Josephine Baker carried military secrets across borders, hidden in her sheet music during World War II. Already one of Paris’s biggest stars, Baker secretly worked for French intelligence. Her fame gave her access to gatherings attended by German, Italian, and Japanese officials, where she gathered valuable information. Intelligence about German troop movements and military plans was written in invisible ink on her sheet music, allowing her to transport it without attracting suspicion. For her wartime service, France awarded her the Croix de guerre. The sheet music pictured is an archival example, not a confirmed document containing secret messages. Source: International Spy Museum; CIA

What was the most expensive thing in your house growing up that nobody uses anymore?

A parachute saved his life in 1944. Three years later, his bride wore it down the aisle. In August 1944, American B-29 pilot Claude Hensinger was forced to parachute from his burning aircraft after a bombing mission over Japan. He survived the landing and spent the night using his parachute as a blanket and pillow. Three years later, he proposed to his girlfriend, Ruth, and gave her the very same parachute, suggesting she turn it into her wedding gown. Inspired by *Gone with the Wind*, Ruth designed the dress, made the skirt herself, and worked with a seamstress to complete it. The couple married on July 19, 1947, in Pennsylvania. The dress was later worn by their daughter and their son’s bride before being donated to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. Source: Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History.

This robot could serve you a drink in 1985. Made by Japanese toy company Tomy, the Omnibot 2000 featured motorized arms, a wireless remote control, a built-in cassette recorder, and a programmable clock. Owners could record sequences of movements and sounds onto cassette tapes, allowing the robot to repeat them later. Pictured: A vintage Japanese advertisement for the Tomy Omnibot 2000.

Janis Joplin sitting behind a drum kit backstage at the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island, July 1968. 📸 David Gahr

A woman working at an Atari computer in the 1980s. What catches your eye in this photo?

This 18th-century chess machine had a real player hiding inside. Introduced in 1770 by Wolfgang von Kempelen, “The Turk” appeared to play chess on its own, astonishing audiences across Europe and America. In reality, a skilled chess player was concealed inside the cabinet, controlling the automaton’s movements. This 1789 engraving by Joseph Friedrich von Racknitz illustrates an early theory of how the deception worked.

A sculptor made NEW FACES for soldiers wounded in battle during World War I. American sculptor Anna Coleman Ladd created lifelike facial masks for soldiers who had suffered severe facial injuries. In 1918, she opened a studio in Paris with support from the American Red Cross. Each mask was crafted from thin copper, carefully painted to match the soldier’s skin tone, and sometimes fitted with real hair for mustaches or eyebrows. Many were held in place by eyeglasses. The upper photographs show a soldier before and after wearing his mask. Below, Ladd is pictured painting a mask for another soldier in her studio.

Michael Jackson’s *Thriller* leads the list of the best-selling albums of all time, with an estimated 72 million copies sold worldwide. The top 10 spans several decades of music history, from classic rock and disco to pop, and includes studio albums, soundtracks, and greatest hits collections. Ranking based on Media Traffic’s October 2026 estimates. Sales figures may vary by source.

"Beauty Parlor"

Shoes of the ’70s

In 1967, a race official tried to pull Kathrine Switzer out of the Boston Marathon. She finished anyway. At 20 years old, Switzer became the first woman to finish the race with an official bib number, 261. She had registered as “K. V. Switzer,” using the initials she normally signed her name with. During the race, official Jock Semple tried to tear off her bib and remove her from the course. Fellow runner Tom Miller intervened, allowing her to continue. Switzer finished in approximately 4 hours and 20 minutes. Women were officially admitted to the Boston Marathon in 1972.

Cher, fashion designer Bob Mackie, and Cher’s friend Paulette Betts attend The Met Gala in celebration of the “Romantic and Glamorous Hollywood Design” exhibition on Nov. 20, 1974

During World War II, some women painted stockings onto their bare legs. As silk and nylon became scarce, with materials diverted to the war effort, women turned to liquid makeup to imitate the appearance of stockings. To complete the illusion, they even drew dark lines down the backs of their legs, recreating the seams of real stockings.

Yes, this really happened. Encounters between tourists and wild bears could look like this in the early 20th century.