The History Place - Special Presentation: Best of Photo of the Week

Chosen from over 700 Weekly Photos
that have appeared since 1996.

 War and Remembrance

Left - Upon the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1913 - the last great gathering of Civil War veterans on the actual Battlefield - a Confederate veteran recalls the tumultuous event while talking with a Union veteran. Mid - During World War I, Mrs. Hammond from the American Red Cross serves water to a badly wounded British soldier on a platform at the railroad station in Montmirail, France. May 31, 1918. Right - General John J. Pershing, who commanded the U.S. Army in Europe during World War I, is seen during a visit to Arlington National Cemetery in 1925.

Left - President Franklin D. Roosevelt salutes U.S. Army troops at Fort Lewis, Washington state. September 1942. Mid - During World War II, members of U.S. Third Army run through smoke-filled streets in Wernberg, Germany. April 1945. Right - A young girl enjoys a cup of tea courtesy of the advancing Allied armies in a sector of Europe now cleared of Hitler's troops. 1944.

Left - A silent tribute erected by French civilians for an American soldier who fell in the battle to liberate France from Nazi domination. Carentan, France. June 1944. Mid - A Russian slave laborer, just liberated by the U.S. 3rd Armored Division, points out a Nazi SS guard who brutally beat prisoners. April 14, 1945. Right - A German woman strolls past a sign saying "Hitler's Work" several weeks after the end of World War II in Europe which had resulted in the destruction of most German cities.

Left - A young American officer and his wife sit in their car at the dock staring silently at the waiting aircraft carrier that will soon transport him to the war in Korea. San Diego, California. 1950. Mid - A grief-stricken American infantryman whose buddy has just been killed in action is comforted by another soldier, while in the background a corpsman methodically fills out casualty tags. Haktong-ni area, Korea. August 28, 1950. Right - During the Vietnam War, an American medic from the 1st Infantry Division searches the sky for a medevac helicopter to evacuate his wounded buddy following an air assault conducted by U.S. troops. June 1967.

Left - Memorial Day 2006 at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Mid - President George Bush greets General Norman Schwarzkopf who leads the Desert Storm Homecoming Parade in Washington, D.C. June 1991. Right - A New York City rescue worker stands amid the wreckage following the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. September 11th, 2001.

Great Depression Era

Left - Two boys, with nothing to do, loiter outside a corner drugstore. Dover, Delaware. July 1938. Mid - Two men seeking opportunity head toward Los Angeles on foot. 1937. Right - A family lingers amid their makeshift campsite in rural California during hard times brought on by the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl of the Midwest which had forced them to abandon their own farm and become traveling farm workers. 1935.

Left - A family that has lost everything waits by the highway in the hope of hitchhiking a ride out of town. Macon, Georgia. 1937. Mid - A striking portrait of two farm boys from Arkansas. 1939. Right - A farmer and his sons walk in the face of a dust storm. Cimarron County, Oklahoma. 1936.

Striking Scenery

Left - Sunrise upon the Dead Sea near present-day Ein Gedi, Israel. c1930. Mid - Sunrise upon a beach along the Plauer Sea in northern Germany. c1950. Right - Sunset upon the Mediterranean Sea along the coast of Ashkelon, Israel. c1935.

Left - A night-time view of Luna Park amusements and attractions at Coney Island, NY. c1905. Mid - A carpet of leaves along Battle Road inside Minuteman National Historical Park. Lexington, Massachusetts. 2006. Right - After a blizzard, people stroll through Prospect Park in Brooklyn, NY, to view snow-covered trees. c1910.

Pursuits of Childhood

Left - School children tend their Victory Garden, located on First Avenue between Thirty-fifth and Thirty-sixth streets in New York City. June 1944. Mid - A young student ponders her lesson. Southeast Missouri. 1938. Right - Archie and Quentin Roosevelt, two sons of President Theodore Roosevelt, amuse themselves by making bubbles. Sagamore Hill, Long Island, NY.c1904.

Left - Schoolboys amuse themselves by climbing a fence. May 1936. Mid - A huge cheer by young fans of the Detroit Tigers baseball team during a home game at Briggs Stadium in Detroit, Michigan. August 1942. Right - Children stage a patriotic demonstration during a festival in Southington, Connecticut. May 1942.

Left - On a hot summer's day youngsters cool off in the Reflecting Pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Washington, D.C. July 1929. Mid - Newsboys working downtown take a break during a lull in business. c1935. Right - The 100-yard dash ends in a tight finish as youngsters from Brooklyn, NY, public schools compete during their annual Field Day festival of sports and games. c1920.

A Glimpse of Olden Days

Left - A family arrives at Ellis Island, New York, to begin new lives in America. c1910. Mid - Jewish families in New York City receive free matzohs and matzoh flour for kosher meals and holiday celebrations. 1908. Right - Easter Morning 1903 on New York's Fifth Avenue in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Left - A cowboy in South Dakota astride his well-equipped horse. c1888. Mid - Three hobos play cards while riding inside a railroad box car. c1907. Right - An early model 'horseless carriage' which used a unique steering lever to change direction, before the invention of the steering wheel. c1913.

Meaningful Moments

Left - A hearing-impaired youngster learns to speak using a microphone and visual aids to observe his speech pattern. Germany 1953. Mid - A young athlete, surrounded by others, participates in the shot put competition. Overbrook School for the Blind, Philadelphia. c1910. Right - Heinrich Wiegmann, an 18-year-old German-American who lost both arms in an industrial accident, earns his living as an artist. Germany. May 1931.

Left - A Suffragette, wearing a sash and carrying a homemade sign, is surrounded by a curious crowd of men and boys. 1914. Mid - Participants are seen during the Civil Rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, petitioning for voting rights for African Americans. March 1965. Right - A crowd anticipates the destruction of the Berlin Wall near the Brandenburg Gate in April 1990 thus ending 45 years of Cold War division between East and West Berlin. Six months later, October 3, 1990, East and West Germany were officially reunited as the Federal Republic of Germany.

Left - A Japanese-American boy gets a hug from his pal during lunchtime at Raphael Weill Public School in San Francisco, April 1942. Not long after this photo was taken, children of Japanese ancestry (including the pictured boy) were evacuated with their parents to spend the duration of World War II in War Relocation Authority centers. Mid - A youngster receives a helping hand coming out of the lake at Camp Nathan Hale, one of the first interracial summer camps in America. Southfields, New York. 1943. Right - A boy and his father read a prayer together in observance of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. New York City. September 1911.

Left - An impoverished youngster gazes longingly at a display of Christmas toys in a store window in New York City. c1911. Mid - A young girl waits with others following news of a massive explosion inside a coal mine near Finnleyville, Pennsylvania. Ultimately, ninety-six miners were found dead. April 1913. Right - Young members of a poor family from Thurston County, Washington, proudly display their two prized possessions - a boy's bicycle and pet cat. 1939.

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