Old photographs can make American history look surprisingly familiar until you learn what was actually happening when the camera clicked. A smiling crowd might be standing somewhere with a disturbing past, an ordinary-looking building might have played a strange role in a national crisis, and a cheerful publicity shot can hide a story that aged terribly. That’s what makes digging through historical photo archives so interesting. The darker side of the past isn’t always obvious from the picture itself. Sometimes, the unsettling part only appears once you know the context. These 15 photos and facts capture some of the stranger, more uncomfortable chapters of American history without needing anything graphic to tell the story.©Redditcnx.cmd.push(function() {cnx({playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530",}).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796");});The Gas Masks Made for Mickey MouseDuring World War II, American officials worried that children might panic if they had to wear gas masks. A prototype inspired by Mickey Mouse was developed to make the equipment seem less frightening, creating an object that looks considerably creepier today than anyone probably intended.©RedditTimes Square Went Completely Dark in 2003The massive Northeast blackout of August 2003 left tens of millions of people without power across parts of the United States and Canada. In New York City, even the famously bright signs of Times Square went dark, creating an unusually eerie view of one of the world’s most illuminated places.©RedditLas Vegas Tourists Watched Nuclear TestsIn the 1950s, atomic tests conducted in Nevada became an unlikely tourist attraction in Las Vegas. Hotels promoted viewing opportunities, and visitors could sometimes see mushroom clouds rising in the distance from the city.©RedditThe Government Built Fake Rooftop NeighborhoodsDuring World War II, some American aircraft factories were camouflaged to hide them from potential aerial attacks. Boeing’s Seattle plant was covered with fake houses, streets, and trees, making the enormous industrial complex look like an ordinary neighborhood from above.©RedditThe Golden Gate Bridge Once Had a Giant Safety NetBuilding the Golden Gate Bridge was enormously dangerous, so workers suspended a large safety net beneath sections of the construction site. The net saved the lives of workers who fell and became an unusual sight beneath one of America’s future landmarks.©RedditMount Rushmore Looked Very Different Under ConstructionBefore it became one of America’s most recognizable monuments, Mount Rushmore was a massive construction site covered in cables, scaffolding, and workers suspended against the mountain. Vintage photographs make the scale of the project look especially intimidating.©RedditPeople Lined Up to See Bonnie and Clyde’s CarAfter Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow’s crime spree ended in 1934, the bullet-damaged Ford they had been driving became a public attraction. Crowds gathered to see the vehicle, turning a violent chapter of American history into a spectacle.©RedditThe Hindenburg Flew Over New York Before Disaster StruckBefore its infamous 1937 disaster in New Jersey, the Hindenburg made flights over American cities, including New York. Photos of the enormous airship floating peacefully above Manhattan look especially eerie knowing how its story ended.©RedditNew Yorkers Wore Masks During the 1918 Flu PandemicPhotographs from the 1918 influenza pandemic show Americans wearing masks, public health workers distributing supplies, and signs warning people about infection. A century later, many of those images suddenly looked much less distant.©RedditThe Empire State Building Was Hit by an AirplaneIn 1945, a B-25 bomber became disoriented in heavy fog and crashed into the Empire State Building. The skyscraper survived, and photographs taken afterward show damage to a building that many people today assume has always been practically untouchable.©RedditSan Francisco Was Left in Ruins After the 1906 EarthquakeThe earthquake and fires that struck San Francisco in 1906 destroyed huge sections of the city. Panoramic photographs taken afterward show blocks of buildings reduced to ruins while recognizable landmarks stand in the distance.©RedditThe Dust Bowl Could Turn Day Into NightDuring the 1930s, enormous dust storms swept across parts of the Great Plains. Some were dense enough to block sunlight almost completely, producing photographs of giant walls of dust approaching towns and farms.©RedditNiagara Falls Was Temporarily StoppedIn 1969, engineers diverted water away from the American Falls section of Niagara Falls to study erosion. For several months, visitors could see the normally roaring falls reduced to an almost dry cliff covered in rocks.©RedditThe White House Was Completely GuttedBy the late 1940s, the White House had developed serious structural problems. During a massive renovation, almost the entire interior was removed, leaving little more than the exterior walls standing around a huge empty shell.©RedditThe Statue of Liberty’s Torch Was Once Open to VisitorsVisitors were originally allowed to climb all the way into the Statue of Liberty’s torch. Access ended after an explosion in 1916 damaged the area, and the torch has remained closed to the public ever since.The post 15 ‘Dark’ Photos and Facts from American History appeared first on Den of Geek.