It was Truman who announced the good news to the United States of America. As the wartime President, it was only right that he told his country of Japan’s surrender. The whole world rejoiced. Hollywood was certainly known for its parties, so it only fitted that a big bash was held to celebrate this triumphant victory. The spectacle inside the many clubs, as well as the debauchery, would have been quite something.
People rejoiced in the streets, and crowds waved banners and sang loudly. Confetti was strewn in the air, on the footpaths – there was certainly no raining on their parade during this joyous historical moment. We’re talking about the 1940s or the “Roaring Forties” when Hollywood was enjoying its golden moment. There’s just something about images of gleeful moments; it makes you immediately feel a part of their joy and happiness.
Consumer Society
Mass consumerism and resultant excess are trends that don’t seem to know how to slow down in our modern world. Andreas Gursky’s century-turning photo encapsulates these feelings and ideas perfectly. Aptly named '99 Cents,' this image of 1001 consumer products paradoxically became the most expensive contemporary photo purchased at one point in time.
The photograph is a collage of sorts, consisting of multiple images taken in a discount “99 Cents only” store in Los Angeles and meshed together using graphic design software. If you really concentrate on the photo, it turns into an illusion of sorts. The endless hypnotic rows of merchandise with consumers poking their heads among the shelves become a colorful mixture of reality and fiction—the image sold for a record-breaking $2.3 million at auction.
All the Way With LBJ!
Hours after one of the world’s most powerful nations was struck by tragedy, the U.S. acted rapidly, installing Lyndon Baines Johnson as the 36th President of the United States. Following the assassination of the beloved John F. Kennedy, Johnson assumed the presidency in 1963. This image immortalizes the moment Johnson insisted that the former president's wife join him in the capital mere hours after she lost her husband.
Johnson’s wife, Lady Bird Johnson, described the scene as such: “Jackie Kennedy remained composed, immaculate…and exquisitely dressed.” Known for her elegance and grace, the former First Lady kept it together even in an extremely distressing and heartbreaking time. Jackie Kennedy was keeping calm in a time of crisis because she knew the eyes of the American people were fixed on her to gauge their own responses.
The First Walmart, 1962
Mr. Sam Walton was just your run-of-the-mill salesman with nothing else but thoughts of the American Dream in his head. In 1962 he took the plunge and opened Walton’s Five-and-Dime. Who would’ve thought this would turn into the mega-franchise it is today? Mr. Walton knew that slow and steady wins the race, taking his time to build his brand and empire. From humble beginnings, as shown in this picture, the unremarkable store grew into a major American supermarket.
The first store opened on July 2nd, 1962, at 719 West Walnut Street in Rogers, Arkansas. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. grew rapidly from this discreet store, with business booming within two decades. It became one of the world’s largest corporations by way of revenues, and at one stage, Sam Walton was the richest man in America. Today, Wal-Mart brings in a revenue of $500 billion. Now, doesn’t that make this photo even more extraordinary?!
W-W-W-W-Wipe Out! 1938
Tom Blake was a trailblazer in the surfing world, introducing the sport to California in 1931. Creating the very first hollow surfboard, Blake was going to go down in history. It was Blake who completely changed something the Hawaiians held closely to a national sport, which became incredibly popular around the globe. Here we see a group of surfers learning the ins and outs of the sport.
It’s one of the few sports that created its own culture and lifestyle. While it originated in Polynesia and onto the high-class Hawaiians, it was soon adopted by Americans, Australians, and many others. Blake didn’t stop at the surfboard, though; he also invented rescue paddleboards using the same design principles, as well as the first “torpedo” rescue buoy.