Yesteryear

18 Publicity Photos of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Alyssa Milano on the Set of “Commando” (1985)

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Commando is a 1985 American action film directed by Mark L. Lester and produced by Joel Silver. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger in the lead role, alongside Rae Dawn Chong, Alyssa Milano, Vernon Wells, Bill Duke and Dan Hedaya.

In the film, Schwarzenegger starred as Colonel John Matrix, a retired Special Forces operative living a quiet life in the mountains with his daughter Jenny, played by a then 12-year-old Milano. The film’s emotional core hinges on their relationship: Jenny is kidnapped by mercenaries trying to force Matrix into carrying out an assassination. Instead, Matrix launches a one-man war to rescue her, unleashing the kind of explosive, over-the-top action that made Commando a cult classic.

Milano had just started her career when she took the role. She was simultaneously starring on the hit sitcom Who’s the Boss? (1984–1992), which helped make her one of the decade’s most recognizable child actors. In Commando, she balanced vulnerability and spirit—her character outsmarts her captors a few times, which added suspense and gave her more agency than many child roles in action films of the era.

For Schwarzenegger, Commando was part of his rapid rise after The Terminator (1984). The film cemented his reputation as the quintessential 1980s action hero: muscular, witty, and unstoppable.

Behind the scenes, he reportedly had a warm and protective rapport with Milano, treating her like a real daughter on set. Milano later reflected fondly on the experience, saying she felt safe working with him even in such an intense and violent movie.

Commando was released in the United States on October 4, 1985, where it received praise for the action sequences and humor. The film became a commercial success at the box office and was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Special Effects, but lost to Back to the Future.

In the 1990s, Jatech Created a Disappearing Door System That Retracted Beneath the Car’s Body

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Jatech was a California-based design and technology firm that, in the early 1990s, developed a “disappearing car door” or “rotary drop door” system. This innovative design was intended to solve the problem of traditional car doors, which require a lot of space to swing open and can be awkward in tight parking spots.

Unlike conventional doors that swing outward or other alternative designs like gullwing or scissor doors that swing upward, Jatech’s door was a motorized system that slid downward into a sealed compartment beneath the car’s body. The door was mounted on a track system and would lower into a reinforced undercarriage. When a button was pressed, the door’s window would retract, and the entire door would descend into the car’s sills, leaving a completely open side for easy entry and exit.

Jatech claimed that its design had several advantages. It eliminated the need for swing-out space, making it ideal for cramped urban environments and tight parking spots. The company insisted the system improved a car’s structural integrity and crashworthiness. Jatech argued the doors would allow for easier escape in emergencies, as they wouldn’t be blocked by other vehicles or objects.

The company received some early interest from major automakers like Ford and General Motors. The most famous prototype was a modified Lincoln Mark VIII, but the system was also demonstrated on a Ford Explorer and a Chevrolet Corvette. The Lincoln Mark VIII prototype, in particular, gained attention and became the subject of a viral video years later.

Despite its intriguing design and apparent advantages, the Jatech disappearing door never made it to mass production. The system required a complete redesign of the car’s understructure to create the compartment for the door, which would have driven up production costs significantly. The motorized system, exposed to road grime, debris, and weather, raised concerns about long-term reliability and maintenance.

While Jatech claimed enhanced safety, critics were skeptical, particularly about what would happen in a minor fender-bender or if the mechanism failed, potentially trapping occupants inside. A manual override was reportedly part of the design, but the heavy doors would have been difficult to move without the motor’s assistance.

The doors were completely featureless on the inside, as the space was needed for the mechanism. This meant no storage pockets, speakers, or other standard door panel features.

By the 2010s, Jatech had ceased operations, leaving behind only a handful of prototypes and a legendary viral video that continues to fascinate car enthusiasts. The company’s name has, in a way, lived up to its invention’s fate, having largely disappeared from the public eye.

Fabulous Portraits of Giulietta Masina in ‘La Strada’ (1954)

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La Strada is a 1954 Italian film directed by Federico Fellini, often regarded as one of his masterpieces and a landmark in world cinema. The title translates to “The Road”, reflecting the film’s poetic journey through human suffering, love, and redemption.

