The times they are a-changin’…
It’s truly amazing to see how much progress has been accomplished in an incredibly short period of time in human history. If you don’t believe me, these pictures from recent history will prove the point. From man’s inability to fly, to landing on a comet a hundred years later, there’s no question of what a little time can do…
1. In 1894, Otto Lilienthal made the first glider flight.
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In 1901, Annie Edson Taylor became the first person to survive a trip over Niagara Falls in a barrel.
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Perhaps most daring, Felix Baumgartner took a plunge from the stratosphere (24 miles above Earth).
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2. When the Wright brothers took a photo of their 59 second, 852 foot flight, they did so because they didn’t think anyone would believe them.
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But we all became believers when in 2014, a probe which had travelled 4 billion miles landed on a comet.
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3. Kathrine Switzer was assaulted by Boston Marathon organisers who attempted (unsuccessfully) to stop her from running the mens-only race in 1967.
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In 2014 though, almost as many women qualified for the marathon as men did.
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4. As the first guest on the David Letterman Show in 1983, who knew where the pair would go.
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The duo would share the screen again in 2014, along with a star of this generation, Lady Gaga.
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5. In 1918, a French soldier whose face was mutilated in World War One had to be fitted with a prosthetic mask.
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But in 2011, doctors carried out the first full face transplant on Dallas Wiens who lost all of his face in an accident.
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6. In the first official gay pride march, London police had to be used for protection.
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During the 2014 LGBT London pride parade though, marchers were flanked by supporters instead.
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7. The first International match at Wimbledon had just a few dozen (rich) spectators in 1883.
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Come today… and good luck getting a ticket.
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8. The first Rockefeller Christmas tree on the construction site of the tower in 1931.
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Today, it’s a little… different.
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