Did you know that the first Tour de France happened in 1903? Or that there existed a Fat Men’s Club in New York, whose members had to weigh over 200 pounds and learn a secret handshake and password to enter? These are only a few facts from the Facebook group ‘History Images’. The group serves us as a window to the past through various pictures.

It consists of more than 544,000 people who are engaging in discussions, exchanging information and gathering their knowledge.

Bored Panda has gathered some of the finest pictures for your curiosity, so without further ado, see them below.

Photos provide us with a powerful lens through which we can see and understand history. This Facebook page’s ‘History Images’ act as visual documentation, capturing significant historical events, cultural shifts, and everyday life.

Although photos can be pretty factual, the history of our world has been shrouded in tales and riddles. From ancient civilizations that left behind incredible structures to unexplained disappearances and mythical figures, let’s peel back the layers of time and intrigue ourselves with some unsolved mysteries of history.

Most of us have heard the tales of Britain’s King Arthur and his magical sword, Excalibur. The story has been alive for around 1000 years and as of today, no one knows if it’s real.

The interesting fact is that the ancient warrior is linked with places all over Britain and the story might have been about a real person, just not so magical. What we surely know is that real royals have been named after him and that to this day, this story inspires us.

After all, the king is meant to unite the Britons in their darkest time: “Legend has it that he’s not actually dead, just sleeping, and that one day, when Britain needs him most, he will rise again and defend the country.”

Another mystery is the location of Egypt’s beloved Cleopatra’s tomb. According to ancient writers, she and her lover Mark Antony were buried together in a tomb in 30 B.C.

Plutarch wrote that “the tomb was located near a temple of Isis, an ancient Egyptian goddess, and was a lofty and beautiful monument containing treasures made of gold, silver, emeralds, pearls, ebony and ivory”.

The exact location is a mystery up to this day, though The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities recently made a claim that they found it. Archeologists discovered a tunnel under Egypt’s ancient Taposiris Magna Temple that may lead to the long-lost tomb.

Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus on December 25th, though there are debates that he wasn’t really born on this day. According to ‘Live Science’, “the date Dec. 25 may have been chosen because it’s close in time to Saturnalia, a Roman festival that celebrated the god Saturn.

The earliest records of Dec. 25 being the birthday of Jesus date to the fourth century A.D. — more than 300 years after his birth”. According to ancient records, early Christians were never able to decide on the day; in fact, even the exact year is unknown. Thus many Catholic branches celebrate Christmas on a different day.

Let’s learn about one of the big world wonders, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, and debate whether it was real. The ancient city of Babylon was located around where modern-day Iraq is and was believed to have the impressive hanging gardens with plants at a height above ground level. The date of their existence is not surely known and modern-day archeologists have not been able to locate the remains of such a place.

Some things we’ll never know, but sometimes that’s the fun of it all. Let’s admire the ‘History Images’ that freeze moments in time, honor the mysteries of history and embrace the ones that await us in the future. For it is through the exploration of the unknown that we truly come to understand ourselves and the world we inhabit.