The story follows Gelsomina (played by Giulietta Masina), a simple and innocent young woman who is sold by her impoverished mother to Zampanò (Anthony Quinn), a brutish traveling strongman. As they wander from town to town, Gelsomina endures hardship but also reveals her purity and resilience. Along the way, she encounters Il Matto (Richard Basehart), a gentle and free-spirited tightrope walker who changes her perspective on life.

With its blend of neorealism, symbolism, and lyrical storytelling, La Strada explores themes of loneliness, cruelty, innocence, and the search for meaning. The haunting score by Nino Rota has become iconic, perfectly echoing the melancholy and tenderness of the film.

La Strada won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1957 and established Fellini as an internationally acclaimed director. Giulietta Masina’s performance as Gelsomina remains one of the most beloved in Italian cinema, making the film a timeless classic.

These remarkable photos highlight the emotion and artistry of La Strada (1954), with Giulietta Masina’s iconic performance at its heart.

Iconic Photos of Concorde With the Twin Towers in the Background, the Two Different Wonders That We’ll Never See Again

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When Concorde entered passenger service in 1976, New York was the most important transatlantic market—but U.S. approval was complicated. Noise regulations and protests against sonic booms delayed scheduled service to John F. Kennedy International Airport until November 22, 1977, when British Airways and Air France were finally allowed to operate regular Concorde flights into New York.

During publicity runs, the aircraft was often photographed against the Manhattan skyline, with the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center serving as a dramatic backdrop. These images became iconic—sleek supersonic technology soaring above the symbol of global finance.

One particularly famous moment occurred on October 19, 1977, when a Concorde (Air France) made a ceremonial flight over New York City after test landings at JFK. It passed low enough over lower Manhattan for photographers to capture the jet crossing above the World Trade Center towers—images that were later used in promotional materials.

For the next two decades, Concorde was a frequent sight on the New York–London and New York–Paris routes, with the Twin Towers often visible during arrivals and departures from JFK. The pairing of Concorde and the World Trade Center became a symbol of late 20th-century ambition: engineering marvels of speed and height sharing the same skyline.

The 9/11 attacks had a devastating effect on the aviation industry worldwide, leading to a sharp decline in air travel and public confidence in flying. Concorde’s primary market was high-end business and leisure travel between London/Paris and New York. A significant number of Concorde’s most frequent customers, including many who worked at the World Trade Center, were killed in the attacks.

The subsequent global downturn in travel, combined with the already high costs of operating the aircraft and the aftermath of the 2000 crash, ultimately sealed Concorde’s fate. It was a contributing factor in British Airways’ and Air France’s decision to retire the fleet in 2003.

When Sylvester Stallone Met Michael Schumacher in 1998

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In 1998, Sylvester Stallone met Michael Schumacher at several Formula One events. Stallone was in the early stages of a film project about F1, which eventually became the 2001 movie Driven. He was reportedly doing research for the film, visiting F1 races and meeting with drivers and team personnel.

Their most well-documented meeting took place at the Monaco Grand Prix on May 24, 1998. Photos from the event show Stallone in the Ferrari garage, speaking with Schumacher and even sitting in Schumacher’s Ferrari F300 car. Another meeting between the two was documented at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza on September 11, 1998.

During their encounters, Stallone and Schumacher were photographed laughing and engaging in a playful “boxing” pose. The meetings generated significant media attention due to Stallone’s star power and Schumacher’s status as a top F1 driver.

How Richard Gere’s Suits in “American Gigolo” (1980) Put Armani On the Global Fashion Map

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Richard Gere’s fashion in the 1980 film American Gigolo was groundbreaking, largely because it introduced Giorgio Armani’s signature “deconstructed” menswear to a global audience and helped launch his career. His character, Julian Kaye, a high-priced male escort, used clothing as both a profession and an identity, treating his wardrobe with an almost fetishistic reverence.

The fashion in the film broke from the boxy, structured suits and flamboyant disco styles of the 1970s. Armani’s designs were a radical departure, defined by their relaxed silhouette and use of soft, luxurious fabrics.

