87 Interesting Historical Pictures That Might Teach You Something New About Our World

Chicago. August 4, 1948. This photo originally published in the Vidette-Messenger of Valparaiso, IN, tells a tragically heart-breaking, yet all too familiar story about Chalifoux family and the trials and tribulations surrounding poverty. Well … that’s what the original caption wanted the reader to think. Facing eviction from their apartment, the jobless couple decided to sell their four children ranging in age from two to six. The mother posted a sign in the front yard and waited for buyers while Lana, Rae Ann, Milton, and Sue Ellen just sat on the steps oblivious that their fate was about to spiral out of control. According to several articles I read regarding this photo, It seems no one really knew whether the sign was up there for days, or years or just long enough for the camera to take its shot. Several family members even stated that the mother was paid to stage the whole thing. Regardless, within days newspapers across the country picked up the photo and job offers and financial help poured in. But that didn’t change the inevitable. Rae Ann was sold and sexually abused. Milton went to live on a farm with John and Ruth Zoeteman who beat him daily, tied him up and worked as a slave. Lana’s life remained a mystery to the other siblings. She died in 1998 of cancer. Unlike the others, Sue Ellen was adopted legitimately and seemed to fare better than the others. Years later and well into their sixties and seventies, sisters Rae Ann and Sue Ellen found each other and were telling their version about what actually happened to them. “I was sold for $2.00 so my mother could have bingo money,” claimed Rae Ann, “and because the man she was dating wanted nothing to do us,” Sue Ellen’s response about her birth mother, “she needs to be in hell burning.” 

Chicago. August 4, 1948. This photo originally published in the Vidette-Messenger of Valparaiso, IN, tells a tragically heart-breaking, yet all too familiar story about Chalifoux family and the trials and tribulations surrounding poverty. Well ... that's what the original caption wanted the reader to think. Facing eviction from their apartment, the jobless couple decided to sell their four children ranging in age from two to six. The mother posted a sign in the front yard and waited for buyers while Lana, Rae Ann, Milton, and Sue Ellen just sat on the steps oblivious that their fate was about to spiral out of control. According to several articles I read regarding this photo, It seems no one really knew whether the sign was up there for days, or years or just long enough for the camera to take its shot. Several family members even stated that the mother was paid to stage the whole thing. Regardless, within days newspapers across the country picked up the photo and job offers and financial help poured in. But that didn't change the inevitable. Rae Ann was sold and sexually abused. Milton went to live on a farm with John and Ruth Zoeteman who beat him daily, tied him up and worked as a slave. Lana's life remained a mystery to the other siblings. She died in 1998 of cancer. Unlike the others, Sue Ellen was adopted legitimately and seemed to fare better than the others. Years later and well into their sixties and seventies, sisters Rae Ann and Sue Ellen found each other and were telling their version about what actually happened to them. "I was sold for $2.00 so my mother could have bingo money," claimed Rae Ann, "and because the man she was dating wanted nothing to do us," Sue Ellen's response about her birth mother, "she needs to be in hell burning."