At the end of every quarter the Sifter will highlight the top 25 ‘Pictures of the Day‘, culminating in an epic Top 100 at the end of the year (check out the ‘Top 100 POTDs for 2012‘). It’s hard to believe we’re already a 1/4 of the way through 2013. Below you will find…
Vintage Submarine Control Room from 1918 Photograph via Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums Have you ever seen so many valves? I count at least 23! You are looking at the control room of the UB-110 German Submarine (looking aft, starboard side). The photograph was recently uploaded to Flickr Commons by the…
On March 11, 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake struck off the coast of Japan. It was a magnitude 9.03 (Mw), the most powerful known earthquake ever to have hit Japan and the fifth most powerful earthquake in the world since modern record-keeping began in 1900. The earthquake triggered powerful tsunami waves that reached…
Ezra Stoller (1915-2004) is known as one of the most influential photographers of Modern architecture. Stoller was born in Chicago, grew up in New York and graduated from NYU in 1938 with a BFA in industrial design. During his prosperous career as an architectural photographer, Stoller worked closely with many of the period’s leading…
THE FATHER OF ROCKET SCIENCE Photograph by NASA Wernher von Braun (March 23, 1912 – June 16, 1977) was a German rocket scientist, aerospace engineer, space architect, and one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in Nazi Germany during World War II and, subsequently, in the United States.…
Edwards Air Force Base (Image via Google Maps) Across the USA you will find dozens of these strange markings painted on rectangular slabs of concrete and asphalt. They are known as aerial photo calibration targets, relics from the past that dot the landscape. They were made mostly in the 1950s and 60s, their form…
Built in 1800, the White House at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., has been the residence of every U.S president since John Adams. In 1814 (during the war of 1812) the White House was set ablaze by the British army, destroying the interior and charring much of the exterior. Since then the building…
CHÂTEAU DE CHAMBFORD Photograph by Patrick Giraud The royal Château de Chambord at Chambord, Loir-et-Cher, France, is one of the most recognizable châteaux in the world because of its distinct French Renaissance architecture which blends traditional French medieval forms with classical Renaissance structures. The building, which was never completed, was constructed from…
Pablo Escobar Visits the White House Photograph via Sebastian Marroquin for ‘Sins of My Father’ HBO Documentary In this rare photograph (c 1978 – 1982) we see notorious Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar standing in front of the White House in Washington, DC. The boy standing beside Escobar is his only son,…
This LEGO Mold Made 120 million Bricks Photograph by Zane Thorn @ LegoGod.com In the historic photo above we see a retired LEGO mold on display at the LEGO Factory in LEGOLAND California. The mold made a staggering 120 million bricks before being decommissioned. The photograph was taken by Zane Thorn, operator…