Pics of famous historical figures in their younger days

[RZM]

Gandhi in S. Africa, 1906


Stalin's police mugshot, circa 1911


Hitler during WWI (he's on the right)


Mao, 1927


Otto von Bismarck, 1836


Mohammed Reza Shah Pahlavi, 1941

[dixiegrrrrl]

1. That would make an interesting game...

"Identify these people"

In all honesty, I would have gotten only the Shah.

[RZM]

2. You're right. I didn't think of that.

Would have been fun

Luckily there's plenty more to go around!

[Adsos Letter]

3. Something of an aside...

but in my youth, looking at picture books, these guys would all have seemed so old to me; now, they look like youngsters.

OK...random musing associated with confrontation with reality over.

Thanks for posting these.

[RZM]

4. Here are their approximate ages

All are rough, since I don't know the months (in one case year) of the photos.

Gandhi about 37

Stalin about 32

Hitler about 26 (I think the photo was 1915-1916)

Mao about 33

Bismarck about 21

Mohammed Reza about 21

Of course, I remember as an elementary school kid thinking high school kids were venerable adults. Oh how times change

[Rowdyboy]

5. You know all these people....any guesses?

[RZM]

6. I can only guess three

Top pic Sarah Palin.

Next one down Barbara Streisand.

Guy with chops and glasses Elton John.

That's all I got

[Rowdyboy]

8. You're right on Palin and right on Elton John....

A bit off on Streisand

[RZM]

10. In the bathtub

Rodney Dangerfield?

No idea on the woman in the tub or the little girl

[Rowdyboy]

11. The woman in the tub cooks a mean coq au vin...the man is merely her French husband

and the little girl grew into an American icon when she became first lady. She was as beautiful as a child as an adult.

[RZM]

12. Ahh. I needed those hints

Julia Child and Jackie O.

Good game!

[Rowdyboy]

13. You can really see Jackie when you look closely....I've loved her since I was a child

And Julia is just a gem.

[Adsos Letter]

7. #2 has Bachmann eyes. n/t

[Rowdyboy]

9. You got the Bachman eyes down perfectly....100% correct

That leaves 2 unidentified

[Rowdyboy]

14. Bonus points for wedding pictures....

[RZM]

15. 'Piece of cake,' as it were :)

Al and Tipper

H-Dub and Babs

RFK and uhh . . . Mrs. RFK

[Rowdyboy]

16. Obviously I've lost what little edge I had so I retire for the night....

You're 3 for 3 on that bunch! And its Bobby and Ethel-she was such an incredible lady. One of the best of a really fine crew.

[RZM]

17. These are a good idea

I like the idea of quizzes. I should have made this OP I quiz. Thanks!

[Rowdyboy]

18. It would be really easy to do....it took me little or no time

to come up with some flawless photographs. We could really have some fun with it.

Here's an easy one....



I saw the original a few years ago

[RZM]

19. LOL. Looks like the Big Dawg as a pup

In his cowboy persona, 'The Arkansas Kid'

[Rowdyboy]

20. I saw this (and several others) when we toured the Clinton Library in Little Rock

a couple of years ago. The Big Dawg had a real serious "cowboy thang" working. He was "all that" as a five year old.

[ellisonz]

21. Here are a recognizable few...

Guesses?

[Saboburns]

22. I'll try

Looks like Ho Chi Minh, at Treaty of Versaille

Fidel Castro

Arafat

Ahmadinejad

[ellisonz]

23. All are right except for the last...

Close, but no cigar.

[OswegoAtheist]

24. bin Laden?

The nose is a bit of a giveaway, to me at least.

Oswego "I sure can pick 'em, though" Atheist

[ellisonz]

25. Correct.

During judo practice in Riyadh in the early 80s.

Aloha!

[canetoad]

26. I read an interesting factoid

About Hitler's little toothbrush moustache.

During WW1 both German and allied soldiers were issued with gas masks. Those with long, lush or upstanding mo's were instructed to trim them down to ensure the masks created a good, tight seal on the face; thus the toothbrush moustache was born.

The story goes that in the years between the wars many men on both sides retained the 'toothbrush' moustache as a badge of honour; they had served in the trenches.

This story is debunked in many places on the net with the reason that the toothbrush moustache was nothing more than a fashion of it's era. Fashions, however, have been known to emerge from a practical application such as sailor's bellbottom trousers and it seems quite feasible to me that the toothbrush moustache fashion did arise for this reason.

[RZM]

27. Interesting. Hadn't heard that

Could be true, could be untrue. I don't know. But you're right that some fashion trends do emerge from odd places.

I remember hearing once that bikers' penchant for leather jackets came from the fact that many bikers in the US had served in the Army Air Corps in Europe during WWII and thus had a special attachment to leather jackets.

Heard something similar about baggy jeans and 'sagging.' Allegedly it originated in prison garb. Sometimes people were issued prison clothing that was too big and would appear baggy or sag down past the waist. Why that would catch on I don't know, but there you are