John Travolta was originally attached to the lead role, with his casting announced by the Los Angeles Times in January 1978. He was provided a wardrobe by Giorgio Armani and appeared in a photo spread for the trade publication Variety announcing his participation. The following year, Travolta dropped out of the production to deal with his mother’s death and father’s illness.

In Travolta’s absence, Barry Diller of Paramount Pictures offered the part of Julian Kay to Christopher Reeve, but Reeve turned down the million-dollar offer. Chevy Chase was also offered the role but declined. Schrader offered the part to his first choice, Richard Gere, who accepted. Gere was cast two weeks before shooting began. In 2012, Gere said he was drawn to the role partly because of its gay subtext, commenting, “I read it and I thought, ‘This is a character I don’t know very well. I don’t own a suit. He speaks languages; I don’t speak any languages. There’s kind of a gay thing that’s flirting through it and I didn’t know the gay community at all.’ I wanted to immerse myself in all of that and I had literally two weeks. So I just dove in.”

Given his racy role in American Gigolo, Gere had to look good, and while his nude scene got people talking, so did his stylish suits. The suits are immediately recognizable for their relaxed yet refined tailoring and muted color palettes, and they’re practically their own character in the film. As Schrader quipped, “As an actor, Richard was more interested in the character than the clothes, but to me the clothes and the character were the same. I mean, this is a guy who does a line of coke in order to get dressed!”

Gere and Armani were forever linked in the public eye, as American Gigolo made them both stars. They remained friends after the film. There’s even a long-running rumor that because of the impact American Gigolo had on the brand, Gere had the privilege of walking into any Armani store and getting whatever he wanted for free.

Armani credited Gere with making him famous, saying, “It was what I would call a crucial moment. Nobody could have imagined the success that film would have, which in fact marked the imagination of the ’80s, and it became an important vehicle for my fashion. He helped me to make myself known in the United States, where many requests for my clothes started to arrive.”

In a 2000 Vanity Fair interview, Gere spoke admiringly of Armani’s aesthetic, praising how the suits were “Quite stylized, big shoulders and thin waists, thin lapels. It was like looking at an old carpet where the natural colors blend and even bleed as opposed to some of these new carpets made of plastic fibers where the colors are monolithic,” and emphatically saying, “I don’t know any other designer.” The actor has continued to wear Armani suits throughout his career, and his American Gigolo looks have stayed on the vision boards of designers and menswear enthusiasts for decades.

The Symbol of Brussels and Belgium: Amazing Photos of the Construction of the Atomium in 1957 and 1958

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The Atomium is a landmark modernist building in Brussels, Belgium, originally constructed as the centerpiece of the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair (Expo 58). Designed by the engineer André Waterkeyn and the architects André and Jean Polak as a tribute to scientific progress, as well as to symbolize Belgian engineering skills at the time, it is located on the Heysel/Heizel Plateau in Laeken (northern part of the City of Brussels), where the exhibition took place. It is the city’s most popular tourist attraction, and serves as a museum, an art centre and a cultural destination.

The Atomium stands 102 meters (335 ft) tall, making it one of the tallest structures in Belgium. Its nine 18-meter-diameter (59 ft) stainless steel clad spheres are connected in the shape of a unit cell that could represent an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times. Steel tubes connecting the spheres enclose stairs, escalators and a lift (in the central, vertical tube) to allow access to the six visitable spheres, which contain exhibit halls and other public spaces. The top sphere includes a restaurant with a panoramic view of Brussels.

The construction of the Atomium was a technical feat. In January 1955, a first project was presented by the engineer André Waterkeyn, director of the economic department at Fabrimétal, the Federation of Companies in the Metal Fabricating Industry (now known as Agoria). The architects André and Jean Polak were responsible for the concept’s architectural transposition, drawing up numerous sketches in the process. The company received assistance from the consulting engineers Artémy S. Joukoff and André Beckers, who were supported by the V. Daniel design office. Construction of the foundations began in March 1956 and the building, erected by the Jambes-Namur Construction Workshops, was completed less than a month before the inauguration of Expo 58, on April 17, 1958.

