Alaska: In Praise of Big Country
Like other remote, “exotic” lands, the vast expanse of mountains, forests, tundra, wild streams and endless, rugged shoreline known as Alaska has long fired the imagination of millions who have never...
View ArticleManson Family: Scenes From the Bottomless Pit
The Manson Family murders have assumed a near-mythic quality in the 43 years since Tex Watson, Susan Atkins, Leslie Van Houten and others slaughtered seven people – Sharon Tate; Jay Sebring; Wojciech...
View ArticleTwiggy: Rare Photos of a Sixties Icon
London in the mid-to late-1960s was as central to the look and feel of that fabled era as any place on earth. The music that emerged from England (the Beatles, the Stones, the Who, Cream and countless...
View ArticleLIFE With the Astrochimps: Early Stars of the Space Race
On the morning of January 31, 1961, in south Florida, a 5-year-old chimpanzee — dubbed “Ham” by his handlers — ate a breakfast of baby cereal, condensed milk, vitamins and half an egg. Then the...
View ArticleGunning for White-Winged Doves, 1961
For millions of Americans, fall means one thing: hunting season. Sure, there are school openings and pumpkins to be carved and, for much of the nation, “leaf-peeping” trips and screens to be swapped...
View ArticleHawaii on the Verge of Statehood: Photos, 1959
The image and legend of Hawaii as a tropical paradise endures for countless reasons. Few places on earth can boast more dramatic or romantic landscapes; the weather is generally gorgeous; the variety...
View ArticleFighting Teen Pregnancy: Portrait of a Radical High School Program, 1971
A new report from the National Center for Health Statistics indicates that the rates of teen pregnancies across the United States — and especially births among Hispanic teens — have dropped...
View ArticleIn Praise of a Whimsical, Solar-Powered ‘Do-Nothing Machine’
In an age when every discussion of America’s educational system and the country’s status in the world seems to end with all sides proclaiming the joys of utility — Never mind critical thinking. Never...
View ArticleBad Robot! Sabor the Mechanical Man Terrifies a Toddler
Ralph Crane’s 1952 photograph of a wailing child and a seven-foot-tall robot on the streets of Hamburg, Germany, might be the single funniest picture of a terrified child that any of us will ever see....
View ArticleWinter Olympics Flashback: Photos From the Innsbruck Games, 1964
As the 2014 Sochi Games wind down, and the traditional torrent of post-Olympics analysis, excuses, recriminations and celebrations are poised to begin, LIFE looks back 50 years to another Winter Games,...
View ArticleHappy 150th, Yosemite! Breathtaking Photos of a National Treasure
On June 30, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant Act, establishing Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove as America’s “first protected wild land for all time,” while also creating the...
View ArticleZsa Zsa Among the Ruins: Remembering the Bel Air Fire of 1961
In November 1961, scorching Santa Ana winds fueled a fire that claimed nearly 500 homes in one of California’s wealthiest communities. LIFE magazine covered the “Bel Air Fire” and reported on residents...
View ArticleTwiggy: Rare Photos of a Sixties Icon
London in the 1960s was as central to the look and feel of that fabled era as any place on earth. The music that emerged from England (the Beatles, the Stones, the Who, Cream and countless others) was,...
View ArticleThis Is What It Looks Like When 152 Black Cats Audition for a Movie
When it comes to four-legged thespians, canines have generally achieved a greater level of fame than their feline rivals. We fondly remember Lassie, Benji and Toto, but cats seem to face a steeper...
View ArticleThis Is What a ‘Perfectly Integrated’ School Looked Like in 1970
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, the Supreme Court decision that declared laws dictating racial segregation of public schools unconstitutional, was handed down on May 17, 1954. But the...
View ArticleSee Photos of a Young Joan Baez as She Began a Life of Music and Activism
On Thursday in Berlin, Joan Baez, 74, will receive the 2015 Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Award, along with the artist Ai Weiwei. Though many know her first for her gently trilling...
View ArticleThe One Vintage Beach Accessory That Needs to Make a Comeback
Outside of the Olympics and synchronized swimming competitions, it’s fairly rare to see swimming caps these days. It’s rarer still to see swim caps that give the illusion that the bather has two faces....
View ArticleThis Is How ‘Lady Authors’ Were Told to Promote Their Books in the 1960s
Modern advice for any writer looking to make a living might include working tirelessly to hone one’s craft, striving to understand the business and considering whether one’s narrative would work in a...
View ArticleMeet the Rescued Lion Who Became a National Sensation
The story of Frasier the lion might have ended gruesomely. At the age of 19—the human equivalent of 75—and no longer of use to the Mexican circus that owned him, he faced a preemptive death. But fate...
View ArticleBellybutton the Diving Dog Wants You to Celebrate National Dog Day
On National Dog Day, those who cherish their slobbering, four-legged friends take a moment to offer their companions an extra chin rub. Those who lack a puppy of their own can resort to the next best...
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