Dogs playing cards; ca. 1891
No matter what era you’re born in, dressing up your pets is always funny.
Dog with German soldier equipment; ca. 1939
I love that who ever did this placed the grenades in the boots with the tops sticking out in order to hold the rifle, German ingenuity!!!
Feeding polar bears from a tank; ca. 1950
“There’s a good bear, now go and maim those Nazis on this other side of this hill.”
This is quite possibly the most Russian photograph ever taken.
Polar bears look really freaking cute, but they’re the only animal that actively predates on humans.
Wolves will give it a long and hard thought about whether they want to attack humans. Polar bears? Nope. If they see you, and you can’t protect yourself or seek shelter, you’re dead.
Salvador Dalí walking his anteater in Paris, 1969
What, did he just call up the ol’ anteater store and say “Hi, I’m Salvador Dali, and I require one of your anteaters for surrealism purposes”?
Secretariat comes down the stretch in the 1973 Belmont Stakes, “He’s moving like a tremendous machine.”
This is one of the greatest sports photos of all time. The enormity of what Turcotte and Secretariat accomplished that day is mind-boggling.
I’ve always thought of Secretariat as one of the most bad-ass athletes in all of sports.
- Derby – Sets record running faster as the race goes on, record still stands
- Preakness – Wins again by 2.5 lengths, on covers of Time, Newsweek and SI
- Belmont – Wins by 31 lengths in 2:24 (averaging 37.5 mph), a record that still stands today.
- FUN FACT: The word “horse” technically means an ungelded male over age 4. It can be used interchangeably with “stallion.” A colt is an ungelded male younger than that, a gelding is gelded male of any age. Filly is a female <4 years old, mare is a female >4 years old. Foal is a baby of either gender.
Ham the Chimp before boarding the rocket Mercury-Redstone II in 1961.
He traveled for 679 km in about 17 minutes, lifting off from Cape Canaveral and splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean. He was recovered in good condition, readily eating an apple and half an orange.
Bob: The Railway Dog
Bob was born in South Australia in 1882, and for some reason he loved trains. He spent the early years of his life as a stray, following railway workers to work, until he was rounded up by a dogcatcher. It looked as if he was destined for the pound, but luckily for Bob he was bought by a kindly station guard who’d taken a liking to him. It worked out well, as his new master allowed him to ride the train with him in the guard’s van every day. But, eventually, his master got a promotion and he and Bob parted ways. Then Bob started to jump trains alone.
Bob traveled up and down Southern Australia, becoming a familiar and welcome sight on trains across the land. Sometimes, when Bob felt that he needed some privacy, he chose an empty carriage and scared away any passengers who tried to sit in it by barking like crazy. The station masters and guards all knew him by name, so they left him to his own devices. At night he followed the engine driver home for a warm meal and soft place to sleep, then returned to the train the next morning. For most of his life, Bob went where he pleased, and as his fame grew so did his reception when he rode into town. He was allowed to attend banquets as a guest of honor, was given a special bracelet with his name on it—with an engraving telling anyone who read it to let him go where he wanted—and when he was seen riding on trains by local children they ran after him as if he were the Pope. Bob had many adventures in his short life and died the most famous dog in Australian history.
I hope to be remembered for my atrocities! 