From Abraham Lincoln to Albert Einstein to Queen Elizabeth II, some of modern history’s most famous faces exist in our minds solely as they appeared in old age. Just try to picture Lincoln, or, say, Mahatma Gandhi as a young man and you’ll probably come up blank.
Whether it’s because these people didn’t truly make their mark on history until late in life or because they didn’t assume their now iconic appearance until at least middle age, they’ll live on in our minds, not to mention the history books, looking old.
But if you’ve ever been curious about what some of modern history’s most important leaders, thinkers, and artists looked like in their youth, take a look at the rarely-seen photos below.
Theodore Roosevelt
1880. Age 21-22.
Library of Congress
Bill Gates
1977. Age 22.
Public Domain
Bill Clinton
1963. Age 16. (Left, shaking hands with President John F. Kennedy.)
Arnold Sachs/Getty Images
Pope Francis
Date unspecified.
Jesuit General Curia via Getty Images
11 thoughts on “40+ Rare Photos of Historical Figures in Their Youth”
Great group of pictures. I would never recognise most of them even if I do recognise them from later in their lives.
Enjoyed these immensely. Ford, and McCain so handsome. Great shot of Eisenhower kicking the leather.
wonderful photos
Enjoyed seeing these photographs.
So pretty. So handsome. Almost looks gay by today’s standards.
Fascinating. Some of them have come from angel in a picture to devil on earth.
Please send more they were all great
Cool beans
Who would have thought that Winston Churchill was such a handsome young man?
Very interesting, some I could recognize some I could not!
Wonderful photos so young & innocent looking. I was born on Teddy Roosevelt’s 100th birthday. I remember when I discovered that in 4th grade thinking that was so cool.