Originally, the Atomium was intended to be a temporary structure, designed to last only for the duration of Expo 58. However, its immense popularity and success led to it being preserved and becoming a major landmark of Brussels and Belgium. Due to its temporary nature, the building required a major restoration, which took place from 2004 to 2006. The renovation included replacing the aging aluminum cladding with new stainless steel panels and modernizing the interior spaces. Today, the Atomium remains a popular tourist attraction, housing permanent and temporary exhibitions and offering a panoramic view of the city from its uppermost sphere.

Senta Berger: A Leading Icon of European Cinema in the 1960s and ’70s

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Born 1941 in Hietzing, Vienna, Austrian actress, producer, and author Senta Berger became one of Europe’s most popular screen stars of the 1960s and 1970s. She began her career in Vienna before moving to Hollywood in the early 1960s, where she appeared alongside major actors such as Charlton Heston, Frank Sinatra, John Wayne, and Kirk Douglas. With her striking beauty and strong screen presence, Berger quickly gained international recognition.

In addition to her Hollywood career, Berger starred in numerous European films, working with celebrated directors and becoming a prominent figure in German and Austrian cinema. Beyond acting, she co-founded a production company with her husband, Michael Verhoeven, contributing significantly to German film and television.

Known for her elegance and versatility, Berger has portrayed a wide range of roles, from glamorous leading ladies to complex dramatic characters. Even later in her career, she remained active in television and theater, earning respect as one of the great actresses of her generation. Take a look at these stunning photos to see the beauty of young Senta Berger in the 1960s and 1970s.

Marriott Employees’ Luncheon at the Plaza Next to the Twin Towers on September 6, 2001

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The Marriott World Trade Center Hotel (WTC 3) stood nestled between the Twin Towers. On September 6, 2001, just five days before 9/11, the hotel’s management held a special employee appreciation luncheon for staff members. It was meant as a celebration of their hard work during the busy summer season and a way to boost morale.

The luncheon took place in one of the hotel’s banquet spaces and brought together dozens of employees from housekeeping, catering, front desk, and other departments. Many later recalled it as a rare, joyful event where staff could relax together, share food, and feel recognized. Photographs were even taken of the gathering — snapshots of smiling employees who had no idea that their workplace would soon be destroyed.

On September 11, 2001, when Flight 175 struck the South Tower, debris from the collapsing skyscraper fatally damaged the Marriott. The hotel was completely destroyed when both towers fell, crushing it beneath the debris. Tragically, at least 41 people inside the hotel — employees, guests, and first responders — were killed. Some of those who had attended the luncheon days earlier were among the victims.

Survivors later reflected on how meaningful that September 6 luncheon was — in hindsight, it became the last happy gathering for many Marriott employees at the World Trade Center. For families and coworkers, the photographs taken at that luncheon became cherished keepsakes, capturing their loved ones’ final days in the place where they worked.

Beautiful Victorian Wallpaper Patterns That Defined 19th-Century Interiors

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During the Victorian era, wallpaper became one of the most popular and defining features of interior decoration. Advances in mass production made it widely available, and its designs reflected the tastes, values, and fashions of the time.

Victorian wallpaper styles were often rich, ornate, and layered with symbolism. Early in the period, patterns drew inspiration from Gothic and Rococo revival, featuring intricate floral motifs, scrolls, and damasks in deep, dark colors. By the mid-19th century, the Arts and Crafts movement introduced more naturalistic designs, with stylized leaves, flowers, and birds, inspired by medieval and folk art traditions.

Other popular themes included oriental and exotic influences, with patterns inspired by Indian, Chinese, and Middle Eastern art. Geometric patterns also gained popularity, particularly in the later Victorian years, complementing the period’s fascination with order and structure.

Common colors ranged from rich reds, greens, and blues to gold and earth tones, often printed with multiple layers to create depth and texture. In wealthier homes, wallpapers were frequently paired with ornate borders and dado panels to emphasize the verticality of Victorian interiors. Take a look at these vintage photos to see the wallpaper styles of the late 19th century.