In this day and age, we don’t even think twice about taking pictures. With the majority of the population toting around smart phones, we all have cameras on us at all times.

But this ability to take a picture of something at the drop of a hat has not always been the case. It wasn’t even that long ago that digital cameras were something only professional photographers had. And long long before that, way back when, being able to have your photograph taken was a luxury only the privileged had.

Which makes these 17 rare and unique historic photographs THAT much more special. These photographs give us a glimpse into the past that they don’t teach in schools. It’s fascinating to be able to see images so raw, they show us what life might actually have been like decades ago.

Check out these mind-blowing photos here and be sure to SHARE these images with your friends!

Two men testing out a new bulletproof vest 1923

Apparently, in the 1930s they were concerned about children not getting enough sunlight and fresh air when living in an apartment building. The resolution? Baby cages on the outside of the building.

A woman pushing a gas-resistant pram in England in 1938. I think this photograph speaks for itself

Charlie Chaplin without his signature mustache. This photo was taken in 1916 when he was 27-years-old.

When circuses were in their heyday in America, people would count down the days till the circus came to town. Check out this circus hippo pulling a cart in 1924

We all know The Statue of Liberty as one of America’s most significant monuments. But someone had to unpack that sucker. Here are two people unpacking the head in 1885

Meet Annie Edison Taylor the first person to ever survive going over the Niagra Falls in a barrel. This photo was taken in 1901

This Disneyland employee cafeteria in 1961 is everything you hoped it would be

The Hindenburg Disaster caught on camera on May 6, 1937

Elvis Presley looking dreamy as ever in the army in 1958

The Berlin Wall being constructed in 1961

A lifeguard hanging out at the beach, circa 1920s

This chimp made a successful mission to space, then hams it up for the camera in 1961

In 1967, Sweden switched from driving on the left side of the road to driving on the right side. This is the madness that ensued on the first morning of that switch

A mother and her son watch the mushroom cloud of an atomic bomb test through their window in 1953

If women’s bathing suits were deemed too short in the 1920s, they would be fined.