's death are all over the internet...and that's not even two days old.